Brendan Taaffe

- Private group -
Sat, 09/20/2014 - 3:30pm

Story Location:
4 Church ST
Hope, ME 04847
United States

Crankies & Ballads/ Appalachia and Africa: a solo concert with Brendan Taaffe brings together tradition with innovation and sublime music with compelling visual imagery. October 3rd 7pm at Sweet Tree Arts in Hope, 4 Church, Hope. Tickets $12 in advance or $15 at door, available at www.sweettreearts.org. 
 
On mbira and guitar, Brendan blends Appalachian ballads with African rhythms, reimagining these songs in a way that invokes both Dock Boggs and Graceland. His mbira playing has been hailed as 'something of a revelation' by fRoots magazine and the combination of those hypnotic lines with his lush tenor creates "the kind of hushed, lonely warmth you experience sitting by a fire in a drafty house." By treating old, familiar songs in this way, Taaffe teases out new meanings and lets you see them in a different light. 
 
Brendan will also have his crankie machine with him to bring a touch of magic and mystery to the night. Originally called 'moving panoramas' in the 19th century, crankies are scrolling illustrations, hand-cranked in a wooden puppet theater so that the image moves across a viewing screen. Brendan's crankies are made of cut paper and evoke the beauty of shadow puppetry.
Listen to samples from the new album and watch crankies at www.brendantaaffe.com.

"Beautiful singing and harmonies. Keep the fire burning." — Chartwell Dutiro
 
“A savvy composer who, like Abigail Washburn with the Sparrow Quartet or, more famously, Paul Simon, brings together disparate traditions into a seamless whole. The result is stark, stirring, and surprisingly accessible." Dan Bolles, Seven Days

To Hear Brendan and learn more visit,