Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1985 by saxophonist and composer Russ Gershon, the ten-piece Either/Orchestra has carved out a singular place in jazz history with its adventurous blend of tradition, experimentation, and global collaboration. Drawing equally from bebop, avant-garde, and punk DIY spirit, the ensemble has served as a proving ground for future stars like John Medeski, Matt Wilson, Miguel Zenón, and Jaleel Shaw, while releasing acclaimed albums including the Grammy-nominated Calculus of Pleasure.

In the mid-1990s, the E/O began exploring the rich sound world of Ethiopian music, leading to transformative collaborations with Ethiojazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, saxophone legend Getachew Mekurya, and vocalists Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete. Their landmark recording éthiopiques 20: Live in Addis made them the only American band included in the celebrated series, hailed as “astonishing… monumental” (All About Jazz). The group later revived the music of Armenian-Ethiopian composer Nerses Nalbandian, documented on éthiopiques 32: Nalbandian the Ethiopian.

After a pandemic-era hiatus, Either/Orchestra returned to the stage for its 40th anniversary in December 2025, and continued with appearances at the high-profile New York Winter Jazziest and the Big Ears Festival. These shows featured next-gen Ethiopian singers Munit Mesfin and Bruck Tesfaye. After their time off, the E/O has picked right up with their 
boundary-crossing large-ensemble music that, in the words of the Philadelphia Inquirer, “salutes the past while embracing the future.