Midwest Fiddle Champs for 2010, part 2
Our 8th annual contest was held back in July. Part 1 of this post highlighted the 4 winning bands in the Open Division contest held on the 8th in Giddings Plaza. Part 2 will show videos shot on July 10th from the stage as four bands competed in the Invitational Division at the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival.
While the judges consulted on the final order, we had performances by 1st place winner’s in the Open Division — the Rachel Baiman Band — and the Youth Division — Maddy & the Hillions
In reverse order, here are the top 4 prize winners in the Invitational Division.
4th Place – Moravska Cimbalovka (Moravian Cymbalom Band), led by Andrew Tokarz
Their first tune was a traditional Moravian folk song.
3th Place – Paulina Hollers, Elizabeth Lamberti & Jim Becker & Kristen Bern, fiddles, & with Lea Tschilds on guitar & Clayton Brown on bass. They brought along the Chicago Prairie Cloggers, led by Rebecca Unger.
They followed up with “Back-Step Cindy.”
2nd Place – Stil Hua, Kristen Bern on fiddle, with Kevin Carey on flute, Siobhan Wojcik on bouzouki & Andrew Serb on bodhran. Rory Ward was their dancer.
Their second tune was a medley of an air and a reel.
1st Place – Cajun Vagabonds, Dorian Gehring-fiddle with Stewart Gehring-guitar, Eli Leki-Albano-bass & Monica Vachon-triangle. They brought two dancing couples from the Chicago Associate Chapter of the Cajun French Music Association.
Their second tune was “Lacassine Special”, a two-step. The dancers really got it going.
Filed under: Reports, Video by Paul | August 19, 2010 | Comments (0)
Midwest Fiddle Champs for 2010, part 1
Our 8th annual contest was held back in July, with the Open Division on Thursday the 8th in Giddings Plaza in Lincoln Square and the Invitational Division on the main stage on the 10th at the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival. The Open Division attracted 12 fiddlers with their bands, including . . .
Kolleen Blume with Walter’s Dream
Bill Bodle with the Wild Onion String Band
Caroline Fernald with the Bell Flowers
Claire Halpin with the CH4
Ted Johnson & Elise Dalleska
Lynn Malnekoff with Innisfree
Chris Marshall & friends
Miles Mibeck with Siobhan Wojcik & Megan McKeon
Kit Paulson with James Kreigsmann & David Stokman
The evening also featured performances by the three top prize winners at the Youth Division competition held in June:
3rd Place – Ethan Matlin with Last Minute Deal
2nd Place – Abigail Burrus & Sean Mythen with Sarah Mythen
1st Place – Maddy & the Hillions, Max & Anna Hill, fiddles & Maddy Tyler, guitar
In reverse order, here are the top 4 prize winners in the Open Division.
4th Place – Twin Sisters, that is Debi Lewis on fiddle with Deborah Fausch on banjo
They started off with “Oak Ridge Stomp.”
3th Place – Chirish, Maggie Danaher & Kristen Bern, fiddles, & Andrew Serb, guitar
(It was too dark to film in the plaza when this group played, so all we have is an audio recording.)
They played a medley of “The Gentle Maiden” and “Tommy People’s Reel.”
2nd Place – Po’ River Boys, Dan Gillespie on fiddle, with Jeff Yonkis on fiddle & washtub bass & Evan Collins on banjo
Their first tune was “Black-Eyed Susie.” Later, in a playoff, they played “Gospel Plow.”
1st Place – Second String, Rachel Baiman & Eva Walsh, fiddles with Greg Reish on guitar and Ethan Philion on bass
They started with “Oh My Little Darling,” and performed “Red Rocking Chair” for the playoff.
Part 2 will feature videos of the four bands that competed in the Invitational Division at Folk & Roots.
Filed under: Reports, Video by Paul | August 19, 2010 | Comments (0)
Chicago is Fiddle World
Truly. What a few days we had at the beginning of June.
Rudi Pietsch from Vienna gave an intimate concert, joined by his friend Jürgen Schempp, from Swabia (that’s in Germany) on guitar. Your humble convener was quickly trained for second fiddle. For the proper Austrian style we lacked a kontra (chorded fiddle or viola) and a bowed bass. Here is a slow yodel followed by a fast dance tune.
Meraner Jodler-Ischler Schläunige
Two days later, the Mostly Mountain Boys and the Polka Chicks dropped in for two evenings at the Old Town School. On Tuesday night they did a workshop for several fiddle class and the Fiddle Club.
The Mostly Mountain Boys (Paul Brown-fiddle, Teri McMurray-banjo and John Schwab-guitar) hail from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Washington DC. They started out with a twisty but fine version of “Fisher’s Hornpipe” they learned from Esker Hutchins of Dobson, North Carolina.
