News

Victor Lemonte Wooten is a unique human being. Born the youngest of five boys, he began learning to play music at the tender age of two. He started performing in nightclubs and theaters as the bassist with the family band at age five, and at age six, was on tour with his brothers opening shows for legendary soul artist Curtis Mayfield. Soon after, he was affectionately known as the 8-year-old Bass Ace, and before graduating high school, he and his brothers had shared the stage with artists such as Stephanie Mills, War, Ramsey Lewis, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Dexter Wansel, and The Temptations. But, this only begins to tell the tale of this Tennessee titan.

Wooten, now a five-time Grammy winner, hit the worldwide scene in 1990 as a founding member of the super-group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Continuing to blaze a musical trail with the band, Victor has also become widely known for his own Grammy nominated solo recordings and tours.

Among other things, he is a loving husband and father of four, a skilled naturalist and teacher, a published author, a magician and acrobat, and has won every major award given to a bass guitarist including being voted Bassist of the Year in Bass Player Magazine’s readers poll three times (the only person to win it more than once.) In 2011, Rolling Stone Magazine voted Victor one of the Top Ten Bassist of ALL TIME.

“I was born at the right place and the right time to a wonderful family.”

Victor Lemonte Wooten was born September 11, 1964 to military parents on an air force base outside of Boise, Idaho. Soon after, the family packed up and moved on as military families often do. It was during the years stationed in Hawaii that the brothers began performing as a five-piece band. With Regi on guitar, Roy on drums, Rudy on sax, Joseph on keys, and Victor on bass, the Wooten Brothers band was born. Performing in their front yard, the band immediately began honing their skills. Victor credits the brothers’ early ability to play a variety of musical genres to the experience of relocating frequently, the diversity of 1960’s radio stations, and the unwavering support of their parents who provided many opportunities and booked all of their performances.

My brothers, who were already playing music, knew they needed a bass player to complete the family band.
Regi started teaching me as soon as I could sit up straight,
and my parents let him do it.”

Victor has been heralded as “the Michael Jordan of the bass” and “one of the most fearless musicians on the planet.” These qualities were evident when, in 1981, his older brother, Roy, recommended him as a bluegrass fiddle player for a job performing at a nearby amusement park. Victor, having never played violin in his life, was thrilled to meet the challenge. He borrowed an instrument from his high school orchestra teacher and immediately began practicing. Quickly learning the most popular fiddle tunes and techniques, he took the job at Busch Gardens – The Old Country in Williamsburg, VA playing fiddle and bass in the Good Time Country Show

“I remember getting that call from Roy. He trusted me.
I had to learn to be a fiddler real quick – almost over night.
I don’t think the people who hired me ever knew I’d never played before.”

What they soon found out was that the brothers were quickly becoming star attractions. The Wooten Brothers rapidly became staple figures and star attractions at the park throughout the 1980’s working in the German, Italian, Country and Bluegrass, and Americana shows.

The years 1980 and 1981 found the brothers performing for US troops overseas as the band for the Busch Gardens USO show. Traveling the world was an eye-opening time of learning for young Victor, but it was one summer performing in the country show that, unbeknownst to him, changed his life forever. That was when he became aware of a unique banjo player named Béla Fleck.

“My brothers and parents were the foundation.
They prepared me for just about anything by teaching me to keep my mind open and to learn to adapt.”

While messing around with a friend’s banjo between shows, the friend commented on Wooten’s unique banjo sound. Because the instrument is tuned different from a bass, Victor’s lines came out sounding pretty strange when he played his friend’s instrument. With a thick southern accent, the friend told him that he sounded just like a banjo player named “Baylor Fleck”. Wooten couldn’t imagine anyone playing a banjo that way, so he sought out to find out who this Baylor guy was. When he finally heard a recording of Béla’s band New Grass Revival, he was hooked.”

In 1987, Victor traveled with his friend to Nashville, TN. During their short visit, he connected with the banjoist Fleck for the first time. After their initial meeting, Wooten and Fleck kept in touch and continued sharing musical ideas. In 1988, Wooten found himself living in Nashville. Later that year, Béla and Victor, along with Victor’s inventive brother Roy “Future Man” Wooten, and harmonica & piano wizard Howard Levy, formed the eclectic ensemble Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. With a dozen recordings under their belt, the band has created a completely new sound and has become known for its genre-defying music. Currently, over twenty years later, the band is still going strong.

“Musically, that means not being rigid and not having to play in a certain way.”

A few years after he began touring with the Flecktones, Victor released his first solo project, A Show of Hands. Recorded with only a 4-string bass, no multi-tracking, and a lot of groove and soul, this revolutionary CD was voted one of the most important bass records of all time.

Musicians wanting to learn Victor’s unique style and elusive techniques began seeking him out for lessons and seminars at music stores and schools around the world. These workshops became the training ground that lead to the formation of his acclaimed Bass/Nature Camp in 2000, which eventually expanded into Victor Wooten’s Center for Music and Nature. These “intensive” style programs, now in its thirteenth year, welcome all instrumentation and vocalists, and have helped thousands of people of all ages from all corners of the world enhance their musical and personal lives.

“People frequently thank us for sending their new spouses home.”

In 2009, Wooten Woods became the new home for all of Victor’s camps. The nearly 150-acre retreat, owned by Victor and his wife, is located on the beautiful Duck River west of Nashville, TN. This picturesque retreat center, largely built by the hands and hearts of past students, has provided many more opportunities for Victor and his staff to share their lifelong experiences with others.

