News

This page contains postings on compositions, performances and press.


"Boulder Chamber Orchestra presents music grown from friendship"

by Peter Alexander, Boulder Weekly, November 9, 2016. Link to article is here.. Excerpts below. . .

“I strongly believe music is made between people who know each other,” [Karen Bentley Pollick] says. “The history of music is people writing with and for people that they’re fond of.” . . . “What really appealed to me was how clever [Jaffe’s music] was written for the violin, because he was a violinist,” Pollick says. She also loved his mixing of idioms across many different styles. “He has such a grounding in roots music,” she says. “Blues, folk music — it’s all in there. And it feels good to play on violin.” . . . “This concerto could only have been written by an American vernacular composer,” she says. “There’s a familiarity for anybody who comes from American music — they’ll feel immediately connected with this piece. . . . “My dream is to unite our audience through the celebration of eloquent varieties of American music, and the U.S. premiere of the violin concerto, creating a transcendent and memorable experience for all present.”

Read More

Bits, Birds and Bluegrass - Mills College Songline Series - Nov. 23, 2015

I will be presenting a concert and lecture at Mills College on November 23, as part of their Songlines series. Entitled "Bits, Birds and Bluegrass," it will include my first public performance of "Cluck Old Hen Variations" (though not the first time the work has been performed). I will also be performing "Impossible Animals," for Zeta violin and computer voices. The lecture will include excerpts from such works as "Would You Just As Soon Sing As Make That Noise!?," "Who's on First?" and "The Space Between Us."

More info at Mills Now.

Here is a short excerpt of my performance of "Cluck..." from an informal concert at Universal Audio corporate headquarters in Scotts Valley, California. 

Dybbuk performed by Santa Cruz New Music Works

On October 24, 2015, Santa Cruz New Music Works performed my 1980 work, Dybbuk, as part of their annual halloween concert, "Night of the Living Composers" at Samper Recital Hall at Cabrillo College, Aptos, California. I performed the offstage mandolin part from a hidden location in the balcony. Photos below. The concert was conducted by Phil Collins.