Jump, Little Children
Encyclopedia
Jump, Little Children, later known as Jump, was a band formed in 1991 in the city of Winston-Salem
, North Carolina
. Known for their unique sound, energetic live performances, and willingness to interact with fans, the band built a strong following over their fourteen years together. They played their final show on December 30, 2005 in their adopted hometown of Charleston
, South Carolina
.
The name "Jump, Little Children" is taken from a song by blues musicians Sonny Terry
and Brownie McGhee
.
Past members:
Frequent collaborators:
in Winston-Salem
, NC
in 1991. The band played their first show on January 1, 1992 as part of a New Year's Day
festival in downtown Winston-Salem.
The group was performing Irish music at the time, and in the winter of 1992, Clifford, Bivins, and Pollen traveled to Ireland
to learn their craft firsthand. Upon their return, Evan Bivins left the School of the Arts to join the band, and the quartet decided to move to Boston, MA
. As they worked to finance the move, the band spent the summer of 1993 in Charleston
, SC
, where they met future member Jonathan Gray. After arriving in Boston in late 1993, Jump, Little Children recorded and released a self-titled cassette featuring original songs and traditional Irish works. Pollen then left the group to join a religious community, and Clifford and the Bivins brothers returned to Charleston in the summer of 1994.
Gray and Williams joined the lineup soon thereafter and the band was frequently found busking
on the corner of Church and Market Streets in Charleston. Their Irish influences began to blend with an alternative rock sound, and the public took notice. They continued to gain local notoriety and received regional radio airplay for the song "Quiet." Jump, Little Children recorded and released The Licorice Tea Demos in early 1995, and toured the Southeast with vigor. Regular touring continued throughout 1996 and 1997, including the first of what would become a yearly tradition: New Year's shows at the Dock Street Theatre
in Charleston.
Buzz, a live EP, was released in early 1997, and the band was courted by various record labels. The group eventually chose Breaking Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records
started by Hootie and the Blowfish, in 1998. Jump, Little Children's first and only album released under Breaking Records, Magazine, was recorded during the summer of 1998 with producer Brad Jones
. Magazine was released in the fall of 1998, and the single "Cathedrals" achieved radio play nationwide over the following year.
and mixed by David Leonard, the album was originally due to be released in May 2001, but was put on hold when Breaking Records was dropped from the Atlantic roster. The rights to Vertigo were given to Breaking, and after a fierce struggle, Jump, Little Children was able to release the album on their own imprint, EZ Chief Records, in September 2001. Vertigo reached #44 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.
The band regrouped over 2002 and 2003, expanding their touring to include the Midwest and West Coast
and recording and releasing a DVD titled Live At The Music Farm. They also expanded EZ Chief Records, launching a website where users could create custom CDs using tracks from independent artists. In the summer of 2003, the band took its first hiatus, but soon returned with an abbreviated name, "Jump," and plans for another album, Between The Dim & The Dark. Produced by Rick Beato and released on Brash Music in April 2004, the album was well-received. Between The Glow & The Light, an EP of B-sides
to Between The Dim & The Dark, was released in April 2005.
On June 16, 2005, the band announced that the 10th annual Dock Street Theatre shows at end of 2005 would mark their split. Their final show was a black tie
affair in Charleston on December 30, 2005, and featured material from each of the members' future projects. The show ended with the band and audience of more than 500 people walking from the theatre to the corner of Church and Market Streets for a busking session typical of the band's early years. "Jump, Little Children" was the last song played.
in honor of the band.
As more time passes since the band's dissolution, a reunion looks increasingly slim. While the bandmates remain close friends, they are separated by geography. Clifford and Gray remain in Charleston, Williams lives in Brooklyn, and the Bivins brothers reside in Chicago. Each one continues to play music and follow his own artistic pursuits. In an April 2010 interview, Clifford spoke on the topic of a reunion: "It’s incredibly hard to predict. I actually thought that by now we might warm up to one a little bit more. I know it will happen at some point, and it should probably happen sooner than later. But at this point, everybody’s real into what they’re doing, so there’s no drive to make it happen."
episode #116, "I'll Show You Mine."
On May 19, 2003, the song "Cathedrals" was featured in Everwood
episode #23, "Home."
On December 6, 2007, the song "B-13" was featured during the narrative wrap of Scrubs
episode #706, "My Number One Doctor." In addition, Jump, Little Children was one of three bands shown during True Music (HDNet
) episode #218, "South by Southwest
2004."