The Polka Chicks, from Helsinki (that’s in Suomi, aka Finland), are Kukka Lehto on fiddle and Tejia Niku on accordion. They started with song of poverty and sadness. The singer’s life is so sad that his parents don’t even care if he marries a girl in America.
unnamed song from northern Finland
Following this lovely introduction, Paul Brown taught us distinctive version of Sugar in the Gourd that he learned from Norman Edmonds of Hillsville, Virginia. And Kukka Lehto worked us through the haunting major and minor turns of Viktors Vals from Ostrobothnia, an area in western Finland with an especially rich fiddle tradition.
The following night, both the Mostly Mountain Boys and the Polka Chicks were on the stage in our concert hall for World Music Wednesday. A delightful performance.
Kukka Lehto & Teija Niku
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One morsel more. One of the oldest folk dance tunes from Austria, a ländler that was written down in 1702. Rudi plays a setting that imitates the dudelsack (German for bagpipes). Here’s another view.
My father’s day gift to all who are the child of a dad.
Paul Tyler, convenver
Filed under: Reports by Paul | June 20, 2010 | Comments (0)
Report on Dan Gellert’s visit to the Fiddle Club
Click purple links to download or to listen to these .mp3s.
Click here for tips and troubleshooting on how to get at these .mp3s.
Over 30 fiddlers, pickers and fans showed up at the Leadway Bar & Gallery on North Damon on a Saturday night to hear Dan Gellert. After serenading us with a dozen wonderful old fiddle and banjo tunes, Dan and Debbie led a jam session for the next hour through a number of old chestnuts and few rare treasures.
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Here’s a few of the tunes Dan played in the Leadway’s back room. |
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The Fiddle Club of the World is not just for fiddlers. Players of all kinds are welcome to participate. And it’s okay to come just to listen.
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Filed under: Audio, Photos, Reports by Paul | March 30, 2009 | Comments (0)
Huapango Nights
Our special meeting on July 20 featured a presentation and workshop on Son Huasteco, the traditional music of the Huasteco region of Mexico. Son Huasteco includes three types: danzas, sones de carnival and huapangos. The first two are associated with the fiestas and ceremonies of the indigeous people. Some have singing, others are instrumentals. Huapangos are played for social dancing (fandangos) among the mestizos, and feature both sung verses and instrumental solos. Our featured guest, Felipe Valle demonstrated the improvisation and ornamentation used by Son Huasteco fiddlers.
El Caballito, a carnival song.
Felipe Valle (click to enlarge)
Felipe was joined by Juan Rivera of Sones de Mexico, and Irekani Ferreyra and Anabel Tapia of Tarima Son. (By the way, Tarima Son won first place in the Fiddle Band division of the Midwest Fiddle Championship at the Chicago Folk & Roots festival earlier in July.) Juan and Irekani both played fiddle with Anabel on jarana. Felipe often plays with a haupanguera strapped to his back, so he can quickly change between strumming the chords and bowing the fiddle. The deep voice of the huapanguera is prominent in this sample of the conjunto sound of Son Huasteco.
La Polla Pinta, a huapango
Anabel, Felipe, Irekani & Juan
The typical line-up for a Son Huasteco trio is fiddle, jarana huasteca and huapanguera. The jarana, an 8 eight-string instrument with 5 courses (a bigger version of the ukulele), is also common in Son Jarocho and other regional styles of Mexican folk music. Here, the jarana section was augmented by the late-arriving Juan Dies of Sones de Mexico.
La Xochipitzahuatl, a danza
Felipe & Juan Rivera
Fiddle Club members had a chance to learn and play four or five pieces from the Son Huasteco tradition.
Juan & Paul
Thanks to Debi Lewis and Pete Janotta for the photos.
Go here for tips and troubleshooting on how to get at these .mp3s.
An announcement of the Fall 2008 season of the Fiddle Club will be forthcoming in the next month. Stay tuned.
Paul Tyler, convener
Filed under: Reports by Paul | August 6, 2008 | Comments (0)
Report on April 08 meeting
Lynn “Chirps” Smith was our featured guest, playing a variety of old time dance tunes native to the Midwestern United States.
Chirps cut his old-time teeth during his college days in Charleston, Illinois, where he played with the Indian Creek Delta Boys. More importantly, following the lead of fiddler Garry Harrison, the “Crik Delters” recorded and learned tunes from scores of senior fiddlers in the southern and eastern reaches of the Prairie State. Several of these tunes showed up in Chirps’ performance at the Leadway Bar & Gallery.
Ten Cents
Joe Wingerter tune
Stella’s Jig
Gallatin Special
He started his set off with a version of “Paddy on the Turnpike,” which may owe something to Harvey “Pappy” Taylor of Effingham. But then again, it may have been closer to the “Paddy on the Handcar” recorded in 1928 by Texas fiddler A.L. “Red” Steeley.
