Gerard Cox (b. 1976) is an American improvising musician whose primary instruments are piano and electric piano e.g. Wurly and Rhodes. Given to a very percussive and insistent kind of attack, his sound is at home in both very open, improvised situations and in jazz funk or swing jazz bands where an instigating“wild card” is desired. The influence of Thelonious Monk is readily apparent in how he improvises with off-kilter rhythmic phrases and an emphasis on whole tone harmony and minor seconds. The more sweeping and orchestral approaches of Cecil Taylor and McCoy Tyner have also been important touchstones. While Cox has focused on developing his sound on piano, he considers improvisation something less dependent on “expertise” or specialization than on honing one's intuition for what the moment most seems to require. With that understanding he often has other instruments at his employ including all manner of percussion, found sound, trumpet, and melodica. His ideal in fact is performance where people are not planted at their “stations” but where the improvisation involves navigating a room or stage full of possibilities for sound-making. Movement should always be a part of performance and this has both important physical and metaphorical implications. Cox hopes for his music to be energizing and to feel both intense, joyful, and funnywhilst steering clear of the musical