|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Home | | | Blues | | | Cajun Zydeco |
| | Country Oldtime |
| | Gospel | | | Jazz | | | Tejano | | | World Music |
| | Videos/Books Other |
| | A-Z | | | Numerical | | | Imports |
“Masters of The Folk Violin”Various ArtistsCD 434
|
Buy It Now!
|
Recordings from the recent Masters of the Folk Violin Tour, sponsored by the National Council for the Traditional Arts. Here is a compilation by musicians who have mastered regional styles unique to their heritage, and continue to exemplify the finest in fiddling on the "Devil's Box!" Styles range from the Irish Limerick virtuosity of Brendan Mulvihill, to music from bluegrass icon and Kentucky native, Kenny Baker. Also included is the legendary jazz violinist, Claude Williams, along with one of the best known contemporary Cajun fiddlers, Michael Doucet. Natalie MacMaster from Troy, Nova Scotia provides a sample of the Cape Breton style which hearkens back to the area's first Scottish settlers to round out this presentation, recorded on various tour dates in Delaware, Maryland, Wisconsin and California.
|
Listen to some of the tracks!! (uses RealAudio®) 1. Kean O'Hara / Colonel O'Hara / Flagon Reel, The / Dublin Lasses - Brendan Mulvihill 2. Boys Of The Lough / Mary Walker / McFadden's / Dylan's - Brendan Mulvihill 3. Paddy Taylor's Jig / Chapel Bell / Within A Mile Of Dublin - Brendan Mulvihill 4. These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You - Claude Williams 5. You've Got To See Your Mama Every Night - Claude Williams 6. Smooth Sailing - Claude Williams 7. Springtime - Kenny Baker 8. Starlight Waltz - Kenny Baker 9. Sweet Bunch Of Daisies - Kenny Baker 10. Bobby Van's Hornpipe - Kenny Baker 11. John Barleycorn - Kenny Baker 12. St. Patrick's Jig / Jerry's Beaver Hat / Chorus Jig, The / Irish Jig, An - Natalie MacMaster 13. James Scott Skinner's Welcome To Inverness - Natalie MacMaster / Marchioness Of Huntley, The - Na... 14. L'Ouragon - Michael Doucet 15. Manage A Trois Reels - Michael Doucet 16. Doc's Two-Step - Michael Doucet 17. Valse A Jonglemont - Michael Doucet 18. Chanky-Chank Francais - Michael Doucet |
REVIEWS “So of course the first track by Brendan Mulvihill sounds almost like classical music, Mozart or someone. But it's a medley of "Kean O'Hara," "Colonel O'Hara," "The Flagon Reel," and "Dublin Lasses." The other artists here are: Claude Williams, Kenny Baker, Natalie McMaster, and Michael Doucet. What we've got is recordings from live performances of the shows with these fiddlers and their accompanists. There are several styles represented, roughly the number of fiddlers. We have Irish, jazz, bluegrass, Cape Breton and cajun fiddling. They are what the title says. You know who you are, now run out and get it. ”(MB — Blue Suede News) |
|
“Masters Of The Folk Violin was recorded live on a tour put together by the National Council for the Traditional Arts and features Irish, Swing, Bluegrass, Cape Breton and Cajun fiddling. Brendan Mulvihill, from southwest Ireland but long resident around Washington D.C., is first up with a fine baroque-ish number giving way to his muscular, inventive playing of reels and jigs . Mulvihill is a great musician but his accompanist - a piano driver with road rage, all thumping octaves and splashing arpeggios - is not much to my taste. Next is Claude Williams, a smoky-toned swing violinist, also featured on the previous tour/album, who restores real charm and panache to the proceedings. On Smooth Sailing he contributes some exciting licks reminiscent of Stuff Smith but the man definitely has his own style. He's followed by Bluegrass maestro Kenny Baker, another cool character utterly unflustered by the tres grande vitesse of some of his material. He's on good form and, kicking off with Bob Osborne's Springtime, plays a thoroughly tight, clean set.
Natalie MacMaster is an extremely able Nova Scotia step-dancer and fiddle player. Displaying both skills together, as she did on this tour, must have made a spectacular show but it makes an unimpressive recording. Listen to her recent album Fit As A Fiddle instead. Another veteran of the tour, Michael Doucet, winds up the show with a selection of traditional Cajun tunes - "Doc' Guidry's Two-Step" is a cracker - and a couple of his own, also good. All in all, a CD with some fine moments which you'd definitely want as a souvenir of the concert but otherwise, I suspect, one for completists only.” (Peter Cooper — Folk Roots) |
|
|
CONCERT REVIEW
MASTERS OF THE FOLK VIOLIN Washington Center Olympia 3/4/95 “You did not have to know anything about folk violin to enjoy this show. In fact, that is part of the purpose of this tour produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts and support from the National Endowment of the Arts. This is your tax dollars at work bringing some of the finest violin players under one roof on tour for all people those who know the music, for ones who had never heard of any of these players, for classes of young fiddle players and for our own musician community. All were present at this full house show. And Congress wants to eliminate this!?! The pre-show talk with Joe Wilson from the National Council, Willie Smyth from Washington State Arts Commission and Peter McCracken from Centrum fielded questions from folks that were hungry to learn about the music. Claude Williams now in his mid 80s has a strong, Stuff Smith attack on the jazz violin as he whisked through a group of standards with backing by our old friend Rob Thomas on bass. This tour also gave Michael Doucet a chance to return to more traditional styles of Cajun music teaming up with his guitarist brother David and fiddler Mitchell Reed. Great spirit and joy abounds as Doucet brings grace to a raw, rough tradition. Brendan Mulvihill was a swirl of notes and attack in his Irish set which was hampered by bad sound balance on the piano. All the players were hits and talented, but Natalie MacMaster with her flowing hair, swirling musical phrasing and stepdancing while she played stole the hearts. She is in her mid-twenties but has already captured much of the Cape Breton soul. With age, her maturity in phrasing will make her a legend for decades. Kenny Baker was ill and so old-time fiddler Charlie Walden put together a set of tunes with Josh Graves that were enjoyable and a bit loose. One of the questions asked in the pre-concert talk was what should I listen for to distinguish between the style of violin. McCracken quipped "You won't have any trouble hearing the difference in styles." And no one did. This was a full night of information with an excellent booklet, a violin maker display and wondrous music. Though pianists Donna Long and Tracey Dares got the short shift on sound engineering, their very special talents of punctuation, rhythmic accent and ensemble accompaniment shined. Solid, informative show. Instead of 60 cents of my tax dollars, how about $5 of my taxes going to support national arts programs, grants of all kinds and from ballet to the most experimental. I can only grow, learn and have a better spot to live in.” (Chris Lunn — Victory Review) |
