Banjo player/vocalist Abigail Washburn, cellist Ben Sollee, fiddler Casey Driessen, and banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck leap boundaries and bust genres like there's no tomorrow as they spotlight tunes from the group's self-titled EP. First assembled for several U.S. government-sponsored tours of China and Tibet, the quartet explores a mixture of old-time, folk, and bluegrass numbers, as well as original compositions. Clawhammer banjo player and evocative vocalist Abigail balances her affinity for Chinese culture with a love of traditional American music in her compositions. It was Abiligail that arranged the small group of good friends and bluegrass pros for a mini-tour of China, when the Sparrow Quartet was born. Banjo legend Béla Fleck has virtually reinvented his chosen instrument through a remarkable career that has taken him all over the musical map and on a range of solo projects and collaborations with greats of the bluegrass, jazz, rock, country, and classical worlds. Folks may know him best for his years with acclaimed innovators New Grass Revival or his own famed bluegrass/jazz combo, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, but Béla is likely to pop up anywhere—he has won no less than eight Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for 20 awards in more diverse categories than anyone in Grammy history. Born and raised in Kentucky, cellist and singer Ben Sollee has spent his young life marinating in traditions of Appalachian, folk, R&B, and classical music. Ben has developed a reputation for his fresh approach to the cello, accompanying his soulful singing with a unique, three-finger plucking style. One of the fastest-rising young artists on the bluegrass circuit, Casey Driessen has performed with an impressive array of greats, from Tim O'Brien to Steve Earle's Bluegrass Dukes to Darrell Scott, Darol Anger, John Mayer, and many more. A musical visionary, Casey is known for his rhythmically innovative playing, with its funky syncopated bow chops and adventurous, improvisatory flair. He received a 2006 Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental, for his awesome version of "Jerusalem Ridge."
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$40   |   Door $45