Tag Archives: Real Vocal String Quartet
Four string sisters find their calling with help from Feist
The four women of the Real Vocal String Quartet know they have something rare and unusual going, but it wasn’t until they answered a last-minute call to collaborate with the Canadian singer/songwriter Leslie Feist that they fully realized the singular nature of the ensemble.
Launched almost a decade ago by Berkeley violinist Irene Sazer, the RVSQ started as a vehicle for her stylistically expansive tunes and arrangements. But with a bevy of the region’s most versatile musicians as collaborators, the group gradually took on a collective identity.
Featuring violinist Alisa Rose, violinist/violist Dina Maccabee, and cellist Jessica Ivry, the RVSQ celebrates the release of its second album “Four Little Sisters” (Flower Note Records) Saturday at Freight & Salvage.
With a program ranging from Regina Spektor’s “Machine” and Gilberto Gil’s “Copo Vazio” to David Byrne’s “Knotty Pine” and Duke Pearson’s “Sweet Honey Bee,” the album encompasses an astonishing array of traditions reconfigured by the quartet’s hardy mélange of conservatory chops, roots soul, and sumptuous vocal harmonies, all laced with improvisational brio. … Continue reading »
Out in Berkeley: Violinist Irene Sazer’s far-flung sounds
By Andrew Gilbert
Berkeley violinist Irene Sazer has worked with a mind-boggling array of artists, from Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles to Ali Akbar Khan, David Grisman and Bjork. In founding her own band, she wanted a vehicle to explore all the far-flung sounds and styles that pique her interest.
The Real Vocal String Quartet, which performs on Sunday at Freight & Salvage, has turned into an ideal forum for her globetrotting ways. The group brings together some of the Bay Area’s most versatile musicians, including violinist Alisa Rose (Quartet San Francisco), violinist/violist Dina Maccabee (Ramon and Jessica), and cellist Jessica Ivry (Amy X Neuburg and the Cello ChiXtet).
As the name implies, the quartet combines extraordinary string work with gorgeous four-part vocal harmonies, accompanied by foot stomps and percussive bow techniques. Erasing distinctions between old-time and new music, all four women contribute compositions and arrangements, exploring melodies and rhythms from Brazil, East and West Africa, Appalachia and the Balkans. … Continue reading »
