Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn
by Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn
TRACK LISTING:
1. Water is Wide/Wusuli Boat Song 乌苏里船歌
2. Four Seasons Medley: Four Seasons/Dark Ocean Waltz四季歌 / 青海华尔兹
3. Ping Tan Dance 评弹舞
4. Banjo Guzheng Pickin’ Girls 天涯海角走一遍
5. Who Says Women Aren’t As Good As Men 谁说女子不如男
6. The Roving Cowboy/Avarguli 阿瓦尔古丽
7. Weaving Medley: Busy Weaving/Julianne Johnson/Open Little Hand/Back Step Cindy 纺织忙 / 小开手
8. Bu Da Da 三十里名山二十里水
9. Ho Hey/Cluck Old Hen 推炒面
10. Pretty Bird
Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn’s debut collaborative release is a testament to the connective power of music across seemingly
disparate cultures. Merging American old-time music and Chinese folksong, Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn features gorgeous, impressionistic
renditions of traditional material from the hills of Appalachia to the prairies of Western China, each tune flowing seamlessly into
the next. The effervescent resonances of Wu’s guzheng zither dance around Washburn’s expressive banjo playing, their voices intertwining
English and various Chinese dialects. This album recasts “world music” as music of our shared world, highlighting our shared humanity
and the transformative power of song. Produced by Bela Fleck. Released April 3, 2020 (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings).
Echo in the Valley
by Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
TRACK LISTING:
1. Over the Divide
2. Take Me to Harlan
3. Let it Go
4. Don’t Let it Bring You Down
5. Medley: Sally In the Garden/Big Country/Molly Put the Kettle On
6. My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains
7. Hello Friend
8. If I Could Talk to a Younger Me
9. On This Winding Road
10. Come All You Coal Miners
11. Bloomin’ Rose
Echo in the Valley is the follow-up to Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn’s acclaimed, self-titled debut that earned the 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album. This time around, the mission was to take their double banjo combination of three-finger and clawhammer styles “to the next level and find things to do together that we had not done before,” says Béla. They kept a few strict rules for the recording: all sounds must be created by the two of them, the only instruments used are banjos, and they must be able to perform every recorded song live. Co-written by Fleck and Washburn with wild re-imaginings of traditional Appalachian music and original tunes, Echo in the Valley is a reflection of the times, from the emphatic mantra “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” to “Come All You Coal Miners,” written from the point of view of coal miner advocate Sarah Ogan Gunning. The duo’s front-porch, minimalist aesthetic includes seven banjos between them, from Béla’s 1937 Gibson Mastertone to a banjo ukulele and a massive, restored 1905 upright banjo bass.
Available on:
January 2017, Self-Released
TRACK LISTING:
1. Muckrakers
2. Paper Lanterns
3. Good Girl
4. Piao (Floating)
5. Kung Fu Cowboy
Produced by Welch, the Wu-Force EP tells stories of the struggle to connect in the face of divisive forces, with music they hope can speak to people of any walk of life, in any culture around the world. “Paper Lanterns” is a reaction to Chinese workers trying – and often failing - to return to their families for the Lunar New Year. “We knew we were on to something when Fei and I kept breaking into tears in the middle of the song,” Washburn remembers.
“Good Girl” is the story of a girl from the countryside who leaves for the big city. She becomes a prostitute, eager send money home to her poor farming family. “Kung Fu Cowboy” is their straight-up theme song, and “Muckrakers” is the frenetic, incessant energy of life in a city, especially a Chinese city, from the perspective of someone who doesn't have the money or privilege to float above any of it. The one thing they have is their voice, and this is an anthem to having, and using, that voice. “这是我的，不是你的" (‘this is mine / this is not yours').
