PORT TOWNSEND — In a snug cabaret-style gig, guitarist John Miller and mandolin man John Reischman will fill the Key City Playhouse with their brand of acoustic Latin jazz at 8 p.m. today.
This is the next show in the Key City Cabaret Concert Series at the playhouse, 419 Washington St., so tickets are on sale for $20 via keycitypublictheatre.org and 360-385-KCPT (5278).
Reischman, a Grammy Award winner, is best known for leading the bluegrass band John Reischman & the Jaybirds. He’s a major force on the new-acoustic music scene, having traveled with many other movers on it including Chris Thile, Tony Trischka and David Grisman.
Miller, meanwhile, grew up in a musical family, steeped in a breadth of styles and sounds when he was just a young boy.
Then came his life-changing encounter with the music of John Hurt. Miller was 12 when that sent him on his musical journey, one that has included leading groups with players from Russ Barenberg and Peter Wernick to Andy Statman and Matt Glaser.
In the late 1990s, inspired by his love for Latin American roots music — Puerto Rican cuatro, Brazilian choro and beyond — Reischman began forging new compositions in a duo with Miller. This partnership has spawned three highly praised albums and a string of successful tours.
Miller and Reischman’s three albums, “The Singing Moon,” “The Bumpy Road” and last year’s “Road Trip,” have enjoyed some
glowing reviews.
“The signature Reischman sound will grip you,” one critic writes about “Road Trip” on Jazzmando.com.
“His ability to extract mandolin tone is arguably unparalleled, and though he’s known more for his bluegrass chops, his mandolin becomes an alluring siren with Miller’s complex accompanying jazz vocabulary.”
The Key City Cabaret Concert Series will bring two more shows after this one: folk-pop trio Uncle Bonsai on Sept. 5 and Hawaiian Hapa Haole duo Casey MacGill and Orville Johnson on Oct. 11.
Ticket information awaits at keycitypublictheatre.org and toolshedsoundlab.com.
