BIOGRAPHY

Contorting the violin into new traditions, violinist/composer Jaron Freeman-Fox dances down the fine line between the beautiful and the ridiculous, while redefining what the violin can do.  Having produced or played on over 40 albums (Jayme Stone, Autorickshaw, Josh Van Tassel) and toured the world many times over as a solo artist, frontman or collaborator with bands such as Delhi 2 Dublin, The David Woodhead Confabulation and Ben Caplan, Freeman-Fox fuses his roots of Celtic and bluegrass fiddling with his study of Indian classical music and jazz, while playing the 5-string violins of his late mentor; fiddle pioneer Oliver Schroer.

Now, after 3 years of touring, writing, recording and spelunking with his fieryband Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite of Everything, Jaron unveils his band’s new self-titled album in March 2013, fully demonstrating the breadth, depth, and general lunacy of this ensemble’s creativity.

Folks may be intrigued by the fact that JFF has performed for 100,000 people and the young royal couple on Parlimant hill, or that the Canadian Embassy was kind enough (or foolish enough) to send him off to collaborate with a troupe of nomadic Rajasthani gypsies at the Delhi International Arts Festival, or that his debut album “Manic Almanac : Slow Möbius” won an Independent Music Award, or that he’s performed with Delhi2Dublin, Tanya Tagaq, and James Kudelka. Jaron however, is most proud of the fact that he’s broken three different fiddles on stage and zero bones, had his violin stolen by monkeys in Bali and got it back without contracting rabies, and has the honour of featuring his absolute favourite musicians in the world, in his band The Opposite of Everything.

 

The Opposite of Everything:

Described as “Tom Waits playing the fiddle, backed up by the Mahavishnu Orchestra”, The Opposite of Everything transform Freeman-Fox’s intricate compositions into an infectious party! The line-up consists of New Orleans-style clarinetist John Williams, electro-pop klezmer accordionist Robbie Grunwald, jazz bassist Charles James, and drummer Dan Stadnicki. After three busy years of touring, the band will be going coast-to-coast again this summer, then heading overseas for their first full european tour this fall, now with their eagerly-awaited new album!

 

The whole blasted story:

Scampering about the islands and mountains of northwest BC, Jaron’s early life was nomadically spent moving from festival to festival, busking, house-sitting, harvesting, home schooling, and the occasional van ride across the continent.  At age 14 Jaron began a close apprenticeship with the fiddler/composer Oliver Schroer, which lasted until Shroer’s death from Leukemia in 2008.

At Age 17, Jaron went on to music school in Vancouver where he studied jazz, composition, as well as classical performance under the renowned classical violinist Marc Destrube. Soon after migrating to the city, Jaron was touring with artists such as The Paperboys, Shane Koyczan, and Tambura Rasa.

In 2007, Jaron began a long-term study in India to pursue his love of Indian classical music.  While studying with India’s top violinists (A. Kanyakumeri, Dr. Narmadha, Dr. Balaji) Jaron was soon also performing alongside great artists themselves such as T.V. Gopalakrishnan (well known for his work with George Harrison and Pandit Ravi Shankar), and John Anthony (the original guitarist for L. Shankar)

After moving to Toronto, Jaron was soon performing with all forms of artists from The Good Lovelies, to Autorickshaw, to Peter Katz and is incessantly working as a session musician, composer, producer and collaborator, providing the music for dance with James Kudelka, multimedia theatre by Heather Hermant (aka Rotery Poet), storytelling by Dan Yashinsky, film soundtracks by Rich Pell  and even a Canadian Tire Commercial and iphone video game by Click Gamer.

Jaron enjoys long stumbles on the beach, early-morning bedtimes, and unrehearsed fire juggling.  Jaron cannot tell his left from right except when airborne, and is incapable of walking past shoes left out on the street without at least trying them on.