Annie Staninec
 Annie Staninec performed at DjangoFest 2006 with Sammo Miltich in The Younger Generation. She toured last year in The Gypsy Kidz with David Grisman and the Gypsy Caravan. The highlight of those performances was a full orchestra playing David Grisman’s “Gypsy Medley” from his soundtrack recording for the film, King of the Gypsies. As the featured fiddler, Annie electrified audiences in solos that honored the late Stéphane Grappelli who originally recorded the piece with David.
Annie is a San Francisco native. She’s been playing bluegrass and old-time fiddle for more than half her life. Her love for the fiddle didn’t blossom until she realized while listening to older musicians that she could improvise freely in the midst of playing bluegrass standards. She’s been unstoppable since.
Annie is a regular on the bluegrass festival circuit where she tours with Lost Coast(formerly Donner Mountain Bluegrass Band), which won the National Bluegrass Playoff at California’s 2006 Huck Finn Jubilee Festival. She also tours and records original Americana with Blind Willies, her duo with singer/songwriter/guitarist Alexei Wajchman. Blind Willies recently released their debut album, The Unkindness of Ravens, which was praised by Jennifer Patton, editor of the popular online zine, Delusions of Adequacy: “I cannot urge fans of all sorts of folk music enough that they should not miss out on The Unkindness of Ravens. The opening track alone is sufficient to pay for this debut CD, but there are nine other gems just waiting to be discovered.” (4/12/07)
In 2005, Annie was invited to play with Darol Anger and The Republic of Strings. She also played with Crooked Still. Last October, Annie received DjangoFest Northwest’s 2006 Dudley Hill Award for exceptional young artist, in a concert presentation at Washington State’s Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. In 2007, she played gypsy jazz with Stephane Wrembel in Brooklyn; original songs with folk/old-time innovator Peter Stampfel (The Holy Modal Rounders, The Fugs) in Manhattan; and bluegrass with Hot Buttered Rum and mandolin master Mike Marshall in San Francisco.
Annie Staninec with Samson Grisman & Friends are going to rock DjangoFest SF 2007. Don’t miss it.
"Improvisation, it is a mystery. You can write a book about it, but by the end no one still knows what it is. When I improvise and I'm in good form, I'm like somebody half sleeping. I even forget that there are people in front of me. Great improvisers are like priests, they are thinking only of their God." Stéphane Grappelli
Annie Staninec: fiddle
Samson Grisman: bass
Pamela Laughlin: clarinet
Jimmy Grant: guitar
Vic Wong: guitar
Special Guest: Alexei Wajchman
|
