Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas Thursday, February 25, 2010 8:00 PM. ($20 adv/$23 door)
Master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser is a consummate performer. His dynamic fiddling, engaging stage presence, and deep understanding of Scotland’s music have created a constant and international demand for his solo appearances and concerts with a variety of ensembles. Alasdair has been a major force behind the resurgence of traditional Scottish fiddling in his homeland and the U.S., inspiring legions of listeners and learners through his recordings, annual fiddle camps, and concerts. He has represented Scotland internationally through performances sponsored by the British Council, and has been awarded touring support by the California Arts Council, with the ranking of “highest priority for inclusion on the roster; considered ‘model’ in stature.”
Alasdair’s richly expressive playing transports listeners across a broad musical spectrum, ranging from haunting laments from the Gaelic tradition to classically-styled airs, raucous dance tunes, and improvisations based on traditional themes. His vast repertoire spans several centuries of Scottish music and includes his own compositions, which blend a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition with cutting-edge musical explorations. He weaves through his performances a warm and witty narrative, drawing from a deep well of stories and lore surrounding Scotland’s musical heritage.
Vibrant young cellist Natalie Haas is already a seasoned performer, recording artist, and teacher. She has joined master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser for festival and concert appearances in Scotland, Spain, France, and throughout the U.S., including Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in France, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. “People may be familiar with the gorgeous, melodic cello sound,” says Fraser, “but they’re surprised to learn that the cello used to comprise the rhythm section in Scottish dance bands. Natalie Haas unleashes textures and deep, powerful rhythms that drive fiddle tunes. We can “duck and dive” around each other, swap melody and harmony lines, and improvise on each other’s rhythmic riffs. She has such a great sense of exploration and excitement for the music; it’s a joy to play with her!”
Jeffrey Foucault & Andy Friedman w/Paul Curreri, Friday, February 26 8 PM ($15 adv/$18 door)
Jeffrey Foucault grew up in Wisconsin, is currently based in Western Massachusetts, and draws considerable influence from the Texas singer-songwriter tradition, going back to Townes Van Zandt. And he went to Iowa to record his new CD. He comes up with a kind wide-open sound that evokes Texas troubadours and Midwestern expansiveness. Foucault started in music in his teens playing his father’s acoustic guitar, and doing John Prine songs. A stolen copy of Live and Obscure by Townes Van Zandt led Foucault to immerse himself in Lone Star singer-songwriters like Van Zandt and Guy Clark, as well as the distinctive Midwesterner Greg Brown. By 19, he tried his hand at writing his own songs, and by the time he graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in history, he was performing regularly in coffeehouses. He released his self-distributed debut album in 2001, and followed that up in 2004 with Stripping Cane, which did have national distribution. He has been touring extensively, and with Kris Delmhorst and Peter Mulvey also was part of a trio of Bay State singer-songwriters called Red Bird, which released a pleasing recording of acoustic covers of other people’s music.
Since the 2001 release of his critically acclaimed debut, Miles from the Lightning, Wisconsin native Jeffrey Foucault has built an independent career touring extensively in the United States, Canada, and the UK. His 2006 release, Ghost Repeater garnered praise from publications such as The New Yorker, No Depression, MOJO, The Chicago-Sun Times, and The Irish Times.
In the scheme of things, Andy Friedman’s musical career is relatively young. In 2002, after years as a professional cartoonist (most notably penning celebrity illustrations for the New Yorker), he began performing, but not as a musician the way most of us picture one. He took to the road with an act that involved live illustrated oral performances — songs without music, as it were.
Friedman, a Brooklyn native, bases much of his songwriting on a sense of unrest and dissatisfaction, tempered with a kind of storytelling that’s reminiscent of the old country music from which he draws inspiration. “Guys Like Me Don’t Get Grants” is clearly a New York artist’s tongue-in-cheek update on the bluesy country of yore. “David Berman,” on the other hand, is a clever retelling of how Friedman was once accused of biting the Silver Jews frontman’s style (he’d never heard him before) and how he then met Berman and became a fan.
More recently, he’s come into a more traditional setup, fronting a band called Andy Friedman and the Other Failures and recording his first full-length of gritty alt-country (or “art country,” as he’s prone to calling it). Taken Man is a collection of clever songs that take the arty and urbane elements that one might expect from a New Yorker illustrator, and mix them with a raw roadhouse sound that one might not..
Alash Ensemble Tuvan Throat Singers, Saturday, February 27, 8:00 PM ($20 adv/$22 door)
Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing, a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. Masters of traditional Tuvan instruments as well as the art of throat singing, Alash are deeply committed to traditional Tuvan music and culture.
At the same time, they are fans of western music, and have been featured touring with Bela Fleck & The Flecktones. Believing that traditional music must constantly evolve, the musicians subtly infuse their songs with western elements, creating their own unique style that is fresh and new, yet true to their Tuvan musical heritage.
What does throat singing sound like? “Imagine a human bagpipe-a person who could sing a sustained low note while humming an eerie, whistle-like melody. For good measure, toss in a thrumming rhythm similar to that of a jaw harp, but produced vocally-by the same person, at the same time.” -Newsweek (March 17, 2006)
Where is Tuva? Tuva (sometimes spelled Tyva) sits at the southern edge of Siberia, with Mongolia to its south. Over the centuries, Tuva has been part of Chinese and Mongolian empires, and shares many cultural ties with Mongolia. In 1944 it became part of the USSR, and until the late physicist Richard Feynman drew attention to it, was largely unknown to westerners. Tuva is now a member of the Russian Federation.
