Steve Kindler - information about artist
Steve Kindler - ,An internationally recognized violin virtuoso, composer, the first one to play the 9 string electric violin, lecturer, expert on bowed instruments. His violin combines the sound of all four members of the string family, as well as the piccolo violin. He was a member of John McLaughlin's fusion band, Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Kindler has also toured and recorded with Jan Hammer, Jeff Beck, and Kitaro. Kindler's smooth yet impassioned violin improvisations are the perfect vehicle for his own highly melodic compositions, combining classical, jazz, rock, and ethnic influences. In addition, `2Kindler is a member of Barefoot, a co-op world-music dance group.
He began his career in music at 10 years old playing with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, and by 14 was touring internationally with the orchestra. At 16 he received a scholarship to study at Tanglewood institute under the batons of Leonard Bernstein, Seigi Ozawa, and studied privately with Eugene Lehner and Roman Totenberg. At 18, he was invited to join the inovative Jazz Fusion ensemble The Mahavishnu Orchestra where he played with greats John McLaughlin, Jean Luc Ponty and Narada Michael Waldon.
After touring for a year and a half throughout the world and recording the Mahavishnu album 'Visions Of The Emerald Beyond', he was asked by Jan Hammer to record and become a part of his new 4 piece ensemble including Doug Rauch and Tony "Thunder" Smith. This led to the formation of the Jeff Beck/Jan Hammer Group and 3 more years of world tours. During this time Steve recorded on 'The First Seven Days, 'Oh Yeah, and 'Melodies' with Jan Hammer Group and Jeff Beck Live' with Jeff.
From '74-'79, during his time living in New York City, he also played with Cat Stevens, Perry Robinson and the Brubeck Brothers (Darius Chris and Dan), Oregon members Collin Walcot Glen Moore and Paul McCandless, and jazz piano great Kenny Werner. In 1975 Steve was given his first multi- stringed violin from the Barcus-Berry company.
During this time he also played in the group Spring Flowers with Hindusthani sarod master Vasant Rai. Steve then left New York City and moved to Hawaii where he played 1st Violin in the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra which gave him the opportunity to play with Robert LaMarchina, Leonard Panerio, Maxim and Dmitri Shostokovitch, YoYoMa, Schlomo Mintz, and many others.
During the 1980's Steve became a leading exponent of the yet uncheesafied New Age music genre and produced a number of inovative and influential recordings that featured Zakir Hussein, Randy Jackson, Juaquin Lievano, Susan Cianni, David Friesen, Georgia Kelly, Paul Horn, Teja Bell, Casey Scheuerell, Jim Berenger, Carlos Reyes, and more.
His album 'Dolphin Smiles' (with Teja Bell), considered now to be a new age classic, was a top ten album on the billboard charts for 7 weeks, where he similtaniously was in the classical charts with harpist Georgia Kelly. Steve was also on the cover of Billboard Magazine beneath the headline, "Superstars of New Age". He also produced a number of albums for various artists from CBS-Sony. The 80's also saw Steve co-found an ethnic fusion ensemble "Barfoot" with Berkeley drummer Clay Henry This inovative music pointed the way for many others into what would soon be termed World Music. In 1983.
Steve worked with master luthier, the late Steve Klein on the design and production of his first 6 String Electric Violin. In the late 80's Steve was invited to be the Violinist on the first western tours of New Age music pioneer Kitaro. His violin can be heard on Kitaro's album Kojiki'. In 1991 Steve's studio and residence were smack-dab in the middle of the Oakland fire storm, which consumed all his instruments, studio, master tapes, manuscript compositions, live tapes of his former bands, et al. He escaped with one violin and one box of casettes.... and the clothes on his back (hearts&flowers).
At that point he was quoted as saying"with a name like Kindler one has to expect things of this sort". Since that time, Steve has been raising his families in The Bay Area and Hungary, doing a history of baroque violin music, and studying, transcribing, and performing Hungarian Folk Music.