On June 22, 2011, the song "Cathedrals" was used on the FOX show So You Think You Can Dance
s eighth season for a contemporary piece choreographed by Stacey Tookey
for contestants jazz dancer Clarice Ordaz and broadway dancer Jess LeProtto.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Known for their unique sound, energetic live performances, and willingness to interact with fans, the band built a strong following over their fourteen years together. They played their final show on December 30, 2005 in their adopted hometown of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
The name "Jump, Little Children" is taken from a song by blues musicians Sonny Terry
Sonny Terry
Saunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry was a blind American Piedmont blues musician. He was widely known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts.-Career:Terry was born in Greensboro, Georgia...
and Brownie McGhee
Brownie McGhee
Walter Brown McGhee was a Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
.
Members
- Jay Clifford: vocals and rhythmRhythmRhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Matthew Bivins: vocals, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, melodicaMelodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, and tin whistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and... - Ward Williams: celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and guitar - Jonathan Gray: double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- Evan Bivins: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Past members:
- Christopher Pollen: guitar
- Tim Connell: tin whistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, electric bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Frequent collaborators:
- Michael Bellar (of The As-Is Ensemble): pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Amanda Kapousouz (of Tin Cup Prophette): violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
1991-1999
Jay Clifford, Matthew Bivins, Ward Williams, and Christopher Pollen met and formed Jump, Little Children at the North Carolina School of the ArtsNorth Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
in Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, NC
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1991. The band played their first show on January 1, 1992 as part of a New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
festival in downtown Winston-Salem.
The group was performing Irish music at the time, and in the winter of 1992, Clifford, Bivins, and Pollen traveled to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to learn their craft firsthand. Upon their return, Evan Bivins left the School of the Arts to join the band, and the quartet decided to move to Boston, MA
Massachusett
The Massachusett are a tribe of Native Americans who lived in areas surrounding Massachusetts Bay in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in particular present-day Greater Boston; they spoke the Massachusett language...
. As they worked to finance the move, the band spent the summer of 1993 in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, SC
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, where they met future member Jonathan Gray. After arriving in Boston in late 1993, Jump, Little Children recorded and released a self-titled cassette featuring original songs and traditional Irish works. Pollen then left the group to join a religious community, and Clifford and the Bivins brothers returned to Charleston in the summer of 1994.
Gray and Williams joined the lineup soon thereafter and the band was frequently found busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
on the corner of Church and Market Streets in Charleston. Their Irish influences began to blend with an alternative rock sound, and the public took notice. They continued to gain local notoriety and received regional radio airplay for the song "Quiet." Jump, Little Children recorded and released The Licorice Tea Demos in early 1995, and toured the Southeast with vigor. Regular touring continued throughout 1996 and 1997, including the first of what would become a yearly tradition: New Year's shows at the Dock Street Theatre
Dock Street Theatre
Dock Street Theatre is a theater in the historic French Quarter neighborhood of downtown Charleston, South Carolina. It was the first building in America designed for use as a theater. It is on the National Register of Historic Places...
in Charleston.
Buzz, a live EP, was released in early 1997, and the band was courted by various record labels. The group eventually chose Breaking Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
started by Hootie and the Blowfish, in 1998. Jump, Little Children's first and only album released under Breaking Records, Magazine, was recorded during the summer of 1998 with producer Brad Jones
Brad Jones
Bradley Jones also known as Brad is a retired Australian racing driver. Jones now acts as team co-principal with his brother Kim in the V8 Supercar racing team, Brad Jones Racing.-Motorsport career:...
. Magazine was released in the fall of 1998, and the single "Cathedrals" achieved radio play nationwide over the following year.
2000-2005
Looking to build on the success of the "Cathedrals" single, the band reentered the studio in the fall of 2000 to record Vertigo. Produced by Clifford and Brad WoodBrad Wood
Brad Wood is a record producer from Rockford, Illinois. He served as a drummer for the band Shrimp Boat. Brad records, mixes and produces records and is based in Los Angeles, California. He began his career in earnest in 1988 with the construction of Idful Music Corporation- a recording studio in...
and mixed by David Leonard, the album was originally due to be released in May 2001, but was put on hold when Breaking Records was dropped from the Atlantic roster. The rights to Vertigo were given to Breaking, and after a fierce struggle, Jump, Little Children was able to release the album on their own imprint, EZ Chief Records, in September 2001. Vertigo reached #44 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.
