Steep Canyon Rangers

College of Charleston Cistern Yard June 3 and 4 at 9:00pm

Artists Guitar/Vocals Woody Platt Banjo/Vocals Graham Sharp Mandolin/Mandola/Vocals Mike Guggino Fiddle/Vocals Nicky Sanders Drums/Vocals Mike Ashworth Bass/Vocals Barrett Smith

1 hour, 15 minutes | Performed without an intermission

Artists

STEEP CANYON RANGERS are Asheville, North Carolina’s Grammy-winners, perennial Billboard chart-toppers, and frequent collaborators of the renowned banjoist (and occasional comedian) Steve Martin. Steep Canyon Rangers released three albums last year, all on Yep Roc Records. The Grammy-nominated North Carolina Songbook is a recording of their live 2019 performance at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in which they performed a selection of songs by North Carolina songwriters (Ola Belle Reed, Doc Watson, James Taylor, Ben E. King, and others). Their most recent release of all original music, Arm in Arm, came out in October 2020.

Sponsored by First Citizens Bank.

Programming at the College of Charleston Cistern Yard is kindly endowed by Carlos, Lisa, and Blake Evans.

These performances are made possible in part through funds from the Spoleto Festival USA Endowment, generously supported by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America.

THE COOKERS

College of Charleston Cistern Yard June 5 at 9:00pm

Artists

Saxophone Billy Harper Alto Saxophone Donald Harrison Trumpet David Weiss Trumpet Eddie Henderson Piano George Cables Bass Cecil McBee Drums William “Billy” Hart

1 hour, 15 minutes | Performed without an intermission

Artists

BILLY HARPER (saxophone) moved to New York in 1966 and soon began attracting attention from some of jazzdom’s giants: Gil Evans, Lee Morgan, and Art Blakey. His 1973 record Capra Black has been hailed as “one of the seminal recordings of jazz’s black consciousness movement—a profoundly spiritual effort that channels both the intellectual complexity of the avant-garde as well as the emotional potency of gospel” (Jason Ankeny). Along with an abundant imagination that connects directly to his blues and gospel roots, Harper’s muscular tone, lithe articulation, comprehensive harmonic knowledge, and unflagging energy define him as a saxophonist. DONALD HARRISON (alto saxophone) was born in New Orleans in 1960 and grew up in a home environment saturated with the city’s traditional music of brass bands, parades, modern jazz, R&B, funk, classical, world, and dance music. His critically acclaimed albums Indian Blues (1991) and Spirits of Congo Square (2000) combine jazz with Afro-New Orleans traditional music—reflecting Harrison’s commitment to maintaining his hometown culture and music for the next generation. Harrison has performed and recorded with an illustrious list of distinguished musicians including Roy Haynes, Miles Davis, Lena Horne, and Dr. Lonnie Smith to name just a few.

Sponsored by First Citizens Bank.

Programming at the College of Charleston Cistern Yard is kindly endowed by Carlos, Lisa, and Blake Evans.

Piano by Steinway & Sons.

This performance is made possible in part through funds from the Spoleto Festival USA Endowment, generously supported by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America.

EDDIE HENDERSON (trumpet) received his first informal trumpet lesson at age nine from Louis Armstrong. As a teenager, he studied at the San Francisco Conservatory, and in 1957, Eddie met Miles Davis for the first time. Miles, a family friend, admired the strikingly beautiful tone and musicality of Henderson’s trumpet playing and encouraged him to pursue a career. His first major musical exposure was as a member of Herbie Hancock’s trailblazing Mwandishi sextet, and Henderson went on to work extensively with Pharoah Sanders, Norman Connors, and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He has also created his own solo recordings.

DAVID WEISS (trumpet) appeared on the scene in the late eighties with the modus operandi to move jazz forward. He established himself in New York by touring and/or recording with the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Bobby Hutcherson, James Moody, and many others. Constantly innovative as a trumpeter, composer, and arranger, he was also the driving force behind the creation of The Cookers. Another of his groups, Point of Departure, re-examines some of the most innovative music of the late 1960s with two critically acclaimed CDs (Snuck In and Snuck Out) recorded live at the Jazz Standard for Sunnyside Records.

GEORGE CABLES (piano) was born in New York City in 1944. He was classically trained as a youth, and when he started his education, he admittedly “didn’t know anything about jazz.” But smitten with the potential for freedom of expression he heard in jazz, he went on to become “everyone’s favorite sideman” by accompanying saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper, trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw, vibist Bobby Hutcherson, and others. Later, Cables began leading his own groups more often, with a new trio release just last year. Noted for fresh interpretations of classic compositions and his innovative style of writing, Cables has emerged as a major voice in modern jazz.

CECIL MCBEE (bass) was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a community of rich and varied musical roots. The recipient of two NEA composition grants, McBee has written works that are performed worldwide and have been recorded by Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, and many others. In 1989, he won a Grammy for his performance of Blues for John Coltrane, featuring Roy Haynes, David Murray, McCoy Tyner, and Pharoah Sanders. In 1991, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. As one of post bop’s most advanced and versatile bassists, McBee creates rich, singing phrases in a wide range of contemporary jazz contexts.

WILLIAM “BILLY” HART (drums) was born 1940 in Washington, D.C. He is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history. Throughout the 1960s, he played with soul artists such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave. Later, he was a sideman with the Montgomery Brothers, Jimmy Smith, and Wes Montgomery. In the 1970s, Hart was a member of Herbie Hancock’s sextet (1969–1973) and played with—among others—McCoy Tyner and Stan Getz. Hart now spends considerable time at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is adjunct faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music and Western Michigan University.

THE WOOD BROTHERS

College of Charleston Cistern Yard June 8 and 9 at 9:00pm

Artists

Bass/Vocals Chris Wood

Guitar/Vocals Oliver Wood Drums/Keyboard Jano Rix

1 hour, 15 minutes | Performed without an intermission

Artists

THE WOOD BROTHERS channeled a series of freewheeling, improvised sessions into Kingdom in My Mind, their seventh studio release and most spontaneous and experimental collection yet. While on past records, the band would write a large batch of songs and then record them all at once, Kingdom found them retroactively carving tunes out of sprawling instrumental jam sessions like sculptors chipping away at blocks of marble. Deep as the lyrics dig, the arrangements always manage to remain buoyant and light. Kingdom in My Mind follows The Wood Brothers’ previous studio release, One Drop of Truth (2018), which hit the number-one spot on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and garnered the band their first Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album.

Sponsored by First Citizens Bank.

Programming at the College of Charleston Cistern Yard is kindly endowed by Carlos, Lisa, and Blake Evans.

This performance is made possible in part through funds from the Spoleto Festival USA Endowment, generously supported by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America.