Hill Center is thrilled to welcome Jake Blount as part of our free, outdoor American Roots Music Series!

Jake Blount is an award-winning banjoist, fiddler, singer and ethnomusicologist based in Providence, RI.  He is half of the internationally touring duo Tui, a 2020 recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize, and a board member of Bluegrass Pride. He is a two-time winner and many-time finalist of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival (better known as Clifftop). Blount specializes in the music of Black communities in the southeastern United States, and in the regional style of the Finger Lakes. A versatile performer, Blount interpolates blues, bluegrass and spirituals into the old-time string band tradition he belongs to. He foregrounds the experiences of queer people and people of color in his work. His teachers include Rhiannon Giddens, Bruce Molsky and Judy Hyman.

Blount has shared his music and research at the Newport Folk Festival, the Smithsonian Institution and Yale University, among other venues and institutions. He has also appeared on Radiolab, Soundcheck and NPR’s Weekend Edition. He regularly teaches fiddle and banjo at festivals and camps like the Augusta Heritage Center, the Ashokan Center, and Midwest Banjo Camp. Blount tours domestically and internationally as a solo performer, with his duo Tui, and with his band The Moose Whisperers. He has performed and recorded solo, and in ensembles of up to six people. His first full-length solo album, Spider Tales, is out now on Free Dirt Records & Service Co.  It debuted at #2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart, received positive coverage from NPR, Rolling Stone and Billboard among others, and earned five out of five stars as The Guardian’s Folk Album of the Month.  Spider Tales later appeared on “Best of 2020” lists from NPR, Bandcamp, The New Yorker, the Guardian, and elsewhere.

“On top of being wildly intelligent and knowledgeable, he’s also a killer musician and it’s an incredible combo.” – Rhiannon Giddens – RTÉ

“Jake Blount is a brilliant banjoist, fiddle player and singer… his fingering thrilling and pacy, his voice charismatic and limber.” — The Guardian

*We are thrilled to celebrate Hill Center’s 10th anniversary and its post-pandemic revival!*

Other American Roots Concerts (Spring 2022):

• Sunday, April 24, 4:30-6:30pm: C.J. Chenier and The Red Hot Louisiana Band
• Sunday, May 1, 4:30-6:30pm: Kyshona
• Sunday, May 15, 4:30-6:30pm: Session Americana
• Sunday, June 19, 4:30-6:30pm: Amythyst Khia

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