JeremyKittel.com
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Well, I haven’t been very responsible about keeping this news page up to date – it’s been months since my last entry. A lot has happened since June! The most striking fact may be that I’m writing this news update from my new room in New York City. I moved here a little over a month ago to work on a Masters degree in jazz from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Though I do miss Michigan and plan to return often, I’m excited to be here in NYC.
Now, back to the summer! The “Jeremy Kittel Acoustic Trio Tour ‘05” was a blast. We played mostly in and around the east coast with stops in New Jersey, New York, Boston, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and more. Some of the most memorable shows include the New Bedford Summerfest and the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. You can actually view the latter by clicking here. www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium. There are two performances listed on this link; for the most recent one, be sure to select the July 5th, 2005 show.
July was fiddle camp month, and it had me traveling first to California, then to the Czech Republic, then back to California yet again. My first stop was the northern town of Mt. Shasta to teach at a new camp organized by my good friends Tristan and Tashina Clarridge (see clarridgefiddlers.com). In the midst of incredible mountains and pristine waters, we balanced fiddles and music with hiking and rope-swings. Not a bad way to spend a week, if you ask me. Next, I traveled to the wonderful Czech city of Pilsen, where I spent a week teaching jazz improvisation and fiddle music to some of the best young classical violinists in the world. I learned at least as much as they did and made some great international friends in the process. My last stop of the month was San Diego to teach at the renowned Mark O’Connor Strings Conference. I’ve come to expect an enlightening, fun-filled, and mostly sleepless, experience at the camp, and this year was no exception.
I returned to Michigan for most of August to perform shows almost daily with the Jazz Quartet and the Acoustic Trio. I had never performed at jazz festivals before, so it was exciting to be part of three: the River Raisin Jazz Festival, the Flint Jazz Festival, and the famous Detroit International Jazz Festival. It was a busy month since I was simultaneously preparing to move and keeping up with a demanding performance schedule.
So here I am, looking out at a 13th-floor view of Broadway and the Upper West Side. Thanks so much for your interest, and please check out the upcoming performances page to see when we’ll be playing near you. For those of you who are curious about what I’m up to musically, my next CD project will return to Scottish and Irish fiddle music as a base. I’m very excited about this music, since it’s mostly original and makes great use of improvisation and group arrangements. More to come.
‘Til then, thanks again, and I hope to see you soon! Much love,
-Jeremy
Hey everybody!
Jeremy here, writing from a coffeehouse in the lower east side of Manhattan. Just want to let you know what I’ve been up to recently.
It was a huge relief to finish my new CD, “Jazz Violin,” and release concert at the Ark in Ann Arbor was a blast. It’s been very well received so far, and we hope to promote it more over the next couple weeks. To listen to it and buy it, just go to cdbaby.com.
My friend John Nam, who plays piano on my new CD “Jazz Violin,” took our jazz quartet to South Korea in May! John is originally from Korea, and he’d been talking about touring there for a while. It was a remarkable experience. The shows were memorable, and, with twelve gigs in only nine days, they kept us busy. We ate exquisite Korean cuisine every day, and I discovered an affinity for new dishes such as kim-chi and squid – tasty! The highlight of the trip, however, was meeting and befriending some of the most welcoming and vibrant people I’d ever known. If you want to see some rather revealing photos from our trip, you can visit www.johnnam.com, choose the Korean site and check out the photo gallery.
Last weekend, Bob and I played at the Potomac Celtic Festival in Leesburg, VA. The temperature was in the upper 90’s, and it was so humid that I could hardly turn the pegs on my fiddle, but we had a great time hanging out and jamming with inspiring musicians from around the globe.
On Thursday I played in the “Five Fab Fiddlers” show at Club Passim in Boston along with my fiddling friends Hanneke Cassel, Eric Merrill, Jake Armerding and Laura Cortese. Too much fun!
I’m hanging out in NY with Andrew until our “Jeremy Kittel Trio” east coast tour begins on Friday in New Jersey. Be sure to check out the upcoming performances page on this website to see if we’ll be performing near you soon. Thanks, and all the best, -Jeremy
April, 2005
Jeremy won the Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Folk/Acoustic Instrumentalist! He also released his third CD, "Jazz Violin," and had his fourth solo show at the Ark in Ann Arbor.
March, 2005
Jeremy was nominated for three Detroit Music Awards: Outstanding Folk/Acoustic Instrumentalist, Outstanding Folk Artist, and Outstanding Jazz Composer
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"Jig Set: Stairwell Time/Slipping Jig/Sky Paint" from Roaming has been named a finalist for Best Instrumental in the International Songwriting Competition, against over 11,000 entries from more than 70 countries.
January 14, 2005
Jeremy and the jazz quartet appeared on Comcast Channel 17 in Washtenaw County in late January. Producer PT Quinn said, "It is a refreshing mix of traditional celtic and original jazz music, and Jeremy included tunes from his current critically acclaimed CD "Roaming". His outstanding group simply called "The Jeremy Kittel Jazz Quartet" did a fine job for the program that showcased the talent of one of Ann Arbor's most acclaimed performers."
December, 2004
Roaming was awarded second place for Best Celtic Instrumental Album in the international Just Plain Folks Competition against over 10,000 albums and Stairwell Time/Slipping Jig/Sky Paint took 2nd for Best Celtic Instrumental Song
In his spare (HA!) time Jeremy plays hot club jazz with the Detroit Swingtet. Check them out at www.detroitswingtet.com