For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Michael Kaeshammer
U.S. Summer & Fall Tour Dates
New Album
KAESHAMMER
Friday August 5, 2011 in Steamboat Springs, CO @ Strings Music Festival
Saturday August 6, 2011 in Phoenix, AZ @ MIM
Sunday August 7, 2011 in Telluride, CO @ Telluride Jazz Celebration
Thursday September 1, 2011 in Collinsville, CT @ Bridge Street Live
Friday September 2, 2011 in Tanglewood, MA @ Tanglewood Jazz Festival
Saturday September 3, 2011 in New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
Friday September 23, 2011 in Cerritos, CA @ Cerrito’s Centre for the Arts
Saturday September 24, 2011 in Pleasanton, CA @ Firehouse Arts Centre
Wednesday September 28, 2011 in San Diego, CA @ Anthology
Friday September 30, 2011 in Kirkland, WA @ Kirkland Performance Centre
Saturday October 1, 2011 in Portland, OR @ Jimmy Mak’s
Saturday, October 8, 2011 in Franklin, TN @ Franklin Theatre
Friday, November 4, 2011 in Boothbay, ME @ Opera House
Saturday, November 5, 2011 in Fryeburg, ME @ Laura Hill Eastman PAC
Wednesday November 9, 2011 in Evanston, IL @ SPACE
“Kaeshammer’s rising star will continue on its upward path… he’s a showman. And showmanship is what makes people talk. After he ended with the manic, barrelhouse roller-coaster ride of Hamp’s Boogie and came back for the encore… the fans still wanted more…if you haven’t seen him live, you haven’t really experienced him in his true element…” -Montreal Gazette
“There’s only one problem with Michael Kaeshammer…he’s too darned talented. And he makes it all sound so easy on his album, Lovelight. I’ll admit it, I’m a fan…uhhh, better make that an even BIGGER fan.” -Sandy Mowat, Producer, Fresh Air, CBC Radio One
“The hottest Canadian music export isn’t indie rockers, it’s jazz musicians. First there was Diana Krall, then Michael Bublé and Matt Dusk, and now Michael Kaeshammer has come along…The German-born pianist’s latest could easily be the next big jazz record.” -NOW Magazine
“In a word: WOW. This boogie-woogie piano prodigy put on a captivating, thrilling show for the standing-room-only crowd that made good on the buzz he generated the night before. His charm was matched only by his outstanding performance, as he ripped through time signatures, key changes, varied dynamics, and even style changes with speed and style. I have a feeling that Kaeshammer will be one of those artists that people will talk about long after this festival ends.”
-Eric Rezsnyak, Rochester City Newspaper, Rochester Jazz Festival (June 2010)
“One of the most entertaining and rhythmically infectious jazz pianists and vocalists we’ve ever presented. No one in the audience could sit still during this concert!”
-Betse Grassby, Promoter (Strings Music Festival, Steamboat Springs, CO)
From August – November 2011, critically acclaimed Canadian pianist/vocalist Michael Kaeshammer and his trio featuring bassist Marc Rogers and drummer Larnell Lewis will showcase material from his new self-titled album at select venues across the US. Back by popular demand, Kaeshammer will return to the Telluride Jazz Celebration, Tanglewood Jazz Festival, Strings Music Festival (Steamboat Springs, CO) and MIM (Phoenix, AZ) – the latter two concerts will feature Kaeshammer with a 6-piece band. Kaeshammer’s list of prestigious summer gigs this year includes a headlining performance at Israel’s Red Sea Jazz Festival on August 23 & 24, and an early fall trio tour hitting theatres throughout China in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. His latest recording, KAESHAMMER (Alert Music/Universal), is now available at all digital retailers including iTunes. Interviews and photos are available upon request.
Dubbed a “young star” by the Boston Phoenix and “Canada’s boogie woogie king” by Metro Canada, Kaeshammer’s superior instrumental skills and highly animated performing style have been thrilling audiences since his debut as a teen prodigy in the late ’90s. Kaeshammer began his career as a solo pianist in his native Germany, but has since expanded his artistry to showcase his warm, commanding vocals and, more recently, original compositions.
Influenced by early blues and jazz and the boogie woogie/stride piano greats of the early 20th century, Kaeshammer has carved out his own niche by contemporizing the highly visual, foot-stomping style of that era – created by such long-gone giants as Albert Ammons, Fats Waller and Meade Lux Lewis and virtually abandoned by today’s jazz pianists. New Orleans heroes like Professor Longhair and James Booker have also shaped his rhythmic piano work. Vocally, Kaeshammer counts such iconic artists as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke and Frank Sinatra among his favorites, and gospel music – from Mahalia Jackson to Mavis Staples – also informs his energetic singing style.
But Kaeshammer is not a revivalist – a peek at his iPod is just as likely to reveal tunes by Radiohead, Tom Waits and Coldplay, and he has covered songs by Sting as well as Ellington. Kaeshammer’s fan base consists of just as many young people unfamiliar with the early history of jazz and blues as those who, like him, have studied the music intently.
On his latest recording, KAESHAMMER, he creates his own love letter to life. Recorded in Toronto in the Fall and Winter of 2010, KAESHAMMER highlights his vast store of jazz, soul, pop and R&B influences and features nine original compositions and a singular cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.”
From covers like Peter Tosh’s “Stop That Train,” to original songs like the title track of his 2009 album Lovelight, to his latest work, Kaeshammer will deliver an unforgettable set of music. His raw energy and pure joy to perform have captured critics and fans alike. Reviewing one of his recent concerts, the Georgia Straight said, “You’d have to be a pretty miserable sod not to get swept away [by Kaeshammer].”
Kaeshammer comments, “For me the performance is as much about the energy coming off the stage as the energy coming from the audience. It’s about being myself, writing from the heart and showing my love for life. That’s what I want to convey. After the show, people ask me, ‘do you really have that much fun?’ And I say ‘you don’t know the half of it. It’s even more exhilarating than it looks’.”
Unlike most jazz pianists, Kaeshammer views his shows as a celebration as he engages his audience in playful participation. It’s through this partnership and his poignant songs that Michael builds a direct connection with his audience. With this kind of relationship and virtuosity, it is safe to say there are few other artists working today who establish such intimacy with their fans than Michael Kaeshammer.
Media Contact: Jesse P. Cutler, JP Cutler Media, 415.655.3431, publicity@jpcutlermedia.com
