The Buskers
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The Buskers

New Hampton, New Hampshire, United States | Established. Jan 01, 1993 | SELF

New Hampton, New Hampshire, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 1993
Band Pop Acoustic

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Dave Colburn"

Sexy... romantic... a tour de force of original material, with a nod to tradition... - Vintage Fret Shop, Ashland, NH


"Café Spotlight by John Berbridge"

"The Buskers traveled a long way for this evening of superlatives. Two of the band members live on the St. Lawrence Coast but two others live in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. The Buskers are: Paul Hubert on guitar and vocals; Kathy Sommer on vocals, mandolin, and perky, plaintive, powerful violin; diminutive dynamo Craig Jaster on piano, accordion, 3?4-size upright bass, and vocals; and drummer Paul Knowles, a percussionist of rare taste and style. The Buskers are a spunky, energetic, fabulously talented quartet. They played soft jazz, swing, folk-jazz, jazz-funk, a bit of zydeco, and even some quasi-reggae. Ray Charles, Fats Waller, and George Gershwin are prominent names on the Buskers’ playlist, but they performed plenty of their own tunes as well. See this band if you get a chance. I’d even call them luminescent. As well as versatile, passionate, and funny." - Fourth Coast Entertainment


"The Buskers Are No Cookie-Cutter Group"

"A busker is "a street musician or public entertainer, especially one who solicits money during a performance." As for the band known as The Buskers, they give this definition: One woman with a mean violin (Kathy Zimpfer) and two guys who have been on the frayed edges of the state's music scene since 1993."

Vocalist Craig Jaster's interpretation of buskers is "foolhardy souls who who play for pennies in parks and subway stations. But we don't play on the streets much; it's way too cold most of the year in New Hampshire." Instead, these busekrs are about sophisticated musicianship with a folk sensibility and a variety of acoustic instruments. "Our secret recipe is to subject audiences to a (musical) gumbo of cajun, celtic, swing and jazz standards, sexy Brazilian instumentals and silly Tex-Mex polkas as well as new spins on old pop hits--whenever we're not playing our original material. The lyrics to their Cd, "The Buskers," are comliments of Craig Jaster, who describes himself as a "hard cappuccino-drinking, balding frontman."

The Buskers' grassroots folk sensibility is firmly rooted in the granite State...but the most unusual thing about this CD is the clever mix of adding fiddle, mandolin, harmonica and recorder to the guitar, bass, keyboard and drums for a distinctive country contra sound that is uniquely their own. The music has pep; the lyrics have punch. There is no doubt about it, this combination of seasoned musicians results in a one-of-a-kind CD. L9unge lizard cookie-cutter music this is not.

The Buskers have represented New Hampshire at the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield, MA and have aired on New Hampshire Public Radio and on radio station WNEC. They have performed at venues that include The Pressroom in Portsmouth, NH; and Canterbury Shaker Village as well as coffeehosues, gazebos and schools throughout the state." - The Weirs Times


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

The Buskers have been digging among the roots of popular music since they met at an acoustic open mic in New Hampshire in 1993.

With more or less old school instruments led by the genre-blurring violinist KZ Sommer, they tap the street music tradition for which they are named, then go much further, with serious musicianship, a sense of humor, and energy to burn. Their kitchen sink repertoire ignores boundaries between jazz, folk and rock. Their sound is defined only by deep respect for the craft of songwriting and arranging, and a shared love for the inventive possibilities of improvisation.

KayZee Sommer has studied with artists as diverse as latin jazz maestro Eddie Palmieri and the Turtle Island String Quartet, played for years with the swing band Sweet, Hot & Sassy, and runs an acoustic music camp in New Hampshire every September  (www.fiddlheadsjamcamp.com). Jazz pianist, bassist and accordionist Craig Jaster has played with a variety of jazz artists, including Delfeayo Marsalis, Tiger Okoshi and the late Big Joe Burrell. Guitarist Paul Hubert has performed extensively in New England as a solo artist on classical guitar and as a singer/songwriter.

The Buskers have toured and recorded with several great freelance drummers, including Tim Gilmore, Kyle Tupper, Kyle Crane, Gary Gemmiti and Paul Knowles.

Band Members