In a performance showcasing some of the best talent in jazz and bluegrass today, Mark O'Connor's own "Hot Swing" pairs up with jazz vocalist Sophie Milman and the Punch Brothers featuring mandolin master Chris Thile for one night only. The performance will take place Wednesday, July 2, at 7:30 p.m. and will mark the third program of Seattle Symphony SummerFest which runs from June 26 through July 14 and celebrates some of the best artists in classical, jazz, bluegrass and more.
Violinist and Festival Director Mark O'Connor has been described by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the most talented and imaginative re-inventors working in music –– any music –– today." This two-time Grammy winner is a consummate cross-pollinator, not only in his musical style, which draws from the varied traditions of country, folk, classical and jazz, but in his multi-dimensional work as a composer, performer and arranger. In 2000, O'Connor joined forces with guitarist Frank Vignola and bassist Jon Burr to form the group Hot Swing as a tribute to O'Connor's longtime mentor, Parisian violinist Stephane Grappelli.
Hot Swing released three albums celebrating the music of swing legends Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, Duke Ellington and Johnny Mercer –– much of it arranged by O'Connor –– as well as newly composed works by O'Connor himself. For Seattle Symphony SummerFest, Mark O'Connor's own "Hot Swing" will include guitarists Hans Holzen and Julian Lage and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi along with jazz vocalist Sophie Milman, the winner of the 2008 Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Bluegrass band Punch Brothers formed in 2006; within a year, their first album, How to Grow a Woman from the Ground, received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance. Led by former Nickel Creek frontman Chris Thile, who is described as "the most virtuosic American ever to play the mandolin" (Washington Post), the band also includes fiddler Gabe Witcher, guitarist Chris Eldridge, banjo-player Noam Pikilney and bassist Greg Garrison, all of whom perform vocals as well. Their latest album, Punch, was recorded on Nonesuch Records and released in late February 2008. -- www.seattlesymphony.org
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