What is a “hammered dulcimer”?
Select one:
A. It’s a nail from medieval Europe
B. It’s a tribal chieftain who has had too much to drink
C. It’s a stringed instrument played with a hammer
If you answered “C,” you must have attended The Minstrel on Friday. In which case, you already know that Simon Chrisman is the best hammered dulcimer player you have ever heard. Never mind that he’s probably the only hammered dulcimer player you’ve ever heard.
Simon performs in the eclectic Jeremy Kittel Band, quite possibly the only group to attempt a cover of the Beatles’ I Want You (She’s So Heavy). Certainly, the only band with a fiddle, cello, mandolin and hammered dulcimer to do so.
In any event, these four guys--Jeremy Kittel on fiddle, Nathaniel Smith on cello, Josh Pinkham on mando and the aforementioned Mr. Chrisman–serve up multi-textured musical explorations that reward curious listeners.
Here is a video clip of one of these sonic journeys, an untitled new composition by none other than Simon Chrisman, the dulcimer hammerer.
