Hillybilly Jazz, is what happens when Canadian songwriters Joel Klingler and Darryl Klassen merge old time and jazz influenced styles to create a collection of unique Canadian images.

15 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Jazzy folk, COUNTRY: Old-Timey



Details:
J.D. Miner is a Canadian acoustic trio consisting of multi-instrumentalists Joel Klingler and Darryl Klassen and bassist Joe Worst. Their original music is a unique blend of riverboat jazz, whimsical folk and soft core bluegrass. J.D. Miner's music covers the spectrum of musical emotion.

Joel Klingler's family tells a story of a young boy spontaneously breaking into song at the top of his lungs at a train station in Switzerland. Wanting to encourage a good thing his father taught him a few chords on the guitar. Eventually Joel got hooked on playing the blues until he began listening to the music of Django Reinhardt which further enabled his expedition into many genres of music from around the world. Joel took mandolin lessons from the renowned John Reischman and other musical influences include Bob Dylan, Bill Monroe, John Hartford, David Grisman and David Francey. Studying the greats contributes to his adept abilities as songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, mandolinist and most recently, banjoist. Many of his songs travel through the lives of blue collar workers in coal mines and scenes of Canadian life reminiscent of older, simpler times with thoughtful, humourous perspectives. His song "Brown Eyed Girl from Canada" is bound to be a classic.

Darryl Klassen began playing guitar as a child. He always preferred folk music and the acoustic guitar to the electric. While some of his contemporaries thought of this as a character flaw, it greatly pleased his parents. Darryl can't remember when he wrote his first song but over the years he made a gradual shift from doing covers of Bob Dylan, Eric Bogle, Hoyt Axton, and others, to writing his own music. Growing up with Mennonite influences caused him to internalize the art of singing and harmonizing. Mastering fast finger picking techniques on the guitar, Darryl inevitably discovered the banjo player within. Recurring themes in the music he crafts are rivers, sailing and quirky subjects philosophical and satirical.

Joe Worst's approach to playing the double bass contributes a unique colour to the music. He is a sought after, creative musician in local and regional big bands, jazz, country and R&B groups. Joe studied at the Banff Center for the Arts, at Capilano College and elsewhere. Joe is a regular in the Chilliwack and Fraser Valley Symphony Orchestras and when he's not on stage can frequently be spotted in his kayak, around various islands off the west coast of BC.