Jake Schepps
"Flatiron" Premiere at eTown Hall
This Saturday (12/1) is the long awaited premiere of "Flatiron," a 25-minute work for 5-piece stringband. It is composer Marc Mellits’s view of the string band, recontextualized and reimagined as a rhythmically interlocking machine, where contemporary classical post-minimalism meets skillful technique and bluegrass drive. The concert is in the gorgeous new venue eTown Hallin downtown Boulder. The sound is amazing, the power comes from the sun, and seats are new and comfy.
September Newsletter
As the first day of fall passes, stories of Corn Yeti sightings abound. For those that missed our first (and only) show, the band features Jordan Ramsey on mandolin, Grant Gordy on guitar, Eric Thorin on bass, and myself on banjo. It is bluegrass, so we all sing high and we all play lonesome. This weekend we are playing Fort Collins and Boulder, then in a couple weeks Gold Hill and Lyons.
Brazilian Choro Tablatures for 5-string Banjo
The Brazilian choro book is out! Soon there will be a more dedicated section on the website, but for now here is a bit of information.
There are 21 tunes in tablature including such standards as Assanhado, Brejeiro, Cochichando, Doce de Coco, Não Me Toques, Receita de Samba. Also included is all the pieces in standard notation to play with other musicians if the need arises.
Here is a YouTube playlist of all the pieces in the book:
Instagram!
I love this app, and try to capture various travels, foods, cocktails, music, and more here.
Happy Birthday Béla Bartók!
In celebration of Bela Bartok's 131st birthday, An Evening in the Village: the Music of Bela Bartok will be available for free download all weekend (facebook link). Please spread the word and let any and all know that for 3 days only (March 23, 24, & 25) you can download the entire album with bonus tracks for the big fat price of $0.00. Bandcamp does offer the option to pay something if you are so inclined, and you can buy a physical copy for only $10. If you buy two Bartok CD's you get a free Ten Thousand Leaves.
NPR Tiny Desk Concert
NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert
Lots of new press
We are just off the Expedition Quartet CD release tour, traveling from Cambridge, Mass to lexington Kentucky, and then back to some hometown shows in Colorado. We had a total blast, and the material really started to grow in new and surprising ways over the concerts. Surf on over to www.jakeschepps.com/press and see some of what people have been saying about the new Bartok album. And if you have not purchased your copy yet.......... the holidays are fast approaching. Here is a clip from our workshop from Berklee School of Music:
"An Evening in the Village: the Music of Béla Bartók" is officially released
Head straight to jakeschepps.bandcamp.comand order yours today, or go to Amazon or CDBaby if that suits your fancy (it is not on iTunes yet), or even hop on a bike and head down to Bart's CD Shack. After 2 years in the making, you can finally get your own copy with artwork by Pencil+Paper, extensive liner notes from Anastasia Tsouiclas, 18 tunes by Bela Bartok, and one from the fiddler Marcus Martin (a tweaked Cousin Sally Brown.
East coast CD Release Tour!
We are headed out east for a 2-week spin down the eastern seaboard playing music from An Evening in the Village, with stops at the legendary Club Passim, a stop at NPR Studios for their estimable Tiny Desk Concerts, over to Kentucky for a WoodSongs Radio Hour taping, and lots more dates in between. Click on the Tour Page for all the details.
