Événement

The Bee Eaters & Jesse Harper in Aptos

Singer, song writer, and guitarist Jesse Harper (David Grisman, Madeleine Peyroux) joins The Bee Eaters for a tour of California and Oregon; a union of soulful songs and rich ensemble playing, traditional rhythms and pop energy. Though they live on opposite coasts, Jesse and the Bee Eaters are long time collaborators, playing whenever they cross paths at a festival or on the road; but most of all at the yearly String Summit in Mt Shasta, CA, where musicians from around the world come to share ideas and inspiration. Now these four will weave together the common threads of their different styles - a grounding in Appalachian, Irish, and bluegrass, a love of jazz and chamber music, and a passion for innovation - into a musical vocabulary that feels like walking through a familiar door and finding yourself in a new place.

"The Bee Eaters combine chamber music's finely
calibrated arrangements with bluegrass's playful virtuosity and pop music's melodic resourcefulness."
-The Boston Globe

"It is a joy to hear both the exploration of this music and the grounding of it simultaneously. Also, I love the emphasis on the simple beauty of the acoustic instruments."
-Edgar Meyer
(3 time Grammy-winning composer/MacArthur Fellow)

"...here come the Bee Eaters. ...so tastefully arranged and so well played. They rescue the hammer dulcimer from all cliches, and bring the music forward to right here and now."
-Tim O'Brien

"The Bee Eaters are the instrumental cream of the brand new string nation."
-Darol Anger

"I believe every sound you listen to informs your ears, and therefore your musical perspective. We grew up listening to the sounds of nature, rather than the sounds of cities," says Bee Eaters co-founder Tristan Clarridge. Perhaps it was their unusual lifestyle growing up in a tipi on the side of a mountain in a remote part of Northern California that influenced their musically explorative sound. Or the fact that Tristan and fellow co-founder and sister, Tashina, never went to a day of traditional school, sometimes driving thousands of miles for music camps and lessons and spent much of their time exploring and learning on three week backpacking trips.
The Bee Eaters trace their roots back to musical traditions as diverse as bluegrass, Celtic, jazz and old-time. While today's new breed often produces an amalgamation of sounds and styles based on a distant view, the Bee Eaters were raised embedded in these traditions raised to mold, meld, shape them and carry them forward, leaving their own indelible marks in the process.
Brother-sister duo Tristan and Tashina Clarridge, long known and lauded by those steeped in the American fiddle tradition, are joined by hammer dulcimer wizard Simon Chrisman. And, for this tour, but the inimitable Jesse Harper.
Jesse Harper is founding member and lead singer of acoustic supergroups Old School Freight Train and Love Canon. He has played thousands of concerts in both North America and Europe and performed with many of his musical heroes including David Grisman, Madeleine Peyroux, kd lang, Jason Mraz, Josh Ritter, Ricky Skaggs and many others. Jesse is currently recording the follow up to his debut album: JH and His Best Intentions. Drawing from early Jazz, Classical and Folk music. This second work will feature Jesse's songwriting and collaborations with all of the geniuses he is lucky enough to be friends with.
Tashina Clarridge, the 2005 Grand National Fiddle Champion, has toured with Mark O'Connor, Tony Trischka and Laurie Lewis and has performed at Carnegie Hall as a part of MacArthur Fellow/Grammy-winning bassist Edgar Meyer's Young Artists program. Multi-instrumentalist brother Tristan is an innovative cellist and 5-time Grand National Fiddle Champion. Also a member of the bluegrass/folk sensation Crooked Still, his talents have been sought by Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Bruce Molsky and Cape Breton fiddle phenomenon Natalie MacMaster.
Hammer dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman brings an unusual style to an instrument that has previously been thought to have limited range and technique. His inventive virtuosic touch and sophisticated rhythmic sensibilities are redefining the instrument and earning the attention of musicians from all over the world. He has performed with Darol Anger and Mike Marshall, opened for Bill Frisell and, at the tender age of 16, was a scholarship guest artist at the prestigious Augusta Heritage Festival.
Since their formation in 2008, the Bee Eaters have been on a trajectory of growth, both personal and musical. Their ensemble work has taken on mature, textured and nuanced tones, as their compositions have become more thoughtful and intricate. With Tashina's delicate fiddle and Tristan's grounding cello wrapped around Simon's ethereal dulcimer, they have created a never-before-heard sound in American music. No tricks. No pyrotechnics. Three instrumental voices, united in their musical exploration.
Listening to the Bee Eaters is like eavesdropping on a spirited, private conversation. As wonderful as their recorded music is, watching the Bee Eaters in live performance is an exercise in safe danger. They parry and thrust, challenging each other at every moment. Their focus on their music and on each other is tight and complete. Their melodic lines and rhythmic phrases dance (and sometimes roil) over, under and around each other. There is sometimes dissonance but always an ultimate harmony.
With the release of OddFellows Road in fall 2011, the Bee Eaters continue to travel the country performing in clubs, concert halls and festivals, evangelists for their new American acoustic sound.
Perhaps Tony Trischka said it best: "Their impressive ensemble work leaves me breathless. Their music excites, heals and enriches. Listen often."