A wonderful evening with an amazing band.

John Reischman is one of the premier mandolinists of his generation. He’s a master instrumentalist capable of swinging between re-inventions of traditional old time tunes, deconstructions from the bluegrass repertoire, and compelling original tunes, many of which have become standards. He’s also a powerful bandleader, touring with his band, the Jaybirds all over Canada and the United States.

A June-nominated and Grammy award winning artist, John Reischman is known today for his work with his band The Jaybirds and his acclaimed solo albums, in the late 1970s, in the Bay Area, he got his start as an original member of The Tony Rice Unit. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in the 1990s and formed The Jaybirds. In 1996 he won a Grammy as part of Todd Phillips’ all-star tribute to Bill Monroe.  Over the years, he has overseen collaborations with a remarkably wide range of artists, like bluegrass artist Kathy Kallick, to guitarist Scott Nygaard, banjo wiz Tony Furtado, Chinese music ensemble Red Chamber, Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Celso Machado, singer songwriter Susan Crowe and more.

Drawing from the very best bluegrass and acoustic musicians in the Pacific Northwest to form the band, Reischman has led The Jaybirds on cross country tours, five albums and two June nominations. The secret to their success lies in the innovative arrangements and powerful original song writing and tune composition, but also in the mix of talents that make up the group. Fiddler Greg Spatz has a crystal-clear tone and an ability to play with blazing speed and soft subtlety. Bassist and vocalist Trisha Gagnon writes and sings wonderful original songs. Banjo player Nick Hornbuckle has a solid original style of picking that forms the bedrock of the music, and guitarist Jim Nunnally is renowned as one of the top acoustic roots music guitarists and is also an in demand record  producer. Reischman ties these different talents together into an impossibly tight band that can turn on a dime and play with the kind of power and precision that is the hallmark of the original bluegrass greats.