Some Tunes from Dennis StroughmattSome tunes from Upper Louisiana, aka the old French district of Illinois and Missouri, straddling the Mississippi River down from St. Louis. Dennis here gives us a brief intro to each tune. More stories to come on March 18 at the Leadway. Press the arrows to listen or right-click the blue title to download and save on your computer. Old Man Lucky in the key of D: “Old Man Lucky I learned from Charlie Pashia, right at the source. It was a song (no lyrics) for a guy named LaChance. He was a lucky man, and that was his name too.” Grandmere In waltz time in G: “Grandmere is a story song. It means Grandmother Complains. I learned it from Ida Portell in Potosi , MO.” D’ou Viens in A: “D’ou Viens Tu is iShepherd, from where did you come.’ It’s a Christmas song. Also from Ida Portell. But I got the fiddle part idea from Roy Boyer.” Dennis Stroughmatt will be the featured guest at the Fiddle Club of the World meeting on Sunday, March 28 at 6:30pm at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen) in Chicago. Click here to register. Filed under: Tunes by Paul | March 15, 2010 | Comments (0) Next Up: French Creole Tunes from Upper LouisianaUpper Louisiana is Illinois. The first European-Americans to settle in our state were French. And when the British defeated the French in the Seven Years War, many of the French moved across the river to Missouri. French culture and traditional French folksongs and tunes have survived downstate for over two centuries. Prairie du Rocher, Illinois and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri still celebrate the coming of the New Year with La Guignole, a house-to-house visiting tradition similar to mumming in Newfoundland or old-style mardi gras in Cajun southwest Louisiana. A number of older fiddlers and singers from near Old Mines, Missouri kept the old songs alive for later generations. La Guignolee played by Charlie Pasha (or Pashia) in 1976 for the landmark LP of field recordings, “I’m Old But I’m Awfully Tough: Traditional Music of the Ozark Region.” (A 1950s recording of the full Prairie du Rocher singers can be found on Folksongs of Illinois #1.) Another fine fiddler from Old Mines was Joe Politte. The following are a couple of his unnamed breakdowns recorded 30 years ago. The first one, in D, has been frequently taught at Old Town School fiddle classes under the title “Bass in the Hollow.”
Dennis Stroughmatt will be the featured guest at the next Fiddle Club of the World meeting on Sunday, March 28. A younger downstate fiddler and singer, Dennis learned directly from such traditional masters from Old Mines as Charlie Pashia and Roy Boyer. He leads two bands that cover a variety of French-American styles–L’Esprit Créole and Creole Stomp–but will appear as a soloist at the Fiddle Club of the World. That meeting is scheduled for 6:30p on March 28 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen). Click here to register. Paul Tyler, convener Filed under: Musings by Paul | March 1, 2010 | Comments (0) Some Tunes from Liz KnowlesReady for some Celtic/Irish tunes. Before she headed off to China, Liz gave us these to try. Each recording has the tune played slowly, and then up to tempo. Press the arrows to listen or right-click the blue title to download and save on your computer. The Black Rogue – jig Gone for His Tea – reel The Factory Smoke – hornpipe Liz Knowles will be the featured guest at the Fiddle Club of the World meeting on Friday, February 19 at 7:30pm at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen) in Chicago. Click here to register. Filed under: Tunes by Paul | January 23, 2010 | Comments (0) Fiddle Club Meetings – Spring 2010
-Paul Tyler, convener Filed under: Meeting Schedule by Paul | January 23, 2010 | Comments (0) Kenny Stone tunesImportant Notice: We apologize, but once again we must postpone Kenny Stone’s visit to the Fiddle Club of the World. The workshop listing currently reads that the new date is March 7, 2010. That date is not yet confirmed. Check back soon. I guarantee that Kenny Stone will be our featured artist soon and help us become more bluegrass-worthy. Kenny Stone is veteran bluegrass fiddler, with a performing career that started when he was nine. He released his first album in 1989, at the age of nine, and followed that up with series of recordings and tours with a variety of bands, including his own, the Kenny Stone Unit and Midwest Wind. Family life and work has taken him off the road. But he continues to perform with the Chicago Bluegrass Band and to teach select students at his home in Dyer, Indiana. The Fiddle Club of the World is pleased to present Kenny Stone to a new audience of fiddlers. He’s looking forward to playing through a potpourri of standard old-time and bluegrass tunes. He’s also offered us several of his own originals. Kenny Stone will be featured guest at the Fiddle Club of the World meeting on January 24, 2010 at 4:00 pm at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen). Click here to register. Filed under: Meeting Schedule, Tunes by Paul | January 20, 2010 | Comments (0) Nov. 22 Fiddle Club Meeting postponedSorry for the inconvenience. Kenny Stone will join us at Fiddle Club of the World at the Leadway Bar & Gallery on Sunday, January 24 at 4 pm. Mark your calendars. It’s on. Paul Tyler, convener Filed under: Fiddle Club, Meeting Schedule by Paul | November 21, 2009 | Comments (0) Pete Sutherland tunes notatedThese transcriptions of Pete Sutherland’s tunes were made by Paul Tyler as a sketch of the general melody. Pete uses subtle shadings, ornaments, double stops and variations in playing the tunes. Listen carefully to the recordings, as posted here.
Filed under: Notation by Paul | October 14, 2009 | Comments (0) Pete Sutherland TunesHere are some Pete tunes, sent to us from the Champlain Valley of Vermont. These will be great to play in the jam. The reel is, in Pete’s words “from our local hero, Louis Beaudoin.” The second tune –pronounced tess-fie-yay–is an Ethiopian waltz song. The last is from the Skillet Lickers.
Filed under: Tunes by Paul | September 28, 2009 | Comments (0) Fiddle Club meetings for Fall 2009
or KENNY STONE – Nov. 22
or -Paul Tyler, convener Filed under: Meeting Schedule by Paul | September 18, 2009 | Comments (0) Arto Järvelä tunes notatedThese transcriptions of Arto Järvelä’s tunes were made by Paul Tyler as a sketch of the general melody. Arto’s uses more fingered and bowed ornaments, double stops and subtle variations in playing the tunes. Listen carefully to the recordings, as posted here.
Filed under: Notation by Paul | September 17, 2009 | Comments (0) Classes
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