June 25, 2011
65 people oozed into a 3rd floor convening room in the Historic Gaston County Museum on an uncomfortably hot, humid day to attend my solo concert. Kudos to you all!
I had specially prepared a string of Leather Britches to help introduce Lord McDonald's Reel, a dance tune brought from Scotland to Appalachia and is today still a very popular hoe-down tune bearing the new name. I later talked with Susie Gott who remembers as a child eating dried beans cooked with bacon grease.
Kurt Widenhouse and his wife Joan graced us with their presence, and I was proudly able to perform on not one, but two of his great violins.
May 31, 2011
What could be better than taking the stage before a crowd of hundreds of fans on a glorious, 78-degree Appalachian evening in late Spring, accompanied by three of my favorite musicians, with a goodly amount of rehearsal beforehand and an ideal sound system?!
The White Squirrel Festival was an unqualified success. John Felty, the music promoter, did a superb job creating and organizing this very professional, yet down home festival in downtown Brevard, NC. Zac Leger flew all the way from L.A. The incomparable Matthew Olwell came down from Washington DC. Emolyn Liden provided several perky selections of step dancing. Caroline Smith came from Chapel Hill, NC to shoot video. Making it all possible was my dear friend Peggy Bogardus, who hosted us in her home and managed to keep a crazy group of artists herded to the right place at the right time. And despite this being the heart of Bluegrass country, the crowd really demonstrated their understanding and appreciation of Celtic music. It was a night to remember.
Please check back here for video footage which will soon be available.
May 7, 2011
I spent the day in the company of the great Mark O'Connor who had come to town to perform at the Porter Center and to teach a masterclass. The latter turned out to be more of a Lecture/Demonstration than a masterclass; it was extremely well presented and gave me ideas over which to ponder. Afterward I had lunch with Mark, which spawned an all-afternoon discussion on the universality of all music forms.
Mark's new Jam Session CD, which he gave me in exchange for my Murmurs and Drones CD, is chock full of some of the most astonishing, over-the-top improv I've heard from Mark, Chris Thile, Frank Vignola, and Bryan Sutton. Its spectacular virtuosity gives me pause to re-examine some of the crucial points which Mark brought up in his lecture, namely: "What is American Music and how does it differ from the European model?".
If these questions may be answered in the way Mark answered them, that is to say, "American music is an amalgam of many cultural influences and celebrates improvisation as its cornerstone", then I would ask: Is there anything "American" about american composers writing symphonic forms at all? For that matter, what place does composing anything have in this definition of American music? And where lies the crossing point between planned versus unplanned, crafted versus momentary?
The latter questions pertains operatively to what I do in Celtic music. Frequently people ask me after my gigs how much of what I play is improvised and how much is planned. I'm happy they can't tell! For the record, I hardly improvise at all. Celtic roots tradition celebrates melodies in their original, not reinvented or rewritten, form. By definition, Celtic music is neither improvised nor virtuosic.
I often reflect on the question of finding a place where Celtic music can reside comfortably alongside other more crowd-pleasing, blistering virtuosic forms such as Bluegrass, Newgrass, Classical, Jazz, etc. I'm still searching for an answer.
With regard to improvised forms, I have often posed this question: What is the point of improvising in a recording studio? When a listener hears a CD it is no longer improvised music because CD players don't improvise!
March 27, 2011
Jamie with red hair? Imagine having to appear on stage for two sold-out performances with a totally messed up and completely irreversible hair do! That's what happened this weekend at my performances at the Transylvania Community Arts Council.
I think it a slight miscalculation, by the way, that the geographic planning departments in North Carolina drew up the county lines placing the town of Bat Cave not in neighboring Transylvania County, but unimaginatively in Henderson County.
Anyway, the day before my two solo concerts -- in which I was to put to use the brand new Kurt Widenhouse violin of which I am so fond -- I went for a hair cut. I asked the gal if there was anything she might offer by way of a slight gray cover up. "Oh sure, I've got just the thing: it's a subtle blend with your natural brown...you'll love it." But after all the goo was washed out, I had been transformed into a brilliant carrot top! "Oh, we can fix that."
