Celtic Fiddle Festival

This was a memorable performance by four very talented musicians. Christian LeMaitre played some wonderfully soulful Breton tunes. Kevin Burke displayed effortless mastery on the Irish side of things. Ged Foley was a superb accompanist. The star of the show was the relatively unknown newcomer Andre Brunet. He hails from Quebec and plays in the style of his region with a joyful abandon and lift that is truly rare. As he plays, Andrew does seated foot percussion with an amplified board and he just wows the audience, making it impossible to sit still during his performance. I'm going to look into bringing Andre to this area for a concert.

Anticipation

Lois and I will attend the Columbus, Ohio performance of Celtic Fiddle Festival on March 1 at the Performing Arts Center. I have wanted to see them for some time, but it has never quite worked out before now. More after the show.

New life for an old bow

A couple of years ago, I acquired an older (circa 1930) French bow from Jane Kapeller in Richmond, VA. The heel pin came loose on this bow after so many years and I wanted to find someone exceptionally well qualified to repair it, so I asked around and was given the name of a bowmaker named Douglas Raguse in Michigan. Doug won a VSA gold medal in 1980 and has an excellent reputation, so I arranged to send my bow to him. He did a wonderful job restoring the bow to pristine condition. It plays better now than ever, thanks to the excellent rehairing job. I also asked Doug for an insurance valuation, so he researched its provenance. Doug believes the bow was made by or under the supervision of Marcel Fetique and valued it at considerably more than I originally paid. Put one in the win column.

Swannanoa 2008

Well, I signed up again for the Swannanoa Gathering Celtic Week, July 13-19, 2008. As usual, they have a wonderful teaching lineup, with Liz Carroll and Martin Hayes as the main attractions for Irish fiddlers. A very well known Irish musician and teacher told me privately that, although he has taught at most of the better known summer camps, Swannanoa wins hands down. He said that their accomodations and food are just outstanding, not to mention the wonderful energy of the campus and the amazing craic at the evening and late-night sessions. Here is a blurb from their website for this year's gathering:

"Celtic Week, July 13-19, will again run in our second week slot, with some exciting new faces and classes, including Patrick Street's fiddle and tenor banjo virtuoso, John Carty, and the return of Cape Breton fiddle taught by newcomer Kimberley Fraser. Although the staff is incomplete, we’re thrilled to welcome back the great Irish fiddlers Martin Hayes, Liz Carroll and Gerry O’Connor, Galway singer Sean Keane, powerhouse guitarist and singer John Doyle, Scottish fiddlers Pete Clark & Jamie Laval, Lúnasa flute player Kevin Crawford, uilleann piper Ivan Goff, Scottish folklorist Margaret Bennett, ex-Solas and Danu guitarist Donal Clancy, our Celtic Week Host, flute player John Skelton, Scots balladeer Jim Malcolm, Irish singer Aoife Clancy, mandolin/guitarist Eamon O'Leary, whistle player Kathleen Conneely, Scottish fiddler Jane MacMorran, harper Billy Jackson, bodhran player Stephanie Johnston Celtic fingerstyle guitarist Robin Bullock, Irish dance instructor Eileen Mulligan Evans and more."

As anyone can see, this is simply a treat for lovers of Celtic music.

My last fiddle

Kurt Widenhouse is a superb violin maker in Belmont, NC. His instruments have won two Violin Society of America gold medals (1988, 1994) and they are played by some of the most distinguished musicians found anywhere, including classical virtuoso Aaron Rosand and Scottish fiddling champion Jamie Laval. Last summer, I visited Kurt's workshop and auditioned two of his instruments, one of which he had just finished and the other which was in for an adjustment. They both were simply amazing, quite the equal of the great Italian master instruments I've heard. I commissioned him to fashion one of Guarneri pattern for me, using pernambuco fittings. Although it will be expensive, I'll sell some other instruments to help finance this acquisition. Kurt will finish it at the end of the summer and I am awfully excited at the prospect of owning a truly world-class violin.

Four on the Floor

On Saturday night, Lois and I attended a very enjoyable concert in Charleston, WV with the post-Jim Malcolm Old Blind Dogs. With Jim gone, both Jonny Hardie and Aaron Jones took turns with lead vocals, each doing a fine job. They were tight instrumentally and did two great sets, with a sound closely approximating their original style from the mid-90's. I got an autographed copy of their latest CD-Four on the Floor-and have been obsessing over it since, playing along with a few tracks (especially Bedlam Boys/Rights of Man & Branle!). No wonder they won Scottish Traditional Folk Band of the Year for 2007!

Randal Bays

Lois and I attended a recent house concert in Indianapolis. Randal Bays played brilliantly, alternating between fiddle and guitar. His wife accompanied him on several tunes and she is quite a good fiddle player as well. Randal said that he prefers the Sliabh Luachra style of Irish music to others, because he feels a kinship with that regional style and I am personally also attracted to that approach. It is somewhat slower than the Sligo method, with beautiful ornamentation and my teacher, Susan Cross, is a proponent of it as well.

New bow

A bowmaker in Bloomington, Indiana has offered me a couple of bows to evaluate. His name is Michael Duff and he makes what I am sure are the premier carbon fiber bows available anywhere in the world. The two I'm evaluating differ in weight, but share the same excellent responsiveness and both track beautifully. I have commissioned Michael to make a new gold Fleur-de-lis bow for me and will take delivery of it sometime in the Spring.

Riley Irish Music School

I have begun intermediate Irish fiddle classes at the Riley School of Irish Music in Cincinnati. The class meets on Saturday mornings for an hour, followed afterwards by an informal snack period and then various levels of sessions begin. My instructor is Susan Cross, the school's founder, and she is an excellent player and teacher. During my first lesson, she said that I have a good ear and that my intonation is excellent. Susan stopped me single-bowing tunes and gave me some bowing patterns to learn, which will help me to accelerate the pace at which I can play tunes.

Jim Malcolm

On September 15, Scottish folk singer Jim Malcolm gave a concert at Lois' and my home. We borrowed a sound system from a local sound guy, and chairs from a friend who runs a Tae Kwon Do school. About fifty people came out and Jim was in excellent form. Everything went well and several of the audience afterwards commented how much they had enjoyed the concert that evening. The next morning, we enjoyed good conversation and a late breakfast with Jim before sending him on his way. Susie has already asked us to consider booking Jim again next September.