“The three create new music inspired by everything from Peking opera to American punk … fearless instrumentation, delicate playing and intriguing storytelling.” — NPR Music
Available on:
TRACK LISTING:
1. Banjo Banjo (Live)
2. Hao Hua Hong
3. Shotgun Blues (Live)
4. An Evening in Transylvania (Bartok)
5. Railroad (Live)
6. The Final Countdown (Europe)
Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, described by NPR’s All Things Considered as “two monsters of the banjo,” follow up their highly praised duo debut with the Banjo Banjo EP. This companion piece to their full-length release, which The New Yorker described as “a stunning collection of duets,” includes live versions of fan favorites “Banjo Banjo” (written for their son), “Shotgun Blues” (where Abigail seeks retribution for all women who died in traditional Appalachian murder ballads), and “Railroad” (a very new take on the very well-known traditional tune). The EP also features three never-before-released tracks reflecting Béla Fleck & Abigail’s far-flung passions: a traditional Chinese folk song “Hao Hua Hong,” an all-banjo arrangement of Bartok’s “Evening in Transylvania,” and a highly electrifying (yet acoustic) cover of Europe’s “The Final Countdown.” Incidentally, no banjos were harmed in the making of this EP.
“The family that picks together, sticks together.” — Rolling Stone
Available on:
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
by Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
TRACK LISTING:
1. Railroad
2. Ride to You
3. What’cha Gonna Do
4. Little Birdie
5. New South Africa
6. Pretty Polly
7. Shotgun Blues
8. For Children: No. 3 Quasi adagio, No 10 Allegro Molto – Children’s Dance”
9. And Am I Born to Die
10. What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?
11. Banjo Banjo
12. Bye Bye Baby Blues
Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn present their eponymous debut album as a duo, after many years of prominence as banjo players and composers in their own eclectic avenues. Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn is a front porch banjo and vocal album of new music, Appalachian murder ballads, gospel, chamber and blues; the culmination of a yearlong tour as a duo in 2013, following the birth of their son, Juno. Béla, an icon and innovator of jazz, classical and world, with more multi-category GRAMMY wins than any other artist (15 total), and Abigail, a formidable talent with triumphs in songwriting, theater, performance, and even Chinese diplomacy by way of banjo, turn out to be quite a fortuitous pairing with a deep, distinct and satisfying outcome. The culmination is an album like no other. The record reveals their astounding chemistry as collaborators, as the two seamlessly stitch together singular banjo sounds (through an assortment of seven banjos spanning the recording) in service to the stories that their songs tell, with no studio gimmickry needed. According to Béla, ‘finding a way to make every song have its own unique stamp, yet the whole project having a big cohesive sound with only two people,’ was at the core of their joint vision. Demonstrating seemingly unlimited rhythmic, tonal and melodic capabilities, Fleck and Washburn confirm the banjo’s versatility as the perfect backdrop to the rich lyrical component that Fleck and Washburn offer, ‘Sometimes when you add other instruments, you take away from the banjo’s being able to show all its colors, which are actually quite beautiful.’ Thanks to this album, the musicians’ palette has never been more vivid or pure.
Available on:
City Of Refuge
by Abigail Washburn
TRACK LISTING:
1. Prelude
2. City of Refuge
3. Bring Me My Queen
4. Chains
5. Ballad of Treason
6. Last Train
7. Burn Thru
8. Corner Girl
9. Dreams of Nectar
10. Devine Bell
11. Bright Morning Stars
Profiled in Newsweek (2008) for creating a “gorgeous, joyful new sound,” songwriter and clawhammer banjo player Abigail Washburn takes her bold and expansive musical vision to new heights on her third recording, City of Refuge. Raw, ethereal and at times lushly orchestrated, the album melds the forces of renowned producer Tucker Martine (the Decemberists, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens) with Washburn’s classic songwriting and old-time storytelling aesthetic.
Abigail and Tucker along with songwriting collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Kai Welch amassed an impressive group of artists and friends including guitarist Bill Frisell, old-timey fiddler Rayna Gellert, string arrangements by Jeremy Kittel of the Turtle Island String Quartet and guzheng (the ancient Chinese zither) master Wu Fei. Chris Funk from the Decemeberists and Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket also appear on the record.
