Barbara Kolb (born 1939)
Barbara Kolb was born in Hartford Connecticut. Her father was music director of radio station WTIC in Hartford, and that’s how she was first exposed to music. She would meet musicians who were interviewed on the radio, and she went with her parents to jazz clubs. She studied composition and clarinet at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. Her studies continued in Europe on a Fulbright Fellowship, and she has since taught at Rhode Island College and Eastman School of Music.
Barbara Kolb’s compositions generally employ a modernist vocabulary but often with a distinct jazz influence, and occasionally some minimalist influence as well.
The variety of Barbara Kolb’s compositions can be sampled from studio recordings available on YouTube and elsewhere. One good starting point is the 1992 album Millefoglie and Other Works which includes Millefoglie (1985) for chamber orchestra and computer-generated tape, Extremes (1989) for flute and cello, Chromatic Fantasy (1979) for narrator and six instruments, and Solitaire (1971) for piano, vibraphone, and pre-recorded tape. Here is that recording of Solitaire:
Unfortunately, not much of Barbara Kolb’s music is available in live performance, which might indicate that it’s ripe for rediscovery. One of the few exceptions is an Homage to Keith Jarrett and Gary Burton (1976) for flute and vibraphone. The title refers to jazz pianist Keith Jarrett and vibraphonist Gary Burton, who performed together back in the day and released a 1970 collaborative album.