Bio
Saxophonist Greg Wall has performed and recorded with Hasidic New Wave ,Greg Wall’s Later Prophets , Zion80, The Wall/London Band, Neshama Carlebach, the Hi-Tops, Greg Wall’s Unity Orchestra, and has made many session appearances for record dates and film scores.
He was the musical voice of James Earl Jones in the feature film “On the QT”. Writing in Jazz Forum magazine Robert Buczek said, “Wall plays incredibly; his improvisations are well constructed and convincing.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer adds, “He plays with a consistent power and imagination.” His compositions for dance, jazz orchestra, and electronica have been widely performed and recorded. His critically acclaimed release, “From the Belly of Abraham”, with Hasidic New Wave and Senegalese master drummers Yakar Rhythms was named one of the ten best CD’s of 2002 by Jazz Times magazine.
Since then, Greg has released several recordings on John Zorn’s Tzadik label with his own ensemble Later Prophets as well as with the large group Zion80. Greg performs frequently at top venues throughout North America and Europe and has been featured at many major festivals. Greg is equally fluent in the jazz and world music idioms and has recorded with his Unity Orchestra, a pan cultural ensemble featuring 8 musicians from 5 continents.
Greg has collaborated with the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company since 1999, resulting in the commissioned scores for”Meyne Mentchen” (2000-2001), the electronic score, “Echad” (2002), “Lovelines” (2003), “odisea” (2005) and “Tikkun” (2009).
Between 2008 and 2012 Greg produced over 70 recordings for Pioneers For A Cure, an innovative artist driven project supporting a wide variety of cancer charities with reimagined versions of early pre-state of Israel music, the “Songs that Built Israel”.
Greg received rabbinic ordination in 2006, and in 2009 was appointed the rabbi of the Sixth Street Community Synagogue in Manhattan’s East Village. He was founder and artistic director of the influential Center for Jewish Arts and Literacy based at the synagogue, attracting thousands to the best of cutting edge and classic music, theater, spoken word and visual arts presentations.
Greg moved to Westport, CT in 2013 to become the rabbi of Beit Chaverim Synagogue. Since then he has been a founding board member of the Jazz Society of Fairfield County (JazzFC) where he serves as President and Artistic Director. Greg has curated a weekly Westport based Jazz series since 2015, performing weekly with a rotating lineup of internationally acclaimed NYC based and touring Jazz artists.