John Reischman & the Jaybirds play some of the finest bluegrass music you’re ever likely to hear – a beautiful blend of brilliant instrumentals and gorgeous vocals, lovingly-crafted originals and well-chosen covers by traditional masters like the Blue Sky Boys and Ralph Stanley, and contemporary gems by artists like Gillian Welch. The magazine Bluegrass Unlimited praises John’s “exquisite mandolin work and its clear, fluid, and articulated lines with beautiful tone, timing, and drive” and promises that “you can always count on the Jaybirds’ unique sound, its mix of fire and laid-back elegance with a loose, good-time feel.”
 
John is based in Vancouver these days, but he’s played a vital part in the Bay Area music scene as a member of the Tony Rice Unit in the 1970s and the Good Ol’ Persons in the 80s. He’s collaborated with a wealth of wonderful musicians, including Tony Trischka, Chris Thile, Kenny Smith, and Bruce Molsky, who appear on his new solo album, Walk Along John, and Seattle guitarist John Miller, with whom he collaborated on a new duet album, Road Trip. John’s stellar band, the Jaybirds, features Jim Nunally of Due West and the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience on guitar and vocals, Greg Spatz of High Country on fiddle, Seattle’s Nick Hornbuckle on banjo and vocals, and the belle of British Columbia, Trish Gagnon, on bass and vocals. Joining John and the band tonight will be two special guests, Palo Alto native Molly Tuttle – the Northern California Bluegrass Society named her Best Guitarist and Best Female Vocalist in 2012 – and John Mailander, a fiddle wiz from San Diego who recently graduated from the Berklee College of Music. If you have an appetite for bluegrass, this is a show that will feed your soul!

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