EZRA is an exciting new string ensemble combining elements of progressive bluegrass, classical, and jazz into a unique and energetic sound. Featuring mandolin virtuoso Jacob Jolliff (Béla Fleck, Joy Kills Sorrow, Yonder Mountain String Band), guitarist/composer Jesse Jones (faculty at Oberlin Conservatory), bassist Craig Butterfield (Maynard Ferguson band, University of South Carolina) and banjo phenom Max Allard.
So great to hear the next generation of string wizards dive in and continue the tradition forward.
…what I can only call an acoustic supergroup.
Almost 40 years on from the rise of the new acoustic music movement, there’s still a lot of life left in the genre, and EZRA, on their debut album, have already shown themselves to be in the vanguard.
The band’s core lineup…are all superb, award-winning players and scholars, equally comfortable with the cool discipline of the academy and the rambunctious permissiveness of improvisation.
EZRA would love to come to your university to run workshops or masterclasses with your students.
We can tailor a program to your specific needs, working with ensembles in chamber music, roots music, bluegrass, or jazz. We offer master classes in double bass or composition, and we can lead workshops or lessons for guitar, mandolin, banjo, or double bass.
Jesse has built many unique instruments, including fretless, microtonal, 13-tet, and classical guitars, that we could demonstrate.
EZRA has released two albums in the last year and has a third scheduled for next March. We could present a program of selected music from those three albums, which you can sample here.
