Jamie Janover is recognized as a true innovator on the hammered dulcimer. As the 2002 national hammered dulcimer champion, Jamie is reinventing the way hammered dulcimer used by being the leading purveyor of a new style called dulcitronica!
Intricately layered soundscapes evolve from dense textural grooves to spacious ethereal ambience using a custom hammered dulcimer, miniature drum kit and the magic of digital technology. Jamie brings new direction to the hammered dulcimer by applying diverse percussive techniques drawn from some of the other instruments he plays: drums, mini-kit, multi-percussion, tabla, congas, bongos, timbales, and udu. His background as a drummer gives him a totally different approach to the hammered dulcimer than traditional players. His style is characterized by a symbiotic interplay between rhythm and melody, laying down deep intricate grooves and not being afraid to take the listener into new realms of the timbral universe.
Since moving to Boulder, Colorado in 1995, Jamie has played with a diverse group of bands including, ZILLA, Zuvuya, The Motet, The Theory Of Everything, Vibe Squad, The Zambiland Orchestra, Chupacabra, and his own band, Jamie Janover and the Realms Ensemble, among many others.
Jamie is also a veteran of hundreds of live guest appearances having performed with Phish, Stanley Jordan, Bela Fleck, The String Cheese Incident , Leftover Salmon, Keller Williams, The Jazz Mandolin Project, Sector 9, The Slip, Govt Mule, Tony Furtado, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Warren Haynes, Sam Bush, Derrek Trucks, Future Man, Stanton Moore, members of the Rebirth Brass Band, The Dead, Big Head Todd and the Monsters and The Yonder Mountain String Band, among many others.
Jamie has appeared on over 30 commercial CD releases including recordings by The String Cheese Incident, G. Love and Special Sauce, Keller Williams, Garaj Mahal, Shanti Groove, Chupacabra and Stephen Halpern. He has performed at venues and festivals across the country including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, N.W. Festival of Jazz and Wine, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Tippitina's in New Orleans and The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
A world traveler, Jamie has played not just in the U.S. and Canada, but also in Africa (for the Masai of Kenya), India and Australia. His live performances have included everything from solo hammered dulcimer concerts, to playing in bands on drum kit, percussion, hammered dulcimer or didjeridoo. Jamie also does hammered dulcimer workshops, school assemblies, weddings and accompanies dance and theater performances.
Jamie Janover's music is diverse in scope and so have been the ways in which it has been used. Janover's music has been used for television and video soundtracks, theater and dance performances, meditation practices and massage videos. His work has been treated in several nationally circulated publications including Dirty Linen, Relix, Dulcimer Player News, and Mountain Freak and has been featured on the NPR radio programs "All Things Considered" and "New Sounds".
An incredible new step in Jamie's creative output was his invention of the "Realms Mobile", which is a musical vehicle! The "Realms Mobile" is a recumbent tricycle, attached to which is a mini-simulated drumkit. This enables Jamie to play drums with both hands and pedal around at the same time! He brings it out at large festivals including Burning Man.
With each new project, new album, new band, new instrument comes another step in the continued evolution of Jamie's creative process. He continues to cross-pollinate both genres and mediums in his continual exploration into the infinite realms of the creative process. Perhaps best...
