19 years after graduating from Harvard, musician Russ Gershon '81 may not have an office, secretary or benefits. But he's got it made.

Russ Gershon's resume must list at least nine professions.Russ Gershon's resume must list at least nine professions. In alphabetical order, he is a bandleader, player and producer; an entrepreneur; a composer; a jazz musician; a punk rocker; a saxophonist; and a touring musician. Your typical Harvard over-achiever? Yes. Your typical Harvard graduate? Not a chance.

Gershon is best known as the leader of the Either/Orchestra, a group that has become the bedrock of Boston jazz, and as the president and founder of Accurate Records, a label that has become a focal point in Boston music in general. Along the way, he has nabbed a Grammy nomination, released over 80 albums on his Accurate Records label, and toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe.

Gershon came to Harvard as a first-year in 1977 with almost no musical experience. While an undergraduate, he and several classmates formed The Decoders, a rock band that became popular at Adams House parties. The band parlayed their on-campus success into off-campus gigs in the Boston area. They soon began playing frequently at legendary New York venues like CBGB's and The Mudd Club, and even pulled off a two-month tour while still undergraduates.

After graduation, Gershon joined The Sex Execs, a local band comprised mainly of Yalies transplanted to Boston. Two of the players in that group were Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie, who have since built impressive resumes as producers: Dinosaur Jr., Courtney Love, Radiohead and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are just a few of the names they have worked with. The Sex Execs had a local hit and became part of the vibrant early 1980's rock scene in Boston.

After leaving The Sex Execs in 1984, Gershon returned to school at Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee in 1985, he met the group of musicians who became the foundation of the Either/Orchestra and the band quickly became known for eccentric material and quirky performances. By the 1980s, most jazz had become neo-conservative and stuffy, but the Either/Orchestra had humor and wit. While Wynton Marsalis was getting started at Lincoln Center and oiling up hits from the 1920s, Gershon and company were playing at a self-proclaimed "Bill Walton" night at a local bar (which Celtics star Bill Walton once actually attended) and soaring through versions of King Crimson tunes and souped-up takes on Ellington and Mingus.

In 1987, Gershon founded Accurate Records to release Dial "E," the Either/Orchestra's debut. Since then, Accurate has released over 80 albums, including the debut albums from Morphine, Medeski Martin & Wood and the Jazz Mandolin Project.

The band went through various permutations as it grew, and the list of the Either/Orchestra's members reads like a roll call of Boston's greatest instrumental products. Among the notable past members of the group are John Medeski, a keyboard player, now front man of jam-crowd favorites Medeski Martin & Wood; Josh Roseman, a trombonist who has recorded with The Roots and Groove Collective; Mike Rivard, a bassist, now leader of Club D'Elf; Curtis Hasselbring, Matt Wilson and Andrew D'Angelo, who are all staples of New York jazz.

By 1996, the group had toured the United States and Europe countless times and had released six albums, including The Calculus of Pleasure in 1992, which led to a Grammy nomination for Gershon. The Either/Orchestra had moved from being local critics' darlings to players on the national music scene. But after 11 years, Gershon decided to take a break from the band and focus on his new family.

In late 1997, though, Gershon began to feel familiar urges. He put the Either/Orchestra back together, reinvigorated with a fresh crop of young jazz talent, and a firm commitment to play only new music. Over the past two years, the group has been playing regularly, and on April 4, the Either/Orchestra's 7th album, More Beautiful Than Death, was released, showcasing the new group and the new material. The Either/Orchestra just returned from a European tour to promote their new CD, and began their United States tour on April 7.

The Crimsonrecently sat down with Gershon, to hear about punk rock at Harvard, life on the road and what it's like to be a grown-up rock star.

THC: When you were a first-year, how did you imagine your life after college?

RG: When I came [to Harvard], I thought I'd be a journalist, actually. I went to a Crimson comp meeting. I had been the editor of my high school paper. And then I realized that I wasn't cut out to be a journalist because I wasn't into objectivity at that point, and that I was much more compelled by playing even though I couldn't play very well.