“We give students the opportunity to completely let go and be themselves while congregating
in a peaceful non-competitive manner on an equal playing ground with each other and their instructors.
We’ve found this to be the best environment for learning.”

April 1st, 2008 marked the debut of two new releases by Victor Wooten. Palmystery (Heads Up) is his sixth solo recording and contains a collection of all new music. It features Bootsy Collins, Mike Stern, Keb Mo, Carl Denson, Jd Blair, Derico Watson, Saundra Williams, Anthony Wellington, Steve Bailey, Will Lee, Dennis Chambers, The Lee Boys, The Wooten Brothers, and others. The album showcases Wooten’s jazz composition and arranging skills with songs like “Two Timers”, “Flex”, and “Song for my Father”, but also brings to the forefront his artistically humble side with the celebratory track “Bass Tribute” and the thought provoking “I Saw God”.

On the same date, Victor released The Music Lesson – A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music, a self-published novel about Life and Music. The book presold hundreds of copies before its release quickly becoming a “must-read” for musicians world-wide. The choice of using this unconventional approach to sharing unique ideas about music was a surprise to all. Offering an intriguing story full of anecdotes and mysticism, The Music Lesson has helped free the minds of musicians worldwide. Soon after its release, it was picked up and published by the Berkley Publishing Group/ Penguin USA Inc. Now translated into multiple languages, The Music Lesson is currently used as required reading and part of curriculums in study groups, schools, and universities including the prestigious Berklee College of Music and Stanford.

With the success of the book came the release of The Music Lesson audiobook (Tantor Audio). Victor lends his voice as the narrator and main character, but enlisted many of his friends and fellow musicians to read the parts of all the remaining characters. Victor also wrote and performed the musical score to the audio book, which was voted as a one of five finalists at the 2011 Audie Awards (the audio book’s equivalent to the Grammys) in the category of Personal Development.

“My mom always said the world needs more than just good musicians.
She said we need good people.”

Wooten’s sought-after skills and growing popularity have lead to recordings and performances with artists such as Chick Corea, The Dave Matthews Band, Bootsy Collins, Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Prince, India Arie, Keb Mo, Dennis Chambers, Susan Tedeschi, Gov’t Mule, Bruce Hornsby, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Frank Gambale, the legendary Moroccan group Nass El Ghiwane, and many others.

His respected reputation as a teacher and speaker/lecturer on the subjects of both Music and Nature have garnered invitations for him to speak and teach at schools, universities, classes and spiritual centers around the world. Some of these places include Strathmore College, Berklee College of Music, Stanford University, Harvard, Mississippi State, Miami University, Middle Tennessee State University, The Haven (Gabriola Isle BC, Canada), Various Nature Centers and camps, and The NYC “Y” with Dan Levitin, author of “This Is Your Brain On Music”.

Along with recording Grammy winning and Billboard charting albums with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Victor also spearheaded the formation of the super-group SMV with two of his childhood heroes, Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. He continues to record and tour with the Flecktones, various other artists, and as a solo artist. He also currently leads six to eight camps at Wooten Woods each year (which he takes part in all day every day). With all of this going on, it would seem like Victor Wooten would have no time for anything else, but that is not the case.

Taking matters completely into his own hands, Wooten has recently formed his own record label, Vix Records. Wooten’s self-proclaimed “Label of Love”, entered the scene in 2011 with a re-mastered version of his pioneering debut solo CD. The new version, A Show of Hands – 15, contains three bonus tracks and is also released on vinyl.

“If the world were to follow you today, where would you lead them?”

Continuing to grow and always willing to share his gifts with all who desire to learn, it seems that Victor Wooten has no plans of slowing down.

“I’m currently writing the sequel to The Music Lesson, and have at least three more books planned after that. I feel like we’re just getting started with the camps and Wooten Woods. Now that we are officially recognized as a not-for-profit organization (501c3), the door is wide open. Vix Records has already released multiple products and we’re not even a year old yet. Writing music for movies and television is the next logical step, and with the amazing team I have helping me, including my manager Danette Albetta, my assistant and web-master Dave Welsch, and my wife Holly, I’m sure we’ll accomplish all of our dreams and more. You know, my kids are actually starting to play gigs on their own now. Who knows, I may be able to retire soon and become their manager. I’m just happy that people like what I do and that I have a lot of support. You can’t beat that.”

“I think everything you listen to has an influence over what you write and the way you play,” says Robbie McIntosh. “It all goes into the machine, and then comes out all minced up. People whom I’ve admired as writers over the years include Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Jimmy Webb, and Chrissie Hynde, but to say I wrote songs anywhere near as good as those guys would be presumptuous to the max.” McIntosh needn’t worry though. His solo debut album Emotional Bends was widely praised; Performing Songwriter Magazine called it “as stunning a debut as you’re likely to hear!” The album was a Top 10 hit on Gavin’s non-comm AAA chart (where it spent a total of 14 weeks) and earned him an appearance on the Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn and features in a variety of national publications including Billboard, Stereo Review’s Sound & Vision, Blues Review and Gannett News Wire.

