Christian Pincock is a composer/performer on trombone and electronics. Informed by a firm background in jazz, his diverse work focuses on narrative, gesture and detail as a way of inspiring and entertaining audiences with work that integrates many musical styles and elements.
Christian composes for and performs with Slipstitch, which explores unusual orchestration sounds, brings together composition and improvisation in unique ways, and uses the full textural range of individual solos through complex group counterpoint. Coming out of the jazz tradition of innovation, the group incorporates many other influences including the rhythms of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music, the forms and compositional practices of European classical music, and grooves and expressive techniques from popular modern styles.
He also performs solo works on trombone and computer using homemade controllers and computer software for live control over computer-generated sounds and processing. Some of these controllers include a set of modified organ pedals, buttons and motion sensors attached to his valve trombone and keyboard controllers used in nonstandard ways. He has released five recordings under his own name and has performed on other artists’ recordings.
Christian has taught and directed bands at the University of New Mexico jazz and dance departments, the New Mexico Jazz Workshop, Long Island Conservatory and public school systems in Boston, New York, Albuquerque and Seattle. He has led workshops on composition, electronic music, ensemble playing and improvisation at schools, arts organizations and festivals including University of Colorado Colorado Springs; University of California San Diego; the Santa Fe Complex; The Improvising Composer; and the International Society for Improvising Musicians.
Christian has performed with a diversity of artists such as Bob Brookmeyer, Bobby Shew, Toshiko Akiyoshi, George Garzone, George Russell, Ikue Mori, Wayne Horvitz, Gunther Schuller, Walter Thompson, Maria Schneider, David Liebman, Slide Hampton, Butch Miles, Andy Martin, Rob Wilkerson, and Justin Ray, Jack Wright, Evan Mazunik, John O’ Brien, Lily Maase, Jeremiah Cymerman, Thollem McDonus, Mark Weaver, Ben Wright, Milton Villarrubia III, Tatsuya Nakatani, Mark Weaver, Julian MacDonough, Sean Buckley, Robert Muller, Rick Compton, Aaron Otheim, Chris Icasiano, Luke Bergman, Levi Gillis, Jon Hansen, Evan Woodle, David Balatero, Evan Smith, Max Wood, Gus Carns.
Christian holds a bachelor of music degree from New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Bob Brookmeyer and John McNeil and a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music in jazz studies where he studied with Steve Turre and David Taylor. His continuing education experiences include the Music OMI Residency (2007) and The Banff Center Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music (2005).