Billy Contreras | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1984-12-17)December 17, 1984 (age 40) |
| Genres | jazz, bluegrass, country, blues, Western swing, rock, jam, nu jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, teacher |
| Instrument(s) | Violin, mandolin, guitar, piano, bass[1] |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Columbia Records,Compass Records, COJAZZ |
Billy Contreras (born December 17, 1984) is an Americanjazz violinist andbluegrass fiddler,multi-instrumentalist, session player and educator.
Born in St. Joseph, Michigan to parents of mixed American and Mexican ancestry, Billy Jarrett Contreras moved toFranklin, Tennessee with his family at the age of five. When he was six years old, Contreras attended a local fiddle contest and was encouraged to study violin using theSuzuki method.
Billy was inspired early in his childhood by fiddlerCharlie Daniels after having seen him perform "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" on Country Music Television (the two would play together in 2017). He then studied for a year and a half with Nashville fiddlerJim Wood, who introduced Billy to fiddle tunes and their colorful histories.[2]
When he was eight years old, Contreras began studying with legendary Nashville session violinistBuddy Spicher, who taught him aboutWestern Swing and familiarized the precocious young fiddler with jazz standards.[3]
At the age of ten Billy joined Buddy Spicher's Nashville Swing Band, with Contreras and Spicher becoming regulars at Wolfy's in Downtown Nashville. After playing with Spicher for six years, the pair perfected a harmonically dense twin fiddling style characterized by double-stops and triple-stops played on each instrument, creating four to six-voice chords.[4]
When he was 12 years old Contreras won theNational Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest inWeiser, Idaho for his age division.[5]
Contreras was a featured performer at theLionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Idaho in 1998 and 1999, the latter date including a performance with an all-star lineup including Hampton, pianistHank Jones, guitaristHerb Ellis and trumpeterRoy Hargrove. He also played at the festival in 2000 and 2001. In the late 1990s Contreras also worked extensively with The Texas Playboys, performed with country starHank Thompson, and played inLionel Hampton's big band at the Chet Atkins Musicians Days Festival.
In the liner notes of Contreras' first LP as a leader,Wild Fiddler, jazz violinist and fiddle masterMark O'Connor observes: “He’s a natural musician, playing with ease the ideas he collects as he encounters new musical influences.”[6]
From 1998-2000 Contreras studied with noted American classical violinistRachel Barton Pine in Chicago, where he flew up for lessons from Tennessee every other weekend.[7]
Billy was selected for theBetty Carter Jazz Ahead international residency program in 1999, 2000 and 2001, which helps in "discovering and presenting the next generation of jazz greats."[8]
After completing his sophomore year of high school in 2001, Contreras was accepted early into theUniversity of MiamiFrost School of Music on a full scholarship. During his time in Miami, Contreras recorded as a featured soloist on two electro-acousticnu jazz albums produced by fellow studentScott Routenberg—Lots of Pulp[9] andJazztronicus.[10] He also performed the premiere of composerMaria Schneider'sGrammy Award nominated "Three Romances" with the University of Miami's Concert Jazz Band, an extended work commissioned by the ensemble.
Contreras then moved back to Nashville, where he made a reputation as a freelance violinist and session player, appearing with such names asGeorge Jones,Doc Severinsen,Hank Thompson,Hank Williams III andCrystal Gayle. Contreras has also performed with theNashville Symphony and has played theBridgestone Arena, theRyman Auditorium andThe Kennedy Center.[11]
On April 21, 2018, Contreras was featured as a guest artist onLive from Here withChris Thile inNew York City.[12]
In 2003 Billy recorded the albumRobinella and the CC String Band onColumbia Records with his brother, mandolinist Cruz Contreras and his sister-in-lawRobinella. Contreras subsequently toured with the band and performed onNBC'sLate Night with Conan O'Brien, theBonnaroo Music Festival and theGrand Ole Opry. The band, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, won the regional "Best Bluegrass Group" four years in a row.[13]
As a recording member of his brother Cruz's bandThe Black Lillies, Billy performed onWhiskey Angel.
Billy has collaborated with fellow jazz violinistChristian Howes on two all-string band albums,Jazz Fiddle Revolution (2004) andJazz Fiddle Evolution (2009), both of which showcase Contreras' technical virtuosity, twin fiddle showmanship, jazz improvisation, modern jazz string effects like "The Chop," and arranging skills.[14]
In 2005 and 2017 Contreras won third place in the Nashville Grand Master Fiddler Championship; he placed fourth in the competition in 2018.[15]
Billy Contreras has spent some time as an Adjunct Faculty Member atBelmont University School of Music in Nashville, teaching jazz violin; it is not quite clear whether he still serves or not. But it is clear that he is currently serving withRicky Skaggs'Kentucky Thunder band, having joined in 2021 after the previous fiddler suffered a stroke[16]. He won a CanadianCovenant Award in 2017 and was nominated for aGMA Dove Award in 2013.[17][18]
At the age of 16 Contreras began teaching at theMark O'Connor Fiddle Camp in Nashville, where he was a regular teacher at the camps until 2014.[19]
Contreras is aD'Addario Orchestral Independent Artist.[20]
Contreras is known primarily for playing in the styles ofjazz,bluegrass,Western swing andcountry.
Contreras' harmonic approach to the instrument has influenced several contemporary jazz violinists, includingChristian Howes, who calls Contreras a "huge influence" who plays the violin "the way a piano player plays the piano."[21]
Contreras enjoys the looseness and fluidity of non-classical genres: “Jazz playing is a lot freer; you don’t have to stick to the song’s melody as much. When you’re doing classical, they want you to do it right by the book. Bluegrass and country, you can also play a lot more fluid runs, more smooth melodies, while in jazz you have more variations in styles, breaks, and tempo.”[22]