Flush with orchestral sweeps and sparse vigils, with strains of the American South and the North Atlantic, the cosmopolitan sound of the instrumental acoustic ensemble Hawktail is not what you’d expect from a string-band. Since 2017, they have fostered a reputation as a rare ensemble of composers and instrumentalists able to take the listener on a journey without the use of words. Though at first glance it looks like a superpicker side-project, their all-original music is cohesive and unique, distinguishing them as an ensemble with a sound built from the ground up.

Each member of the group is an accomplished instrumentalist bringing strong individuality to the group. Fiddler Brittany Haas, whose 2004 self-titled release became the touchstone for a generation of old-time fiddlers, has since toured and recorded with the likes of Crooked Still, Steve Martin, David Rawlings, and Chris Thile’s “Live From Here”. Paul Kowert is well-known as the bassist for the Grammy-winning group Punch Brothers. His sensibilities provide a unique foundation for Hawktail’s music, drawing from his experience in bluegrass, classical and jazz. In Hawktail he plays the bass as you’ve never heard it before. A prolific artist, guitarist Jordan Tice has made 6 solo albums, evolving throughout yet always clearly himself. 

Together Brittany, Paul, and Jordan have made four critically-acclaimed records, beginning in 2014 as trio Haas Kowert Tice and evolving into Hawktail when they brought on mandolinist Dominick Leslie in 2017. Their latest “Place of Growth” is their most conceptual album, a journey through the natural world designed for a single sitting. They see each tune as a journey to take with their listeners as well as a path to travel together, discovering new ideas and new passions around every corner.