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Abigail Washburn Rocks

October 02, 2008

What a treat! I got to see Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet with me super-cool friend, Nancy, a couple weeks ago. Washburn is a banjo-playin'goddess extraordinaire, and if you happen to be familiar with Bela Fleck, well... he's just the cat's meow when it comes to playing anything on banjo, including jazz and classical. The evening's music was nothing short of masterful, and being introduced to the music of the cellist (ben sollee) and violinist (casey driessen), was an enormous treat.

What makes Abigail so unique is her blend of American and Chinese folk music. She lived in Bejing and was going to study law there, but kind of fell into becoming a full-time musician. Fluent in Chinese, she spoke to the audience in Mandarin and sang songs from a variety of provinces. This group is so enormously creative... I was blown away by the risk-taking in their compositions. She plays a special clawhammer style, which I really want to learn to do myself, and the voice! The voice of this woman is so authentic, and at times haunting. I can't begin to say enough nice things about the concert, the evening... the whole experience. It was a welcome rest from the political hash we've all been immersed in and we both walked out ooing, ahhing and laughing with each other.

Posted by susan at October 2, 2008 09:01 PM

Comments

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Posted by: susan at October 9, 2008 08:19 AM

Wonderful music. So glad you had the chance for such enjoyment.

Posted by: janet at October 9, 2008 03:11 PM