Sweet Joe Pye blend old-time charm with new original songs on their EP Rise Early — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A cross-continental string band trio known for their fusion of Appalachian tradition and contemporary chamber music, Sweet Joe Pye crafted this three-song set during a one-day studio session in Paris. The EP features songs that spotlight the talents of Annick Odom, Henri Colombat and Lucas Henri. From Odom’s touching vocals and evocative fiddling to Colombat’s talented mandolin and guitar work, and Henri’s dynamic arrangements skills and virtuosity on banjo, guitar, and bass, every track resonates with the joy and camaraderie of musicians deeply immersed in their craft.
Inspired by the “crooked” nature of many fiddle tunes and songs, Colombat’s fiddle tunes and Odom’s original compositions exhibit intriguing variations in meter, adding depth and complexity to the tracks. Odom infuses her compositions with a spirit of storytelling learned from her experience growing up and living in West Virginia, where she has been an apprentice to ballad singer Phyllis Marks and fiddle player / folklorist Gerry Milnes.
With music grown in the quiet hills of West Virginia to the bustling streets of Paris and the flat landscapes of the Netherlands, Sweet Joe Pye’s sound extends past geographical boundaries and genres. The EP starts with a song written in Dutch, then moves on to a lullaby for a student of Annick’s that was killed in a drive-by shooting, and finishes with a song created by arranging turns of phrase used by Annick’s mentor Marks. It is interspersed with two fiddle tunes by Colombat — one written while thinking of his home state of Maryland, and another that was a birthday gift to Annick.
“We’re all deeply influenced by our love of old time and classical music, especially chamber music,” shares Odom. “Playing alongside these two extraordinary musicians and exploring various instrumentations in our songs was an exhilarating experience for me. I hope listeners can feel the joy and trust in my bandmates that I experienced on recording day shining through in the recording.”
Odom, in addition to being a songwriter and singer, is a classically trained bassist and clarinetist with the new music collective Linen of Words. Her solo works have recently been performed at the Third Place Concert Series, Banff Center for the Arts, Oh My Ears! New Music Festival in Arizona, and New Music on the Point.
Colombat is a composer and mandolinist, and studied electronic music composition in Paris in 2022-23. His music has been performed by the Antwerp Symphony, Ensemble Dal Niente, Quatuor Bozzini, and Trio Emerillon. Colombat has been recognised by the Remus Georgescu International Competition and KLANG! in 2023, BMI Student Composer Awards in 2020 and 2019, the Luba Zuk piano duo composition competition in 2018, and the Louis Cheslock Award in Composition in 2015.
Henri is a classical bassist who joined the Orchestre National de Lille and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in 2015. He is also an arranger and orchestrator. As an arranger, he also collaborates with artists such as the Joubran Trio, Gad Elmaleh and Philippe Katerine on recordings and on stage. His arrangements have been performed at the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Opéra Garnier and the Olympia.
Sweet Joe Pye are based between Paris and West Virgina. They have performed in festivals across Europe, including Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival and Herbe Bleue Festival. Their name comes from the flower that grows tall along many country roads in West Virginia.
