ABBA

Violinist who attended the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and co-founded the Beaux-Arts String Quartet with Joseph Tekula. In 1957, they gave their first performance at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, New York. Their repertoire was a mix of classical and modern works, featuring composers such as David Diamond, Arthur Honegger, and Arthur Foote.

Gerald was also a member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble String Quartet, The New York Chamber Soloists, and The New York String Trio, the String Trio in Residence at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

His recording career was a mixed bag of classical, jazz, and pop. A quick view of his late ‘60s output is a good snapshot: He appeared on Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album and Tony Sings the Hits of Today! as well as Stokowski: In Dulci Jubilo – A Baroque Concert and Stravinsky: L’Histoire du Soldat.

In the 1970s, he recorded Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring ballet with the Columbia Chamber Orchestra, and appeared on a wide variety of albums, including: Living Inside Your Love by Earl Klugh; My Favourite Fantasy, Rhythms of the World, and Van McCoy and His Magnificent Movie Machine; Rhythm Machine by Fania All-Stars; Sesame Street Fever; Spy by Carly Simon; and, Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk by Meco.

In 1980, he was in the string section for Aretha by Aretha Franklin, Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album by Meco, and Naughty by Chaka Khan. He appeared on a pair of Isley Brother albums, Inside You and The Real Deal, and a pair of P.D.Q. Bach albums, A Little Nightmare Music and Two Pianos Are Better Than One. Other artists he worked with during the ‘80s were George Benson, Joe Jackson, Helen Merrill, and Liza Minnelli, for whom he served as concertmaster at Carnegie Hall.

He played violin on Patti Austin’s Love is Gonna Getcha and James Galway’s Wind Beneath My Wings, was a member of The Chic Strings on Chic-ism, and recorded Edvard Grieg’s three sonatas for violin and piano with David Hancock. In 1994, he appeared on the Broadway cast recordings of Beauty and the Beast, Carousel, and Damn Yankees, and the soundtrack of The Specialist. He continued his film and stage work in 1995, appearing on the original cast recording of Victor/Victoria and the score of Clockers, as well as playing violin on Jesus Wept by P.M. Dawn and Max Bruch: Quintet; Septet; Octet.

More movie work followed in 1996 with Everyone Says I Love You and Get on the Bus. In 1997, he appeared on Backstreet’s Back by Backstreet Boys, Maxwell’s MTV Unplugged special, and Robert Baksa: Chamber Works for Solo Winds. Maxwell used his services again on 1998’s Embrya. In 1999, Gerald played violin on Ricky Martin’s self-titled debut.

The new millennium has been no less eclectic for this versatile musician: It has included stints on classical albums such as Music of Harold Farberman Vol. 1 and ScriabinRavelDeFalla and pop albums such as One Wish: The Holiday Album by Whitney Houston and Oops!... I Did it Again by Britney Spears.

Van McCoy recordings

The Shuffle (Van McCoy)

That’s the Joint (Richard Harris/Van McCoy)

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