Robbie McIntosh returns with a vengeance on Widescreen, his sophmore release. McIntosh and company are in rare form, delivering another stinging set of rootsy, hard hitting songs with McIntosh’s raw vocals and mind bending electric guitar style front and center. McIntosh penned all 12 tracks on Widescreen and his writing style slips easily from folk-oriented guitar pop to stark balladry, Texas swing and whisky-drenched blues. Standout tracks include Fire and Flame, a longing love ballad featuring McIntosh’s former Pretenders boss Chrissie Hynde on harmony vocals and Separate Tables, featuring the vocal support of fellow Englishman Paul Young. Throughout the album, McIntosh Band members harmonica master Mark Feltham, pedal steel player Melvin Duffy and drummer Paul Beavis all deliver scorching performances. Not only are these guys some incredible musicians, it’s also clear that they have fun making music together. That energy shines throughout the album and perhaps nowhere better than on No Feeling for the Blues, a high energy blues shuffle with a nod to Bob Wills that gives the players a chance to step out.

But the core attraction here is Robbie McIntosh. While his guitar playing is sure to please fans from his Pretenders and McCartney days, it is his writing and singing on Widescreen that are likely to attract the most attention. He has a penchant for coming up with hook ladened pop music; take the opening track Rat in a Hole for example with its catchy chorus that’s likely to lodge itself in the listener’s mind for days. But McIntosh also gives the listener some lyrically introspective offerings as well, such as the moody Edge of the Same Old World which is a musical cross between Dire Straits and Fairport Convention. Throughout, he shapes his vocal delivery to suit the song and impresses with the versatility and expressiveness of his voice. That’s a rare feat for a musician who, prior to his debut release, was known only as a guitarist and sideman.

McIntosh began his career as a guitarist for the group Night in 1978 whose song Hot Summer Nights went to #18 in America. The group toured the U.S. supporting The Doobie Brothers in 1978-1979 which led to a relationship with producer Richard Perry and work with Littlefeat and Jackson Browne. He came to national attention when he joined the Pretenders in 1982. Since that time, he toured as a member of the Paul McCartney Band for 6 years and has appeared on countless recordings by a literal who’s who in pop music including Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, George Martin, Paul Young, Joe Cocker, Mark Knopfler, Annie Lennox and Carl Perkins. He has performed in major venues all over the globe and has played at the Greatest Show on Earth – Live Aid. McIntosh currently resides in Dorsett, England, and tours regularly with The Robbie McIntosh Band.

The latest release from folk-siren Kate Rusby, ’The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly’ is her most personal and revealing album to date. Now (in her own self-mocking words) a “sprightly old lady of 31, The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly is Kate’s sixth solo album. Her dedication to the most pure version of English folk music has transformed the genre. Because of Kate, “English Folk Music” is no longer considered a dirty phrase among fans and critics. She makes folk music for people who never thought they would like folk music. The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly is a blend of traditional folk tunes and new originals. The same graceful, timeless feel of the songs Kate digs out of dusty old books can be found in her own compositions. A casual listener would be hard-pressed to distinguish one from the other.

When Kate enters the studio, the unwavering test she sets herself is simple enough: how to make a record of music she adores. Critics who shriek for something different might as well whistle in a gale-force wind. “Some people will like it, and some won’t,” says Kate. “I’d never in a million years expect everybody to like my music. But anyone who tells me I need to change direction or whatever can bog off. This is the music I make, and I make it like this because I want to.”

Anyone who has followed Kate’s progress from her first solo album, Mercury Prize-winning ’Hourglass’ in 1997, to the accomplished maturity of ’Underneath The Stars,’ will quickly fall in love with ’The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly.’ From the infectious opener, a sultry arrangement of the traditional “The Game Of All Fours”, to the bonus track, “Little Jack Frost”, written for a BBC cartoon, it oozes quality, enthusiasm, and equal parts fun and heartbreak. Roddy Woomble from Idlewild, Kate’s current rock listening, was roped in to share vocal honors on an anguished ballad of breaking love, titled “No Names.”

Perhaps the album’s most striking feature is Kate’s development as a songwriter. Of the 12 tracks, she composed 7 of them, along with writing new tunes for 2 of the traditional ballads included on the album. Don’t get the idea that this represents a major departure. Although it may have crept up on some, Kate is no beginner at composing music. “I have written music for as long as I can remember,” she says. “In the past, most went in the bin. But there have been several of my own songs on different albums. My first love is the older, story songs. You really can’t beat a good, long murder ballad! That means most of the songs I write are story-based. I suppose that’s why they sound like traditional songs. I think ’Old Man Time’ (on ’Hourglass’) was the first I had written out of that mold, and there have been three or four since.”

The input on ’The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly’ from John McCusker, Kate’s producer and fiddle player, was crucial to her creative process. As well as playing fiddle, all manner of other instruments, and producing the album, John collaborated with Kate to arrange all its tracks. Between the two of them, they drew on the talent and passion of a brilliant team of musicians ranging from Ian Carr, ace guitarist and dab hand at table tennis (the band’s new therapy of choice when touring), to brass bandsmen from the Coldstream Guards.

After putting in the CD, many fans will take out the booklet. Once they’ve stopped gawking at the stunning artwork by former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, will wonder about the album title.

Well wonder no more. The truth is, Kate really can’t…fly, that is. Or at least, not comfortably. Of the title, Kate said, “It just came out of my mouth one day, and it sounded nice. I hate flying as much as ever. Since the last time I toured in America, I have flown only once – a short flight to Spain when we hired a big villa for a family holiday. “It was the first time my nephews had flown, so I thought I might get carried along on their enthusiasm and not even notice that I was on a plane. They played with me lots to take my mind off it, but I still hated it.”

Kate has tried hypnotherapy, read books about planes and their safety records, but none of it seems to help. The girl who couldn’t fly feels lucky that her music can travel the world without her.

