Portland Aires
Waynesboro
Steely rag
Portland Aires
Waynesboro
Steely rag
Explore some of my published music here.
—Jim
Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
Altman 2-point (2007)
Portuguese fado cittern (1965)
I attended Fiddle Hell this past weekend (it was awesome! Thanks Dave Reiner :-)).
I picked up a couple of new tunes from various workshops:
Jake Blount taught Roscoe's Gone, a newer tune (by old time standards) by Hank Bradley. Jake hasn't recorded it before, but you can find an original recording by Hank on Youtube. I also quite like this George Jackson, Chris Coole, and The Slocan Ramblers version.
Bruce Molsky taught Tie your Dog, Sally Gal. The source recording is available on Youtube, played by Will Adams and recorded by Mike Seeger. Bruce also has a wonderful recording on his album "Can't Stay Here This a-Way."
Sharon Gilchrist and Darol Anger taught Farewell to Trion, which they recorded on their album E-and'a. A popular tune by all accounts, but their arrangement is particularly wonderful.
Been playing farewell trion for years, but never heard it played as melodically as on that Daryl anger recording. Joe Walsh's incredible sounding mandolin has never been better miked. And this band is the new all star team of old time music. Definitely a sound and arrangement the rest of us curmudgeons can strive for in our own humble recordings. Given the album cover and the performances it reminds me of Dave Brubeck's classic Take Five.
Explore some of my published music here.
—Jim
Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
Altman 2-point (2007)
Portuguese fado cittern (1965)
We just started working on Farewell Trion and what a great tune. Here’s a link to Darol’s album from above: https://darolanger.com/music
This cover of Take Five, Jim?
I learned Farewell Trion from this video. Love James Bryan's fiddling and Carl Jones taught at Monroe Camp this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJQabRQjXEw
2010 Heiden A5, 2020 Pomeroy oval A, 2013 Kentucky KM1000 F5, 2012 Girouard A Mandola w ff holes, 2001 Old Wave A oval octave
http://HillbillyChamberMusic.bandcamp.com
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@hillbillychambermusic
Must be in the air. I have come back to that one which I also originally learned from James Bryan. This is one that James learned, along with a number of other wonderful tunes, from Alabama fiddler, Mack Blalock who, as far as we know, was never recorded. For me it is part of a pile of tunes in the key of C, a key that quite a few old time players avoid in their beginner stages. Other tunes in that pile I have been playing: a few by Nile Wilson, an Ozark fiddle player including one he just calls Tune in C and Wes Muir's Tune.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
That James Bryan recording is wonderful. I believe he was also the one who wrote the C part of the tune - the A and B parts being the original tune.
I also heard he wrote the C part.
2010 Heiden A5, 2020 Pomeroy oval A, 2013 Kentucky KM1000 F5, 2012 Girouard A Mandola w ff holes, 2001 Old Wave A oval octave
http://HillbillyChamberMusic.bandcamp.com
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@hillbillychambermusic
https://youtu.be/9w9LpD-GNro
This version of farewell trion was recorded at a house concert not far from where I live.
Explore some of my published music here.
—Jim
Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
Altman 2-point (2007)
Portuguese fado cittern (1965)
Just for fun, you can also watch this one also with James Bryan and Carl Jones, but 18 years earlier!
It is a great tune that I like to play on mandolin, but have given up trying on the fiddle. The difference between and James Bryan is vast. Maybe in a few more years.
Love that style of fiddling of James Bryan, thanks.
James is such a lovely fiddle player. Nothing fancy but powerful and with such heart and soul.
Actually, he is my current target fiddler and the miracle of his playing is that is sounds simple but he actually plays with subtle complexity and lyricism. I have heard FTT for years and only recently someone pointed out that in the first bar or so there is a slide back on that E note to a D on the A string. There are other parts of his playing where it seems like a magician’s mirror tricks—seemingly few notes but he is smoothly playing a lot more than it appears. Outstanding…
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
James is the man and whatever it is about his playing has always captivated me, there is a "humility" in his style that is infused into the music he plays. Plus he seems to have a penchant for picking less popular but very very cool tunes.
Stormy Morning Orchestra
My YouTube Channel
"Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"
I saw Norman and Nancy many times but somehow never with James, but he did make vinyl like "Full Moon on the Farm" and "Light House on the Shore" useless after the grooves were played off of them. I think he plays mandola on "Black Jack Davey" from Mike Seeger's "Fresh Old Time Stringband Music" album" I still listen to his two solo efforts "Lookout Blues" and "The First of May" (they both belong in the bluegrass hall of fame for my money) on my morning drive mix, and really liked the "Two Pictures" album he did with Carl Jones.
He talks about having studied in Ireland with Bobby Casey, and I hear a fair bit of Irish in his playing, Kevin Burke and Martin Wynn coming to mind.
Stormy Morning Orchestra
My YouTube Channel
"Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"
since you went and got me hooked on the tune
Stormy Morning Orchestra
My YouTube Channel
"Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"
Spotted Pony and Magpie.
Red prairie dawn.
Such a beautiful melody, learned off YouTube channeled through The Amazing Slow Downer.
Running through the Rain To Keep Your Hair Dry
From a recording by Mark Tamsula.
Explore some of my published music here.
—Jim
Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
Altman 2-point (2007)
Portuguese fado cittern (1965)
Did you know there’s a slow down feature embedded on youtube videos?(or maybe that’s what you were referring to?) Look for the cog wheel at the bottom of the video, click on it and choose your playback speed. You can reduce it to as little as 1/4 speed and it keeps the pitch, just like the Amazing Slow Downer.
Pete
The late Dave Surrette's Belle of Newcastle. Yeah he was a mandolin player but it is a beautiful waltz played by some great fiddlers.
Thanks for the tip Pete. I've been using the amazing slow downer for years, and it works well enough for me. I especially like the apps ability to save and loop short phrases. I've worked out an easy routine for adding tunes from any internet source into TASD.
Explore some of my published music here.
—Jim
Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
Altman 2-point (2007)
Portuguese fado cittern (1965)
The Queen's Jig.
...
Lately been working on James Bryan’s rendition of Soapsuds Over the Fence and Gilsaw, a tune from the playing of Pete McMahan.
Here’s James Bryan and Carl Jones:
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
no mandolin, but an especially melodic arrangement of Red Prairie Dawn by some Berkeley school students. It’s in the key of B major here, although everyone I know plays it in the key of A. Wait for the woman scat singing the melody.
Explore some of my published music here.
—Jim
Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
Altman 2-point (2007)
Portuguese fado cittern (1965)
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