- Kathryn Claire and Hans Araki to play October 28th
Acclaimed Irish Musicians Join Together for a Unique and Memorable Show
Musicians Hanz Araki and Kathryn Claire are proud to present a series of unprecedented concerts. These two diverse musicians lend their individual expertise and lyrical knowledge to four theme-based concerts that present some of the strongest and most beautiful elements of the Celtic tradition. This October, they’re celebrating the release of the first of four accompanying albums, Songs of Love and Murder.
The murder ballad is a mainstay of the folk idiom in many cultures,perfected in Scotland, Ireland and England long, long ago. From the humorous to the Shakespearean to the downright macabre; with pen-knifes and swords, by hanging or drowning, Songs of Love and Murder is a collection of traditional murder ballads, as well as some dance tunes — jigs and reels with some rather grisly titles — to keep your toes tapping.
“Each of us bring to the table a varied collection of songs and stories that reflect the same themes of longing, love, loss, beauty, and celebration. These concerts give us the freedom to explore some of these experiences thoroughly through the music that has arisen from the last several hundred years of human existence.”
They will perform on Friday, October 28th in Manzanita, OR at the Hoffman Center. Show starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are $7.00.
In the late winter, “As I Roved Out” welcomes better weather and represents the traditional Maying celebrations of the British Isles and beyond, while the plight of the emigrant and laborer is presented in a collection of songs and tunes in the late summer entitled “The Emigrant Song.” Some of the darker and more macabre themes found in Celtic love songs are explored in “Songs of Love and Murder,” and completing the series is the Winter Solstice Celebration; celebrate the darkest night of the year with the light of music, storytelling and wonder.
Billed as “The next generation of trad’ music,” Irish flute player and singer Hanz Araki is the quintessential world music musician. He has toured internationally with Juno award-winning The Paperboys and The Casey Neill Trio; also The Bridies, Portland’s all-star Pogues cover band KMRIA among others, and is featured on over a dozen recordings and soundtracks, along with his own acclaimed CD’s. www.hanzaraki.com
Kathryn Claire has asserted herself in a new generation of traditionally-inspired musicians. Her violin-playing exhibits a technical grace which is matched only by her truly captivating voice and she possesses the rare ability to move seamlessly across genres. Her deep love and respect for traditional music has long been a driving influence and those roots can be heard in her own original music.