The first album by enchanting young Irish vocalist Pauline Scanlon, 2004’s Red Colour Sun, introduced the world to a singer with a disarmingly pure tone, ravishing interpretive abilities, and a wide-ranging set of influences that had already coalesced into a mature, unique sound. Available August 15 on Compass Records, Hush is a powerful, impressive step forward. Throughout Hush, Scanlon further explores elements outside of her native Irish tradition, while simultaneously reaffirming her roots in that tradition and illuminating the vast influence Irish music has had on other genres. Scanlon’s musical partner, former Lúnasa guitarist Donogh Hennesy, ingeniously shapes the instrumental landscape, bridging formidable musical gaps with endless facility and grace. “This album,” Scanlon says, “is as much his as it is mine.”

Pauline Scanlon’s deep roots in traditional music inform every note she sings — in the masterful sense of drama with which she unfurls ballads and the aching tenderness she brings to songs of loss and regret. Born into a family of singers and musicians in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland, Scanlon was discovered at an early age by broadcaster, writer, singer, and musicologist Tony Small. Mentoring the young singer, Small shared with her his own broad repertoire of traditional tunes, and organized her first concert when she was just thirteen. Not long afterward, Scanlon left Ireland, spending her teenage years traveling through Europe and Australia. On the road, she performed with local musicians at every stop, discovering new traditions and, equally important, new ways in which her own musical heritage could interact with other forms. She also couldn’t help but be influenced by the sound of modern popular music around her — the visceral yet ambient grooves of Massive Attack, the confessional intimacy of Tori Amos.

Returning to Ireland and settling in Galway, Scanlon was soon introduced to maverick accordionist, fiddler, and bandleader Sharon Shannon. Shannon was taken with Scanlon’s singing upon hearing her in a local pub session, and eventually invited Scanlon to join her band the Woodchoppers as a guest vocalist. Performing with Shannon in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Japan, Finland, and Australia proved to be the ultimate training-ground for Scanlon, who drew inspiration from Shannon’s renowned willingness to expand the boundaries of traditional Irish music.

In Galway, Scanlon also met then-Lúnasa guitarist Donogh Hennessey, who helped to bring her musical vision into focus, contributing greatly to Red Colour Sun as a musician and songwriter. Produced by drummer John Reynolds (Sinead O’Connor, the Indigo Girls, Hothouse Flowers), the album placed Scanlon’s voice in a variety of settings, ranging from purely traditional to more eclectic, contemporary surroundings. Original songs, co-written by Scanlon and Hennessey, were joined by intense traditional material and illuminating interpretations of songs by Americans such as Willie Nelson, Peggy Seeger, and Don McLean.

Recorded at Compass Sound Studio in Nashville and unlike the shifting track-by-track bands that marked Red Colour Sun, Hush was made by a remarkable core band consisting of musicians from America, Ireland, and England, whose backgrounds range from bluegrass to jazz to country music. The rhythm section of Hennessey’s guitar, the supple bass of Danny Thompson (Pentangle, Richard Thompson Band), and ace Nashville session drummer Kenny Malone (here playing a mix of standard trap set, percussion, and deconstructed drum kits) are capable of delivering rollicking uptempo backdrops and stark, slowly-unfolding ballads with equal precision. Fiddler Stuart Duncan, one of the most recorded musicians in the bluegrass and country universe, is a fascinating addition to the studio band. Not an Irish fiddler by trade, Duncan still has a deep understanding of the haunting modal qualities that define the genre. To that understanding he brings a bluegrass-born rhythmic drive and intensity.

The opening “Wearin’ the Britches” confidently introduces this volatile fusion of traditions and musicians, with Thompso’s jazz bass vamps and Dunca’s grassy double-stops elevating Scanlon’s soaring vocal and pushing her to levels of immediacy not heard on Red Colour Sun. Again differentiating it from the previous project, Hush’s repertoire is rooted in Scanlon and Hennessey’s arrangements of traditional songs. While most of the traditional material hails from Ireland, Hush also featuring a pair of ballads, “Rain and Snow” and “The Demon Lover,” that figure strongly in both the Appalachian and Irish canons. “The Demon Lover” is a particularly powerful performance, with Scanlon’s crystalline tones answered by the rugged vocals and banjo of special guest Darrell Scott.

While the supporting cast of Hush is indeed illustrious, their contributions never overshadow Scanlon’s gifts. Still not yet thirty, she holds her own with this heavyweight ensemble, and reveals a new level of depth and passion to her singing. She gives more of herself to each performance, bravely displaying a vulnerability and sensitivity that makes even the oldest traditional ballad immediately relevant. Hush is a rare album from a rare talent: rooted yet adventurous, timeless yet contemporary, inviting yet sweetly heartbreaking.

Frequent headline performances by Téada at major music festivals throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Israel and Australia has seen Irish Music Magazine’s “Best Traditional Newcomers 2003” evolve into one of the busiest Irish touring acts worldwide with an established reputation for knock-out live shows. Recent performances have ranged from a 30,000-audience headlining appearance alongside Carlos Nunez in Brittany, to closer to home Irish festivals such as Kilkenny Arts Festival.

The new CD/DVD from Teada, Inne Amarach (In-ay A-moor-ak), which is Irish for “Yesterday/Tomorrow”, brilliantly showcases their uncanny ability to blend the modern with the traditional. Although no words are spoken, stories are certainly being told through the eleven sets of reels, jigs, marches, polkas and slips. Outstanding and electrifying tracks include the hornpipes on “The Ebb Tide/Peter Wyper’s” and the slip jog/hop jig set starting off with “The Tenpenny Piece.” The accompanying DVD is an additional window into the band’s influences, live performance style, and their connection to Sligo.

