Fiddling in far-left field — and proud of it
By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
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| Michael Doucet, left, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky and, in front, Rashad Eggleston, are Fiddlers 4, who will serve up an unusual musical mash of Cajun, jazz, new Orleans gospel/blues and other influences on a tour of the Islands.
Fiddlers 4 7:30 p.m. Wednesday McKay Auditorium, BYU-Hawai'i $12 general, $11 military, seniors, missionary, $10 (BYU faculty and staff) 293-3545 7:30 p.m. Thursday Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College $25 general, $20 students, seniors, military, UH faculty and staff 944-2697, 235-7433 Also: Kahilu Theatre in Kamuela Feb. 6; UH-Hilo Theatre Feb. 7; at Maui Arts & Cultural Center Feb. 8 |
Like the '60s supergroup formed by British rockers Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, this quartet is made up of bona-fide masters of their craft.
- Darol Anger is a pioneering fiddle improvisationalist, known for messing with the standard, stodgy image of the string quartet. As a founding member of the Turtle Island String Quartet, Anger spiced the foursome's works with generous helpings of improvisational jazz.
- Bruce Molsky is often called "the Rembrandt of Appalachian fiddling." A gifted player and scholar of so-called "old-time" music, Molsky is recognized as one of the genre's masters.
- Michael Doucet is a Cajun fiddle legend known for his bravura on-stage instrumental prowess and energetic showmanship as a member of Grammy-winning BeauSoleil.
- Rashad Eggleston, an amazingly virtuosic and versatile cellist, was the first string player admitted to Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music on a full scholarship.
And like Cream — who were underrated wizards at blending elements of rock, Brit blues and psychedelia into a cohesive whole — Fiddlers 4 fuses a range of musical styles into a string-based amalgam that shouldn't work, but strangely enough does.
The quartet's 2002 debut CD "Fiddlers 4" confidently stirs elements of Cajun, jazz, New Orleans gospel/blues, bluegrass and African into a thick, easy-on-the-tastebuds gumbo of pure and alive Americana.
The quartet kicks off a three-island tour Wednesday and Thursday with performances at Brigham Young University and Windward Community College.
"I became a complete and utter fan of Bruce through listening to a couple of records of his fiddle playing," said Anger, by way of explaining how he and Molsky devised the somewhat radical idea of forming a far-left-of-classical string quartet in 2002. "I'd never really thought much about that whole Appalachian style, but Bruce (sounded) like something from Mars. It was the most amazing thing."
After adding Doucet (like Molsky, "a walking compendium of his chosen music style," said Anger) to the line-up, the trio blended each member's diverse musical backgrounds and listening tastes into a common groove so quickly and so flawlessly that it surprised even them.
"With their two regional styles, I wasn't really sure how much (Molsky and Doucet) would have to adjust to each other," said Anger. "They're both such rhythm powerhouses, (but) somehow they feel really locked in.
"I think really good musicians will eventually find a way to play together, and really great musicians instantly find a way to play together. They just can't help it."
Cellist Eggleston was recruited days before the trio holed up in Anger's home studio to record its first CD as Fiddlers 4.
The completed work was released to near-unanimous critical kudos and a 2003 Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album.
Anger describes the foursome as "one of the most unique sounding string quartets," and its live performances as far from chamber-esque.
"There's almost a brutality to some of the music," Anger said proudly. "It sort of grabs you by the neck and forces you to dance.
"Everybody is a very rhythmic player. And we do tend to bear down."
"Sunshine of Your Love," anyone?
Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.
