<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">Dear MASTA members,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">This Sunday, November 8th, you're invited to join the <b>Jeremy Kittel World </b>as they celebrate the release of their new album, <b>"Chasing Sparks," </b>at the <b>Ark</b> in Ann Arbor. Featuring seven world-class musicians who, individually, have recently joined the <b>Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet</b>, arranged music for <b>Yo-Yo Ma's</b> latest Sony Classical album, won Germany's highest <b>jazz award,</b> toured with <b>Natalie MacMaster</b>, opened for Steve Martin at Disney Hall with <b>Bela Fleck,</b><b> </b>and worked with local Ann Arbor sensation <b>My Dear Disco. </b>And that's just the beginning...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia">As a member of MASTA, you're invited to <b>download a f</b><b>ree MP3</b><b> </b>of one of the tracks off the new album; just go to <a href="http://jeremykittel.bandcamp.com">http://jeremykittel.bandcamp.com</a>. This track will only be available for a week or so; after that it'll be for purchase only. </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia"><b>This Sunday</b>, November 8th, 7:30 PM @ The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, MI. </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia">Visit <a href="http://theark.org/2166.html">http://theark.org/2166.html</a> or call (734) 763-TKTS to purchase tickets.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; ">Featuring:<div>Jeremy Kittel, fiddle<div>Bodek Janke, drums</div><div>Kyle Sanna, guitar</div><div>Tristan Clarridge, cello</div><div>Andrew Kratzat, bass</div><div>Tyler Duncan, bodhran</div><div>Nic Gareiss, foot percussion</div></div></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">You can also visit <a href="http://www.jeremykittel.com">www.jeremykittel.com</a> to hear <b>sneaky previews </b>of the all the tracks!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">In addition to the concert at the Ark on Sunday, Kittel will be leading a workshop on <b>Improvisation for Strings</b> at <b>Shar Music</b> on this Saturday, November 7th (the day before the Ark concert) from 2-4 PM. Kittel regularly teaches at numerous programs such as <b>Mark O'Connor's</b> fiddle camps, The International Music Academy of Pilsen in the <b>Czech Republic, </b>and many more. Don't miss this opportunity to open new doors into the world of improvisation. For more info, visit:<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.sharmusic.com/itemdy00.asp?t1=jk2009">http://www.sharmusic.com/itemdy00.asp?t1=jk2009</a></div></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia">Read on below to find out about the album...</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia"><img height="286" width="323" src="cid:7F624B24-F238-433E-BF24-C79A46A9735B@gateway.2wire.net"></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">Jeremy Kittel says the centerpiece of his newest album, <b><i>Chasing Sparks</i></b>, grew with the 25 year-old fiddler</span><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">/violinist/composer for years before finally gelling on the stage of Carnegie Hall.</span></font><span><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"> </span></font></span><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Kittel had the ‘aha’ moment while pla</span></font><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">ying his song “Disconnect” with some of the most dominant players in acoustic music: MacArthur “Genius” bassist Edgar Meyer, along with guitarist Kyle Sanna, an arranger for Yo-Yo Ma.<span> </span>Kittel, who is rapidly earning a reputation as one of the nation’s most creative young musicians, had parts of the melodies in his mind for years before the song found its own way in that moment on stage.<span> </span>The track found further depth in the recording process with mandolin prodigy Chris Thile.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">“Disconnect” exemplifies the diversity to Kittel’s approach on <i>Chasing Sparks,</i> recorded over the course of two years and four cities – New York, Nashville, San Francisco and his hometown of Ann Arbor.<span> </span>Kittel, originally classically trained, has studied Irish, jazz, folk and traditional music -- winning a host of varied awards.<span> </span>He’s won multiple US National Scottish Fiddle Championships, six Detroit Music Awards for Outstanding Folk Artist, Jazz Recording and Jazz Composer, a Masters of Jazz Violin from Manhattan School of Music, and a Stanley Medal from the University of Michigan School of Music to name just a few.<span> </span>He has performed over 1,000 concerts as soloist or guest, and is now part of the Grammy-winning <b>Turtle Island Quartet.