Harold Fethe Trio

Sunday, August 14, 2011 | 48 Hour Stage | 12pm

Guitarist Harold Fethe knows the power of the Bauhaus formula: less is more. He favors small ensembles, often with other string players; an open sound and conversational playing style among his band mates; and a wide-ranging set list, with an honored place for R&B, Americana and Rock flavors alongside Jazz and standards.

A role as founding guitarist for mid-90s Swing-revival band Indigo Swing marked his return to music, after a long career as an executive in Silicon Valley’s biopharmaceutical industry.

Fethe’s musical instincts also found expression in his critically-praised album Out of Nowhere on Chicago’s Southport Records featuring Jazz violinist Johnny Frigo among some of Chicago’s finest: Pavarotti and Domingo accompanist Joe Vito on piano and accordion; Marian McPartland’s bass player, Jim Cox; and vocalist Joanie Pallato, who gave a memorable performance of Frigo’s “Detour Ahead.”

Fethe recently co-produced and performed at a reunion concert, part of a documentary about the players and original audience members at Sarah’s Sandwich Shop, a top R&B destination near the University of Florida during the civil rights era. As a writer, he is a frequent contributor to Fretboard Journal, a premier stringed-instrument publication.

fethe.com