Music Out of the 'Box - Fugue Mill at Hatbox Theatre

Mark Shilansky and his group Fugue Mill weave jazz through the fabric of Bluegrass, Celtic, and Classical music, creating a complex yet attractive blend of musical styles and traditions. Original group pieces are featured side by side with music by such composers as Thelonious Monk, Leonard Cohen, and Samuel Barber. Violin and mandolin augment the lineup, creating a transparent and vibrant palette of improvisation and counterpoint. Members of the group combine their wide-ranging experience into a musical melange that explores diverse idioms, linked through improvisation and groove. Inventive, modern mainstream jazz pianist (Jon Garelick, Boston Globe) Mark Shilansky provides melodic improvisation and infectious compositions on his own and to a host of jazz luminaries, such as Luciana Souza and the New York Voices, as well as to the classroom, as a professor at Berklee College of Music. Shilanskys six recordings as a leader include 2007s Join the Club, a mostly Latin Jazz affair featuring David Bowie saxist Donny McCaslin, and 2013s Fugue Mill, the eponymous debut of his Jazz/Bluegrass/Celtic project featuring violin phenom Sara Caswell, and he is featured on over 60 recordings as a keyboardist, vocalist, composer/arranger, or producer. His works have been recorded by Robin McKelle, Kim Nazarian, and by Jazz All-State and College ensembles around the country. His podcast Mark Shilanskys Talking Music features interviews with other creative musicians. Singer/Songwriter Britt (Sawdon) Connors was born and raised singing in small-town West Boylston, MA before taking her studies to Ithaca College in NY. But, the lure of the talented Boston singer/songwriter scene, the thought that she may someday try her hand at songwriting, and the dream of playing at Club Passim brought her to Boston in 2001. In trying to return to her music, she took a roundabout way, getting certified and eventually making her living as a Pilates instructor. But, she kept her music dreams alive, learning guitar and starting to write her first songs. She then did a 4-year stint as the featured vocalist for the 20-piece Compaq Big Band (swing, jazz, and American Songbook), singing to audiences at Scullers, Ryles, and Regattabar while building a loyal following and honing her songwriting craft. Her first original tunes appear on her 2010 release The Bad Side of Good," which was debuted to a sold-out crowd at Johnny D's in Somerville, MA.
Ages: All ages welcome