ALL ABOUT JAZZ At the celebrated and celebratory New Orleans Jazz Festival, a walk through the fairgrounds is an astonishing experience as the strains of myriad musics come together in the air and everything feels connected. The same feeling is to be had from the debut album by Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadocia. With a minimum number of voices -- guitar, cello, vocal and some percussion -- the duo creates colors and textures that suggest a world of musics coalescing. Yarrow is the daughter of Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary and so we might expect that she'd have a sense of the folk tradition, but what she does with and to that tradition is nothing short of brilliant. Her voice is rich, dark and true and in this quiet and simple framework it cuts right through to express all that the music needs. But somehow she goes beyond and makes more of these mostly traditional folk songs. She has the rhythmic sensibility and depth of feeling to call forth the jazz and blues tradition and the breadth of textures to take a listener around the world. Her voice blossoms in extraordinary ways. "St. James Infirmary" could be located in any place where there is loss -- it's a bleak, lonely place but, alas, we want to go back there. And the duo follows that grimly rich story with Jesse Winchester's almost rollicking "Isnít That So" -- a sassy response to a jealous and angry divinity. Yarrow's voice is stark and powerful, feeling both informed by years of tradition and yet brand new. Cappadocia plays a specially designed electric cello and often provides the bass complement to Yarrow's striking vocals. His pitch and timing are right on the money -- hear how he blends the two in amazing fashion on the Reverend Gary Davisí "If I Had My Way" -- everything he does rocks the foundation and pushes the story forward. No produced band could sound more powerful or more right. And then he moves Phil Ochs' gorgeous "No More Songs" in quite a different way, revealing the funereal march qualities with a steady pulse and a heartbreaking arco solo. This is American music that reaches out to invite and include so much more. Most of the songs have a sad undercurrent and yet at the hands of these two artists they emerge as shining songs for a new time. . . AMAZON.COM EDITORIAL REVIEW "Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadocia manage to get quite a bit out of not much at all. Their spare collaboration on 900 Miles references a wide swath of folk and jazz, but the nocturnal smokiness of Yarrow's haunted alto and Cappadocia's cello combine for a sound that's outside of the usual music universe. There's some Cowboy Junkies here, a dash of Tuck & Patti there and an overall otherworldliness more akin to a David Lynch movie. Yarrow doesn't just vamp for the whole record though; her range careens from hushed to strident, and she even does a pretty fair PJ Harvey wail (circa 4-Track Demos) on "Linin' Track," and "Isn't That So?" Meanwhile, Cappadocia often puts down his bow, extracting some funk out of "If I Had My Way," or leading off "East Virginia" with a little Latin guitar flavor. But the heart of the record is in the ballads, as the duo stretches out with long, dark adagio passages filled with dust and desire. Bethany & Rufus successfully transcend their limited instrumentation, coming up with a debut that gets better and better with each listen." ‚ Matthew Cooke . . SING OUT MAGAZINE "A funky cello line (that sounds like a bass line) lays down an infectious groove on the title cut of 900 Miles, offering the first taste of Bethany and Rufus' soul-funk. Bethany's hesitant, haunting vocals join the bass line at the 20 second mark, filling this familiar lyric with an impassioned reading. A similar arrangement adorns the beginning of "East Virginia," but is tastefully augmented by Rufus' bowed five-string cello. Lots of ambience has been added to both tracks and is especially noticeable on the vocal, a choice that wouldíve stuck out on a straight-folk recoding but works well with the jazzy vibe. Neither of these cuts, however, really prepare you for "Linin' Track," a soulful groove featuring light percussion, multi-vocal parts and rhythmically charged guitar sounding cello line. In a number of places, 900 Miles ventures far from anything that might qualify as traditional folk, but the music is all the fresher for Bethany and Rufus' original take. Bethany even manages to make "St. James Infirmary" sound sexy, in that dark, murky fashion that has always stood Margo Timmons of the Cowboy Junkies in good esteem. Listening o the thick-bassy pluck of the cello strings on "Isnít That So," it's easy to imagine the duo holding court in a jazz bar at 3 a.m., cigarette smoke curling into the stage light. 900 Miles shows how cool and sensuous folk music can be when a duo like Bethany and Rufus throw out the rule book." . . GLIDE MAGAZINE "With minimal accompaniment covering traditional folk songs, 900 Miles' interpretations by Bethany and Rufus cover new ground. Bethany Yarrow, daughter of Peter Yarrow from Peter, Paul, and Mary, exudes breathy and airy vocals. Her deep, sultry tones and elongated phrasings bring new life into songs that had once been seen as simply early Americana. Rufus Cappadocia becomes her backbone with his delicate cello bass lines. "East Virginia" seeps into the air with a gradual unfolding of storytelling while the piece, "Linin' Track," nestles juxtaposed with a subtle funk low end. At times the tracks recall jazz standards and other times the fleshing out of power gospel. All in all, Bethany & Rufus cultivate an eclectic mixture that remains fresh on 900 Miles." -- Sarah Moore . . ALL MUSIC GUIDE "The first thing that comes to mind when listening to this fascinating folk duo -- vocalist Bethany Yarrow, daughter of folk legend Peter Yarrow, and veteran five-string cellist Rufus Cappadocia -- is a slightly darker and more gritty Tuck & Patti, mostly due to the sparse production and Yarrow's compelling, low husky tones. But while Tuck & Patti are, at the end of the day, true romantics, Bethany & Rufus edge deeper in the darker spaces between groove, jazz and a gritty approach to traditional folk. With Yarrow's voice shadowing Cappadocia's plucky melodic/rhythmic approach to the bass, the two blend influences