</b></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">One might expect the music within to lurch from one style to the next in a kind of overt demonstration of his musical adventures.<span> </span>But actually, there is an uplifting fluidity to the sound of the music on this disc thanks not in least to contributions by some of the most highly regarded acoustic musicians around.<span> </span>In addition to the previous players mentioned, multi-instrumentalist wizard Mike Marshall (formerly of the David Grisman Quintet) also makes an appearance, as does the auspicious cello-fiddle duo of sisters Natalie and Brittany Haas (Alasdair Fraser's musical partner, and Crooked Still band member, respectively).</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">But the core musicians on <b><i>Chasing Sparks</i></b> are Kittel's own bandmates, who shine throughout. In addition to guitarist Sanna, there is also cellist Tristan Clarridge, who is a member of bluegrass sensation Crooked Still and is actually a three-time National Fiddle Champion himself.<span> </span>And cosmopolitan drummer Bodek Janke (he's fluent in five languages) lends deep, visceral grooves with echoes of Africa, India, and Eastern Europe.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">Each track is woven with earthy, Celtic-inspired melodies; sometimes as a jumping-off point for intricate compositions; other times inducing heady improvisations; still other times maintaining a simpler, more traditional feel.<span> </span>And always, bounding above the expansive textures that pervade the album, is the utterly searing optimism of Kittel's violin.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">“I wrote most of these tunes with no intention of combining styles – rather, they were just embellishments of melodies and sounds that were floating around in my head,” says Kittel.<span> </span>“One of the toughest challenges for me is to learn to trust my instincts, my own judgment; but sometimes I don’t even hear those instincts – I’m not paying attention.<span> </span>I find that this is important when composing anything.<span> </span>You have to listen to your inner voice or you will miss it.”</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">“Bear Island Reel” is all about following instinct and is another song that was found on stage, but this one, the only live track on the album, was recorded live at the Ark in Ann Arbor.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">“We were all charged up by one of our best shows, and for the encore, Tristan and I started playing an Irish tune (via Darol Anger) called “Bear Island Reel,” just to see what would happen. It begins innocently enough – the tune lilting along just like it should – but at some point, it veers off into improvised territory, and when it finally comes back to the melody, it sounds more like a tune you might hear pumping at your local dance club than it does traditional Irish fiddling.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">A subtler but no less elastic song,<b> </b>“The Napkin Tune,” is based off of a beautiful melody written by famous contradance fiddler Rodney Miller.<span> </span>“I fell in love with the tune and decided to arrange it for my band. The instrumentation on the record is fiddle, guitar, cello, drums, bass, and… water heater.<span> </span>We accidentally left it running while we were recording at the studio, and we left it in – you can hear it trickling in the slow middle.<span> </span>John Cage would be proud.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; ">“Remember Blake,” a resonant homage for a guitarist friend who passed away at age 23, features a blush of piano and gorgeous phrasing from Mike Marshall’s mandolin.<span> </span>And “The Chase” could be the song’s counterpoint.<span> </span>“I write a lot of music alone at night, and as a result, much of what I compose has a pensive, restrained feeling – it’s always striving for beauty,” shares Kittel.<span> </span>“So I tried to do something different with ‘The Chase.’<span> </span>It starts with a bang in a speedy odd time signature, and it never lets up for seven minutes.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; "> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">“There is a completely overwhelming amount of great art and music, and it’s so accessible that it is impossible for me to ignore,” says Kittel.<span> </span>“I can be a bit quixotic for sure - I have plans to study Indian classical music, Western classical music, bluegrass, and blues/rock language. In fact, I've just been transcribing Stevie Ray Vaughan this last week.<span> </span>It's tricky on violin.<span> </span>Wish me luck.”</span></span></p></body></html>