Founded by Sligo fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada, Téada first came together in 2001 to make an appearance on the innovative Irish television series ‘Flosc’. The young musicians shared a passion for a deeply traditional approach, and following an initial gig opening for the Sharon Shannon band at Dublin’s Celtic Flame festival in February 2001, Téada was off and running. Their self-titled debut CD in 2002 brought popular and critical raves, with THE IRISH TIMES applauding the band for “keeping the traditional flag flying at full mast.”

Most of the group’s members grew up in rural Ireland, assimilating the tradition through local classes and by listening to older musicians. With Téada, the group strives to capture some of the rawness and individuality of the solo artist within a modern group context. Oisín, on fiddle, was joined in the band initially by John Blake on guitar and later flute, Seán McElwain from Monaghan on banjo and bouzouki, and Dubliner Tristan Rosenstock on bodhrán. Following a growing popularity, particularly in the US, which had seen the band becoming a full-time worldwide touring act by early 2003, the band sound was augmented greatly by the joining of Co. Laois accordion-player Paul Finn. The end of 2004 saw founding member John Blake depart the band for other pursuits as Sligo flutist Damien Stenson became the most recent addition to the line-up.

Band Members

Oisin Mac Diarmada (fiddle)
At 28 years of age Oisín Mac Diarmada is an honours graduate in Music Education at Trinity College, Dublin/RIAM. Growing up initially in County Clare and then later in Sligo, he began playing fiddle at age six and won the All-Ireland senior championship in 1999. Oisín released an acclaimed solo album, “Ar an Bhfidil” (Green Linnet) in 2003 and was subsequently featured in renowned US magazine “Strings”. He is also respected as a fiddle tutor and for his journalistic, lecturing and production work. THE IRISH ECHO’S Earle Hitchner calls him “one of the most gifted and creative traditional fiddlers playing today.”

Paul Finn (button accordion)
Paul Finn from Co. Laois is one of the rising stars of button accordion playing in Ireland. Known for a pulsating and rhythmic performance style, his playing featured prominently in major international touring dance productions, as well as in the indigenous session scene in Ireland, prior to his joining Téada.

Damien Stenson (flute)
Hailing from the rich musical environment of Co. Sligo, 27-year-old Damien Stenson is noted for his extensive repertoire and flowing style of playing, honed by many years of extensive musical activity. He is featured on a number of recent albums including the compilation “Wooden Flute Obsession Vol. 2”, Oisín Mac Diarmada’s solo album “Ar an Bhfidil”, along with a recent bodhrán album by Junior Davey.

Seán McElwain (guitar/bouzouki)
Seán McElwain from Monaghan brings a strong string dimension to Téada through his energetic contributions on guitar and bouzouki. Touring performances have seen Seán gaining growing accolades for his accompaniment and melodic skills. Along with developing websites for a number of leading Irish musicians, he nevertheless has found time to guest as accompanist on a number of recent albums.

Tristan Rosenstock (bodhrán)
From Glenageary in Co. Dublin, Tristan picked up the bodhrán at the age of 10. His playing encompasses a distinctive musical sensitivity, evident on a number of recordings and tours with which he has been involved. Prominent in Dublin musical circles, Tristan also possesses a deep knowledge of the Irish language.

Steve Masakowski has long been regarded as one of the finest jazz guitarists from New Orleans. His experience as a recording artist and jazz soloist is extensive. He has recorded five compact discs under his own name to date, including his latest, For Joe. As a jazz soloist, he has been invited to record on over twenty-six albums as well as accompany many noted jazz musicians including Nicholas Payton, Mose Allison, Dave Liebman and Ellis Marsalis.

Masakowski recorded two solo albums What It Was and Direct AXEcess on Blue Note, both of which received critical acclaim and reviews in major music publications around the world. The prestigious international jazz journal Downbeat Magazine awarded What It Was a four and a half star review and honored Masakowski in their criticÕs poll as Talent Deserving Wider Recognition. His music has been featured in major publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Downbeat, Jazz Times, and many others. In addition, Masakowski was honored by National Public Radio with a feature biography which aired nationally on the Morning Edition radio program.

Masakowski came to the attention of Compass Records as a member of the celebrated New Orleans jazz group Astral Project which has released 2 albums on Compass. After hearing Masakowski describe the tremendous influence which Joe Pass’ 1964 Pacific Jazz release For Django had on his playing, Compass co-founder Garry West suggested that Masakowski record a similar kind of tribute to the legendary Joe Pass. The resulting album, For Joe, includes a mixture of originals and standards recorded in a trio setting, featuring Bill Huntington on bass and Astral Project bandmate Johnny Vidacovich on drums. The sparse setting allows for Masakowski’s seven string guitar and formidable technique to shine as he pays homage to Pass on tunes like Falling in Love With Love, Pass Presence and For Django, the title track of Pass’ 1964 album.

One of the highlights of MasakowskiÕs 25 year old performing career is a two-year tenure with the jazz ensemble headed by Grammy nominated vocalist Dianne Reeves.Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, The Superdome and The Newport and JVC jazz festival They toured extensively throughout Europe, North America, and Japan and made numerous national television appearances on shows such as Good Morning America and NBC Weekend. With Dianne Reeves he had an opportunity to perform at the most prestigious concert halls and festivals around the world.

