Gretchen Koehler

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KOEHLER & KELLY: Jigs meet Jazz

VIDEO: Established in their own genres, fiddler Gretchen Koehler and pianist Daniel Kelly talk about their dynamic new sound that combines Irish fiddling with jazz piano.

The fiddle I play is a couple hundred years old. The music I play is also a couple hundreds years old. On the occasion of my 45th birthday, my cheeky children teased that I was closer to 90 than I was when I was born, so I guess that makes me old, too. With that sentiment, this "old dog" has learned some new tricks in terms of modern technology (with the help of my kids, of course) to promote the "old" things I do. My latest technical triumph was editing a KOEHLER & KELLY promo video.  I learned my way around iMovie a few months ago through my "adventures in split screen editing" (read more) and was ready to take on the three minute commercial that many musicians do to describe their vision to presenters.

KOEHLER & KELLY performing at the historic "Church in the Hollow," Saranac, NY

In a nutshell, I am a traditional fiddler who looks back to the 19th century for my roots yet embraces the music of the 21st century as a way to keep my tradition relevant and vibrant. Daniel Kelly is an innovative pianist who can play anything from jazz to classical, hip hop to folk and whose signature sound spins jazz around the recorded spoken word. Together, with mutual respect for genre blending, we are adding our sound the collective tradition of Irish fiddling...and having a good "old" time doing so. Please enjoy our video.