The Giant Cicada is a living, buzzing creature making a new sound of songs you know and songs you will want to know, played by strings and percussion, and sung by the amazing vocalist Lynn Stein. Their sound has been called “Chamber Punk.” Energetic, danceable, fun, beautiful. Throbbing, energetic but gentle. Rooted in jazz, bluegrass and baroque. Funky and sweet.

The band began as an extension of the partnership of the vocal/bass duo Jon & Lynn, who’ve been sharing their love for the essence of song and minimalist arrangements with their fans. The group’s bassist Jon Burr is the leader of The Giant Cicada.

With the addition of violin, guitar, cajon drum, and bowed upright bass, the duo ventured farther down the paths of pop, dance, world and jazz and developed a vibrant new sound.

Jon & Lynn have been recording and performing to strong reviews, probing a wide range of styles with their rich sound and surprisingly complete arrangements for bass and voice, recently extending their reach with this unique band.

Jon Burr (jonburr.com) has been active as a bassist, bandleader, composer and producer, and vocalist Lynn Stein (lynnstein.com) has established a career as an artist/painter/curator in the years since their last meeting. Jon worked in groups such as those of Tony Bennett, Chet Baker, Stephane Grappelli, Stan Getz, and was a founding member of Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing Trio; and Lynn became Artistic Director for the Rockland Center for the Arts (rocklandartcenter.org), returning to her musical roots as a vocalist.

Jonathan Russell (jonathanjazz.com) is an exciting fifteen-year-old jazz violinist who bridges generational and cultural gaps with improvised jazz. He is one of the 2009-2010 Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin honorees. His performances in Europe and throughout the United States at clubs and jazz festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Bohém Jazz Festival in Hungary have earned the respect and praise of seasoned jazz musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Bucky Pizzarelli and the late Les Paul.

A distinctive modern mainstream guitarist, John Hart has impressed many with his fine recordings as a leader for Blue Note and Concord. Among his most significant associations were with Terumasa Hino, Larry Goldings, and particularly Jack McDuff, with whom he toured and recorded. In addition, Hart has been a busy music educator and performed with many top jazz artists, including Jimmy Smith, Lou Donaldson, James Moody, Mike Mainieri, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, and Steve Allen, in addition to leading his own groups.*

The world-renowned percussionist Carlos “Go-Go” Gomez (carlosgogogomez.com)has played and recorded with a long list of artists including Mariah Carey, Tito Puente, Sade, Airto/Flora Purim, Charlie Palmieri, Gypsy Kings, Gato Barbieri, Arturo Sandoval, Jose Feliciano, Manhattan Transfer, Mickey Hart, Pharaoh Sanders, and Grupo Afro-Cuba de Matanzas.

Nick Russo (nickrusso.org), playing bottleneck on tracks 1, 3, 5 & 8, is a frequent collaborator with both Jon & Lynn and Giant Cicada, alternating in the Cicada guitar chair on occasion. He appears in Sam Mendes’ film "Away We Go" & plays on the soundtrack for King George. Has been sideman w/Jimmy McGriff, Teddy Charles, Sonny Dallas, Victor Jones, Vince Giordano & The Night Hawks, Miles Griffith, David Pleasant, Jon Burr & others. He has an interview in the recently published book: “The New Face of Jazz” (Cicily Janus). His album "Ro" received reviews in publications internationally.

The Giant Cicada been rehearsing, recording, and performing in the New York area with a focus on material chosen for its appropriateness to their unique sound. Their repertoire is drawn from 60’s pop, jazz, the Great American Songbook of Standards, songs from around the world, as well as original tunes.

The first Jon & Lynn CD was released March 1, 2010 on the jbQ Media label. This Giant Cicada EP is their second release.

Find them on the web at giantcicada.com.

*paragraph: Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Giant Cicada EPK
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwjq974A_84
On the Joey Reynolds NBC TV show
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o00ChNQrfKg
Giant Cicada Shows:
artistdata.sonicbids.com/giant-cicada/shows/