Festive Folk and Bluegrass Greats at the Kimmel Center in October
September 22, 2008
Joan Baez; Photo: Dana Tynan
October Bluegrass and Folk Artists Showcased: An Evening with Joan Baez; Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer; and John Sebastian, David Grisman and Ralph Stanley
Kimmel Center Presents October line-up runs the gamut of folk and bluegrass greats that feeds the sensibilities of older and younger generations looking to connect with their Americana roots.
October line-up of folk-inspired performances includes:
- The pioneering spirit of folk queen Joan Baez, whose musical talent was at the forefront of the American roots revival in the early 1960’s and who introduced the world to Bob Dylan, performing works from her new album, Day After Tomorrow. (Sunday, October 26, 2008)
- The next generation of folk talent, acclaimed bassist Edgar Meyer and famed Nickel Creek mandolinist and vocalist Chris Thile introduce their own brand of country music with classical and jazz influences, as heard on the duo’s self-titled studio debut scheduled for release on September 23, 2008. (Wednesday, October 22, 2008)
- The down-home bluesy "Dawg music" of bluegrass mandolinist David Grisman, reuniting with longtime friend American songwriter, harmonica player, and founder of The Lovin’ Spoonful John Sebastian. Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys open the show. (Thursday, October 9, 2008)
All of these artists have galvanized the American Songbook to greater levels and continue to bring a fresh, creative spirit to their music. Additional artist and program information follows below.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
An Evening with Joan Baez
Sunday, October 26, 2008 | 7:30pm
Verizon Hall
Price: $34, $39, $49, and $59
Folk queen Joan Baez stirs the masses with an evocative performance of folk ballads and blues in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall on Sunday, October 26, 2008. The Grammy® Award-winning singer-songwriter and social activist celebrates 50 years as a performer with the September 2008 release of Day After Tomorrow. The album was produced by Steve Earle and features a band of bluegrass veterans including Tim O’Brien and Darryl Scott as well as Viktor Krauss and Kenny Malone. Baez is best known for her signature song "Diamonds and Rust" and for her long-lasting relationship with America’s folk poet Bob Dylan, introducing him to audiences at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival.
Demonstrations, rallies and protests were at the core of Baez’s musical fiber; her songs emitting harmonic unity toward social injustices of her time. She has sung "We Shall Overcome" for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington, her vocals permanently etched in history; her recording of "Birmingham Sunday" has appeared in Spike Lee’s racially charged film Four Little Girls; her travels to Hanoi, North Vietnam in 1972, where she survived a week-long bombing campaign, are revealed in the half spoken word poem and half tape recorded sounds of 1973’s Where Are You Now, My Son?
In 2007, Baez received a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award for her ability to convey the American spirit in folk, rock, pop, country and gospel music. Idolized by artists such as Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and Joni Mitchell, she has released more than 30 albums.
At her concert at the Kimmel Center, Baez will interpret the works of Steve Earle, Eliza Gilkyson, Patti Griffin, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Diana Jones and Thea Gilmore, among others.
"Emotionally direct and unabashedly sentimental, her songs merge an earth-motherish resilience with a 1950's-style romanticism."
Sunday, October 26, 2008 | 6pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage | Free in the Plaza
Philadelphia Songwriters Project
The Philadelphia Songwriters Project hosts this hour of original music with some of Philly’s most exciting up-and-coming singer/songwriters. For more information, visit www.kimmelcenter.org/free.
Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 | 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $30 and $42
Young and fiercely talented musician Chris Thile joins forces with revered bassist Edgar Meyer to translate the next generation of bluegrass music with jazz improvisation and classical music influences. The duo recently collaborated on the recording of 12 original compositions for the CD Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile, scheduled for release on September 23, 2008. Their North American tour includes a Philadelphia performance at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater on Wednesday, October 22, 2008.
