I have recently discovered and become a big fan of avant cellist Zöe Keating. With just her cello, a foot-controlled Macbook Pro that runs Ableton Live, SooperLooper and MidiPipe, a bank of MIDI pedals, live looping, and various plucks and strums and taps and slides - she produces an entire orchestra of sound. She distributes her own music sans record company, she lives in a redwood forest, she has red dreadlocks. There's a lot to like here. She has produced three recordings, Into the Trees, One Cello x 16: Natoma, and One Cello x 16. All are worth a listen.
[NOTE: Video shows her playing "Escape Artist" at TED in San Francisco].
[NOTE: Originally posted July 29, 2011].
[NOTE: She has recently changed her hairstyle and the dreadlocks are gone].
[NOTE: She is currently playing the closing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Go here to hear a "rough draft" of this piece].