"...Appalachia and folk-pop, with tinges of Asia and Bruce Springsteen." — The New York Times
"...a modern classic." — Boston Globe
"...the record I randomly put on and fell in love with." — Bob Boilen, NPR All Songs Considered
"...a daring, definite talent." — Wall Street Journal
Available on:
May 2009, Afterquake Music
TRACK LISTING:
1. Quake
2. Tibetan Wish
3. Sala
4. Dream Seek
5. Chinese Recess
6. Song for Mama
7. Little Birdie
In honor of the one-year anniversary of the Sichuan Earthquakes, two pioneers in entirely different genres - folk and electronica - merged to increase knowledge and understanding of the continuing aftermath of the earthquake. Afterquake is a collection of raw, remixed field recordings of post-earthquake soundscapes as well as performances by relocated children and their faraway parents captured and produced by Abigail Washburn and Shanghai Restoration Project creator Dave Liang, in cooperation with Sichuan Quake Relief. A portion of the proceeds from this EP will benefit the Sichuan Quake Relief organization.
Available on:
TRACK LISTING:
1. Overture
2. A Fuller WIne
3. Strange Things
4. Great Big Wall In China
5. Taiyang Chulai
6. Oh Me, Oh My
7. Captain
8. A Kazakh Melody
9. Banjo Pickin' Girl
10. Sugar and Pie
11. Kangding Qingge (Old Timey Dance Party)
12. It Ain't Easy
13. Journey Home
Abigail Washburn has created a new sound that crosses global and cultural lines, personified in the raw, transcendental music of the Sparrow Quartet. The all star collaboration features banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, acclaimed cellist Ben Sollee and Grammy nominated fiddler Casey Driessen. The artistry of Abigail is her love of both American roots musics and the Chinese culture she has been exploring for over a decade. Produced by Bela Fleck, the music was composed and arranged by the foursome. The unprecedented mixture of two banjos (clawhammer and three finger style), cello and fiddle unfolds like an otherworldly chamber suite.
Available on:
TRACK LISTING:
1. Black-Eyed Susie
2 . The Last Goodbye
3. One True
4. Wish I Had My Time Again
5. My Little Carpenter
6. My Epitaph
7. Buonaparte
8. Bony on the Isle of St. Helena
9. Sisters of the Road
10. Streak o' Lean, Streak o' Fat
11. D & P Blues
12. The Birds Were Singing of You
13. Wallflower
14. Drinker Born
15. Easy in the Early ('Til Sundown)
16. I May Never
"Waterloo, TN" (Rounder Records 2007) - The John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) produced follow-up to 2005's critically acclaimed "She Waits For Night", establishes the g'Earls as a veritable force in the American roots music scene.
Available on:
Song of the Traveling Daughter
by Abigail Washburn
TRACK LISTING:
1. Sometimes
2. Rockabye Dixie
3. Coffee's Cold
4. Red & Blazing
5. Single Drop of Honey
6. Eve Stole the Apple
7. Who's Gonna Shoe
8. Backstep Cindy/Purple Bamboo
9. The Lost Lamb
10. Nobody's Fault But Mine
11. Halo
12. Song of the Traveling Daughter
13. Deep in the NIght
14. Momma
15. The Journey Home
On Song of the Traveling Daughter, Abigail Washburn sings simple haunting songs and plays the banjo. Musically, the album is one of the most bare-bones debuts in recent memory. Washburn and fellow producers Reid Scelza and Bela Fleck keep the focus where it belongs: on the singer and the song. The arrangements were built around Washburn's evocative vocals and clawhammer banjo style, and Ben Sollee's cello, an instrument that brings a dark, primeval feel to songs that sound like they're hundreds of years old. The sparse instrumental work of guitarist Jordan McConnell (of the Duhks), upright bass player Amanda Kowalski, fiddler Casey Driessen, percussionist Ryan Hoyle (of Collective Soul), keyboard and accordion player Tim Lauer, along with Fleck's national steel guitar and banjo, add subtle grace notes to Washburn's timeless tales.
