The Musicians
Founded in 1977, the String Trio of New York continues to push the boundaries of chamber jazz with its unique instrumentation of guitar, violin, and bass.
James Emery
Guitar / Composer
Guitarist and composer James Emery has been an influential presence on the international jazz and contemporary music scene since 1975. He has recorded over 30 albums as a leader or co-leader and has presented his work in more than 25 countries worldwide. His recordings have been praised by The Penguin Guide to Jazz as “innovative and imaginative” and “utterly distinctive.” In 1977, he co-founded the String Trio of New York.
The first recording for his record label, Modern Sounds, was released in 2024 and was selected as the Number 1 jazz release for 2024 by AllAboutJazz.com. The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected his orchestral recording, Transformations, for its edition titled “The History of Jazz in the 1001 Best Albums.” His work has earned numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1995, as well as awards and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cary Trust, and the New York Foundation for the Arts.
As a composer, he has created more than 175 works spanning chamber music, jazz ensembles, solo guitar, chamber orchestra, and symphony orchestra. His compositions have been commissioned with funding from Chamber Music America, the Meet the Composer/Rockefeller/AT&T program, Meet the Composer’s Commissions USA program, and the MTC/Lila Wallace Jazz Program.
Described by AllAboutJazz as “one of the world’s greatest guitarists,” Emery has collaborated with leading figures including Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, Steve Reich, Wadada Leo Smith, Muhal Richard Abrams, Joe Lovano, Leroy Jenkins, and the Human Arts Ensemble.
Rob Thomas
Violin
Rob Thomas is widely considered to be one of the top jazz violinists in his generation. JazzTimes calls him "a violinist of exceptional creative resources... riveting as a solo voice with a rich complex tone that can sing or shriek."
Thomas has held the violin chair in the String Trio of New York, being the fifth in a series of notable violinists to join guitarist James Emery in that enduring group, whose presence on the scene spans nearly five decades.
Thomas has also toured and recorded extensively with The Mahavishnu Project and The Jazz Passengers. He has also been featured on recordings by Lee Konitz, Andy Summers, and Glen Moore, among many others.
He is Chair of the String Department at Berklee College of Music and author of "A Modern Method for Violin Scales" (Hal Leonard/Berklee Press).
Tony Marino
Bass
Tony Marino has made a major contribution to acoustic bass music. His early career took shape in the clubs of the Pocono and Catskill Mountains where he played with Al Cohn & Zoot Sims, Mose Allison, Phil Woods, Hal Galper, Urbie Green, and John Coates Jr.
His 30-year collaboration with Dave Liebman on tenor saxophone has been one of his defining musical partnerships, touring with Liebman's "Expansions" and Big Band. He has performed at the Newport Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival.
Born in Scranton, PA, Marino grew up singing in a family barbershop trio. His influences include Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Charlie Haden, Scott LaFaro, Stanley Clarke, Dave Holland, and Steve Gilmore.
He joined the String Trio of New York in 2018.
Member portraits by Federico Moretto.
Legacy
FORMED BY THREE MEN who honed their musical skills during the legendary era of loft jazz in New York in the early 1970s, the String Trio of New York is one of contemporary music’s most enduring chamber ensembles. Guitarist James Emery, bassist John Lindberg, and the late violinist Billy Bang co-founded the groundbreaking ensemble amid New York’s next fertile phase, the Downtown Scene. Forging the path for the genre-defying jazz, Western classical, and world-music-informed chamber discipline that is so prevalent in today’s adventurous musical environment, the S3NY has remained active and thriving over its entire 40-year history. Over the decades, the violin chair has been held by a distinguished series of artists: Billy Bang, Charles Burnham, Regina Carter, Diane Monroe, and now Rob Thomas. Bassists have included John Lindberg and Tony Marino. Their 19th album was released in 2025 and features readings by poet Paul Kane.