Zlabinger, Thomas

Associate Professor
Performing and Fine Arts

Phone: 718-262-2412
Office Location: AC-1A12D
tzlabinger@york.cuny.edu
https://www.facebook.com/tomzlabinger

Office Hours
Tuesdays	9 a.m. - noon

Areas of Expertise

bass (electric & upright)
blues
conducting
depiction of musicians in media franchises
ethnomusicology
improvisation
jam sessions
jazz education
jazz history
jazz performance
music industry
pedagogy of improvisation
psychedelic music
rock
telematic performance

Books in Field Of Expertise

Zlabinger, Tom. FREE FROM JAZZ: The Jazz and Improvised Music Scene in Vienna after Ossiach (1971-2011). : Graduate Center / CUNY, 2013. 352.

Articles in Field Of Expertise

Zlabinger, Tom. "The Evolution of Love in Prince’s Films and Their Concurrent Albums." Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men. 7.2 2020: 133-152.

Zlabinger, Tom. "Welcoming Freedom: A Personal Evolution in Teaching Musical Improvisation in New York." American Music Review. 42.2 2013: 20-23.

Zlabinger, Tom. "A Fusion of Responsibilities: The Result of Seven Years of Ensemble Direction at York College." DisCover: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching. 3.1 2011: 93-99.

Chapters in Field Of Expertise

Zlabinger, Tom. "Improvising over COVID Changes: The Transformation of the Jazz Band and Community Jam Session at York College." The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems. Edited by Rajendra Baikady, Sajid SM, Jaroslaw Przeperski, Varoshini Nadesan, M. Rezaul Islam and Gao Jianguo. New York: Palgrave Macmillan (in press / expected 2022): (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "A New Kind of Blue: Connections between Early West Coast Psychedelic Music and Jazz (1963-68)." Psychedelic Music. Edited by Gemma Farrell. New York: Routledge (in press / expected 2022): (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Remembering Tomorrow: Telling the Deeper Transatlantic Story of the Birth of the Psychedelic Sixties." Teaching Popular Music in the Classroom: Essays. Edited by David Whitt. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2020: 53-71 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Jazz: Come On and Let's Get Free." The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism. Revised online edition. Edited by Immanuel Ness and Zak Cope. New York: Macmillan, 2020: (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Psychedelic Strangeness: ‘Don't Come Around Here No More’ and Other Magical Music Videos." Tom Petty: Essays on the Life and Work. Edited by Crystal Sands. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2019: 102-120 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Listening to Charlie Brown: Musicians and Music Making as Cold War Era Critique in the Peanuts Comic Strip." Peanuts and American Culture: Essays on Charles M. Schulz’s Iconic Comic Strip. Edited by Peter Lee. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2019: 49-81 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Listening to the 24th Century: Music and Musicians Heard Throughout the Voyages of the Enterprise-D (and some of the Enterprise-E)." Exploring Picard's Galaxy: Essays on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Edited by Peter Lee. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2018: 223-236 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "I Often Feel like a Unicorn." Specialists: Passions and Careers. Edited by Cristina Artenie and Dannielle Joy Davis. Montreal: Universitas Press, 2017: 56-59 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "‘We Could Never Follow What You Did’: The Who and the Concert for New York City." The Who and Philosophy. Edited by Rocco J. Gennaro and Casey Harison. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016: 223-236 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Jazz: Come On and Let's Get Free." The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism. Vol. 1. Edited by Immanuel Ness and Zak Cope. New York: Macmillan, 2016: 494-507 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Hearing the Force: Manifestations and Transformations of Music from Far, Far Away." A Galaxy Here and Now: Historical and Cultural Readings of Star Wars. Edited by Peter Lee. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2016: 7-32 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Listening to The Endless: Music and Musicians in Neil Gaiman’s Extended Sandman Universe." Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century: Essays on the Novels, Children’s Stories, Online Writings, Comics and Other Works. Edited by Tara Prescott. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2015: 238-251 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Listening to Yellow: Music and Musicians as Heard and Seen in The Simpsons." The Simpsons Did It! Postmodernity in Yellow. Edited by Martin Tschiggerl and Thomas Walach-Brinek. Vienna: Ferstl & Perz, 2015: 177-216 (peer-reviewed).

