Bluegrass / roots musician, vocalist, composer, and conductor
My new album with my dad is available now! This was definitely a family effort, with the watercolor on the album cover–as well as many of the vocal harmonies–provided by my mom. This, of course, just covers two of the four generations–you’ll have to check out the album for the rest of the story.
You can pick it up in CD or digital form at stores like Amazon and iTunes. The album is also for sale through our CDBaby page or directly through me–contact me via my Facebook artist’s page.
Busy time for me, folks – I’ve recently moved to the greater NYC area. Look for upcoming gigs with Blue Plate Special, a New Jersey jazz-bluegrass band I’ve been playing in for a while now. I’m happy to finally be living close enough to play with them more often.
Also on the horizon, I’ll be working this season with C4, the Choral Conductors and Composers Collective (I think I got that in the right order) out of NYC. Look for a concert in November on their website.
Finally, my dad and I got around to recording and releasing a CD together, a project I’m very personally happy about. Mark and Dan Whitener – Under One Roof: Four Generations of American Music will be available online soon, and I’ll have copies at upcoming shows.
That’s all for now, stay tuned!
Just wrapped up one of the most satisfying events of my career to date.
Performing with me (and each other):
Blue Plate Special
The Sparrows
Mark and Don Whitener
and a handful of Bard A Cappella grads! (not pictured)
All photos thanks to Bill Geiger.
I took some videos of the most recent Bard Chamber Singers & Community Chorus concert on behalf of myself and the other conducting graduate students. The concert was a blast, and I hope you enjoy this peek at what everything looks like from the stage!
Composed and conducted by Dan Whitener.
Poem “Not Waving but Drowning” by Stevie Smith (1902-1971).
Chelsey Heath interviews Perry Allen, and has some nice things to say about the Sparrows!
Before the “Blue Door Sessions,” the Sparrows’ last album was “Rattle Creak and Murmur.” …
Off “Rattle,” I like “Hole in the Floor,” a snarky track Whitener dreamed up while on a plane, according to Allen. With the vision of a song, he put it together without instruments, and blew everyone away that night when he unveiled the song.
Had the pleasure of singing some backup vocals for Evan Uhlmann‘s new album, Blue Lipstick.
Come check out A Hudson Valley Holiday, including beautiful seasonal music performed by some of NYC and the Hudson Valley’s most talented musicians, with the chorus and soloists conducted by yours truly.
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
7pm
Union Presbyterian Church
44 Balmville Road, Newburgh, NY
EDIT: What a great event! Thanks to everyone who came out to support opera and the arts!
Opera Co. of the Highlands Gala last night: Elizabeth Futral, Jane Bunnell, Barry Banks, Marc Embree, Susan Caldwell pic.twitter.com/LeJBWP05
— Cori Ellison (@Fiorabella588) December 5, 2011
Well how about that! Many thanks to Max Johnson for pointing out the fact that my album, On The Tracks, has its first published review! (Apologies to Odetta Hartman and Chris Rubeo for misspellings of their fine wonderful names.)
Many thanks again to all the folks who made my album possible: Max Johnson on bass, Melody Allegra Berger on fiddle, Chris Eldridge on guitar, recorded by Joey Colmenero at the Cutting Room in NYC; and the Sparrows! Chris Rubeo, Perry Allen, Brian Barth, and Odetta Hartman, recorded by Chris Rubeo.
DAN WHITENER
ON THE TRACKS
No Label, No Number.
This is a really nice project of original material from this young banjo player. Whitener has written all of the songs and he is accompanied on the collection by Chris Eldridge on guitar, Melody Allegra Berger on fiddle, and Max Johnson on bass. Other folks adding their input to the set are Chris [Rubeo] (guitar), Odetta [Hartman] (fiddle), Perry Allen (guitar), and Brian Barth (bass). The instrumentals bounce between sounding ’grassy and jazzy, and Whitener shows he can play on tunes such as “Same Old Thing,” “Three [Musketeers],” “Shooting Star,” “Lightning Bug,” “Done For The Day,” and “Chicken.” A vocal highlight is “Hole In The Floor Of The Plane,” sort of a quirky alternate view of rapture. “Here To Live” is a simple, pretty tune about just living, and “Banjo Pickin Man” is sort of autobiographical. Whitener was a member of the Sparrows band and some of their performances can be found on-line.
Also, I might as well mention, for the folks out in Missouri, that I will be playing a very special engagement with my dad, Mark Whitener, joining me on mandolin and guitar! This is Pioneer Day out in Marquand, MO. Come if you can, express regrets if you can’t! I’ll try to get him up to the New York area again sometime soon!