Out Now: Kittel & Co.'s Debut Album, WHORLS

A GRAMMY-winner while in his 20s, violin prodigy Jeremy Kittel (formerly of the Turtle Island Quartet) has assembled an incredible group of young players for his Compass Records debut, WHORLS. Known as a composer-arranger-collaborator for such diverse artists as My Morning Jacket, Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble, and Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, the Brooklyn-based artist has built his own repertoire of music for this new group. Comprised of Kittel, mandolin phenom Josh Pinkham (named "the future of the mandolin" by Mandolin Magazine), Canadian guitarist Quinn Bachand, cellist Nathaniel Smith (Sarah Jarosz, Kacey Musgraves), and hammer-dulcimer wizard Simon Chrisman, these players effortlessly reference a dazzling array of acoustic music styles, from Celtic and bluegrass to folk and jazz. WHORLS introduces us to the group's visceral-yet-precise musicianship on these 11 tracks. While WHORLS is largely an instrumental album, Kittel sings on the moody, haunting track, "Waltz," supported by friend and colleague Sarah Jarosz lending ethereal backing vocals. Listen to "Waltz" on Spotify.The title, WHORLS, refers to patterns of spirals, which Kittel explains as "something you'd see in a plant or a lot of different natural formations." He says that the music itself was "born out of this desire to connect with the internal voice." The album's first single "Pando" was originally written for the Detroit Symphony, and it was driven by a compelling violin melody that evolves from its timid entrance to urgent plight. The album's scope ranges from buoyant rhythmic undercurrent of tracks like "The Boxing Reels" to the longingly bittersweet "Home in the World" -- a song named in honor of the late journalist Daniel Pearl and a collection of his writings.

The concept of bringing people together underlies much of WHORLS. "These instruments have a rich tradition of playing dance music; they were the way everyone got down, say, 150 years ago. Acoustic string bands in a room," says Kittel. "Locking this in, rhythmically and sonically, finding the balance of intensity--that's been really exciting." The release was delayed after Kittel suffered a broken arm after a jogging accident; with his arm in a cast, tour dates were postponed. Back and in great form, Kittel has assembled a trio (himself, Pinkman and Bachand) for extensive summer tour and festival dates (scroll down for complete schedule).

TRACK TITLES:
1. Pando
2. The Boxing Reels
3. Alpena
4. Home in the World
5. Preludio
6. Interlude
7. Chrysalis
8. Fields of Brooklyn
9. Waltz (featuring Sarah Jarosz)
10. Ohmstead
11. Nethermead

TOUR DATES:
June 30 New York, NY Joe's Pub
July 3 Boston, MA Club Passim
July 4 Williamsburg, MA Watermelon Wednesdays
July 5 Woodshole, MA House Concert
July 6 Hillsdale, NY Megabee Farm
July 7-8 New Bedford, MA New Bedford Folk Festival
July 10 Brooktondale, NY Canaan Institute
July 11 Springville, NY Springville Center for the Arts
July 14-15 Harbor Springs, MI Blissfest
July 18 Glen Arbor, MI Manitou Music Festival
July 20 Ann Arbor, MI Ann Arbor Art Fair
July 21 Lake Orion, MI 20 Front Street
July 27 Caroga Lake, NY Caroga Lake Music Festival
July 28 Huntington, NY Huntington Summers Arts Festival
Sept 7-9 Remus, MI Wheatland Music Festival
Sept 13-15 Montreal CAN Festival la Grande Rencontre
Sept 15-16 Muskegon, MI Michigan Irish Festival
Oct 5-6 El Paso, TX Border Folk Festival
Nov 1 Big Rapids, MI Ferris State University
Dec 8 Battle Creek, MI Battle Creek Symphony