I spent the next 5 hours with my head alternately covered with various mixtures of goo and in the rinsing sink, the result of which left me with an irreversible head of copper-colored hair. So, for the next few months I will look like a proper Scotsman.
Completing my new look with kilt of Campbell Hunting tartan, I took the stage for what turned out to be two of the sweetest performances in ages. Performing solo without accompaniment is a unique challenge, and the audience warmly demonstrated their appreciation.
Right at the end of the second evening during the closing set of fast reels, a mighty clap of thunder and sheet lightening knocked out the lights a couple of times. It made for a grand and wild finish! Maybe I can order that to happen again next time. Pyrotechnics, anyone?
Special warm thanks to Tammy Hopkins and Peggy Bogardus for making the concerts possible.
2/1/2011
The completion of the album has freed me up to be able to get on with the rest of my life! Last week I taught and performed at the beloved John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. What a charming walk back into the 1920's that was! It was fascinating to mingle with artisans as diverse as wool spinners, blacksmiths, carvers, broom makers, bread bakers -- you name it! The week culminated in a final performance of my students demonstrating with aplomb the Scottish fiddle tunes they had learned in my class. Then, after a festive, family-style supper in the mess hall, I performed a solo concert in the historic old wood school house to a packed audience. Emolyn joined me on several selections with her step dancing, which was a delight as always! Everyone seemed to leave with a beaming smile on their faces. It was magic.
Last night I had a wonderful solo concert at the Laurel Theatre. Some of the audience actually dressed in kilts and plaids for the occasion! I have been enjoying these solo shows more and more, and the feedback people have been giving me is heart-warming.
Recently I visited my friend and respected violin maker Kurt Widenhouse in Belmont. We spent several hours examining block after block of beautiful maple from his cache, trying to narrow it down to just one piece which I hoped might someday become a second violin for me. After all the deliberating, he asked me if I wanted to try out his most recent violin which the alleged "buyer", a young conservatory student, had decided NOT to buy after all. I was immediately smitten by the dark, powerful tone of this Guarneri model and ended up taking it home with me on approval. The more I play it, the more it grows on me. It's an excellent complement to the more soprano sound of my own 2007 Widenhouse violin, providing an especially striking contrast when I tune it into Ab Scordtura. It's possible this violin may never end up being returned to Kurt's shop! (see photo above)
12/1/2010
The tune "Round About Our Coal Fire" took on a new meaning for me during the past month's tour around an atypically cold Scotland. As 14 inches of snow blanketed the cobblestone streets of Newcastle, I journeyed by train into the countryside south of Glasgow to visit a percussionist friend who still relies on burning coal in an open fireplace to heat his home. The smell of creosote filled the house. Despite the intense heat coal produces I was freezing cold during the whole visit. It got me to thinking about how people lived for hundreds of years.
11/9/2010
Rod and I arrived safe and sound in Glasgow. We experienced a little delay in the immigration office, but the officers were charming and friendly, and while we were waiting they served us coffee and water and finally sent us on our way with a handshake. That would NEVER happen in the U.S.
We rented a car and again the charm factor of this country shone. We were joking and laughing with the rental guys and trying to understand their "Glaswegian" accent. One of them had just visited South Carolina and said when he arrived in Myrtle Beach there was a big banner stretching across the street that read, SHAG CONTEST. "This is MY kind of town!", he said, and we all had a good laugh at the slightly different meaning in the two countries!
We drove through the rolling pasture land to the south of Scotland and ended up in Peebles, a darling old town (pictured in my online photos) where a retired couple lives whom I became good friends with two years ago. Our arrival was greeted by much hugging and a wonderful dinner with much wine, dessert, and after dinner liqueurs (first time to taste Apsynth!) The local bagpipe maker/player came over and we all played tunes around the fire.
Meanwhile, Jay is closing in on the finishing touches for the revised mix that he and I made on the CD earlier this week in Knoxville. The new mix sounds even better than the first. The end is so close I can taste it! After 2.5 years it's like a carrot. I just keep thinking about the movie, "The Agony and the Ecstasy", where the Pope asked incessantly about the Sistine Chapel, "When will you make it end?!," and Michaelangelo always replied the same: "When I'm FINISHED!"
