Native American flutist Mark Holland has been performing with the ensemble Autumn's Child since 1995. The group’s music has been described as something of a “musical smoothie,” and Holland himself calls it “a delicious mix of various genres,” including Native American music, world music, jazz, classical and folk.
With the group’s latest release, “Circle of Sound,” they can add one more genre to that list – classic rock. “It was just time to kind of celebrate and highlight this music,” Holland says. The music he listened to as a teenager gets a new interpretation on the album, which is a CD of covers featuring songs from The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, and more. Some selections are faithful to the classics, and others, Holland says, “were perfect to mix up a bit.”
The ability to experiment and improvise was one of his main motivations in becoming a Native American flutist instead of a classical musician. “I’m more improvisation, and that’s why the Native American flute is perfect for what I was doing,” Holland says. “To play the Native American flute, you’re playing from within.”
Related Event
The Sheldon Presents Mark Holland and Autumn's Child
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd.
For more information, call (314) 533-9900 or visit the Sheldon website.
Cityscape is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer, hosted by Steve Potter and funded in part by the the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis, the Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
