The Double String Duo
Jason Kessler, guitar, and Rick Eckberg, bass, perform a variety of music from the Renaissance to the present with unique instruments and arrangements. A distinctive aspect of this ensemble is their improvisation: rather than play only the written composition, Kessler and Eckberg include solo improvisations based on the chordal structures of many Renaissance works they perform, thus emulating the troubadour roots of the period. Improvisation adds an element of spontaneity and risk to their performance that is captured on their recordings.
The repertoire includes Elizabethan, Renaissance, original fingerstyle works, jazz, and popular standards: a variety of music performed in unique styles and textures that enchant the listener.
Jason Kessler, a graduate of Colgate University, studied classical guitar with William Viola of Philadelphia and composition at Syracuse University with Brian Israel. He has performed with members of the Syracuse Symphony and Society for New Music. His jazz group, Seaflight, has opened for Chick Corea and Dizzy Gillespie at major jazz fests. Mr. Kessler's compositions were featured on the nationally aired PBS video, "All American Jazz".
Rick Eckberg studied doublebass with Oscar Zimmerman at the Eastman School of Music. He has performed and/or recorded with numerous artists including Carol Sloane, Nick Brignola, Rosemary Clooney, Teddy Wilson, Bobby Hackett, and Cole Broderick. Mr. Eckberg also freelances as a symphony bassist.
Jason Kessler's 12-string guitar and Rick Eckberg's five-string double bass combine to create a massive cathedral-sized sound on tunes that range in style from Renaissance music to modern jazz, with a half-dozen pieces by J.S. Bach thrown in for good measure.
- Ron Forbes-Roberts, Acoustic Guitar Magazine
I first became aware of Jason Kessler as a guitarist and recording artist via his CD Double String Duo featuring Jason on 12-string and Richard Eckberg on double bass. They play a broad mix of classical lute music, pop & jazz, etc... an eclectic program. Classical Gas was one of the tunes on the CD.
I was very interested in hearing it played on a 12-string. As a folk singer, I played a lot of tunes on 12-string. I've also come back to it in recent years for concerts. As a player of the instrument myself, I know how much harder than a 6-string it is to play. He and Rick play very musically and Jason plays complex musical patterns unbelievably cleanly on the 12-string.
Jason and I started corresponding and I sent him some of my other guitar compositions that might work well for 12-string.
Most of my tunes written for guitar are generally structured around getting as much resonance and volume from the instrument as possible. I like for the open strings and sympathetic harmonics to ring out. Jason gets to the center of the way these tunes are written on the 12-string. He brings out the resonance of the music. He also frequently asks my opinion about his take on the way he plays them. So I think he plays my tunes well, the way I, as the composer, envision them going.
If my tunes were built for the 12-string guitar, then Jason Kessler's the man to play them. I'm delighted to realize I'm part of the Double String Duo's unique vision of music for the 12-string guitar.
- Mason Williams
Kessler and his classical Lowden twelve-string guitar, Eckberg with his five string double bass, are virtuosi whose remarkable skills, humor, and imagination bring vibrant life to all the music they present.
- Phyllis Curtin
I not only admired it, but really enjoyed it as well! ...the rhythm and melodic nature of this music was captured by the combination of the bass and the steel strings of the guitar in a way I have never heard before.
- George Lowden
The clarity and strength of the music shines through with these amazing performances. Jason's work on the twelve string is nothing short of miraculous and Richard matches this with flawless musical bass accompaniment and solos. A refreshing and rewarding duo.
- Gene Bertoncini
We were impressed by the dynamic presentation of Dowland by Mssrs. Kessler and Eckberg. The duo's technical mastery and their delightful synchrony produced an evening of rare Renaissance delight.
- Sean and Claudia Barry
Owners, The Music Store
Great Barrington, MA