Next Two 'Appalachia in the Bluegrass' Concerts to Feature Tall Dark and Handsome, Rayna Gellert and The Brothers K

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 10, 2015) — The "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series will take a jazzy turn before returning with some old time music faves these next two weeks. On Friday, Sept. 11, acoustic jazz-grass quartet Tall Dark and Handsome will perform. The following Friday, Sept. 18, Rayna Gellert and The Brothers K will perform. Both free public concerts will take place at noon at the Niles Gallery, located in the University of Kentucky Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center. 

Tall Dark and Handsome perform "Maybe." 

A Jazzy Good Time

Tall Dark and Handsome, also known as TDH4, is an acoustic jazz-grass quartet based in Lexington. Its members include Karen Jones, on fiddle and guitar; Bev Futrell, on guitar and harmonica; George Neel, on mandolin; and Rick Baldwin, on bass. Jones and Futrell, also members of the Reel World String Band, teamed up with longtime friend Neel, an accomplished jazz musician, some 15 years ago. The songwriting and country-inspired singing of Futrell gives this ensemble its grounding and its expression of place, while the musical prowess of Jones and Neel connects audiences to the rich repertoire of hot fiddle/mandolin traditional tunes and jazz standards. Recently, the well-known bass player, Rick Baldwin (of Metropolitan Blues All Stars) joined the group.

In 2013, the band released a new CD, "Dust Devils on Our Heels."

A snippet of Rayna Gellert and The Brothers K performing with flatfoot dancer Parker Johnson. 

Traditional Musician Joins Brothers in Sound 

Rayna Gellert grew up in a musical family, and has spent most of her life immersed in the sounds of rural string band music, heartfelt gospel songs and old ballads. After honing her fiddle skills playing at jam sessions and square dances, Gellert fell into a life of traveling and performing. Her fiddle albums are widely celebrated in the old time music community, and she has recorded with a host of musicians in a variety of styles — including Robyn Hitchcock, Tyler Ramsey, Sara Watkins, Loudon Wainwright III, John Paul Jones and Abigail Washburn.

From 2003 through 2008, Gellert was a member of the acclaimed string band Uncle Earl, with whom she released two albums on Rounder Records and toured extensively. In 2010, she met songwriter Scott Miller, and they began performing and recording together. In 2012, Gellert released her first vocal album, "Old Light: Songs from my Childhood and Other Gone Worlds," on StorySound Records. Gellert lives in Swannanoa, North Carolina.

Lending a brotherly hand to her sound is UK alumnus Kevin Kehrberg and Jeff Keith, the Brothers K. Kehrberg, who plays bass and guitar, teaches courses and ensembles in American music and world music. He is the director of the Warren Wilson College Gamelan as well as the College Chorale, and he also teaches private lessons in double bass, electric bass and guitar.

Kehrberg received his doctoral degree in musicology from UK with a dissertation on Albert E. Brumley, the most influential American gospel song composer of the 20th century. His research interests include American vernacular sacred music, bluegrass and old time music, jazz, and music traditions of East and Southeast Asia. As a professional bassist in both jazz and traditional music, Kehrberg has toured the United States, Canada and Japan, and performed with Jean Ritchie, Curly Seckler, Lee Sexton, Art Stamper, Slide Hampton, Roger Humphries, Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra, David Long, Rayna Gellert, the Red State Ramblers, Chris Sharp and the Wildwood Valley Boys. He also studies and performs music from other cultures, particularly those of Indonesia, China and Thailand.

Keith, who plays mandolin and guitar, was born in Western Kentucky, the cultural crossroads of blues and country music that gave rise to bluegrass. He picked up a guitar at the age of 13, but he now plays a variety of instruments, including the mandolin and banjo. In 2001, he began performing with Kentucky Wild Horse, a multi-generational band that featured musicians from across the state and embraced a variety of rural musical styles. Their work culminated in the 2007 release of "Spirit of the Lonesome Hills," an album that featured bluegrass, swing and old time music from across the Bluegrass State.

In 2004, Keith became a founding member of the Red State Ramblers, a collection of young musicians dedicated to performing traditional fiddle tunes in a style reminiscent of their heyday during the early 20th century. Their albums, "The Red State Ramblers" (2006) and "Commonwealth" (2009), received wide praise for rendering traditional material with a vibrancy that made the music relevant to modern audiences. More recently, the group has toured internationally, sharing American music with audiences in central Asia and South America. In addition to these projects, Keith has appeared on recordings by musicians and groups as varied as Rayna Gellert, Goldenrod, Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore.

The trio have a self-titled EP available now. 

The "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series celebrates the old time roots of American folk music by featuring a diverse range of traditional musical expression. The concert series will showcase 12 different artists, duos and groups from Southern Appalachia ranging from artists straight off their front porch to those who have earned international acclaim.

The John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, host of the concert series, is a collaborative research and performance center maintained by the UK College of Fine Arts, UK School of Music and UK Libraries.

For more information on the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series or the concerts featuring Tall Dark and Handsome or Rayna Gellert and The Brothers K, contact Ron Pen, director of the Niles Center, by email to Ron.Pen@uky.edu or visit the website http://finearts.uky.edu/music/niles. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu