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Tristan Honsinger

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Tristan Honsinger was an American cellist, active in free jazz and free improvisation. He was born in 1949 in Burlington, Vermont. His mother gave him and his brother and sister music lessons at an early age, in the hope of forming a chamber orchestra, and at twelve he was giving concerts almost weekly. He studied classical cello at the New England Conservatory in Boston and in 1969 moved to Montreal to avoid the draft. There he became interested in improvised music.

Music and breakthrough

In 1974 he moved to Europe, where he worked out of Amsterdam. He played in Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink's Instant Composers Pool and worked with the guitarist Derek Bailey. In the late 1970s he spent some time in Italy, where he worked with a theatre group and founded a band of his own, This, That, and the Other. His best-known collaboration was with the pianist Cecil Taylor, from the end of the 1980s. He also played with the British post-punk band The Pop Group in 1979 and with the Dutch group The Ex. His albums include Double Indemnity and Imitation of Life, both from the early years of Y Records.

Influence

Honsinger was known for his almost comical body language on stage. His compositions were as simple as a child's drawing or a Winnie-the-Pooh story, but with deeper meaning. He often wrote them as stories, so that musicians and audience had something to hold on to. He died in 2023 in Trieste, aged 73.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording by Honsinger and notice how the cello does not only sing, but also scratches, jumps and talks. Can you hear a small story in it?

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists