Boston, Mass. –The title of fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s latest album, Infinite Brightness, isn’t derived from any of its nine songs, yet it perfectly encapsulates all of them. There is indeed a brightness to her playing, and a sweet tenderness as well, delivered in a style so full of lyricism, these nine compositions don’t need words. Cassel’s all-instrumental album will be released on April 14, 2023 on her own Cassel Records label; she’ll debut the first track, “Evacuation Day,” with a March 17 video premiere at Americana-UK.com.
Rooted in influences from Scotland’s Isle of Skye and Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton, Infinite Brightness taps musical traditions carried to North America by immigrants and passed down through generations. Oregon native Cassel became steeped in those traditions early on. She was 14 when she won the first of two U.S. National Junior Scottish Fiddle championships, and 19 when she became the U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion. She went on to earn a degree in violin performance at Berklee College of Music, and now lives in Boston with her husband, cellist Mike Block. In addition to serving as a guest instructor at Berklee, Cassel teaches at various fiddle camps and schools, and has performed throughout North America and in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, China and India.
Her bandmates include Keith Murphy, who plays guitar and harmonium on the album, Jenna Moynihan, who contributes five-string fiddle, and Tristan Clarridge on cello. Infinite Brightness also includes guitarist Yann Falquet (heard on “Dmitri’s Dream and “Last Alleluia”). On the album’s final track, “How Great Thou Art/Cali’s Jig,” Cassel lets her piano dominate, caressing its keys with every bit of the skill and beauty she displays on fiddle.
The Boston Globe has described Cassel’s playing as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent … delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” On Infinite Brightness, which she coproduced with Murphy, she replaces innocence with maturity, but retains every bit of her captivating, crystalline clarity, and when she inserts moments of playfulness, as she does on “Lovely Liddy/Teagan’s Trip,” it’s still irresistible — and delightful. As is the entire album.
Cassel will celebrate the release with a series of performances. Catch her on one of these dates.
Album release shows:
April 13 – Caffè Lena, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
April 14 – Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, Mass.
April 15 – Blackstone River Theatre, Cumberland, R.I.
April 16 – The Dance Hall, Kittery, Maine
May 12 – First Church in Belmont, Belmont, Mass.
May 13 – The Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Yarmouth, Mass.
More information: hannekecassel.com