Available on:
TRACK LISTING:
1. Walkin' in My Sleep
2. There Is a Time
3. Sugar Babe
4. Warfare
5. Pale Moon
6. Booth Shot Lincoln
7. Willie Taylor
8. Sullivan's Hollow
9. How Long
10. Old Bunch of Keys
11. Sleepy Desert
12. Divine
13. Ida Red
14. Take These Chains
"She Waits For Night" - Uncle Earl's first full-length album, released in 2005 on Rounder Records positioned the all-g'Earl quintet as one of the most exciting and promising new bands to emerge in any genre.
Call it old-time for our times: with their infectious energy, undeniable charisma, sharp musicianship, and unique repertoire of original and traditional songs, Uncle Earl are bringing the stringband legacy proudly into the modern era. Their debut album, She Waits for Night, is that rare project that is enriched by tradition but never enslaved by it - at once both defiantly old-fashioned and defiantly contemporary.
"The most exciting of the new string bands gleefully kicking old time music into the 21st century. Its sound is enticingly raw, urban-edgy, and irresistibly high-stepping." — The Boston Globe "
Available on:
BÉLA FLECK & ABIGAIL WASHBURN
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, “the king and queen of the banjo” (Paste Magazine), have a musical partnership like no other. Béla Fleck is a fifteen-time Grammy Award winner who has taken the instrument across multiple genres, and Abigail Washburn a singer-songwriter and clawhammer banjo player who re-radicalized it by combining it with Far East culture and sounds. The two met at a square dance, began collaborating musically and eventually fell in love. Over the years, they played together most visibly in the Sparrow Quartet alongside Ben Sollee and Casey Driessen and informally at a pickin’ party here, a benefit there, or occasionally popping up in each other’s solo shows. Fans of tradition-tweaking acoustic fare eagerly anticipated that Béla & Abigail would begin making music together as a duo.
Fleck has the virtuosic, jazz-to-classical ingenuity of an iconic instrumentalist and composer with bluegrass roots. His collaborations range from his ground-breaking standard-setting ensemble Béla Fleck and the Flecktones to a staggeringly broad array of musical experiments. From writing concertos for full symphony orchestra, exploring the banjo’s African roots, to jazz duos with Chick Corea, many tout that Béla Fleck is the world’s premier banjo player. Washburn has the earthy sophistication of a postmodern, old-time singer-songwriter who has drawn critical acclaim for her solo albums. She has done fascinating work in folk musical diplomacy in China, presented an original theatrical production, and has contributed to singular side groups Uncle Earl and The Wu-Force. In addition, Washburn has recently created a non-profit with Chinese zither-master, Wu Fei, called The Ripple Effect, whose mission is to unite and open hearts through the unique sounds and harmony of American and Chinese folk music.
On stage, Fleck & Washburn will perform pieces from their Grammy-winning self-titled debut as well as their new record, Echo in the Valley (Rounder 2017). With one eye on using the banjo to showcase America’s rich heritage and the other pulling the noble instrument from its most familiar arena into new and unique realms, Béla & Abigail meet in the mean, head-on, to present music that feels wildly innovative and familiar at the same time. Whether at home, on stage or on record, their deep bond, combined with the way their distinct musical personalities and banjo styles interact, makes theirs a picking partnership unlike any other on the planet.
Booking: James Ziefert
BélaFleck.com
WU FEI & ABIGAIL WASHBURN
Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn’s collaboration is as unlikely as it was inevitable—a sonic confluence of politics and vibrations commingling across continents. Their self-titled debut release for Smithsonian Folkways features reinterpretations of songs from Appalachia and China performed on the banjo and guzheng, fused through the deft playing and intense creativity possessed by both musicians. There is an inherent directness to the duo format that makes it a brilliant vehicle for melodic conversations between these close friends as they connect to one another with a respect matched only by their virtuosity.