Zlabinger, Tom. "Listening Deeply to Lebowski: One Fan’s Attempt to Draw a Musical Map surrounding The Dude." Fan Phenomena: The Big Lebowski. Edited by Zachary Ingle. Bristol, England: Intellect, 2014: 96-109 (peer-reviewed).

Refereed Proceedings in Field Of Expertise

Zlabinger, Tom. "Enjoying the Shadow: An Examination of the Expanding Scope of Themes in Duke Ellington’s Music." International Association of Jazz Education Jazz Research Proceedings Yearbook. 2005: 39-45.

Zlabinger, Tom. "Freedom Suite Repeat: A Look at Sonny Rollins’ Original Work in Comparison to Two Recent Reconstructions by Branford Marsalis and David S. Ware." International Association of Jazz Education Jazz Research Proceedings Yearbook. 2004: 151-4.

Zlabinger, Tom. "Dymaxion Jazz: Ornette Coleman’s Use of Buckminster Fuller’s Theories for Inspiration and Validation." International Association of Jazz Education Jazz Research Proceedings Yearbook. 2003: 175-8.

Zlabinger, Tom. "Two Worlds Collide: The Influence of Karlheinz Stockhausen on Miles Davis." International Association of Jazz Education Jazz Research Proceedings Yearbook. 2002: 34-9.

Zlabinger, Tom. "Reinventing Tradition: The Extended Works of Charles Mingus." International Association of Jazz Education Jazz Research Proceedings Yearbook. 2001: 108-12.

Presented Papers, Lectures, and Exhibitions and Performances

" York College Community Jam Session (an inclusive music-making space on Tuesdays @ noon) " August 2017 - present: York College / CUNY. Jamaica, NY.

" Telematic Play: A Demonstration of Online and In-Real-Time Music Performance " January 2023: CUNY Games Conference 9.0, Borough of Manhattan Community College / CUNY, New York, NY.

" Telematic Joy: The Online and In-Real-Time Adventures of the York College Jazz Band " December 2022: New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Winter Conference. Rochester, NY.

" Transforming the Emotional Distance of Improvisation through Telematic Performance " November 2021: Co-presented with Jarrod Ratcliffe (Mercy College). NowNet Arts Conference. Hosted on Zoom.

" NowNet Arts Lab Ensemble directed by Sarah Weaver, with musicians across North America, Europe, and Asia " September 2020 – November 2021: In addition to monthly performances, also appeared at Earfest (SUNY Stony Brook), Network Performing Arts Production Virtual Workshop, NowNet Arts Conference, New Time Music 2.0 Conference (Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre), and OptoSonic MayDay Marathon.

" 'All Rock 'n' Roll Had Sprung from This Root': The Big Bill Broonzy Film that Inspired Eric Clapton " October 2021: International Conference on the Blues. Delta State University. Cleveland, MS.

" The Door is Open: The Story of the York College Community Jam Session " June 2021: Creating Space: Critical Reflections on Challenges and Opportunities for Popular Music Education. Association of Popular Music Education. Columbia College Chicago. Chicago, IL.

" Managing Telematic Pain: Migrating a Student Ensemble Online During COVID " May 2021: Audio Engineering Society 150th Convention. Hosted on Zoom.

" Pure Love: Alice Coltrane and Openness " April 2021: Co-presented with Ashley Jackson (Hunter College). The Power of an Antiracist Academy: Reimagining Systems and Structures. CUNY Faculty Diversity & Inclusion Conference. The City University of New York. New York, NY. Hosted on Zoom.

" A New Kind of Blue: Connections between Early West Coast Psychedelic Music and Jazz (1963-68) " April 2021: Grinnell College Experiential College (ExCo). Grinnell College. Grinnell, IA. Hosted on Zoom.

