Andrew Gilbert December 10, 2020Updated: December 10, 2020, 3:24 pm
Jazz clarinetist Ben Goldberg launched a project called “The Plague Diary” in which he composes, records and posts music every day. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle
Sheltered in place in Berkeley, clarinetist Ben Goldberg decided to keep a musical calendar, making an entry nearly each day since the Bay Area’s first lockdown in March.
Composing, recording and posting new pieces on the Oakland music service Bandcamp, Goldberg has created an ever-expanding body of work called “Plague Diary,” a sumptuously melodic account of this singular era. It’s served as a chronicle of an inner journey shared by everyone who has been suddenly cut off from loved ones, work and the world beyond due to the coronavirus pandemic.