One of the "leading luminaries of contemporary acoustic music" will bring her quartet to Barking Legs Theater for a concert on Thursday, Dec. 17. This will be Alison Brown's first Chattanooga performance since her acclaimed appearance as guest soloist with the Chattanooga Symphony a year ago.
The performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, and advance purchase is available at www.barkinglegs.org. Barking Legs Theater is at 1307 Dodds Ave. Parking is available next to the theater and across Dodds Ave.
Review for Alison Brown:
Alison Brown has been performing with bluegrass and acoustic musicians of the top tier since the late 1970s, but her recognition really took off when she joined Alison Krauss's Union Station in 1989. From there, her rise was swift, and she was named Banjo Player of the Year in 1991 by the International Bluegrass Music Association. She was a Grammy Award recipient in 2001.
Her fascinating history includes a degree from Harvard followed by an MBA and a brief stint as an investment banker before fully committing to her career in music. The business background has doubtless been helpful since co-founding the Compass Records Group with her husband, Garry West, in 1995. Compass has been described by Billboard magazine as “one of the greatest independent labels of the last decade”.
CoPAC music director Bruce Kaplan says, “The Alison Brown Quartet performed at Barking Legs over 10 years ago, and they were a big act by the standards of our little theater at the time. I'm thrilled that we are able to bring them back now, even though their reputation has only grown over the years. Sometimes things just work out in a charmed way.”
The Alison Brown Quartet has released their first album since 2009, and it is simply titled Song of the Banjo. It showcases the extraordinary range of musical experience and expertise that comprise the musical palate of Alison Brown. “This concert will be a very special opportunity to have a truly exceptional musical experience, and it will surely be enhanced by the intimacy of Barking Legs Theater,” says Mr. Kaplan.