" HONORS SEMINAR: A New Kind of Blue - Connections between Early West Coast Psychedelic Music and Jazz (1963-73) " December 2020: York College / CUNY. Jamaica, NY. Hosted on Zoom.

" CUNY School of Professional Studies Online Teaching Essentials: Building Flexibility for the Future " December 2020: The Next or New Normal? CUNY IT Conference. The City University of New York. New York, NY. Hosted on Zoom.

" Social Justice Institue with Jeremiah Duffy, Wes Jackson, and Dr. George White " July 2020: ycradio.org. Jamaica, NY. Hosted on Zoom.

" The Door is Open: The Story of the York College Community Jam Session " May 2020: Symposium on Eudaimonia, Music, and Music Education. Montclair State University. Montclair, NJ. Hosted on Zoom.

" Drivin’ that Protodelic Train: Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Smokestack Lightnin’’ as Psychedelic Vehicle " October 2019: International Conference on the Blues. Delta State University. Cleveland, MS.

" New York Avenue Records: Compilation Vol. 3 (CD) - original music by York College students " May 2019: New York Avenue Records. Jamaica, NY.

" The Door is Open: The Story of the York College Community Jam Session " May 2019: International Society for Improvised Music Conference. Augsburg University. Minneapolis, MN.

" Guest Conductor, Jazz Ensemble " February 2019: All-County Middle School Festival. Brooklyn, NY.

" Protodelic Repertoire: An Exploration of the Five Blues Songs that Helped Create Psychedelia " October 2018: International Conference on the Blues. Delta State University. Cleveland, MS.

" Under the Paisley Moon: Prince’s Psychedelic Albums (1982-1990) " April 2018: Prince from Minneapolis Symposium. University of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN.

" Exactly Where We’re Goin’ I Cannot Say: The Transformation of Henry Thomas’ ‘Bull Doze Blues’ into Canned Heat’s ‘Goin’ Up the Country’ " March 2018: International Association for the Study of Popular Music. Vanderbilt University. Nashville, TN.

" Protodelic Sounds: The Foundational Blues Repertoire of Psychedelic Music " October 2017: International Conference on the Blues. Delta State University. Cleveland, MS.

" Jazzadelica: Psychedelic Sounds as Embraced by Major Jazz Musicians " September 2017: Guelph Jazz Festival & Colloquium. Guelph, Canada.

" Resurrecting the Alien: A Student Jazz Ensemble Celebrates David Bowie " December 2016: CUNY IT Conference. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY.

" Guest Conductor, Jazz Ensemble " November 2015 - December 2016: Adelphi University. Garden City, NY.

" Rave Up: The Yardbirds’ Up-Tempo Transformation of the Blues " October 2016: International Conference on the Blues. Delta State University. Cleveland, MS.

" New York Avenue Records: Compilation Vol. 2 (CD) - original music by York College students " May 2016: New York Avenue Records. Jamaica, NY.

" Winning Alone: A Gameful Approach to Solo Musical Improvisation " January 2016: CUNY Games Festival 3.0, Graduate Center, New York, NY.

" Bringing DIY to Academia: The Story of New York Avenue Records " October 2015: CETL Presentation, Jamaica, NY.

" New York Avenue Records: Compilation Vol. 1 (CD) - original music by York College students " May 2015: New York Avenue Records. Jamaica, NY.

" Guest Conductor, Jazz Ensemble " February 2015: All-County Middle School Festival. Brooklyn, NY.

" The Gamification of a Jazz Rehearsal " January 2015: CUNY Games Festival 2.0, Graduate Center, New York, NY.

" ‘Get It Together:’ A Fusion of Classroom and Jam Session " December 2014: New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Winter Conference. Rochester, NY. December 2014.

" Robot Man, Will You Sing? Visions of Jazz Automatons " September 2014: Guelph Jazz Festival & Colloquium, Guelph, Canada.

" Why We Improvise: An Interactive Presentation " June 2014: International Society for Improvised Music Conference, The New School, New York, NY.

" Guest Conductor, Honors Jazz Ensemble Honors Music Festival of Music for High School Students " March 2014: Grand Street High School, Brooklyn, NY.

" William Hooker’s live soundtrack to Oscar Micheaux’s silent film Body and Soul (1925) " February 2014: Lincoln Center, New York, NY.

" Teaching the Art and Sound of Video Games Across Two Disciplines " January 2014: CUNY Games Festival, Graduate Center, New York, NY.

" Free to Leave, Free to Stay: Teaching Improvisation in Large Ensembles on a Spectrum from Inside to Outside " November 2013: Society for Ethnomusicology Conference, Indianapolis, IN.

" Widening the Spectrum of Taught Musical Improvisation: The Story of the York College Creative Ensemble " September 2013: Guelph Jazz Festival & Colloquium, Guelph, Canada.

" PROVOST LECTURE: Jazz and Improvised Music in Vienna " September 2013: York College / CUNY.

" International Society for Improvised Music Conference: Cross-Cultural Improvisation Workshops and Performances " July 2013: York College / CUNY.

" Beginning Improv…Have No Fear! " May 2013: Sponsored by the Music Educators Association of New York City (MEANYC), United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Headquarters.

" Multiplayer Classroom: Team-Teaching the Art and Sound of Video Games across Two Disciplines (with Sarah Kate Gillespie) " April 2013: CETL Presentation.

" OUTSIGHT (CD) with Ras Moshe " 2013: straw2gold.

" Man in the Mirror: Reflections on Michael Jackson (with Martin Atangana, LaForrest Cope, Mychel Namphy, and George White) " March 2013: African American Resource Center.

" Guest Conductor, Inaugural Festival of Music for High School Students " March 2013: Grand Street High School, Brooklyn, NY.

" Guest Conductor, Black Stars of the Great White Way! (with Chapman Roberts and Ben Vereen) " February 2013: Queensborough Performing Arts Center, Bayside, NY.

" Send Out Signals | Live at Tobacco Road (download) with Tom DeSteno, Mat Lavelle, and Ras Moshe " 2012: Unseen Rain.

" Send Out Signals (CD) with Tom DeSteno, Mat Lavelle, and Ras Moshe " 2012: Unseen Rain.

" Towards a Literature of Improvised Music and its Pedagogy " September 2012: Guelph Jazz Festival & Colloquium, Guelph, Canada.

" Jazz Education = Improvisation, Collaboration, Innovation " June 2012: Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center, New York, NY.

" Life in the Key of Love: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder (with Martin Atangana, LaForrest Cope, Mychel Namphy, and George White) " March 2012: African American Resource Center.

" Guest Conductor, Junior High School All-County Jazz Ensemble " March 2012: Suffolk Count Music Educators' Association All-County Music Festival, Monticello, NY.

" Resources for Learning and Teaching Musical Improvisation " February 2012: International Society for Improvised Music Conference, William Paterson University.

" Symphony of Souls (CD) with Jason Kao Hwang’s Spontaneous River " 2011: Mulatta Records.

" Butch Morris' Lucky Cheng Orchestra " September - December 2011: Lucky Cheng's, New York, NY.

" Innovative Music in Education " June 2011: Vision Festival, New York, NY.

" Korea 21 (with AUX and Silk Road) " May 2011: Symphony Space, New York, NY.

" MOMENT MUSIC Wien 2011 Residency " April 2011: Kollektiv Akt III, moë, Vienna, Austria.

" DAILY NEWS FEATURE: High Note - A Big Band of NYC High Schoolers Battles for a National Title " February 2011: Daily News.

" MACROSCOPIA (CD) with Daniel Carter, Claire DeBrunner, and Ken Silverman " 2010: métier jazz.

" Red, White, but Where's the Blues? Observations on Contemporary Jazz and Improvised Music in Vienna from One New Yorker’s Perspective " June 2010: Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.

" The reformARTtrio (with Walter Malli and Fritz Novotny) " January 2010: Alte Schmiede, Vienna, Austria.