11/2/10
What a huge month! Never experienced anything quite like it. Two weeks of successful touring with Zac finished yesterday in Knoxville. I'll now spend three days in the studio bringing the CD mix to completion.Then it's time to leap onto a plane and head to Scotland. Journal entries chronicaling my crazy October will follow later this week, so please check back.
Oct. 1, 2010
It's incredible to see the first leaves turning golden and fluttering off the trees! Where did the summer go?! It was certainly the best year ever for fiddle camps. All September I've been in Jay's Knoxville studio working on finishing the CD. Delivery date to the mastering house is Oct. 13. So, we're on the home stretch.
April 29, 2010
Billy Jonas, Asheville's beloved singer/entertainer, contacted me last year and asked if I would compose orchestra scores to accompany some of his songs. This turned out to be one of the most enjoyable projects of the year. Billy came over every couple of days to brainstorm and hear how the charts were coming along. I can't even count the number of times I worked straight through the night until I heard the morning wrens. Because his material is so strong, it was a labor of love.
At the performance I got to sit back in the audience (for a change!) and enjoy hearing the scores unfold. Fun, but a little nerve-wracking!
Among the most appreciated compliments given out afterward came from the orchestra players who reported how much fun their own parts had been to play.
I look forward to the prospect of developing future projects in orchestration. It's an art that suits me particularly well.
Mar. 17, 2010
I was blessed to be asked to perform again with Danny Ellis in his dramatic song cycle 800-Voices. The work is a masterpiece in evocative storytelling and heartbreakingly beautiful melodic content. The tradgedy inflicted upon thousands of Ireland's youth by a staff of Christian Brothers through physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, and how Danny was able to find reconcilliation in his adulthood, vividly drew me and the tear-filled audience into empathy and participation. I don't know why, exactly, but I find the story surprisingly relevant even though I was not an orphan as Danny was. Simply put, the story inspires. This show was a gift for which I will be ever grateful. Click here to read more about [Artane Industrial School] and to hear samples by [Danny Ellis].
Mar. 13, 2010
If a standing ovation, an encore, and lots of grinning people are any indication, you could say that the inaugural performance with percussive dancer Emolyn Liden was a success. One thing's for sure: Emolyn certainly fills a fiddler with smiles! The biggest applause seemed to be for the hot Appalachian number, but I liked the jig set best. It was delightful to bear witness to the metamorphosis that took place as Emolyn found a way to incorporate clogging steps into Irish 6/8 time.
Nevertheless, I confess that for my part the evening felt rather like a dress rehearsal for the more polished shows yet to come. Luckily the audience was comprised of very generous friends, family, and fans who have attended my concerts in the past and everyone seemed to have a nice evening.
A sobering reality about performance arts is that one may practice his/her craft for years, train with the best teachers, rehearse for days or weeks with other performers...yet when it comes down to the moment of truth, when one steps onto stage and has but a single chance to deliver on command, there is no guarantee of a 'perfect' result. Performance is a living entity subject to the same elations and upset tummies that affect other living things. Distractions of all kinds can conspire against one. The stage may feel strange or the monitoring of the sound system might be bad. Perhaps the audience is unusually stoic or some unhappy news was reported backstage just before the show. Did one's fingers get cold or one's ankles become tight? What if one's mind were to wander briefly just at the exact moment when one needed to make a critical switch of keys? All performers know these sensations.
Inextricably, good or not-so-good, the show comes to an end, the the
lights go down, the people go home. Whether or not one achieved his/her personal best becomes almost inconsequential. The artist returns work, delving further and ever further, because that's what an artist does. One has faith that at least some of what is being hewn and polished in the practice room will eventually come to fruition in front of a live audience. But one must also accept the likelihood that the so-called 'perfect performance' may be an unachievable ideal which serves only as a Platonic benchmark against which we measure ourselves.
I am reminded of the Buddist idea of detaching oneself from the Result; it is the Work that is important.
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Concert promoters Phil Kavanaugh & Doris Dare, Ashland, OR
