![Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet [publicity photo]](http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj23/deeplyrootedradio/AbigailWashburnandtheSparrowQuar-1.jpg)
We’re just a couple days away from the next big show taking the stage at the Paramount Theater as Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet visit Charlottesville on Friday, June 27. The quartet is currently on tour throughout North America in support of the their self-titled debut album which was released on Nettwerk Records in May of this year. The band performs folk, bluegrass and old-time music with a very unique twist, one that you almost have to hear and see to believe. Tickets are still available for this performance. For details click here.
The Sparrow Quartet consists of Ben Sollee on cello, the Grammy-nominated Casey Driessen on fiddle, the no need for further introductions of Bela Fleck on banjo, and Abigail Washburn who also plays banjo. The real twist in the band’s music arises when Abigail begins to sing, because there are moments when the words might not sound familiar even if the music does. That’s because those words are being sung in Chinese, a language that Abigail Washburn speaks (and sings) fluently. In this way the whole concept of old-time music takes on new meaning, expanding it beyond the roots of Appalachia by digging into the old time of one of the world’s most ancient cultures.
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The quartet first came together on Washburn’s debut album Song of the Traveling Daughter back in 2005 and what followed were a number of tours of China, as well as the first U.S. sponsored tour of Tibet by American musicians in 2007. In addition, the Sparrow Quartet is scheduled to perform in China this August as part of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Washburn, for her part, began exploring the Chinese language and culture as a freshman in college in Colorado. In the years that followed, as her connection to the Chinese culture grew deeper, she also became intrigued by American roots music and soon began playing banjo. The banjo would eventually lead to a full-time career as musician. These days, when Washburn is not performing as a member of the Sparrow Quartet, she is also a member of the all-girl old-time group Uncle Earl, which has performed in Charlottesville on a number of different occasions.
If you plan on heading out to Friday’s show at the Paramount (and you really should plan on it), don’t expect every song you hear to be sung in Chinese. At the same time, don’t be surprised if you should happen to hear a Gillian Welch song sung in Mandarin or quite possibly an old Chinese folk song adapted to sound similar to an Appalachian old-time ballad. But the one thing you can definitely count on hearing is this: Four extremely talented musicians leading an audience across the cultural bridge between East and West in the time it takes to play a bluegrass song.
Journey Home by Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet
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Tagged as: Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet, acoustic, charlottesville, concert, live music, Paramount Theater
great band, but high ticket price! I think it’s going to be a hard decision b/t that show and gravity’s anniversary show. Hackensaws sure know how to rowdy up a celebration and I heard that Morwenna Lasko is friends with Casey Driessen, too bad they’re playing opposite sides of the mall. Would be nice to have heard them play together… Anyone know have any news on the opening act for Hackensaws/Morwenna&Jaypun?
Brown, definitely a tough decision to be made…it’s kind of unfortunate that these two shows have to compete against one another. As for Casey Driessen, I’ve said it on these pages in the past, he is one of the most incredible fiddle players I have ever seen! I don’t know how late that things will run @ Gravity, but I’m holding out hope that the Sparrows slide down the street after their show. If it happens it could be a thing of beauty. I’ll cross my fingers but not hold my breath. And to answer your question, as I understand it, The Honey Dewdrops will be opening the show at Gravity.
[…] The Paramount Theater presents acoustic music at its finest and most eclectic as Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet perform on Friday at 8pm. For more information check out our recent cvilleMUSE post: Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet: The Music of East Meeting West […]
WOW. Incredible show. AND—the Paramount now allows you to drink a beer IN YOUR SEAT!! It’s shameful that more people weren’t there.
I think the folks at the Paramount are finally starting to get it together. The place is really one of the finest venues I’ve ever been in. Heck, even Abby and Bela commented that the place was truly “perfect.”
I’ll be there moer often!!
i wish i could’ve been there too, but i had to support the gravity… it was their 5th anniversary… and for a local small club, it’s getting harder and harder to exist. i would’ve preferred abby & the sparrow’s at gravity though, it would’ve been nice to have them in a smaller place. i heard the turn out at the paramount was a bit small and if it were at gravity it would’ve felt more packed. i think this tour is about bela too more than anything else, because i’ve seen uncle earl at gravity before as well as abby by herself and they didn’t fill gravity, a shame… i heard their show the next night in LA was canceled because a lack of ticket sales… i talked to the gravity owner, i think his name is bill and he said he was going to try and get casey driessen’s band, the “colorfools” down there sometime and have them share a show with morwenna lasko & jay punn. i think that’d be really neat… anyone go to the gravity birthday celebration? the hackensaws were rowdy as ever, morwenna/jay were a blast as always and the opening band, honeydew drops were a great singer/songwriter duo, very reminiscent of gillian welch/david rawlings… what a busy weekend for cville!
a couple quick thoughts. as I mentioned earlier, a real shame these two concerts (The Hackensaws & Sparrow Quartet) had to compete against one another because they are drawing, in some cases, from the same music fan pool. I made it down to Gravity and I have to say the Hackensaws never fail to impress. It’s that whole “audience love feeding band love feeding audience love” vibe that always makes for a barn burnin’ show. This was my second Lasko and Pun show in the last month or so and I have to say, those guys are amazing musicians but their shows always seem to blend into one for me. (with the exception of them pulling their friend out of the audience for that stunning blues number towards the end of their set which was AMAZING!) As for the Honey Dewdrops, they have stunning harmonies and write great songs, but the Gillain/David comparisons run deep to the point that they almost sound like a Gillian cover band. I just think that if they are going to move to the next level in their careers they are going to have to step out of these comparisons and find a voice that’s their own.
All in all though Friday’s Gravity show was the perfect celebration of music for a venue that prides itself on its support of local artists. The fact that this was the Hackensaws first show at Gravity put this one over the top.
well, i’m a bit more of a jazzhead than most, and really see morwenna/jay’s ability to improvise… i’ve seen them since back in the day at the restaurant “queen sheba” or was it “sheba’s garden”… anyways, they have grown a lot and i think they’re one to watch. i can’t say that i’ve seen the same show twice… i was a bit annoyed by the hackensaw boys for my taste. i know they have a big “fun” rowdy following, but i had to leave after their first set as all the songs kept sounding similar and not very together… shaun, i think you’re right about honeydew’s though, but they are indeed very good, some of the most “tight” songwriters we have around here and i think they’re underdogs in cville… well, i presume the bottom line is if everyone had a good time… hopefully so, and i think gravity deserves the greatest of praise! they do a fine fine job here in cville and i hope they last until their 55th birthday if not more!!!