Abigail Washburn, the daughter of idealistic, hardworking, midwestern parents from Evanston, Illinois, wasn’t particularly musical as a child—that would come later. She expected to become a lawyer, with the goal of bettering US-China relations. As a young girl in Beijing, Wu Fei was a musical prodigy, trained as a composer at the China Conservatory of Music and fast-tracked to be one of the very best musicians in a country of over a billion people. Fei was to become a professional musician performing state-sanctioned works in austere settings.
But both women took a fork in the road. Abigail has improved US-China relations with a banjo rather than a briefcase. Pursuing her fascination with Chinese language and culture, Abigail regularly toured China for over 20 years, including a month¬-long tour of China's Silk Road supported by grants from the US Embassy, Beijing. Abigail’s musical projects range from her string band, Uncle Earl, to her bilingual solo release Song of the Traveling Daughter (2005)—and from the mind¬-bending “chamber roots” sound of the Sparrow Quartet to Afterquake, her fundraiser album for Sichuan earthquake victims. Washburn’s first record with her husband, Béla Fleck, won the 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album and was followed by their acclaimed second release, Echo in the Valley (Rounder, 2017). Abigail was also a featured collaborator on Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble’s 2017 Grammy-winning record, Sing Me Home. Along with 24 innovative and creative thinkers worldwide, Abigail gave a TED Talk at the 2012 TED Convention in Long Beach about building US-China relations through music. Washburn’s cross-cultural creative focus stems from her hope that hearts and minds worldwide can be united through the universal language of music.
Wu Fei opted to earn her master’s from Mills College in California, where she played with leading-edge improvisers like John Zorn and Fred Frith and was mentored by Pauline Oliveros, Cecil Taylor and Meredith Monk before moving to New York and taking the downtown new music and jazz scene by storm. Since then, she has charted a unique path, combining her mastery of the guzheng and composition with avant-garde classical and folk music influences from around the world, all the while creating her own voice. Her commissions have ranged from a composition for the Percussions Claviers de Lyon (France), which premiered in the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, to live performances in Paris and Tokyo for Hermès. She has composed for Balinese gamelan, symphony orchestra, choir, string quartet, chamber ensemble, film and modern dance. Her most recent work composed for guzheng, oud and chamber ensemble, “Hello Gold Mountain,” honors the stories of Jewish refugees in the Shanghai Ghetto during WWII and was awarded a MAP Fund grant. Wu Fei has toured the world extensively, performing at major museums, festivals and events. Her time studying free improvisation ultimately led her to Boulder, Colorado, where she would discover bluegrass music and meet Abigail.
Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn’s duo is a musical resolution to their specific and differing issues about home. For Fei, it means an opportunity to assimilate elements of her musical argot—Chinese classical, folk and opera—into song forms while leaving room for the free-associative tendencies she developed in the practice of improvisation. For Abigail, it means musical collaboration with someone she considers her sister who speaks all the same languages—someone with whom she can create brave, intimate music. For the listener, it means a gift of unhurried music drawn freely from streams of raised consciousness, waves which met from halfway across the world to find they shared the same cadence.
Booking: Jamie Ziefert, The Kurland Agency
WuFeiMusic.com
THE WU-FORCE
The Wu-Force is three very different musicians from very different backgrounds, united by a shared vision of a world where differences unite instead of divide. Their music defies genre by design, and draws on influences that range from pop and garage rock to traditional Chinese classical music and Appalachian folk. Born out of an evening of conversation, imbibing, and musical improvisation in a Beijing apartment in 2010, the "band" came to life learning to adapt to one another's diverse sounds, and discovering that they felt similarly wary of trends in globalization, urbanization, and technology. They tell stories of the struggle to connect in the face of divisive forces, and they hope to make music that can speak to people of any walk of life, in any culture around the world. The trio is composed of Grammy award-winning clawhammer banjo player, Abigail Washburn, AM-pop maestro and multi-instrumentalist, Kai Welch, and Beijing-born zither virtuoso and Tzadik recording artist, Wu Fei.
