MARCH 29, 2012: KIM ARRINGTON, ERIC HIRSH, AND PETER LAMB
Kim Arrington sang publicly at 4 years old. By 7 years old, Kim was writing her own songs. In May 2008, Kim released her debut CD of soul music, “First Love Note of Kim Arrington”, which she describes as “the times I played the cop and the robber.” Kim’s frank vocal stylings have drawn comparisons to Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Amel Larrieux, and LeeLa James. Kim has sung for tens of thousands in the United States, Italy, Switzerland, England, France, Austria, and Germany. In 2009, the sweet-and-sassy soul singer from the United States, sang “First Love Note of Kim Arrington” across London, England. In 2010, Kim will release her sophomore CD, “Getting II Yes.
Eric Hirsh is a jazz pianist, composer, and technologist whose mission is to use collaboration as a space for bringing out the best in artists so that they in turn might reach and encourage interactive listeners through their performances. Hirsh performs regularly as a member of jazz/hip hop quartet The Beast and as co-director of thirteen-piece salsa ensemble Orquesta GarDel. As a North Carolina Arts Council 2012 composer fellowship recipient, he recently began laying the foundations for an ensemble to perform his new and emerging works. He has been honored to participate as a pianist and composer in residence at The Kennedy Center for their 2009 Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program, and is a multiple-year recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composers award. Hirsh holds a B.A. in music and physics from UNC Chapel Hill.
Peter Lamb has been likened to a ‘giant possessed Muppet, weaving and bobbing all over the stage’ and if you have ever seen him play, you are probably nodding your head as you read this. This Raleigh based saxophonist blends a mixture of Mingus style jazz with New Orleans style jazz for a sound that makes you too want to weave and bob. Peter’s love for music doesn’t start and end with him playing saxophone. He also can be caught composing and arranging music that comes at you from every direction resonating with young and old alike. In addition to putting out his own CD self-titled Peter Lamb and The Wolves, Peter has also recorded with local artists The Countdown Quartet, The Fleshtones, Heads on Sticks, The Atomic Rythm AllStars, The Smoke House Brass Band, Chris Stamey, The Rosebuds and The Savage Knights, as well as, Ben Folds Five, and Clay Aiken. Peter is currently working on writing and arranging tunes for his next album which he hopes to release in August of this year.
The moderator is Sylvia Pfeiffenberger, a freelance journalist based in Durham, where she contributes regularly to the Independent Weekly. For over ten years, she has hosted a weekly radio show of Latin and Afro-Caribbean music, “Azucar y Candela,” on WXDU 88.7 FM. She blogs at Onda Carolina.
APRIL 26, 2012: MARIA ALBANI, SHIRLETTE AMMONS, AND HEATHER MCENTIRE
Maria Albani has taken her experiences and insights — as a musician, visual artist, and member of the Triangle’s vibrant, creative community — and whittled various pieces down into a powerful little collection of delicious musical explorations as Organos. She has also been the bass player for such vital bands as Pleasant; Gerty; Tennis and the Mennonites; Un Deux Trois; and, currently, Schooner. Her distinctive tones and lines have provided the bottom for a very impressive portion of the indie rock coming out of our area. Maria has a Fine Arts degree from UNC–Chapel Hill and is co-curator of Minus Sound Research, whose mission is to highlight visual art by the plethora of multitalented musicians in the area, including Beth Tacular (Bowerbirds), Laura Ballance (Superchunk), Bill Taylor (Kinsbury Manx), Ron Liberti (Pipe, etc.), Mac McCaughan (Superchunk, Portastatic), and many more.
Shirlette Ammons is a poet, writer, musician and director of an arts program for children. She’s the frontwoman of Mosadi Music, a hip-hop band based in the Triangle, and also plays with the Chapel Hill blues rock band, The Dynamite Brothers. Her poetry and essays appear in The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South (edited by Nikky Finney, University of Georgia Press), What Your Mama Never Told You: True Stories About Love and Sex (edited by Tara Roberts, Houghton Mifflin), The Asheville Review and other publications. Shirlette is also a Cave Canem Fellow and has received the Kathryn H. Wallace Award for Artists In Community Service and the Durham Arts Council and United Arts Council Emerging Artist Grant. Shirlette resides in Durham, North Carolina with her partner Kai, their dog, Zaji, and their cat, LaVon FitzBarrow.
Heather McEntire hails from the valley of Green Creek, NC. She started playing guitar and writing songs at the age of 18, and moved to Chapel Hill in 2003 after college. Heather plays with and writes songs for Bellafea, Mount Moriah, and Un Deux Trois, and has collaborated with various other groups such as The Rosebuds and Megafaun. She also “co-runs” local independent label Holidays for Quince Records.
The moderator is Freddie Jenkins, host of WUNC’s Back Porch Music.
JUNE 7, 2012: KIRK SUTPHIN AND BETTY VORNBROCK & BILLY CORNETTE
Kirk Sutphin is at the top of many favorite young Old-time fiddler player lists. Kirk is truly a musician’s musician. His talents on the fiddle are matched with his exceptional skill on the banjo. As a young boy, Kirk was the protégé of the famous Surry County fiddler, Tommy Jarrell. Kirk to Tommy’s own admission captured the nuance of his fiddling more than anyone.
Kirk didn’t rest there. He dug deeper into the older mountain fiddling sounds of Tommy Jarrell’s dad, Ben Jarrell and the old Galax Fiddler Emmett Lundy. His focus also extends to the Piedmont. Kirk is truly a master of the music of Charlie Poole.
Betty Vornbrock is an accomplished fiddler in several different traditional styles. Besides the music of the Appalachian Mountains (her first love), she has studied Shetland, Scottish & Irish fiddling, Western Swing and even Eastern European dance music. She has also recorded with Western Swing guitarist Bill Necessary, and singer-songwriters Tim Henderson and Bill Ramsel. Betty has co-produced a twin-fiddle album, “Side by Side”, with Kentucky fiddler J.P. Fraley, with whom she has won top twin-fiddle honors at Fiddler’s Grove Festival for their haunting and beautiful harmonies.
Billy Cornette has been a great fan of folk & traditional music most of his life. Born in Kentucky to a family of fiddlers and musicians, he was exposed to a variety of country musicians & early Bluegrass greats. While attending the university in the early ’60’s, his interest in folk music led him to the guitar. After moving to Virginia in 1989, he decided to connect back to some of these roots by teaching himself fiddle and renewing his interest in guitar. He & Betty met in 1990 at a local jam session, and he’s concentrated on playing back-up guitar to her fiddling ever since.
The moderator for the concert will be Steve Kruger, a UNC Folklore graduate, and a pretty awesome fiddler himself.