The band regrouped over 2002 and 2003, expanding their touring to include the Midwest and West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and recording and releasing a DVD titled Live At The Music Farm. They also expanded EZ Chief Records, launching a website where users could create custom CDs using tracks from independent artists. In the summer of 2003, the band took its first hiatus, but soon returned with an abbreviated name, "Jump," and plans for another album, Between The Dim & The Dark. Produced by Rick Beato and released on Brash Music in April 2004, the album was well-received. Between The Glow & The Light, an EP of B-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
to Between The Dim & The Dark, was released in April 2005.
On June 16, 2005, the band announced that the 10th annual Dock Street Theatre shows at end of 2005 would mark their split. Their final show was a black tie
Black tie
Black tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions. For a man, the main component is a usually black jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo...
affair in Charleston on December 30, 2005, and featured material from each of the members' future projects. The show ended with the band and audience of more than 500 people walking from the theatre to the corner of Church and Market Streets for a busking session typical of the band's early years. "Jump, Little Children" was the last song played.
After breakup
Live at the Dock Street Theatre, a double live album, was released in 2006 and was the band's final recording. Members of Jump, Little Children would not completely rule out the possibility of recording more material or continuing their traditional Dock Street Theatre shows, but Evan Bivins was quoted as saying, "This is pretty much it. We've been saying 'never say never,' but for all intents and purposes, these are the last shows. We've been planning this since the end of last year." During the final show, Amanda Kapousouz announced the formation of a scholarship fund at the College of CharlestonCollege of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
in honor of the band.
As more time passes since the band's dissolution, a reunion looks increasingly slim. While the bandmates remain close friends, they are separated by geography. Clifford and Gray remain in Charleston, Williams lives in Brooklyn, and the Bivins brothers reside in Chicago. Each one continues to play music and follow his own artistic pursuits. In an April 2010 interview, Clifford spoke on the topic of a reunion: "It’s incredibly hard to predict. I actually thought that by now we might warm up to one a little bit more. I know it will happen at some point, and it should probably happen sooner than later. But at this point, everybody’s real into what they’re doing, so there’s no drive to make it happen."
Television
On May 5, 1999, the song "B-13" was featured in the Party of FiveParty of Five
Party of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation...
episode #116, "I'll Show You Mine."
On May 19, 2003, the song "Cathedrals" was featured in Everwood
Everwood
Everwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,...
episode #23, "Home."
On December 6, 2007, the song "B-13" was featured during the narrative wrap of Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
episode #706, "My Number One Doctor." In addition, Jump, Little Children was one of three bands shown during True Music (HDNet
HDNet
HDNet is a men's interest television channel in the United States, broadcasting exclusively in high-definition format and available via cable and satellite television...
) episode #218, "South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
2004."
On June 22, 2011, the song "Cathedrals" was used on the FOX show So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
s eighth season for a contemporary piece choreographed by Stacey Tookey
Stacey Tookey
Stacey Tookey is a dancer and choreographer born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Emmy-nominated Tookey is best known for her frequent appearances as a Resident Choreographer and Guest Judge on the Canadian and American versions of the television show So You Think You Can Dance. Tookey served as...
for contestants jazz dancer Clarice Ordaz and broadway dancer Jess LeProtto.
Albums
- The Licorice Tea Demos (1995) - Independent
- Buzz (January 25, 1997) - Independent
- Magazine (September 1, 1998) - Breaking Records/Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
- The Early Years, Volume 1 (June 1, 2001) - EZ Chief Records
- VertigoVertigo (Jump, Little Children album)-Track listing:All songs written by Jay Clifford, except where noted.#"Vertigo" – 4:00#"Angeldust " – 4:22#"Too High" – 4:19#"Hold Your Tongue" – 4:30#"Lover's Greed" – 4:27#"Yearling" – 3:58#"Mother's Eyes" – 7:26#"Come Around" – 4:39...
(September 25, 2001) - EZ Chief Records - Between the Dim & the Dark (April 20, 2004) - Brash Music
- Between the Glow & the Light (April 14, 2005) - EZ Chief Records
- Live at the Dock Street Theatre (May 2, 2006) - EZ Chief Records