As a member of the award-winning 22 year old group Astral Project, heÕs recorded two cds: Elevado and VoodooBop, both on Compass Records. The group has also completed several successful European and North American tours, and has had featured performances aired on the Bravo Channel and NPR. In 1999, Astral Project toured with jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin performing at several major festivals and venues around the country.

Steve Masakowski teaches Advanced Jazz Harmony and Theory, Jazz Guitar and directs the Jazz Guitar Ensemble at the University of New Orleans. He studied jazz arranging and composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston and studied composition and orchestration with Dr. Bert Braud in New Orleans.

“This record,” explains accordionist Mick McAuley of Serenade, his new duo album with fiddler Winifred Horan, “took a while to get finished.” McAuley says this with a sly undercurrent of irony in his voice, for in this case “a while” refers to the better part of ten years. Though he and Horan are best known as part of the internationally acclaimed Irish-American band Solas, their musical kinship stretches back even farther, to the bustling Irish music renaissance that blossomed in the early ’90s in New York City, where they first met a decade ago. Since then, Solas’ busy tour schedule has left little time for other projects. McAuley and Horan recorded Serenade in a series of sessions in Ireland, sometimes held many months apart. The pair maximized their time in the studio by carefully discussing the sound, songs, and styles that make up the album ahead of time. The result is a beguiling collection, infinitely musical and laced with small surprises that reveal both familiar and fresh facets of McAuley and Horan’s talent.

“Even before we stepped into the studio, we put quite a bit of time into researching the tunes and songs that went onto the album,” Horan explains. The songs composing Serenade cast a wide net, encompassing Irish folk music, wistful Gallic waltzes, gypsy swing, contemporary and traditional American music, and the French-Canadian fiddle/accordion duet tradition. McAuley and Horan’s unassailable musicianship, combined with their careful production and song selection, not only give the album coherence – they illuminate how the myriad styles interact and influence one another, giving the listener insight into Horan and McAuley’s individual styles and what they contribute to Solas.

“We decided that this album did not have to be entirely original material,” McAuley says of the track listing, which contains only four Horan or McAuley compositions among the twelve that make up Serenade. “While that’s important to some musicians, we felt that this mix makes the album sound fresh. These songs were fresh to us – we had just learned them. Then we used the original songs to glue the album together and make it feel whole.” Horan agrees, adding, “The traditional songs here are not your standard session tunes.”

Adding to the refreshing quality of Serenade is the instrumentation, which mostly features McAuley’s accordion and Horan’s fiddle backed with bass and rhythm guitar. The chance to feature their instruments so prominently raised a different set of challenges for Horan and McAuley than they face as members of Solas. “We were more free to try things,” Horan explains. “There’s only two of us – as opposed to five in Solas – so there was less approval needed. Also, when you play in a band like Solas, you spend a lot of time working on arrangement ideas – when to come in, when to back off, when to support and when to solo. For this, we really concentrated on the duet sound and blending.” The dizzying unison lines on sets like “The Ballygar Jigs” and “Jug of Punch Set” find the two instruments sounding as one, with every inflection and nuance in perfect synch.

Another welcomed sound on Serenade is McAuley’s affecting, evocative singing. He invests the traditional favorite “Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy” with beguiling candor, letting the song live comfortably in the modern era. Conversely, he finds the folk soul deep within Neil Young’s classic “After the Gold Rush,” making the bittersweet lyric echo as profoundly as any centuries-old ballad, with Horan’s haunting fiddle and background vocals adding touching counterpoint.

McAuley’s multi-instrumentalism is also featured, as he contributes whistles, bodhran, keyboards, and guitars in addition to his well-attested accordion skills. Growing up as the second-youngest child in a large and musical Irish family, McAuley was immersed in traditional music from a very early age. Horan too grew up in a musical household, raised in New York by her Irish-raised American-born father (a jazz trumpeter and pianist) and her Irish mother. The pair met in early ’90s in New York City, when the town was at the brink of a new boom in Irish traditional music. McAuley was honing his skills in sessions, while Horan was playing with the all-female Irish Band Cherish the Ladies and in the Sharon Shannon Band, before starting Solas in 1995. McAuley joined Solas in 1998. With their driving ensemble sound, instrumental precision, and inspired arrangements, Solas quickly leapt to the forefront of the Irish traditional music, and remain one of the pillars of the genre.

Serenade works similar magic, drawing its distinctive vibe from the empathy between Horan and McAuley and the sound of their respective instruments. “This album is well-connected musically to Solas,” says Horan, “and the band has already heard it and loves it.” Owing to its smaller scale and concentration on melody instruments, Serenade is an album of beguiling intimacy – elegant in its more pastoral moments, but equally rambunctious on the up-tempo selections. “I like to think that we take advantage of the technical limitations of the combination of the accordion and fiddle,” Horan reflects. “We let that be the sound, and work from there.”

Flute player, tin whistler and singer Cathal McConnell of The Boys of the Lough is one of the best-loved performers in the world of Celtic music. A true character in every sense of the word, McConnell’s free spirit and mercurial stage presence have helped make The Boys of the Lough one of the most popular and longest-running acts on the folk circuit.

As a musician, McConnell defies easy categorization. He is equal parts modern virtuoso and old-time roots musician. On the one hand, McConnell is capable of stopping a show with dazzling displays of technical virtuosity. On the other hand, he can render an old ballad or tune with a poignancy reminiscent of the great fireside musicians of the past. Sometimes serious and sometimes zany, McConnell is always full of surprises. Whether deconstructing an old tune or composing a new one, he has a flair for the unusual. Yet his experimental side is balanced by a deep love for and commitment to the tradition.

Born in Bellinaleck, County Fermanagh, N. Ireland in 1944, McConnell traces flute playing back through four generations in his family. Encouraged by his father, he was playing tin whistle at age eleven and at age fifteen took up the flute. McConnell’s early mentors were the great roots musicians of his home county – men such as Peter Flanagan, John Joe Maguire, Big John McManus, Tommy Maguire, Tommy Gunn, Eddie Duffy and Mick Hoy. He was exposed to other playing styles by listening to 78s and by traveling the length and breadth of Ireland, collecting rare tunes from old musicians in out-of-the way places.

Through the years, McConnell has developed his own style of flute playing – at once earthy and robust, yet with a hint of plaintiveness. This plaintiveness owes much to his ethereal singing style. Indeed the line between vocalist and instrumentalist often blurs with McConnell. The two modes of music making co-exist in a rich, synergistic cross-fertilization.

In 1962, McConnell won the All-Ireland championship on both the flute and tin whistle. Five years later he founded The Boys of the Lough with Robin Morton and Tommy Gunn and never looked back. He has been a professional musician ever since.

Despite over thirty years on the road as a performer, McConnell has never become jaded about playing or singing. Music is his passion and he approaches it with undiminished enthusiasm. It is not uncommon for him to reach for an instrument before breakfast and continue to play well into the evening. On greeting a friend or acquaintance, he will often produce a tin whistle from his pocket and entertain the companion with his latest composition or discovery. Not content to rest on his laurels, he is constantly learning, revising, experimenting and growing. Yet he always returns, as he does on this new album, to the music of his native Fermanagh and the neighboring counties of the province of Ulster.

On Long Expectant Comes at Last, fourteen out of nineteen tracks have a Fermanagh or Ulster connection. Some of these are fresh treatments of well known classics. Others are rare gems, never recorded before. As always, McConnell’s inimitable vocals, flute and whistle playing shine throughout.

Together with special guests Richard Thompson, John Doyle and Winifred HoranColm Murphy of De Dannan, Joanie Madden of Cherish the Ladies, Dave Mattacks, Big John and Valerie McManus, Linda Thompson, Andy Statman (both of Solas), and Susan McKeown among many others, McConnell delivers a seamless set of songs, jigs, reels and airs that deftly interweave elements of traditional and modern Celtic music. With technical brilliance and integrity, he brings forth a collection of music that embraces the traditions of his home and sets a new standard for the traditional Celtic recording.

A native of Los Angeles, singer and songwriter Kate Markowitz has a voice you’ve likely heard – whether you know it or not. As one of the most in-demand session vocalists on the immensely competitive L.A. scene, she has toured and recorded with the likes of James Taylor, Shawn Colvin, k.d. lang, Warren Zevon, Randy Newman, George Benson, and others. A Map of the World is the first release to focus on her immense gifts as a lead vocalist, songwriter, and frontperson. Long-awaited and a lifetime in the making, A Map of the World tempers Markowitz’s years of experience with the palpable thrill of her discovering her own unique voice and vision.

Music was in the air as Kate was growing up. Her father lead his first big band when he was only 16, meeting her mother (a half-English/half-Japanese artist) in Paris while studying music and jamming in the vibrant club scene there. After living in Paris for five years, they settled in Los Angeles, where Kate and her brother were born. Her father became a much-admired composer for film and television, but the early death of her mother (when Kate was a mere 10 years old) cast a pall over her younger days.

Music was Kate’s form of escape from the tumultuous family life following her mother’s death, which she sees as a gift from her father. “I was exposed to so many different kinds of music being around him: jazz, classical, Brazilian, pop… much of my love for music came from him. I would go to his recording sessions when I was a kid and watch him conduct an entire orchestra. He never lost his childlike excitement about it. All the players laughed around him, he was a hep-cat from the jazz era that loved to hear them play…he appreciated them and their talent so much. I would watch him in awe”

Kate’s early immersion into a wide range of musical styles lead to a versatility that made her a valuable contributor to a number of projects when she entered music professionally. That same graceful adaptability is a hallmark of the wonderful A Map of the World, which stands as the debut of Kate Markowitz, freestanding artist. Subtle musical sophistication offset by an endearingly honest and forthright lyrical approach places Map of the World in a proud lineage of classic West Coast adult pop. With special appearances by some of L.A.’s finest musicians (and a few of Kate’s illustrious employers), Markowitz’s debut is a special event – the public unveiling of one of contemporary pop’s best-kept secrets.

“Alyth McCormack loves singing, and lets you know that with out telling you. You can hear it in her voice. She is from Lewis, sings (but not all exclusively) in Gaelic, and often performs with harp and fiddle – but she’s not a folkie. Her musical education and influences are too widespread to sit in that, or any other ghetto. Minimalists like Reich, the sweeping eclecticism of Adams, sophisticated rock, modal jazz and role models like June Tabor or Marta Sebestyen have taken her down a path where she can sing unaccompanied in a Hebridean hall one day and with a metropolitan fusion samba band the next. She is at home on stage and brings to her music – whether with the close harmony vocalists in Shine or full jazz/rock rhythm section in Sunhoney – a still centre”
– Norman Chalmers, The List, August 2003

A voice described as having “spun glass fragility belying a sinewy strength” and as “transcendentally timeless and effortlessly contemporary”, it is McCormack’s non-complicated conviction with which she communicates with her audiences that ensures she is one of the most exciting singers on the Celtic scene. Her vocal talent and her understanding approach give her an ability to cross over diverse singing styles making her comfortable performing with a variety of artists.

