Cellist Crispin Campbell delights in the unexpected
By Ross Boissoneau
Sun contributor
As principal cellist of the Traverse City Philharmonic, Crispin Campbell plays to audiences ready for music by Brahms, Bach and Beethoven.
That’s not what the audience will hear at the July 24 concert at The Homestead. Campbell and his cohorts, pianist Steve Stargardt and dobro player Joe Wilson, will be playing music familiar to fans of BB King, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Keith Jarrett, or down-home country music. Most of all with the improvisational flair and approach of jazz.
Campbell says he started exploring improvisation around the year 2000. “I began creating my own music and teaching improvisation for string players,” he explains. “I’m really driven to not play the same way twice. That’s intriguing.”
While he originally wanted to play trombone, his elementary school music teacher (with a large nudge from his mom) steered him to cello. Campbell then discovered guitar, and for several years played folk and rock by the likes of the Beatles and the Beach Boys. It was only when he got to college that he put the guitar down and began to seriously study cello.
Stargardt, one of the most well-rounded pianists in the region, is comfortable with various strains of jazz. He and Campbell have played together in many settings, including with Wilson and poet Michael Delp as “The Mad Angler Meets The Mad Cellist.” He was also part of Campbell’s first recording, a jazz album including bassist Jack Dryden and drummer Randy Marsh.
Campbell enjoys the challenges of working with others from outside the classical world, whether veterans like Stargardt or more youthful players. “I like playing with younger people,” he says, noting Wilson is a couple decades younger than both him and Stargardt. “Younger people bring the energy, I bring the experience.”
Campbell says despite their varied backgrounds, the trio’s styles don’t clash, but instead complement one another. “We listen to each other and we respond,” he explains.
“We play music that I like, some of which I’ve created. There will be some references to Bach, a hot fiddle tune from Joe, (some) Keith Jarrett. A tune by Ralph Towner. A Latin choro – the closest companion (in American music) would be ragtime, with a flavor of flamenco.
“Cello can do a variety of things.”
So can Campbell. He was a faculty member at Interlochen Arts Academy for 38 years. He teaches at the annual Interlochen Cello Intensive in June, and is also a frequent guest artist for the Semana de las Cuerdas, a string festival based in Medellin, Colombia. He was the founder and Artistic Director of the Manitou Music Festival, a chamber music and jazz festival based primarily in Leelanau County.
His recordings with the Neptune Quartet and Christian Matjias have been featured on the National Public Radio program “All Things Considered.” Campbell was even a member of the string section for funk exponents Tower of Power on the band’s live recording, 50 years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert by the Crispin Campbell Trio are $15, or $5 for children 12 and under. Go to TicketTailor.com.
There’s still more music in the county air—literally. “Music in the Air” at the Old Art Building in Leland showcases a variety of styles, with XtraCrisp performing at 7 p.m. July 17. The band finds inspiration in a variety of styles, genres and eras, from Nashville to L.A.: Steely Dan, the Beatles, Tom Petty, CSN, pop, rock and singer-songwriters are all fair game.
The Old Art Building hosts a rare Sunday show on July 27 with the eclectic music of Big Fun. Jeff Haas on piano, Don Julin on mandolin, Joe Wilson on lap steel guitar, Jack Dryden on bass and Randy Marsh on drums somehow manage to blend jazz, funk, bluegrass and world music, maybe even a touch of country, and still make it all make sense. The concert starts at 4 p.m.
Likely the longest-running concert series in the region is Music in the Park at Marina Park in Northport. On July 18, the Luke Woltanski Band performs a mix of Americana, gospel and R&B. On July 25, it’s the Russian folk and rock band Igor and the Red Elvises. The shows run from 7 to 9 p.m.
