Manitou Music Festival features George Cole, Trina Hamlin
From staff reports
On Sunday, Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. the jazz/swing singer-guitarist extraordinaire George Cole will perform with his quartet at Studio Stage, located at Lake Street Studios in Glen Arbor, as part of the Glen Arbor Art Association’s Manitou Music Festival. On Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 8 p.m. the singer/songwriter Trina Hamlin and the jazz/swing duo The True Falsettos will perform outdoors on the Leelanau School Green, located at the Leelanau School in Glen Arbor. The rain location for both concerts is the Glen Arbor Town Hall. The festival is celebrating its 23rd season of jazz, classical, blues, folk, country, celtic, bluegrass and world music on the Leelanau Peninsula.
“Eurocana” is descriptive of George Cole’s musical genre. It is a celebration of the great American Songbook with inspiration from the Gypsy fueled jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. The George Cole Trio includes the George Cole on lead vocals and lead guitar, the classically-trained talent of Echae Kang on violin, and Kaile Earle on bass and vocals.
Internationally renowned acoustic guitar virtuoso, George Cole brought audiences to their feet a when he toured theatres in the mid- west and east coast this past winter. Not a hint of halting the momentum as George and his new band bring music, style, and outstanding musicianship to the Bay Area and West Coast this spring and work their way to Michigan and the East Coast for summer and fall 2012.
George Cole, guitarist, vocalist, composer is a consummate performer; bringing experience and talent to each show he plays. George is an unforgettable entertainer, musician, song- writer and story-teller. Spanning genres and decades, George’s distinctive career path has been quite a journey. He has toured with Joe Walsh, recorded with producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen and Paul McCartney), performed, played guitar and sang duets with jazz legend Keely Smith.
Echae Kang was born in South Korea to music loving family. She was six when she began playing violin and studied classical music. She loves jazz — gypsy and straight-ahead styles — and it influenced her playing. After years of classical violin training she enrolled in the Seoul Jazz Academy, and then went on to audition and graduate from Berkelee College of Music. While at Berklee, she expanded her reach while still respecting her classical roots. She’s played with string virtuoso Mark O’Connor, legendary bassist Ron Carter, Grammy nominated vocalist Lalah Hathaway and Academy Award nominated composer Alan Silvestri.
Trina Hamlin combines gentle understanding with raw emotion in a way that is, quite simply, captivating from the first note. With a rich, powerful voice, Hamlin reveals a rare confluence of Midwestern innocence, contemplative focus, and raw passion while adding a disarmingly sharp wit in her stage banter. She seamlessly moves from guitar to piano with self accompaniment on harmonica leaving many who have seen her wondering what she can’t do. Regarded as one of the best harmonica players around, in her performance Hamlin presents a driving, sensuous rhythm reawakening audiences to the art of the instrument. In the current climate of “sounds like” artists and “heard it before” lyrics, Trina offers an intelligent and refreshing musical experience. Her unique combination of ballads, folk-rock and blues has earned her a steady national following. Trina tours full-time throughout the United States and Europe. Additionally, she is a much sought after harmonica player and percussionist, accompanying numerous nationally recognized singer/songwriters in the studio and live on stage. With unapologetic emotional freedom, Trina’s songs have the unique power to mirror and evoke the obvious and unspoken realities of life and being in love.
The True Falsettos are a swing duo featuring Joe Wilson (Steel Guitar, Guitar, Vocals) and Kevin Gills (Bass, Vocals). Their mission is to dig deep into the music of the ’30s & ’40s, including hot jazz, western swing, and the popular music of the swing era.
Bassist Kevin Gills is a longstanding member of the northern Michigan music community. Equally at home playing anything from punk rock to classical, he has performed with an amazing variety of musicians since the mid ’80s. Always a fan of bluegrass and traditional American music, he began performing and recording with Rusty Blaides in 2005. Kevin currently performs with Traverse City’s traditional country group, Sister Wilene.
Guitarist, steel guitarist and singer Joe Wilson is best known for playing with longtime Michigan favorites, Steppin’ In It. With Steppin’ In It, Joe has played many of the nation’s top concerts and festivals, including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Wheatland, Blissfest, Old Settlers Festival, the Woody Guthrie Festival, Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, and Live at Mountain Stage.
Please visit www.ManitouMusicFestival.com for information. All Tickets are $15 (Children 18 and under are free, except for the July 25 concert) Tickets may be purchased at concert venues; or by calling the Glen Arbor Art Association (231) 334-6112 or Lake Street Studios (231) 334-3179.
