The Mighty Strings of Swing – Greg Ruby, Don Stiernberg & Kevin Kehrberg
Don Stiernberg
Don Stiernberg is a leading exponent of jazz mandolin style. He has nine recording projects of his own and appears on many others by a variety of artists in all styles. The most recent of these is "Good Numbers", featuring his working trio playing accessible and swinging jazz tunes on mandolin, guitar, and bass. A recent feature in the Chicago Tribune said "If this music, with it's joyous swing rhythms and nimble instrumental virtuosity, doesn't persuade you that yes, indeed jazz can flourish on the mandolin(or any other instrument, really), then probably nothing will."
While still in his teens Don learned to play mandolin from the influential and innovative virtuoso Jethro Burns, who referred to Don as his "graduate student", hired him to play in his band, and guided him to a career as a professional musician.In addition to performing coast to coast and abroad with The Don Stiernberg Trio, he stays busy around his native Chicago on various sideman gigs and recording sessions, writes instructional materials for Mel Bay and Soundslice.com, and is a respected instructor at music camps and festival workshops.
Greg Ruby
Seattle-based guitarist and composer Greg Ruby plays diverse styles of vintage jazz. Described as “truly hot jazz” by Vintage Guitar Magazine, his CD, Look Both Ways, celebrating the 100th birthday of guitarist Django Reinhardt and featuring 12 original compositions, reached #1 on the Roots Music Report's jazz chart. Greg currently leads The Greg Ruby Quartet, a Hot Club jazz group dedicated to all-original compositions; collaborates with New York and New Orleans musicians in The Rhythm Runners, a Prohibition-era dance band; plays Valse musette and European café jazz with Bric-a-brac Trio; and is a member of The Post Alley Ramblers, an old school New Orleans jazz quartet.
A former member of Pearl Django, Greg has toured throughout the United States, Canada and Europe and appeared at the prestigious Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois-sur-seine, France. As founding member of Hot Club Sandwich, Greg can be heard on all the band’s recordings and produced their 2010 release, And If Only, featuring legendary vocalist Dan Hicks. Greg’s compositions have been heard on television and documentaries including NBC’s Parks and Recreation. He’s published the Pearl Django Play-Along Book Vol.1 through Djangobooks.com and is completing a play-along CD/book on the swing guitar mastery of Oscar Aleman.
Kevin Kehrberg
As a bassist in both jazz and traditional music, Kevin Kehrberg has toured nationally and internationally, including Canada, Japan, and U.S. State Department tours of Kyrgyzstan and Ecuador. He has performed with Howard Alden, Slide Hampton, Roger Humphries, Jean Ritchie, and Art Stamper, among others, and his album credits include recordings with the Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Billy Contreras, Rayna Gellert, Chris Sharp, and the Red State Ramblers. He currently resides in Asheville, North Carolina, where he is a member of the music faculty at Warren Wilson College.
QUOTES:
"I've known, played with, and listened to Don Stiernberg for many years and
have always had the highest regard for his mandolin style-understated, subtle, and sweet."
David Grisman
“Seattle’s Greg Ruby swings with—truly hot jazz.”
VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE
Don Stiernberg
Don Stiernberg is a leading exponent of jazz mandolin style. He has nine recording projects of his own and appears on many others by a variety of artists in all styles. The most recent of these is "Good Numbers", featuring his working trio playing accessible and swinging jazz tunes on mandolin, guitar, and bass. A recent feature in the Chicago Tribune said "If this music, with it's joyous swing rhythms and nimble instrumental virtuosity, doesn't persuade you that yes, indeed jazz can flourish on the mandolin(or any other instrument, really), then probably nothing will."
While still in his teens Don learned to play mandolin from the influential and innovative virtuoso Jethro Burns, who referred to Don as his "graduate student", hired him to play in his band, and guided him to a career as a professional musician.In addition to performing coast to coast and abroad with The Don Stiernberg Trio, he stays busy around his native Chicago on various sideman gigs and recording sessions, writes instructional materials for Mel Bay and Soundslice.com, and is a respected instructor at music camps and festival workshops.
Greg Ruby
Seattle-based guitarist and composer Greg Ruby plays diverse styles of vintage jazz. Described as “truly hot jazz” by Vintage Guitar Magazine, his CD, Look Both Ways, celebrating the 100th birthday of guitarist Django Reinhardt and featuring 12 original compositions, reached #1 on the Roots Music Report's jazz chart. Greg currently leads The Greg Ruby Quartet, a Hot Club jazz group dedicated to all-original compositions; collaborates with New York and New Orleans musicians in The Rhythm Runners, a Prohibition-era dance band; plays Valse musette and European café jazz with Bric-a-brac Trio; and is a member of The Post Alley Ramblers, an old school New Orleans jazz quartet.
A former member of Pearl Django, Greg has toured throughout the United States, Canada and Europe and appeared at the prestigious Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois-sur-seine, France. As founding member of Hot Club Sandwich, Greg can be heard on all the band’s recordings and produced their 2010 release, And If Only, featuring legendary vocalist Dan Hicks. Greg’s compositions have been heard on television and documentaries including NBC’s Parks and Recreation. He’s published the Pearl Django Play-Along Book Vol.1 through Djangobooks.com and is completing a play-along CD/book on the swing guitar mastery of Oscar Aleman.
Kevin Kehrberg
As a bassist in both jazz and traditional music, Kevin Kehrberg has toured nationally and internationally, including Canada, Japan, and U.S. State Department tours of Kyrgyzstan and Ecuador. He has performed with Howard Alden, Slide Hampton, Roger Humphries, Jean Ritchie, and Art Stamper, among others, and his album credits include recordings with the Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Billy Contreras, Rayna Gellert, Chris Sharp, and the Red State Ramblers. He currently resides in Asheville, North Carolina, where he is a member of the music faculty at Warren Wilson College.
QUOTES:
"I've known, played with, and listened to Don Stiernberg for many years and
have always had the highest regard for his mandolin style-understated, subtle, and sweet."
David Grisman
“Seattle’s Greg Ruby swings with—truly hot jazz.”
VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE