With an attitude that mixes equal parts whimsey and subversion, the imaginative chamber jazz group Tin Hat mines its original tunes from all over the map. Whether the first notes of a number are plaintive cowboy or seductive bossa nova, you never know where exactly they're headed-but you can always be sure it is somewhere intriguing. The group's hybrid of Old World exotica and New World chutzpah combines tango, bluegrass, Eastern European folk, and contemporary classical music with elements of klezmer, Cajun, and much more.

Tin Hat's current lineup features violinist and vocalist Carla Kihlstedt, guitarist and dobro player Mark Orton, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, and Rob Reich on accordion and piano. Together the four create rich, wonderfully compelling music, memorably described by the New Yorker magazine as "a soundtrack for the kind of puzzling dream which leaves you sitting awake in the middle of the night."

Tin Hat's five albums (most recently Foreign Legion) have been praised by the critics, and their evocative compositions have often been used by filmmakers and choreographers. But the ensemble has won its widest audience through captivating concert performances across the US and Europe. Tonight, the group features numbers from their soon-to-be-released CD, which features musical settings of poetry by E. E. Cummings.

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Listen to a track from Tin Hat: