Founded in 1997 in San Francisco by violinist Carla Kihlstedt, guitarist Mark Orton, and accordionist and pianist Rob Burger, the original Tin Hat Trio was formed as a composers collective, committed to creating a purely acoustic music that blurred the lines between composition and improvisation. The group has been known for inviting other musicians to join them for special occasions. All of their recordings feature special guests, among them such luminaries as Tom Waits and Willie Nelson, as well as friends like clarinetist Ben Goldberg and harpist Zeena Parkins. After Rob Burger left the group in late 2004, Goldberg became a permanent member, along with multi-instrumentalist Ara Anderson, a San Francisco native. Parkins often guests with the new formation and also performs on the newest recording, The Sad Machinery of Spring, to be released in January 2007 on Hannibal/Rykodisc. Equally at home playing jazz or classical, the new musicians fit easily into the Tin Hat mold as evocative performers, adding new colors, strokes, and textures to the already large canvas of the ensemble's sound.

Discography:

The Sad Machinery of Spring (2007, Hannibal/Rykodisc)

as Tin Hat Trio: Book of Silk (2004, Ropeadope Records) The Rodeo Eroded (2002, Ropeadope Records) Helium (2000, EMI-Angel) Memory Is An Elephant (1999, EMI-Angel)