Joe Craven
Encyclopedia
Joe Craven is a Freestyle folk, world and roots music multi-instrumentalist
, singer and award winning educator. Joe is the Director of RiverTunes Music Camp and a Co-Director of the Wintergrass Youth Academy. He plays a wide variety of string instruments, including fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, tres, cavaquinio, balaliaka, as well as, a world of percussion, including anything he can get his hands on, such as a pickling jar, a credit card, or a jawbone. Craven is a well known sight at acoustic music festivals and, for many years, was violinist and percussionist for the David Grisman
Quintet. Craven lists some of his influences being Jimi Hendrix
, dumpster diving
, Hermeto Pascoal
, thrift stores, Frank Zappa
, educator and aesthetician John Dewey
, beachcombing, Carl Stalling
, Eddie Palmieri
, field recordings, Tiny Moore
, Los Pleneros De Viente Uno, Darol Anger
and The Horseflies.
Joe Craven has played with many notable musicians including Jerry Garcia
, Stephane Grappelli
, Alison Brown
, Rob Ickes
and David Lindley
. He performs solo and in different sizes and versions of his own projects.
Craven's noted instrument ability is matched only by his creativity. He finds rhythm and unique sound in almost any object. A favorite "instrument" of his is any small, plastic trash can turned upside down and played with either brushes or his own hands. Craven's collection of percussion instruments (found sound and ones designed for the purpose) is vast and includes examples from around the world.
Along with Joe's concert and festival performing, he is highly regarded for his work with school children, university students and communities in general. His workshops are as much about finding the "voice" we all have as they are about music. The kids attending these school assemblies and classes often come away with a better sense of self and their value in the world around them. Self esteem building via music and humor is what this part of Joe's work is all about. The value of his work with children has serious positive results. Craven's "free child" seems to be heard by every student attending his workshops, even the ones who claim to be "too cool" to bother.
The western regional arm (FARWest) of Folk Alliance International (formerly known as the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance) awarded Joe its highest honor "Best of The West" for 2009. Previous recipients have included The Kingston Trio, Rosalie Sorrels, U. Utah Phillips, and Lowen & Navarro. The award announcement was made in July 2009. Presentation to Joe was made on Saturday November 7, 2009, during the FARWest annual conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine, California.
MO' JOE (2002) - A collection of classic folk and bluegrass tracks performed in a variety of styles including jazz, hip-hop, rock, and pop.
DJANGO LATINO (2004) - A Latin-inspired collection of Django Reinhardt compositions performed on a wide range of instruments, including Joe's Mandolin, Mandola, violin, cavaquinio and vast toolbox of percussion. An impressive roster of guest artists round out this award winning recording.
FOAKEE (2009) - In collaboration with bassist/pianist/composer Sam Bevan, Joe has assembled a unique collection of traditional songs and instrumentals reflecting what some have called a refreshingly innovative mix of "folk music" of America and beyond.
ALL FOUR ONE (2011) - Original compositions by the four members of the Joe Craven Trio. Instrumental works and two songs paying tribute to the Blues, New Orleans, Swing, Funk and Bluegrass,as well as music of Brazil, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Ireland. A power trio of keyboards, key bass, drums, fiddle mandolin, and vocals, the celebration is a surprisingly full sound for a party of three.
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, singer and award winning educator. Joe is the Director of RiverTunes Music Camp and a Co-Director of the Wintergrass Youth Academy. He plays a wide variety of string instruments, including fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, tres, cavaquinio, balaliaka, as well as, a world of percussion, including anything he can get his hands on, such as a pickling jar, a credit card, or a jawbone. Craven is a well known sight at acoustic music festivals and, for many years, was violinist and percussionist for the David Grisman
David Grisman
David Grisman is an American bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist and composer of acoustic music. In the early 1990s, he started the Acoustic Disc record label in an effort to preserve and spread acoustic or instrumental music.-Biography:Grisman grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey...
Quintet. Craven lists some of his influences being Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, dumpster diving
Dumpster diving
Dumpster diving is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but that may be useful to the dumpster diver.-Etymology and alternate names:...
, Hermeto Pascoal
Hermeto Pascoal
Hermeto Pascoal is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a greatly beloved musical figure in the history of Brazilian music, known for his abilities at orchestration and improvisation, as well as being a record producer and...
, thrift stores, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, educator and aesthetician John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
, beachcombing, Carl Stalling
Carl Stalling
Carl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...
, Eddie Palmieri
Eddie Palmieri
Eddie Palmieri , is a Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican pianist, bandleader and musician, best known for combining jazz piano and instrumental solos with Latin rhythms.-Early years:...
, field recordings, Tiny Moore
Tiny Moore
Billie "Tiny" Moore was a Western swing musician who played the electric mandolin and fiddle with Western swing legend Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in the 1940s....
, Los Pleneros De Viente Uno, Darol Anger
Darol Anger
-Career:Darol Anger entered popular music at the age of 21 as a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Anger played fiddle to David Grisman's mandolin in The David Grisman Quintet's 1977 debut. He co-founded the Turtle Island String Quartet with David Balakrishnan in 1985 and performed,...
and The Horseflies.
Joe Craven has played with many notable musicians including Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, Stephane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....
, Alison Brown
Alison Brown
Alison Brown is an American banjo player and guitarist known for a soft nylon-string banjo sound. She has won and has been nominated on several Grammy awards and is often compared to another banjo prodigy, Béla Fleck for her unique style of playing...
, Rob Ickes
Rob Ickes
Rob Ickes is a dobro player. A Northern California native , Rob Ickes [rhymes with "bikes"] moved to Nashville in 1992 and joinedthe contemporary bluegrass band Blue Highway as a founding member in 1994...
and David Lindley
David Lindley
David Lindley may refer to:* David Lindley , see 2009 All England Super Series - Mixed doubles* David Lindley * David Lindley , UK-See also:*David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, known professionally as 'David Linley'...
. He performs solo and in different sizes and versions of his own projects.
Craven's noted instrument ability is matched only by his creativity. He finds rhythm and unique sound in almost any object. A favorite "instrument" of his is any small, plastic trash can turned upside down and played with either brushes or his own hands. Craven's collection of percussion instruments (found sound and ones designed for the purpose) is vast and includes examples from around the world.
Along with Joe's concert and festival performing, he is highly regarded for his work with school children, university students and communities in general. His workshops are as much about finding the "voice" we all have as they are about music. The kids attending these school assemblies and classes often come away with a better sense of self and their value in the world around them. Self esteem building via music and humor is what this part of Joe's work is all about. The value of his work with children has serious positive results. Craven's "free child" seems to be heard by every student attending his workshops, even the ones who claim to be "too cool" to bother.
The western regional arm (FARWest) of Folk Alliance International (formerly known as the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance) awarded Joe its highest honor "Best of The West" for 2009. Previous recipients have included The Kingston Trio, Rosalie Sorrels, U. Utah Phillips, and Lowen & Navarro. The award announcement was made in July 2009. Presentation to Joe was made on Saturday November 7, 2009, during the FARWest annual conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine, California.
Discography
CAMPTOWN (1996) - An album full of classic American/Celtic fiddle tunes internationally interpreted in Joe's special way.MO' JOE (2002) - A collection of classic folk and bluegrass tracks performed in a variety of styles including jazz, hip-hop, rock, and pop.
DJANGO LATINO (2004) - A Latin-inspired collection of Django Reinhardt compositions performed on a wide range of instruments, including Joe's Mandolin, Mandola, violin, cavaquinio and vast toolbox of percussion. An impressive roster of guest artists round out this award winning recording.
FOAKEE (2009) - In collaboration with bassist/pianist/composer Sam Bevan, Joe has assembled a unique collection of traditional songs and instrumentals reflecting what some have called a refreshingly innovative mix of "folk music" of America and beyond.
ALL FOUR ONE (2011) - Original compositions by the four members of the Joe Craven Trio. Instrumental works and two songs paying tribute to the Blues, New Orleans, Swing, Funk and Bluegrass,as well as music of Brazil, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Ireland. A power trio of keyboards, key bass, drums, fiddle mandolin, and vocals, the celebration is a surprisingly full sound for a party of three.