Mr. Sun

Mr. Sun comprises some of the most original musicians ever to apply themselves to the American stringband. Legendary fiddler Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres and is a member of the original “nuclear” generation of pickers who explored bluegrass, jazz, and classical music to find their common ground. Mr. Sun is the latest iteration in that legacy, with Anger being joined by Joe K. Walsh, one of the foremost contemporary mandolinists, Grant Gordy, a standout acoustic guitarist, and masterful bassist Aidan O’Donnell, a Brooklyn jazz veteran. On their newest recording, Mr. Sun Plays the Nutcracker plays Tchaikovsky, they seize upon the inspiration of Duke Ellington’s brilliant, sly, and urbane re-interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s suite as an opportunity to salute and reinvent this wildly multifaceted work anew through the lens of the American string band, a musical form which contains myriad styles and is presently engaged in a marathon upheaval of innovation and expansion.