Piper's Crow
"An all-star Celtic band.....Certainly the quartet's mix of jigs, slides and hornpipes is infectious, frisky, expert and crowd-pleasing.....Old World dance music energy, haunting traditional balladry and room-filling greatpipe duets." — Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A quartet of dazzling virtuosos, Piper's Crow play a treasure trove of jigs, reels, and hornpipes from the far-flung outposts of the Celts. Their approach is bristling with energy and distinguished by dynamic interplay...." —Rick Mason, City Pages
Piper's Crow is an innovative acoustic band featuring Laura MacKenzie, Dick Hensold, Karen Mueller, and Zack Kline. Their combined experience brings a fresh approach to Celtic music. The band specializes in traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, Galicia, Cape Breton Island, and Northumberland, artfully blended with original compositions in the traditional style. The group's repertoire centers on the lush sonic blend of smallpipes, fiddle, flute and guitar, with their musical palette ranging from MacKenzie's lovely vocals to dramatic greatpipe duels.
Is Piper's Crow a "Celtic band"? Certainly, but their repertoire and approach go beyond normal expectations of the definition. One could describe Piper's Crow as a band featuring bagpipes, and while they do use four or five different types of pipes, this shapes only a portion of their musical offerings. Laura MacKenzie's instrumental abilities and deep understanding of the style are a vital part of the sound, as is her singing. Dick Hensold's compositions combine his love of Scottish and Irish music with a penchant for rich harmonies, colorful scorings, and large-scale structures. Versatile fiddler Zack Kline adds his improvisational touch, and while most of Karen Mueller's work with the band features driving guitar and bouzouki, her solos on autoharp are unforgettable.
And what about the bagpipes? Piper's Crow has arrangements featuring smallpipes, greatpipes, pipe duets and all sorts of other combinations. In fact, a most memorable characteristic of the group is the wide range of expression made possible by all of these varying combinations of instruments. Some songs milk the sweet timbres of fiddle and low whistle to softly accompany Laura's vocals; in others, the smallpipes and flute combine with fiddle and guitar to create toe-tapping dance tunes. The addition of octave violin produces more drama, and combinations involving the two greatpipes in harmony add still more excitement.
In short, Piper's Crow is a band devoted to traditional idioms, broad musical variety, and a love of rich acoustic sounds played with integrity and invention.
Piper's Crow is:
Dick Hensold (Northumbrian smallpipes, medieval greatpipes, low whistle, gemshorn, and recorders)
Hensold is currently one of the foremost Northumbrian smallpipers in North America. He has performed in Scotland and has taught Northumbrian smallpipes at workshops across the United States, Canada and Northumberland. He is also a founder of the Cambodian-oriented New International Trio, and plays with Bun Loeung's traditional Cambodian ensemble. In demand as an accompanist, arranger, composer and theater musician, Dick's recent projects include work at the Guthrie Theater, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and the Children's Theatre.
Laura MacKenzie (wooden flutes, whistles, Scottish smallpipes, medieval greatpipes, concertina, gemshorn, and vocals)
MacKenzie has enjoyed vast and varied experience in the world of music, from playing in Irish dance bands to Boiled in Lead to national tours with Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra. Laura was included in the original Cherish the Ladies series, featuring noted women in Irish music in America, and has been recognized as a Master Folk Artist by the Minnesota State Arts Board. When not performing, Laura is often well-occupied in the studio, working on commercial projects as well as the production of her own CDs on New Folk Records.
Karen Mueller (guitar, bouzouki, autoharp)
Mueller draws from over 20 years of guitar experience to supply sensitive accompaniment and driving rhythm to the band. Winner of the 1986 International Autoharp Championship, she also maintains a national touring schedule as a solo performer, instructor and school residency artist. She has recorded three critically acclaimed solo albums and is the author of Mel Bay Publication's Celtic Autoharp book. Karen also performs with Katie McMahon, original lead singer from Riverdance.
Zack Kline (fiddle, octave violin)
Kline is a multi-instrumentalist at ease in many styles, from mountain tunes to Bach, and is pioneering new sounds based on the meeting of his own muse and his varied influences. For the past 16 years, Zack has been playing and performing, getting a start as a street performer in Colorado. He is now passing along his freewheeling style to his students, and performing in and around the Twin Cities.