by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS
Bluegrass artist Sierra Hull and accompanying double-bassist Ethan Jodziewicz will perform at Traditions Café and World Folk Art this Saturday night. The musicians are touring through Oregon and Washington this week, playing acoustic bluegrass music from Hull’s newest album, Weighted Mind, featuring Jodziewicz as bassist.
Born and raised in Olympia, 23-year-old Jodziewicz currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Despite his professional music career taking off in high-profile cities like New York and Philadelphia, he initially found inspiration in his hometown. “There were many concerts in Olympia that inspired me as a growing musician,” he says. “I also had great mentors, among them former Olympia High School orchestra director Chip Schooler and local saxophonist Brad Schrandt. These folks and a lot of others helped immensely in facilitating and guiding my early musical work.”
A recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Jodziewicz studied under acclaimed musicians Edgar Meyer and Hal Robinson. He began collaborating with Hull in 2014 after being highly recommended by Meyer.
“Playing with Sierra has been a good fit from the very beginning,” says Jodziewicz. “She gives me the freedom to be ‘Ethan,’ rather than ‘just another bass player.’ She allows me to discover more about my own voice and strive to be more honest to my own tastes and ideas.”
Hull is a vocalist and mandolinist who began her bluegrass music career with Rounder Records when she was only 13 years old. Four albums and 12 years later, International Bluegrass Music Association named the Tennessee-born singer the 2016 Mandolin Player of the Year. She’s the first woman in the show’s history to receive this honor and the first bluegrass musician awarded the Presidential Scholarship from the Berklee College of Music.
Besides touring with Hull, Jodziewicz also plays in the musical duo Ethan Jodziewicz & Tatiana Hargreaves and the band Mr. Sun (featuring Darol Anger). Jodziewicz has performed across North America and graced the stages of Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry. He often creates acoustic, collaborative music with a blend of traditional and contemporary elements.
What: Sierra Hull Bluegrass Concert
Where: Traditions Café and World Folk Art,
300 Fifth Ave. SW, Olympia
When: 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22
How much: $20-$25
Learn more: 360-705-2819 | Traditions Café and World Folk Art