“Exuberant and rhythmic, somehow both wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness,” says the Boston Globe about Hanneke Cassel’s playing. Such charismatic fiddling has brought the native Oregonian many honors and awards. She is the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, she holds a Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, and she has performed and taught across North America, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, China, and Africa.
Hanneke’s latest release, Dot the Dragon’s Eyes (December 2013) features an all-star cast of musicians, including Mike Block, Rushad Eggleston, Jeremy Kittel, Ryan McKasson, Cali McKasson Kovin, Christopher Lewis, and Keith Murphy. Influences from Scotland to China, along with grooves and musical innovations from the hip Boston bluegrass/Americana scene, fuse together to create a uniquely American approach to Scottish music.
HAILED BY YO-YO MA as the “ideal musician of the 21st Century”, Mike Block is a pioneering multi-style cellist, composer, and educator living in Boston. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mike is an Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music and performs with many groups, including Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. Canadian-native Christopher Lewis provides the driving guitar sound in the group. In addition to his work with Hanneke, he has been involved with album production and performance in the Boston indie rock scene. These three musicians create a sound on the cutting edge of the acoustic tradition, while retaining the integrity and soul of traditional Scottish music.
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