On October 22nd, I watched a livestream of “The High Quadra Ramblers” performing at Hermann’s Jazz Club. The duo consists of Kaitlin Chamberlin on banjo and vocals and Mack Shields on fiddle/mandolin and vocals, and the concert is performed on a small stage in front of a red brick wall.

The songs performed by the duo are all exclusively of the bluegrass genre. They vary tremendously in tempo and dynamics; songs such as “Love song” are very slow and almost melancholic, whereas songs like “Kitchen girl” and “Wait a while” are fast-paced and joyous. Although there are only two performers, the concert is quite texturally rich and complex thanks to the performers’ smooth vocals combined with their quick playing style. The music is mostly driven by the instruments rather than the vocals, which are hidden in the background most of the time; some songs consist of instrumentals alone, but the combination of the plucked banjo and bowed fiddle provides a full and consistent sound. The players frequently defy the listener’s expectations by changing tempo and tone in the middle of some songs, such as “Cumberland gap”. 

Throughout the performance, I was completely mesmerized by the perfect coordination and synergy of the duo’s playing. I was also quite surprised by the range of emotions the two players were able to convey while staying true to the bluegrass genre, playing carefree and lighthearted tunes like “Kitchen girl” one minute and bittersweet ballads such as “Wait a while”. I could tell the two performers were enjoying themselves during the entire show, as they held perfect coordination and beautiful chemistry for the entire hour and a half, as if they were completely lost to the music. One of my favourite moments was when Mack Shields started shouting out adlibs such as “Yee-haw” during the end of “Kitchen girl”, which is particularly quick and intense. This addition provided a more satisfying ending to the tune, as there is an accelerando during the whole song. I thought it was very interesting that Shields switched to playing a mandolin for the song “Maizeville”, which is a very soulful Kentucky tune. I appreciated the encore at the end as well, where they played a short lighthearted tune to end the show on a positive note. 

Although I am not typically a fan of bluegrass music, as I am not exposed to it very often, this concert was a pleasant change of pace from what I am accustomed to. The performers demonstrated flawless technique, and it is very clear that they are quite passionate about their craft.

 

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