She was born and raised and immersed in the culture of the Island of Lewis of the northwest coast of Scotland. McCormack began performing locally at a young age and then took her talent out on the road. She’s toured extensively in various bands and projects throughout Germany, Spain, Italy, Estonia, North America, the UK, Brazil, Ireland, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Budapest, Norway and Sweden. During this time she recorded with various artists, appearing on 16 albums to date, and in 2000 released her first solo CD An Iomall (The Edge) on Vertical records.

She has appeared at various festivals: Celtic Colours, Celtic Connections, The Edinburgh International Festival, The Lammertree Festival, The Hebridean Celtic Festival and in 2001 performed with her trio as part of “Distilled-Scotland Live in New York.” McCormack is currently collecting material for a new solo album which she is hoping to have recorded later this year, and is presently touring mainly with her own band. For further info on McCormakc and what she’s up to you can visit her website at www.alyth.com

“..a dozen tracks over 42 minutes are enough to convince me that Alyth McCormack is someone worth going out of my way to listen to…”
– The Irish edition, Philadelphia

“Some of Alyth’s songs are in Gaelic the language of her native Lewis but her thoughtful arrangements and her subtle, intimate delivery speaks volumes in itself” – Sue Wilson, Songlines

“Traditional Gaelic songs with modern arrangements; some are spare some feature tasteful arrangements that recall a post-era Bjork. No matter what the format her voice is spine tingling.” – New York, Time Out

“Recent performances by this young Lewis singer, showcasing material from her debut solo album An Iomall have forcefully endorsed her fast-growing reputation as one or today’s most exciting talents in the world of Gaelic song.” – The Scotsman

The true mark of an artist is his willingness to delve into areas both new and old. In a short time, Rod McGaha has gained respect for doing just that. As a trumpeter, composer, vocalist, lyricist and producer, McGaha is unique in his ability to combine a wide variety of influences into aneclectic, globally conscious blend which rings totally fresh. McGaha is an artist able to bring many gifts to his music. While he is admired for his unique talents as a powerhouse instrumentalist, singer and tunewriter, it is McGaha’s presence as a performing artist that has garnered him respect from some of the best players in the industry, including the legendary drummer Max Roach. A past winner of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for Outstanding Jazz Trumpeter and the Oak Lawn Jazz Festival All Star Award, McGaha has joined the ranks of some of the most promising up and coming jazz players today.

Preacherman was produced by Delfeayo Marsalis of the legendary Marsalis family and Rod McGaha and guests on the album include ChrisBrown on drums, Roger Spencer on bass and Lori Meechamon piano. Preacherman, McGaha’s first Compass release, is vastly different from the urban jazz-alternative hip hop of The Servant, which McGaha released in 1997 on the now defunct Magnatone label. Preacherman showcases McGaha’s abilities as a confident player and composer of traditionaljazz, relishing in the sounds of the jazz quartet. Though the music is notgospel per se, McGaha’s spiritual groundings shine through on the threetunes he wrote for the album. McGaha says, “Many of my greatest moments of inspiration come from sitting in church and reflecting on the messages being discussed.” With a background in the Pentacostal church, McGaha says, “I was struck by the sound and emotion that would emulate fromthe female worshippers at the altar. On the title track I concentrated on those memories and tried to create musically the sounds that I’d heard.”Other tunes on the album include a creatively arranged version of the Beatleshit Can’t Buy Me Love and the classic favorite In a Sentimental Mood.

Amazingly, for a composer whose tunes show such a wide diversity, McGaha says he never consciously aims to create one specific vibe or another. “I grew up listening to the Jackson Five, Sly Stone and disco, and have donecountry gigs, so it’s inevitable that all of these are a part of me andaffect the way I write. But rather than force yourself to write a rock tune, a jazz piece or hip hop groove, I start with the statement I want the songto make and let the music evolve from there. Aiming for a specific soundhas never worked for me. It’s better to see where the initial spark takes you.”

Raised in Chicago, McGaha’s father was a huge jazz buff who turned him on to Miles and Louis Armstrong at an early age, McGaha was more apt inhis formative years to be checking out Parliament Funkadelic, James Brown and Kool & The Gang. He began playing both guitar and trumpet around fourth grade, but eventually focused on the horn due to a high school teacher’s great influence.

After playing in numerous school bands and clubs around town, McGahabegan his professional career right out of high school touring with theDuke of Earl himself, Gene Chandler. Later, while attending NortheasternUniversity in Chicago and then DePaul University on scholarship, his eyeswere opened to traditional jazz for the first time. Famed trumpeter ClarkTerry (who played with Duke Ellington and Count Basie) discovered McGaha at a local festival and took the young performer under his wing of which lead to numerous jazz cruises.

While McGaha’s extensive resume as a sideman includes gigs and tourswith top pop and soul names like Kenny Rogers, Bebe and Cece Winans, The O’Jays, Take 6 and Lou Rawls, he is also a highly decoratedjazz performer. Among his other trophies are the Maynard Ferguson Awardfrom the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival and the Outstanding Trumpet Soloist Award from the National Association of Jazz Educators.He has appeared on BET and his song Wish I Knew was recordedby Shelby Lynne and is featured in the movie Two If By Sea.

McGaha has had the opportunity to play his music throughout the world,with stops in Egypt, Nigeria, Europe and Japan. “There is no doubtthat seeing and hearing the people and music of all these cultures playsa part in what I create,” he says. “I don’t consciously createsongs based on one specific image or another, but the exposure has helped increase my global awareness.”