from dusty American field recordings to modern jazz (the cheeky "Isn't That So"), from light folk-pop (the snappy title track, "900 Miles") to the griot traditions of Africa ("If I Had My Way (Samson & Delilah)"). Hypnotic pieces like "The Swallow" and "Asturiana" allow Cappadocia to venture into chamber music territory as he creates haunting, sustained notes under his partner's ethereal lead. While these songs may take a few listens to fully resonate, there's no denying that in a world where a lot of fluffy pop passes as folk, Bethany & Rufus, in taking a more original road, have come up with the real deal." -- Jonathan Widran . . THE GUARDIAN - (4 stars of 5) "When I played the title track of this album to a radio producer, his reaction was that it was too "jazzy" for a world and roots programme. But I'm sure a jazz producer would have rejected it for being too "folky". It seems this unusual but intensely musical duo of Bethany Yarrow (voice) and Rufus Cappadocia (five-string cello and percussion) produce quintessentially "etc" music, a splash of sunlight between the grey cracks of mediated culture. The repertoire is familiar: American folk songs such as East Virginia and St James Infirmary. The treatment is ingenious, with Cappadocia's pizzicato cello evoking both jazz bass and blues guitar practices while his bowed passages add feeling. Despite the minimalist lineup, the production is rich. And quite commercial - perhaps more than the label realises - given that Yarrow, like Norah Jones, has a warm, attractive voice, sultry looks and a famous dad: Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary." - John L Walters . . JAZZ TIMES - Vox from the Jan/Feb 2007 Issue "And the second-generation beat goes on. First, there was the platinum splash made by sitarist Ravi Shankar's daughter, Norah Jones. Then Jen Chapin, echoing the moralist vibrancy of her troubadour dad Harry, began a slower, though no less impressive, ascent. Now, Bethany Yarrow, offspring of Peter (of Peter, Paul and Mary fame), is, in tandem with cellist Rufus Cappadocia, carrying the folk-fueled family torch. In addition to boasting an iconic dad, Yarrow also shares with Jones and Chapin the distinction of a keen, dusky-voiced musicianship that blurs folk, rock and pop. Working her way through more than a century's worth of material, traveling from the traditional railroad work song "Linin' Track" and the antique title track's wayfaring blues to Jesse Winchester's gently infectious "Isn't That So?" and Phil Ochs' achingly beautiful "No More Songs," Yarrow sounds eerily like a softer-edged Patricia Barber. Consistently proficient as she is, it is, though, Cappadocia's brilliance that gives this disc its remarkable sheen. His palette, extending from the baroque majesty of "No More Songs" to the Nashville kick of "If I Had My Way," is incredibly rich and, as superbly demonstrated on the Spanish lament "Asturiana" with its intriguing dirge/hymn dichotomy, amazingly clever." -Christopher Loud . . GOLDMINE MAGAZINE "Bethany delivers low, smoky tones that call to mind Nina Simone or Cassandra Wilson delving into field recordings... Cappadocia bows and plucks [his] cello with dramatic tension and stately grace. With stunning imagination, Bethany & Rufus move music linked with her father's era in arresting new directions. Bravo!" . . BUFFALO NEWS (3.5 stars of 4) "When you first hear the opening of the title tune, you do a double, then a triple take: Is that Patricia Barber singing the old folk blues with her breathy, gorgeous, across-the-pillow contralto? Nope, it's Bethany Yarrow, daughter of Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary and she's singing an entire disc over the multitracked pluckings and bowings of cellist Rufus Cappadoccia. They do a whole folk songbook in this cabaret way - Leadbelly's "Linin' Track," "St. James' Infirmary," Rev. Gary Davis' "If I Had My Way," Phil Ochs' "No More Songs." It's inventive and often haunting." . . STRAIGHT MAGAZINE - Vancouver Folk Fest Notes "...two other debuts and discoveries showed the festival's hipper side... The duo of Bethany and Rufus gave a fresh twist to old ballads. Singer Bethany Yarrow has a strong presence and powerful voice, wringing every ounce of feeling from traditional pieces such as "Saint James Infirmary" and the dark Appalachian ditty "Pretty Polly" without overstepping into melodrama. Rufus Cappadocia is an intense and imaginative musician who plays a five-string cello and can pluck its strings like a standup bass or bounce his bow off them as if playing a percussion instrument..." -- Tony Montague . . AMERICANA UK: (8 of 10 stars): "Nearly all the songs are traditional, but every one is reinterpreted in a way that takes them to a place youíve never dreamed of, no matter how many times youíve heard them before... leaving you utterly transfixed... where the cumulative effect and intensity are simply astonishing." . . THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE "As the daughter of Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, Bethany Yarrow has a musical style heavily influenced by her folk upbringing. Her thick, soulful storytelling, performed in a deep, haunting voice, is accompanied by Rufus Cappadocia's stunning cello plucking. Yarrow initially rebelled against her upbringing and became a filmmaker, producing several documentaries. She brings this cinematic approach to her stunning stage presence, while Cappadocia's genre-bending cello playing blends jazz and funk elements." - Amy Vecchione . . NEWPORT MERCURY NEWS "...Here's a dynamic duo destined to wow their audience... With an upcoming dynamic, yet stunningly simple and beautiful CD, the blend of Yarrow's mesmerizing voice accompanied by the deep oozing sounds of Cappadocia's cello will make a lasting first impression." -Elisabeth Steinhardt . . THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS "Wow! This "folk music'' will knock your socks off. Their self-titled debut album is a testament to the power of simplicity with Bethany Yarrow's haunting voice over the pulsing lines of Rufus Cappadocia's five-string cello. They redefine traditional songs such as "900 Miles,'' "Linin' Track'' and "St. James Infirmary.'' Somewhere in heaven, the Rev. Gary Davis is smiling down at their "Had My Way." -- Mark Whittington