THE GRAND PRESENTS DAN + CLAUDIA ZANES WITH TYREE AUSTIN
This year, Smithsonian Folkways recording artists Dan + Claudia Zanes are bringing new musical dreams to the stage. Their all-ages electric folk sound is deepening as they welcome jazz singer Tyree Austin to the group. The interactive social spirit that Dan + Claudia have been creating since the day they met seven years ago remains the foundation of the concerts and now the vocal blend is deepening, and onstage energy is turning up.
Yes, the party is even more festive! Electric guitar…three voices…percussion…flute…trombone. The sound of early rock and roll, jazz vocals, gospel, Haitian folk, sea shanties, and summer camp sing-alongs all twisted together and presented with gusto and an open invitation for people of all ages to be a part of the experience.
Grammy award winner Dan Zanes and vocalist / music therapist Claudia Zanes have been sharing their love of community and social music making in concerts large and small across the country but it was in their hometown of Baltimore that they recently met Tyree Austin when the three happened to be performing on the same night at a local men’s shelter. The connection was immediate, and they brought Tyree into the studio to work on the upcoming Smithsonian Folkways record, Walkin’ Talkin’ Baltimore, which will be released in August of 2024.
As Claudia put it, “there are ways we can bring the songs to life with three vocals that were never possible before. Tyree and I bring a jazzier approach to singing and arranging that perfectly complement Dan’s New England voice and quirky electric guitar playing. It’s a fresh way of reimagining songs and inspiring people to go and make their own music!”
Tyree, a recent graduate of Howard University and featured singer with the HBCU’s premier a cappella jazz ensemble Afro Blue, shares Dan + Claudia’s dedication to intergenerational social music and the joys of sensory friendly performances, an ongoing commitment to neurodiversity that Claudia’s music therapy background has greatly influenced.
This is an exciting new sound in family music, full of creativity and an upbeat sense of life’s best possibilities.
A Sensory Friendly Performance
Sensory friendly presentations, also known as “relaxed” or “come as you are,” create conditions that are comfortable for audience members with a wide range of needs.
