Two days after the Grammys, this daring, prolific string quartet has a free Lexington show

Kronos Quartet

7 p.m. Jan. 28 at Haggin Auditorium of the Mitchell Fine Arts Building at Transylvania University, 300 N. Broadway. Sold Out. 859-233-8120. transy.edu, kronosquartet.org.

In the summer of 1973, David Harrington initiated the San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet with a hidden agenda. The violinist longed to have a string ensemble audacious enough to tackle “Black Angels,” a 1970 work by George Crumb that was as distinctive musically (it augmented the string quartet setting with percussion and electronics) as it was thematically (the piece possessed a passionate anti-war stance).

“You have to remember the war in Vietnam was still going on at the time,” Harrington said. “Many people about my age had experienced going through the draft process. Our country seemed to be getting more violent. Things seemed to be falling apart in various ways. I heard that piece and life made sense for a minute. All of a sudden, I had my song.

“I think what has happened since then is there are a lot more songs that I’ve found. I don’t really know where the next experiences will come from for Kronos. Whatever it is we hear, whatever it is we do, we don’t know. Music can always change the next step, the next decision.”

In the ensuing 46 years, Kronos – which also includes violinist John Sherba and violist Hank Dutt, both longtime members, and cellist Sunny Yang, who joined in 2013 – has become perhaps the most daring and prolific ensemble of its kind. Working with a repertoire that stresses newly commissioned works, their music continually crosses genres, generations and cultures. The quartet has long championed such modernists as Philip Glass and Terry Riley, but also works by composers from Argentina, China, Latvia, Serbia, Mexico, Africa, Russia, Canada and Azerbaijan as well as pieces by such far-ranging American artists as Bryce Dessner (of the rock troupe The National) and guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. The group even cut the majestic “Black Angels” as the title work of a 1990 album.

That diversity has earned Kronos two Grammy Awards. It is up for a third at this year’s ceremony, which will be held two days prior to when the quartet returns to Transylvania University on Jan. 28. The performance, part of the Smith Endowed Series, is free, but all tickets have been distributed.

The program will feature a trio of jazz, blues and pop classics – “The House of the Rising Sun,” “Strange Fruit” and “Summertime” – that were inspired by decidedly non-classical artists (The Everly Brothers, Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin, respectively). But it also includes two new works – the richly percussive “Zaghlala” by Egyptian composer Islam Chipsy and a new Dessner piece, “Le Bois.” Both compositions are part of “50 for the Future,” an online library of contemporary works made available for free to emerging string groups and artists.

“Groups from 92 different countries have downloaded ‘50 for the Future’ pieces and are playing them right now. We’ve got a concert here in San Francisco with 90 high school kids coming up and they will all be playing ‘50 for the Future’ pieces. So the spirit within the group itself is constantly being refreshed both from the experiences that we’ve had over many years but also from new opportunities.

“We’re just appreciating being musicians in this incredibly troubled time that we all are sharing now. I think that speaks to the value of music, the value of performing and being with an audience, whether it’s in a classroom, in Carnegie Hall or in Lexington, Kentucky.

“Wherever we might be, we are very proud to say this. When the immigration people ask what our occupation is, I’m incredibly proud to be able to say that I’m a musician. I think all of us in the group feel that way and want to further what that means, not only for us, but for others.”

Recognition for Tony Briggs

This year’s Lexington Music Awards will be unexpectedly and unavoidably bittersweet given the recent passing of Tony Briggs. A figurehead member of the local rock community with a performance history stemming back well over three-and-a-half decades, the lifetime Lexingtonian will be among the five recipients (along with Everett McCorvey, Ed Commons and the Lafayette High School Marching Band) of a Lifetime Achievement recognition at the Jan. 26 ceremony. Briggs died Jan. 17 after an extended illness.

To call Briggs an enthusiast of his craft misses the point. When he was onstage during the punk heyday of Vale of Tears, he lived the music he performed. He inhabited its drive, fury and vision. Offstage, however, Briggs was completely disarming. His demeanor was gracious and upbeat to the point of being enlightened – attributes that carried over to the years he ran Ye Olde Book Shoppe on Euclid Ave. as his performances became less frequent. Admittedly, Briggs could be very plain speaking, but that never (at least, not that I ever saw) translated into behavior that was coarse or off-putting. He seemed to welcome conversation with anyone.

The last few times I saw Briggs was between – and sometimes during – hospitalizations. But his spirit never dampened as has health declined. He remained, always, a presence that successive generations of artists and music enthusiasts have drawn inspiration from. May the award this weekend serve as a modest token of appreciation from a community he loved for so long.

Tickets for Sunday’s 6 p.m. Lexington Music Awards ceremony at the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, 300 E. Third St., are $16 at lexingtonlyric.tix.com.

Osland/Dailey plays Origins Jazz Series

The Origins Jazz Series will serve up its first performance of 2020 this weekend with a pair of familiar names playing at what has become its most recognized concert home.

Playing on Jan. 24 will be the Osland/Dailey Jazztet, the long-running and versatile combo led by a pair of veteran University of Kentucky educators who double as some of Lexington’s most visible jazzmen – saxophonist Miles Osland and pianist Raleigh Dailey. A regular concert attraction at the now-defunct Natasha’s Bistro, the band will return the Origins Jazz Series to its most frequently employed venue, TeeDee’s Bluegrass Progressive Club, 266 E. Second St.

The Jazztet performs at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Admission is $15 for each set or $25 for both. For tickets, go to originsjazz.org.

This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 10:19 AM.