GRAND RAPIDS — Throughout the KAXE listening area on any given night, one might find live music, an art opening, a theater production, or like we learned on the Morning Show, Gypsy Jazz Duets.
Itasca Orchestra Strings Program is presenting Gypsy Jazz Duets with Tim Kliphuis and Jimmy Grant at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids. In addition, they’ll host workshops for strings students earlier in the day.
Jesse Davis, Itasca Orchestra String Programs, joined Heidi and Chelsey in conversation with Kliphuis
The performance recreates the 1930s in Paris, drawing inspiration from current-day classical and folk music.
Tim Kliphuis is a master of the violin and a wizard of sound, organizers stated. Using classical, gypsy jazz and folk, he has created a unique style making waves in concert halls across the globe. His recent successes have led to a Sony Classical recording contract and a performance for the Dutch king and queen.
Jimmy Grant grew up with bluegrass, folk, Celtic and classical and soon gravitated towards the music of Django Reinhardt, studying with acclaimed jazz guitarists Jim Nichols and Howard Alden. He cites Bach, Joe Pass and Benny Goodman as his main influences.
Grant has performed with David Grisman and European musicians Ludovic Beier on accordion and Paulus Schäfer, guitarist, as well as the Hot Club of San Francisco. He has performed from coast to coast with Velvet Caravan, a Savannah-based internationally touring group and currently heads his own quartet.