One of the most inventive musicians of his generation, 27-year-old mandolinist Chris Thile has elevated folk and bluegrass repertoire to new levels with jazz and acoustical classical performances. As a member of the popular band Nickel Creek, he won his first Grammy® award for the album This Side in 2002. Thile’s first solo album, Not All Who Wander Are Lost, was released in 2001, followed by a duet album, Into the Cauldron, with Mike Marshall in 2003, and the experimental newgrass album Deceiver in 2004. In 2006, Thile formed How to Grow a Band, recently renamed Punch Brothers, and recorded How to Grow a Woman from the Ground. His most recent album, Punch, includes the ambitious 40-minute suite, "The Blind Leaving the Blind."
MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award-winner Edgar Meyer has been recognized by critics and audiences as an innovative composer and vibrant performer. The three-time Grammy® Award-winner has been praised for his virtuosic skill on the double bass as well as his classical range of repertoire. Meyer received wide acclaim for the album Appalachia Waltz (1996) with Yo-Yo Ma and Mark O’Connor, and the follow-up, Appalachia Journey (2000), which won a Grammy® for Best Classical Crossover Album.
"[Chris Thile] may well be the most virtuosic American ever to play the mandolin."
"The most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of his instrument."
John Sebastian and David Grisman
Featuring Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys
Thursday, October 9, 2008 | 8pm
Verizon Hall
Price: $35, $43, $48, and $56
Mandolinist David Grisman performs modern interpretations of bluegrass "Dawg" music with harmonica player and founder of The Lovin’ Spoonful John Sebastian at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall on Thursday, October 9, 2008. Grisman and Sebastian’s longstanding musical friendship dates back to the Greenwich Village "folk revival" of the early 1960’s. The duo will perform works from their recent release, Satisfied (2007), a collection of acoustic duets, among other favorites.
Nicknamed "Dawg" by Jerry Garcia in 1973 for his unique blend of "Dawg Music," David Grisman has combined bluegrass music with gypsy flavored, old world jazz stylings of Django Reinhardt-Stephane Grappelli. In 1977, Grisman released Hot Dawg, an album that included Stephane Grappelli performing on a few tracks, followed by the 1981 recording Stephane Grappelli and David Grisman Live. He has performed in various bluegrass bands from the Even Dozen Jug Band to the Old and in the Way (band members Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Jerry Garcia and John Kahn), and the psychedelic rock group Earth Opera. In 1975, he created his own group, the David Grisman Quintet.
A major catalyst in the mid-60’s rock revolution and the spread of American roots music, John Sebastian released folk-flavored hits like "Welcome Back Kotter," "Do You Believe in Magic?," "Summer in the City," and "Jug Band Music." A performer at Woodstock, he has played harmonica under the pseudonym G. Puglese for the Doors’ hit "Roadhouse Blues." More recently, he appeared in the documentary, Chasin’ Gus’ Ghost, which traces the roots of jug band music (Woodstock Film Festival, October 2007). His songs have been covered by Elvis Costello, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Buffett, and more. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Legendary bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley opens the show with the Clinch Mountain Boys, one of the most celebrated bluegrass groups in the world. After more than 50 years of performing, Stanley continues to break new ground, receiving critical acclaim for his Grammy® winning tune "O Death" from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and the Grammy® Award for Best Country Male Vocalist Performance in 2002.
Thursday, October 9, 2008 | 6:30pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage | Free in the Plaza
The Baird Sisters
Influenced by Appalachian mountain music, contemporary outsider folk, and Library of Congress recordings of their great-great uncle, I.G. Greer, sisters Laura and Meg Baird highlight their natural harmonies with intimate acoustic guitar and banjo playing; their collection of songs includes haunting versions of traditional favorites, ballads and original compositions. Meg is also a founding member of Espers and recently released her first solo album, Dear Companion, on Drag City.
Kimmel Center Presents’ 2008/2009 Season is sponsored by Citi. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARCWheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System, American Express, and Interpark. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. NBC-10 is a media partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is the recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC "Grow Up Great" initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment in preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center’s early childhood program "Bop and Swing," an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
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