Eivind Opsvik, Jacob Sacks, Jacob Garchik, BG, Dan Weiss, Thomas Morgan, 2007



THE BEN GERSTEIN COLLECTIVE
A band which I formed roughly in 1999, and out of a need for free-improvisation. It sprang largely from a rapport I had between Dan Weiss, Jacob Garchik and Jacob Sacks since the Manhattan School of Music days, 1995-99. Energy to liberate influences and ability in collective and individual expressive potential. A jazz I felt most honest about, working with a blank canvas essentially...

New York City performances from the Knitting Factory, Internet Cafe, CBGB's, 55 Bar, Bar 4, Barbes, Zebulon, Bowery Poetry Club and Williamsburg Art and Historical Society.



















March 11 2001 Set 1, sample 1 (3MB mp3) sample 2 (4MB mp3) track 1 (16MB mp3) track 2 (14MB mp3) track 3 (13MB mp3) track 4 (10MB mp3)
* Set 2, sample (6MB) track 1 (9MB) track 2 (3MB) track 3 (3MB) *



Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica; Jacob Sacks - keyboard, melodica; Jacob Garchik - computer; Hans Glawischnig - bass; Dave Ambrosio - bass; Danny Weiss - drums*
Recorded at the Internet cafe

June 3, 2001 Set 1, sample (6MB) track 1 (26MB) track 2 (22MB)
Set 2, sample (7MB) track 1 (24MB) track 2 (22MB) track 3 (7MB)
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica; Jacob Sacks - keyboard; Jacob Garchik - computer; Hans Glawischnig - bass; Dave Ambrosio - bass; Danny Weiss - drums
Recorded at the Internet cafe

January 18 2002 sample (4MB)
part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone; Jacob Garchik - computer; Hans Glawischnig - bass; John Hebert - bass; Bob Bowen - bass; Danny Weiss - drums
Recorded at CBGB's

March 1 2002 sample (5MB) sample 2 (4MB)
part 1 (30MB) part 2 (38MB)
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone; Jacob Sacks - piano; Jacob Garchik - computer; Hans Glawischnig - bass; Danny Weiss - drums
Recorded at the Knitting Factory



April 17 2002 sample (4MB)
part 1 (65MB)
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone; Jacob Sacks - keyboard; Jacob Garchik - computer; Hans Glawischnig - bass; Thomas Morgan - bass; Danny Weiss - drums
Recorded at CBGB's

July 7 2002 sample (9MB)
part 1 (28MB) part 2 (29MB)
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone; Jacob Sacks - keyboard; Jacob Garchik - computer; Dave Ambrosio - bass; Danny Weiss - drums
Recorded at CBGB's



* February 18 2003 * sample (9MB) track 1 (7MB) track 2 (9MB) track 3 (9MB) track 4 (6MB) track 5 (4MB) track 6 (6MB) track 7 (4MB) track 8(9MB)
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone; Jacob Sacks - piano; Jacob Garchik - computer; Dave Binney - sampler; Trevor Dunn - bass; Thomas Morgan - bass; Danny Weiss - drums
Recorded at the Knitting Factory

June 14 2003 sample (9MB)
part 1 (58MB)
video (33MB)
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone; Jacob Sacks - piano; Dave Binney - sampler; Dave Ambrosio - bass; Thomas Morgan - bass; Danny Weiss - drums
Recorded at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center




* February 8 2004 * sample (5MB) track 1 (34MB) sample (4MB) track 2 (27MB)
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone; Jacob Sacks - keyboard; Dave Binney - sampler; Jacob Garchik - computer; Thomas Morgan - bass; Trevor Dunn - bass; Danny Weiss - drums
Recorded at CBGB's Lounge

October 21, 2004 Track 1 (11MB)

Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica; Jacob Sacks - keyboard and rhodes; Jacob Garchik - computer; Eivind Opsvik - bass; Dan Weiss - drums
Recorded at Zebulon



Documentary excerpt by Lucie Hardoin & Ronan Cabon






June 8, 2005 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19Part 20 Part 21 Part 22
Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone; Jacob Sacks - keyboard; Eivind Opsvik - bass; Thomas Morgan - bass; Dan Weiss - drums
Recorded live at CBGB's




February 19, 2006 Set 1: Ia (10.5MB) Ib (13MB) Ic (19MB) Id (7MB) II (22MB)
* Set 2: I (23MB) IIa (12MB) IIb (9MB) IIc (16MB) III (12MB) *



Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica; Jacob Sacks - keyboard, melodica; Jacob Garchik - computer; Thomas Morgan - bass; Eivind Opsvik - bass; Dan Weiss - drums
Recorded live at BAR4

March 13, 2006 Set 1: I (22MB) II (14MB) III (10MB)
* Set 2: I (8MB) II (23MB) III (16MB) *



Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica; Jacob Sacks - keyboard, melodica; Jacob Garchik - computer; Thomas Morgan - bass; Eivind Opsvik - bass; Dan Weiss - drums


Recorded live at The 55 Bar with video documentation by Eddie Stein

July 2, 2006 excerpt I (29MB) Incomplete recording due to technical malfunctions


Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica; Jacob Sacks - keyboard, melodica; Jacob Garchik - computer and accordion; Thomas Morgan - bass; Eivind Opsvik - bass; Dan Weiss - drums
Recorded live at BAR4



August 9, 2006 Part 1.1 Part 1.2 Part 1.3 Part 1.4 Part 1.5
Part 2 (14MB) Incomplete recording due to technical malfunctions

Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica; Jacob Sacks - keyboard, melodica; Jacob Garchik - computer and accordion; Thomas Morgan - bass; Dave Ambrosio - bass; Dan Weiss - drums
Recorded live at Barbes, Brooklyn

November 5, 2006 Part 1 18:03 Part 2 29:16

Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica; Jacob Sacks - keyboard; Jacob Garchik - computer, accordion; Thomas Morgan - bass; Eivind Opsvik - bass; Dan Weiss - drums
Recorded live at The 55 Bar, NYC



July 29, 2007 excerpt 5:13
Part 1 45:53 Part 2 19:47

Personnel: Ben Gerstein - trombone, melodica, harmonica, bulgarian flute; Jacob Sacks - piano, melodica; Jacob Garchik - computer, accordion; Thomas Morgan - bass; Trevor Dunn - bass; Dan Weiss - drums
Recorded live at Bar 4, Brooklyn