" Tom Zlabinger Trio (with Ras Moshe and Gunter Gruner) " October 2009: Austrian Cultural Forum, New York, NY.

" Integrating Innovative Music in Our Schools " June 2009: Vision Festival, New York, NY.

" NoisyTownGroove (with Lukas Ligeti and Daniel Pabst) " June 2009: Fluk and V.E.E.K.S., Vienna, Austria.

" The Reform Art Unit Quintet (with Johannes Groysbeck, Hans Heisz, Sepp Mitterbauer, and Fritz Novotny) " May 2009: Alte Schmiede, Vienna, Austria.

" Tom Zlabinger Vienna Trio (with Lukas König and Franz Oberthaler) " January 2009: Blue Tomato, Vienna, Austria.

" The Ghost Dog Tour Compilation (CD) with Jim Ryan " 2008: Edgetone Records.

" Guest Performer and Composer (with JazzWerkstatt Wien) " December 2008: Open Source Composers Festival, Vienna, Austria.

" William Parker’s Introscopic Orchestra " May 2008: The Living Theatre, New York, NY.

" Marco Eneidi's ITCHYSCRATCHY AUDIOMAZE (with Hans Falb, Andreas Menrath, Martin Siewert, and Damon Smith) " March 2008: Blue Tomato, Vienna, Austria.

" Where Do I Belong? Creoles of Color and Music in the U.S. Before and After the Civil War " March 2007: CLASSified Information Conference, LaGuardia Community College / CUNY, Long Island City, NY.

" From My Hometown (R&B/soul review) " July - August 2004: The Gramercy Theatre (Off-Broadway).

" Towards Electricity: Miles Davis' Transition from Acoustic to Electric Ensembles " March 2003: Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Society for Ethnomusicology Conference, Ramapo College.

" Transparent Sunrise (CD) with The Willie August Project " 1999: DiPhoCal Records.

Professional Honors, Prizes, Fellowships

Transformative Learning in the Humanities (TLH) Faculty Fellowship, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: May - December 2021.

"Protodelic Sounds - The Foundational Blues Repertoire of Psychedelic Music," Faculty Fellowship Publication Program (FFPP), Office of the Dean for Recruitment and Diversity / CUNY: December 2018 - May 2019.

Provost’s Award for Enhancing Student Research: May 2019.

Distinguished Faculty Award, York College Alumni Association: May 2016.

Keeping Jazz Alive Award, Bartlett Foundation: September 2015.

Outstanding Leadership Award, York College Student Government: June 2015.

Excellence in Teaching Award, Sigma Alpha Pi: The National Society of Leadership and Success: May 2014.

Dean’s Award for Enhancing Student Research: April 2014.

President’s Award for Enhancing Student Research: April 2013.

Provost’s Award for Enhancing Student Research: April 2012.

Finalist, York College Blue Notes, Charles Mingus High School Competition: February 2012.

Presidential Award for Outstanding Service: September 2011.

Finalist, York College Blue Notes, Charles Mingus High School Competition: February 2011.

Finalist, York College Blue Notes, Charles Mingus High School Competition: February 2010.

Community Service Award, Eta Theta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity: February 2008.

Grants-In-Aid

Daniel Dromm (District 25) and Speaker Corey Johnson, New York City Council, "‘A’ Train @ 80: Celebrating Billy Strayhorn and his Legacy," in collaboration with Ebonie Jackson (Women’s Center): series of events including screening of documentary Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life (2007), virtual panel discussion with invited guests, and virtual concert of Strayhorn’s music. November 2021: $7,000.

Department of Performing & Fine Arts, "Drivin’ that Protodelic Train: Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Smokestack Lightnin’’ as Psychedelic Vehicle," International Conference on the Blues, Delta State University, Cleveland, MS. October 2019: $946.

Office of the Provost, "Widening the Spectrum of Taught Musical Improvisation: The Story of the York College Creative Ensemble," Guelph Jazz Festival & Colloquium, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada. September 2013: $500.