Andrew Bird “is a one-man orchestra of his own, playing the violin, guitar, glockenspiel, and other instruments,” writes Jennifer Silvey in Sunday’s (9/30) Fox4 News (Kansas City, MO). “Now he is touring the United States on a very limited tour accompanied by world-class symphonies…. On Wednesday, he played his first symphony show in Indianapolis. The multi-instrumentalist played his second show with the Kansas City Symphony at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. He blends classical, indie, rock, gypsy, calypso, and folk.… Bird is a classically trained violinist … During the concert, the musicians played some of Bird’s hits, classical pieces, ‘Figure Eight’ from the Schoolhouse Rock catalog, and some improvised tunes…. Bird was a member of the bands Squirrel Nut Zippers and Bowl of Fire before pursuing a solo career…. In the first act, the symphony played with Bird; for the second act, Bird played a mostly solo session with a few songs accompanied by a pianist. For fans of Bird, hearing him with the symphony was a completely new experience…. The real strength of the concert came from the juxtaposition of hearing Bird play with the symphony—beautifully capturing his imagination—to watching him play solo.”
Posted October 3, 2018
