savannahmusicfestival

The acoustic quartet Hawktail features Brittany Haas on fiddle, Dominick Leslie on mandolin, Jordan Tice on guitar, and Paul Kowert on bass. On this episode, we listen to an April 4, 2018 performance given by Hawktail at the Charles H. Morris Center in Trustees’ Garden.

Acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Darrell Scott first performed at the Savannah Music Festival in 2014 in collaboration with Tim O’Brien. On this episode of Savannah Music Festival LIVE, we’ll listen to highlights from Darrell Scott’s 2019 solo performance at the Charles H. Morris Center in Trustees’ Garden.

Cuban-born drummer, composer, bandleader and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dafnis Prieto honors his musical heroes and mentors with his 17-piece orchestra. On this episode, we listen to the 2019 Savannah debut of the Dafnis Prieto Big Band, performing repertoire from the Grammy-winning album Back to the Sunset.

A decade after their Savannah Music Festival debut, the acclaimed acoustic quintet Punch Brothers returned to our festival to play for a packed house at the Trustees Theater. On this episode we’ll listen to highlights from that concert, given on Saturday, March 30, 2019.

Born in 1957 into a musical family in New Orleans, Herlin Riley began playing drums at age 3. He studied trumpet through high school and two years of college before focusing his attention fully on the drums. He spent 17 years with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and four years with Ahmad Jamal. On this episode of Savannah Music Festival LIVE, we’ll listen to a performance giv...

Entering his sixth decade of performing and recording, soul singer Lee Fields is one of the hardest-working and most prolific artists in the genre. He performs with every ounce of energy and passion that he can tap, fronting the acclaimed Truth & Soul Records house band. On this episode of Savannah Music Festival LIVE we listen to a 2018 set played by Lee Fields & the Expressions, on a co-bill wit...

Delano Floyd McCoury is a living link to the days when bluegrass was made only in honky-tonks, schoolhouse shows and on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. On this episode of Savannah Music Festival LIVE, we listen to the a 2019 performance given by the Del McCoury Band, on a co-bill with the Steep Canyon Rangers for an evening that we dubbed an 80th birthday “Delebration.”

Born in 1993 in San Francisco’s Bay Area, Molly Tuttle was 8 years old when she began playing guitar. By age 11 she was performing on stage with The Tuttles, the family band led by her father, Jack, a well-respected bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and instructor. She picked up the banjo and mandolin, but mainly concentrated on flatpicking and clawhammer guitar styles. On this episode of Savannah M...

On a Monday night in April of 2019, we presented a one-time double bill at the Savannah Music Festival: Mike Marshall & Darol Anger alongside guitarists Bryan Sutton and David Grier. On this episode of Savannah Music Festival LIVE, we listen to highlights of the Mike Marshall & Darol Anger set, which includes a handful of impromptu encores played by all four of these giants of acoustic music.

Whether sonically reinventing chamber music or applying electric improvisation to traditional songs, early rock or jazz, guitar pioneer Bill Frisell maintains incredible musical versatility while also having a singular playing style. On this episode of Savannah Music Festival LIVE, we listen to highlights from Bill Frisell’s second festival appearance: a 2018 performance with his trio involving ba...

Anda Union’s captivating combination of Mongolian musical styles is a reflection of their roots. Hailing from different ethnic nomadic cultures, the nine-member band unites tribal music traditions from all over Inner Mongolia, a semi-autonomous region of China. On this episode, we listen to the 2019 Savannah Music Festival debut of Anda Union.

The Jerusalem Quartet formed in the early 1990s while its members were students at the Jerusalem Conservatory of Music and Dance. In its debut year, the quartet was awarded first prize in the chamber music category by the Jerusalem Academy followed by two prizes at the Graz International Competition the following year. On this episode of Savannah Music Festival LIVE, we listen to a portion of the...

Guitarists Bryan Sutton and David Grier are both central to the evolution of flatpicking. With 13 guitarist of the year awards from the IBMA between them, both men started playing at a young age, influenced greatly by the playing and repertoire of Doc Watson, Tony Rice and Clarence White, among others. On this episode, we’ll listen to an April 2019 duo performance given by Bryan Sutton and David G...

As a performer, jazz pianist Marcus Roberts has played in settings ranging from solo, trio, and jazz orchestra to symphony orchestra, always bringing a remarkably fresh approach to each moment. As a composer, he has been commissioned for new work by Chamber Music America, Jazz at Lincoln Center, that Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Ozawa Music Festival, and many others, including the Savannah Musi...

At 33-years of age, pianist Aaron Diehl is not only remarkable for his own generation of musicians, but he has already left an indelible mark on the jazz world through his meticulously conceived and refreshing performances, collaborations, compositions and interpretations. On this episode, we listen to a performance given by the Aaron Diehl Trio on April 1, 2019. After a three-year hiatus from pla...

Basik Lee (original licensed for educational purposes from Naughty by Nature)

Musical Explorers Theme Song (Accompaniment) by savannahmusicfestival

Musical Explorers Theme Song by savannahmusicfestival

Freight Train by savannahmusicfestival

John Henry by savannahmusicfestival

Follow the Drinking Gourd by savannahmusicfestival

Freight Train Banjo Demonstration by savannahmusicfestival

Follow the Drinking Gourd Chorus by savannahmusicfestival

This Train is Bound for Glory by savannahmusicfestival

Follow The Drinking Gourd Accompaniment by savannahmusicfestival