For the last several decades, Chirps has lived in the Chicago area. For much of that time, he played with the Volo Bogtrotters an old-time string band named after a natural feature located a short hop away from Chirps’ home in Grayslake. Representing that period of his life are tunes he learned first-hand from elders elsewhere in the Midwest, including Les “Red” Raber from Michigan, Nile Wilson from Missouri, Dwight “Red” Lamb from Iowa, and Lotus Dickey from Indiana.
Ten Strike
Old Reunion
Old Ladies Pickin’ Chickens
Sweet Bundy
Other pieces he played were learned from lesser known recordings of Nebraska fiddler Bob Walters, and a favorite piece of the Native and Métis fiddlers from Central provinces of Canada.
Bob Walter’s Hornpipe
Red River Jig
Finally, we must note that Chirps is now a resident of Wisconsin. Thus he performed a piece learned from a recording of Leonard Finseth of Mondovi, and a waltz from Madison-area concertinist (I believe he calls a bandoneon), Bruce Bollerud.
Stegen Waltz
Leonard Finseth’s Polka
Around 30 musicians enjoyed the performance and the jam that followed. We played all six of the tunes posted earlier on this blog. Plus a bunch more. A request was made for “Ten Strike,” the Les Raber quadrille piece, to be posted here. The tune is, in fact, the melody to be played for the 4th figure of the Ten Strike quadrille, as printed in Gems of the Ballroom (compiled circa 1890 by Geo. B. McCosh of Dekalb, Illinois). Les learned the tune from the book, which he had just acquired in 1981 when I brought him to perform at the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering in Battle Ground. Here’s the the tune as played by Chirps. It’s in C.
The next Fiddle Club of the World meeting is coming up soon, on Saturday, May 10. It will feature the Cajun team of Will & Holly Whedbee.
Paul Tyler, convener
Filed under: Reports by Paul | May 6, 2008 | Comments (2)
Report on Paddy Jone’s visit to the Fiddle Club
The Leadway Bar & Gallery was full of fiddlers last Friday night, for the first meeting of the Fiddle Club of the World. About 30 musicians showed up. Most had a fiddle and a bow. I counted one guitar and one banjo. And a handful of folks showed up just to listen.
I got there right at 7:30, and several Fiddle Club members pitched in right away to help set up our small p.a. and arrange the Leadway’s long, narrow party room for listening and playing. (Some eating was going on as well. The Leadway has a kitchen, and Frank, the owner–he’s also a fine sculptor–had set out several trays of veggies and dip for us.)
The music started about 8 pm, as we all played a few tunes together. Since the Fiddle Club members come from various musical walks of life, I thought it valuable to talk about what people expect from a session. Old-time players jump on a tune and ride it till it finds its groove and finishes the course. You might play one tune through a dozen times. At Irish sessions, a tune is usually played two or three times through, and strung together with several others in a medley. Someone or most everyone knows what tune comes next. Bluegrass sessions start by establishing a rotation of lead breaks, and pass the tune around from one player to the next. The Fiddle Club of the World has no established set of rules, but seeks to allow players to stretch boundaries and extend horizons to experience more of what fiddling can do for the world.
Paddy Jones, a truly delightful man and musician, got started about 8:30. He was artfully accompanied by Jesse Langen, who arrived just in time after a gig with the proprietor of Chief O’Neill’s pub. Paddy’s playing was strong, sensitive and rhythmic. He enthralled the room.
(I was very pleased with the acoustics and atmosphere of the Leadway. Paddy could be easily and clearly heard. We used just a bit of p.a. reinforcement, but it may not have been necessary. The front bar room filled up as Paddy played, but the noise from that side never caused a problem. It’s a good room. It would work better if we could move the tables out of the way.)
After close to an hour of concertizing, Paddy was ready for a break. He said he was used to having a singer step up with an occasional song, so he could rest his bow arm for a few moments. We’ll keep that in mind for future meetings.
Then it was time for everyone to play a session with Paddy and each other. A few young players could hardly wait to play through the tunes we’ve had posted on this website. Paddy asked if anybody had any questions. There was a suggestion that he demonstrate how to ornament. Paddy put on his teacher’s hat and led everybody through a demonstration of grace notes, bowing rhythms, and the essentials of playing for dancers. (We’ll post some samples of his “lessons” in a few days.)
Everybody got to play. We went through the tunes posted ahead of Paddy’s visit–the Kerry Polkas, the Kerry Slides, and the unnamed reel that is, in fact, The Galtee Rangers. Jessica Zeigler and her students from Old Town School Irish fiddle classes led us through some standard Irish session tunes. We ended sometime after 11 pm.
Thanks to all who attended, participated, and helped. A special thanks to Tim Joyce and Colby Maddox from the Old Town School, and to Frank and the Leadway Bar & Gallery,
See you April 20.
Paul Tyler, Convener
Filed under: Reports by Paul | March 17, 2008 | Comments (1)
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