Fans of Southwest Florida’s award-winning flautist and composer Kat Epple get a rare double-header this weekend as she and musical partner, Nathan Dyke, debut their latest works in Fort Myers and Naples.
The duo will hold a CD release party on Friday night at Unity of Fort Myers, performing selections from their new album, Elemental Circuitry. On Sunday, they will appear at Bower Chapel at Moorings Park, offering works from the album as well as world music played on instruments from around the globe.
Dyke, a North Carolina resident, specializes in native music with a particular focus on percussion and the ngoni, an African harp.
In their world music compositions, Epple and Dyke fuse instruments from far-flung corners of the world, blending sounds typically not heard together.
“It creates a hybrid of many cultures,” Epple says. “To match things up we haven’t heard played together, it’s almost like a puzzle. And it may be a broader metaphor for how the world can come together and communicate.”
Elemental Circuitry blends traditional world instruments with a synthesizer, creating a sound that is all at once “earthy” and “futuristic.” It harkens back to Epple’s former Emerald Web band, which produced “electronic space music” featuring both synthesizers and acoustic instruments. (Those Emerald Web recordings are getting renewed interest of late and are being re-released. The vinyl versions have been particularly popular among collectors.)
The opportunity to hear Epple live in Southwest Florida comes only once or twice a year, as she spends most of her time touring or recording.
To hear samples of Elemental Circuitry, visit cdbaby.com/cd/kateppleandnathandyke.
This weekend’s concert information is:
Friday, April 24, 7 p.m.
Unity of Fort Myers
11120 Ranchette Road, Fort Myers
Suggested donation $15
Sunday, April 26, 3 p.m.
Bower Chapel at Moorings Park
120 Moorings Park Drive, Naples
Donations appreciated
For additional performance information, visit Epple’s Facebook events page.