ABOUT THE NAME & SYMBOL:
There are at least 216 Chinese characters that are pronounced Wu under 4 different tones. The Wu of our symbol is under the second tone Wú. It means -no, without, nothing, nothingness. 无为而无不为 (Wu wei) The core of Lao Zi's ideology is the concept of "Tao", the connotation of which is naturalness and action through inaction. His social management theory of "let it be, yet everything is accomplished."
The Wu-Force is the force of naturalness. The force of nothingness. The force of unspeakable.
Booking: Carissa Stolting
TheWuForce.com
ABIGAIL WASHBURN & KAI WELCH
Kai was born into a tribe of semi-nomadic back-to-the-land hippy homesteaders in Eastern Oregon in 1980. "Lady" by Kenny Rogers was the #1 song in America and John Lennon had a few weeks left to live. Kai remembers his early years as existing "in some middle ground between utopia and squalor". From these humble beginnings, he has made humble progress. He is often called a songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist, among other things. Kai has made music with rocker Bobby Bare Jr., songwriters Laura Veirs and Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), bluegrass band The Greencards, fiddlers Brittany Haas and Darol Anger, and a long list of others. Kai can be found touring and collaborating with Abigail Washburn, and recently released his debut solo record, "Send It Down”.
Abigail Washburn & Kai Welch wrote a number of songs together on Abigail's 2011 release, City of Refuge, including "Ballad of Treason”, "Last Train", "Burn Thru" and "Dreams of Nectar”. Abigail & Kai toured the world together sharing this music in 2011 & 2012 and continue to collaborate and create new music. Kai is also a member of the Kungfu-Appalachian trio, The Wu-Force, with Abigail & guzheng virtuoso, Wu Fei.
KaiWelch.com
UNCLE EARL
Fearless ambassadors for stringband music, Uncle Earl use tradition as a springboard, coloring a vast and varied legacy with their own unique perspectives as vocalists, instrumentalists, and songwriters. Independently, Kristin Andreassen (guitar, fiddle, ukulele, harmonica, vocals, clogging), Rayna Gellert (fiddle, guitar, vocals), KC Groves (mandolin, guitar, bass, vocals), and Abigail Washburn (banjo, vocals), have each emerged as adventurous, compelling voices in the ongoing old-time renaissance. Together, their undeniable chemistry, charisma, and formidable combination of talents made them a fan and festival favorite both at home in the U.S. and abroad.
Over the course of five productive years together, Andreassen, Gellert, Groves, and Washburn introduced new audiences to the timeless beauty and limitless potential of traditional American old-time music, while inspiring the explorations of the next generation of roots musicians. A pair of striking releases on eclectic roots music imprint Rounder Records brought their take on stringband music to the pages of such influential outlets as Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and Mojo.
Tireless national touring and a pair of self-released EPs made Uncle Earl a word-of-mouth favorite at festivals and listening rooms, and brought them to the attention of Rounder Records – who released She Waits for Night in 2005. Produced by old-time maverick Dirk Powell, the album consolidated the group’s many strengths and helped establish a national following for the group. On the festival circuit they encountered stringband music enthusiast and former Led Zeppelin bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, who produced the band’s widely acclaimed 2007 follow-up, Waterloo, Tennessee. Rolling Stone cited Uncle Earl in its list of “The New Bluegrass: Five Acts to Watch,” calling Waterloo “their most ambitious [album] yet, mixing traditional fiddle-powered jams and rich four-part harmonies with countrified covers of classics and old-time ho-downs.”
Following the intense touring in support of Waterloo, Tennessee – which took them everywhere from the BBC to Bonnaroo – the individual members resumed their solo pursuits full-time. Groves and Andreassen have occasionally reconvened Uncle Earl with the help of some of the finest female performers in old-time music (including Stephanie Coleman, Paula Bradley, Cassandra Jenkins, and Rachel Eddy), and in 2014 the Andreassen/Gellert/Groves/Washburn lineup reunited for the first performances together in six years.
Booking: Carissa Stolting
UncleEarl.net
