"Raised on the Oregon Coast, Hanneke Cassel (“hahn-uh-kah castle”) began playing violin at eight years-old, but a local fiddle competition inspired her to take up traditional fiddling. A few years later, at fourteen years old, she entered a Scottish fiddle contest, winning the national title. Years later, after numerous trips to Scotland, and studies with the great fiddlers Alasdair Fraser and Buddy MacMaster, she moved to Boston and enrolled at the Berklee College of Music. Coming to Berklee in the early days of their groundbreaking strings program, Hanneke has since been at the forefront of a national fiddling revival, helping define the instrument for a new generation.

As a fiddler, Hanneke’s sound is a blend of Scottish and Cape Breton traditions, as well as some early roots in Texas fiddling. But she also draws heavily on experiences working with street kids in Kenya (many of the songs were commissions for them), her 10+ trips to China (she lived and taught in Shanghai for a while), and her friends and relationships built around the scene in Boston."

"Hanneke Cassel's latest release, Dot the Dragon's Eyes features an all-star cast of musicians - including Mike Block, Rushad Eggleston, Jeremy Kittel, Keith Murphy, Christopher Lewis, Dave Wiesler, Ryan McKasson, Cali McKasson Kovin, and Ariel Friedman.  Influences from Scotland to China, along with grooves and musical innovations from the hip Boston bluegrass/Americana scene, fuse together to create a uniquely American approach to Scottish music.  She creates sounds on the cutting edge of acoustic music, while retaining the integrity and soul of the Scottish tradition. " Source : Hearth Music & Hanneke Cassel


To purchase and hear samples visit www.cdbaby.com/cd/hannekecassel