Press release
Akira Satake and Duncan Wickel at the White Horse, Jan. 25
Akira Satake, composer and master banjo player, joins forces with multi-genre violinist Duncan Wickel on Saturday, Jan. 25, 8 p.m. at the White Horse Black Mountain for a category-defying evening of original music combining World, Jazz, Celtic and Appalachian traditions.
A native of Osaka, Japan, Akira Satake discovered the banjo through Flatt and Scruggs recordings. Relocating to New York City in his 20s he honed an innovative banjo style over two decades in venues from Greenwich Village to Carnegie Hall. He also went on to master the shamisen, a Japanese relative of the banjo, which he’s integrated into his musical vision. Satake’s original compositions seamlessly blend myriad influences into a highly individualistic whole. His talents have been displayed on the concert stage and on recordings by artists such as Shawn Colvin, Nancy Griffith, Jim Lauderdale, Hazel Dickens, Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka, and he’s occupied the producer’s chair for CDs by Tim O’Brien, Mamadou Diabate, Johnny Cunningham and flamenco guitarist Gerardo Nunez.
Violinist and composer Duncan Wickel started playing music as a child growing up in Asheville. His early mastery of classical technique and Irish fiddling has expanded to a command of creative renditions of jazz, old-time, and bluegrass tunes. His virtuosity and improvisational skills in virtually any genre have made him an in-demand soloist, accompanist and collaborator for artists across the musical spectrum. Currently based in Boston, where he attended the Berklee College of Music, the Boston Globe describes Duncan as “a considerable talent… as persuasive in a traditional Irish ballad as he is country fiddling or ripping through cascading classical flourishes or atonal double stops”.
Together, Akira Satake and Duncan Wickel play with a rare synergy that happens only with players who are completely attuned to each other, the music, and their instruments.
Show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, $10 w/student ID. Tickets available online at http://www.whitehorseblackmountain.com
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