Tim Snider – Let Go, Jump In The River (Bok Choy Productions)
Tim Snider
wanted to play violin from a very early age. An Itzhak Perlman
performance on Sesame Street when he was just three-and-a-half years old was
his earliest musical inspiration, and it was classical music that first
provided the impetus to learn his instrument. Over the years other influences
came into play, from exposure to rock music (he dropped the violin and picked
up a guitar), a Ben Harper gig turned him onto songwriting, and sojourns in
Spain and Cuba introduced flamenco, salsa and Afro-Cuban rhythms into his
repertoire. Returning to college, he spent a year studying jazz, and
rediscovering his love of classical music – and went back to the violin.
That’s
a lot of music for one so young, but it’s experience that’s served him well.
He’s shared bills with artists as diverse as Steel Pulse to Robert Randolph and
the Family Band, as well as touring a large chunk of the world playing his own
music, a world-folk-jazz-pop hybrid that’s aimed at the heart, the brain and
the feet.
On
his new album, recorded with the assistance of a large group of musical
friends, Snider brings his influence together in ways that are vital and powerful.
Songs are propelled by the rhythms of Southern Europe and the Americas, and his
songs get under skin in a most agreeable way. “Hurricane” gets things going,
pushed along by serious strings, and preparing the ground for the remarkable
“Jump In” – the semi-official title track – where his vision (and concept) truly
comes together. It’s about letting go and grabbing life, and musically that’s
just what Snider’s doing – with side helpings of driving rhythm and radio
friendly hooks.
Phil S.
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