Matt Flinner Trio To Perform In Kayenta and Springdale
February 3 At The Springdale Canyon Community Center
February 4 At The Center For The Arts At Kayenta
Led by Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner, the Matt Flinner Trio has established itself as one of the most creative and virtuosic groups on the bluegrass and modern acoustic music scenes.
Sonically founded in bluegrass, jazz, and American acoustic music, the virtuosic collaboration between esteemed mandolinist Matt Flinner, guitarist Ross Martin and bassist Eric Thorin is a finely tuned compositional machine. Over the last 15 years, the trio has been writing new music the day of any given show and performing it as part of that night’s concert. The resulting push to constantly create new material and challenge themselves to find new sounds and textures has led the trio to a unique sound all their own, and has also stretched the boundaries of what a bluegrass trio can do. Now with over four hundred tunes in their repertoire, the trio released Traveling Roots on Compass Records in 2016, a road-crafted sequel to their 2012 release, Winter Harvest.
Stylistically, the group is self-defined as “deeply-rooted new acoustic music,” and Flinner himself “blurs the lines between jazz and bluegrass, traditional and avant-garde (Associated Press).” Originally a banjo player, Flinner won the National Banjo Contest at Winfield Kansas in 1990 and then returned and took the same prize the following year on mandolin. Flinner showcased his mastery of the bluegrass style and genre and was driven to seek greater degrees of musical maturity through jazz studies. “Bluegrass and jazz are both improvisational American art forms,” says Flinner. “We strive to see what we can do with the (bluegrass) genre and play with it a bit, hopefully creating something new from these various streams of music we love.”
Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner has made a career out of playing bluegrass and American roots music in new ways. Hailed by Downbeat Magazine as “one of the best mandolin players ever,” Flinner has established a reputation as one of the most respected composers and innovators in modern American acoustic music. His projects and collaborations range from bluegrass to jazz to classical to New Acoustic music, all with the common thread of American roots music with a creative edge.
Guitarist Ross Martin has performed in concert halls, honky-tonks, theaters, rock clubs, living rooms, on festival stages, television programs and everywhere in between. He grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, TX, with brief stints in East Tennessee, attended the University of North Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies, then headed west. After ten years in the front range area of Colorado, he relocated to the east coast and has lived in Brooklyn, NY for the past ten years.
Martin’s musical path has covered as much territory as his physical one. Reflecting his love of diverse genres like jazz, bluegrass, country, folk, experimental, and classical music, Ross has always felt at home with fellow musicians who seek to reconcile, through their music, the incredible wealth of styles available to listeners in this global and digital age. He has toured and performed with a wide range of artists including Matt Flinner, Tony Furtado, Ron Miles, Mollie O’Brien, The Motet, Caroline Herring, Dwele, Sonya Kitchell, and many others. Ross’ solo album, “Volley”, features his original compositions and electric guitar playing, and he recently released a duo recording with acoustic guitarist Grant Gordy titled “Year of the Dog”. He performs frequently throughout the New York City area, and tours nationally and internationally with various projects.
Bassist Eric Thorin is a highly regarded musician/bassist living on the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. He can be found on stage in The Matt Flinner Trio with Ross Martin, Danny Barnes and various touring luminaries such as Darol Anger, Bonnie Paine, Tony Furtado and more. Eric remains active in the studio as producer and performer, has written hundreds of compositions as a member of The Matt Flinner Trio, orchestrated songs for Elephant Revival with the Colorado Symphony and Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and mixed, mastered and produced the debut recording release of Take Down the Door, Live in Lyons. Eric also serves as an adjunct faculty in the newly formed Folk and Bluegrass program at the University of Northern Colorado.
Springdale Concert Details: Cost $15
Thursday, Feb 3rd, 2022 – 7 PM at the Canyon Community Center, 126 Lion Blvd in Springdale.
*To purchase tickets visit: www.zarts.org
Kayenta Concert Details: Cost $35 for Adults and $10 Children and Students
Friday Feb 4TH, 2022 – 7:30 PM at the Center For The Arts At Kayenta, 881 Coyote Gulch Ct in Ivins.
*To purchase tickets visit: www.KayentaArts.com
