KITTEL & CO. at Passim

Effective August 6, 2021, Passim will require all staff, performers, and patrons to show proof of COVID-19 vaccine when they work, attend performances, classes, and workshops at Passim.  Patrons will be asked to show their vaccination card or a photo of their vaccination card when they enter the club.  Patrons will be asked to show proof each time they visit the club. If a patron is not able to show proof of vaccination they will not be allowed to attend the performance, and their ticket purchase will be refunded.

During COVID, Passim has invested in its live stream capability, and we encourage patrons who have not been vaccinated or others who don’t feel comfortable yet visiting the club to watch the live streams or attend online classes instead. If you purchased a ticket but aren’t feeling well, please stay home and watch the livestream instead.

Passim recommends that all non-performers wear masks indoors unless they are actively eating or drinking.

Passim is committed to providing a safe environment for all to work, listen, and enjoy live music.  It is our hope that we can ease these restrictions once further progress has been made reducing transmission of the virus.  Until then, we appreciate your patience and cooperation.

“Some of the most engaging people I’ve ever worked with have a clear vision while still being willing to explore—following, with a rare openness, the creative energy.” — Jeremy Kittel

That ethos is central to the new release, Whorls, from Kittel & Co. The album’s title refers to patterns of spirals, an apt metaphor for the undulation between the outsize skills and free-spirited instincts that drive its sound. A dazzlingly original work, Whorls inhabits the space between classical and acoustic roots, Celtic and bluegrass aesthetics, folk and jazz sensibilities.

Previously of the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet, Kittel demonstrated similar scope as a composer-arranger- collaborator for such diverse artists as My Morning Jacket, Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble, and Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn. But for the last few years, the Brooklyn-based artist has been diligently building his own repertoire of music for a wholly original new group.

Kittel & Co. includes mandolin phenom Josh Pinkham (named “the future of the mandolin” by Mandolin Magazine), genre-bending guitarist Quinn Bachand (a presidential scholar at Berklee College of Music), transcendent bassist Ethan Jodziewicz (as heard with Sierra Hull), and hammer-dulcimer wizard Simon Chrisman (acclaimed for bringing a new tonal flexibility to the instrument). “We met gradually over the years, through festivals, shows, gatherings,” Kittel says. “Each really struck me with their uniqueness, for being a singular force on their instrument.” These musicians are as prodigious as they are world class: Most aren’t even 30 years old.

Their musical contributions to Whorls are visceral, yet precise. “The guys have an incredible combination of skill and intuition. Says Kittel: “It’s been so moving to be part of a whole, when the music starts taking off and everyone is supporting, balancing, breathing together. In those rare moments, it’s as holy a thing as I’ve ever experienced.”