Art of the Folk Violin

Subject: Art of the Folk Violin
From: DeanC
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 09:15 AM

Last night I watched a program on PBS called "The Art of the Violin". They were talking about and showing movie clips of great violinists from the thirties through today. It was a good study of what made violinists like Heifitz, Elman, Menuhin, Stern, Kreisler, etc great and how they were different from each other. As I was watching Menuhin (I think) playing one of the Brahms Hungarian dances I was comparing his playing with that of the fiddle player (Marco Dreyer) in an Eastern Europian band called Harmonia who I had just heard play that peice earlier in the day. It made me contemplate a similar program which would be called "The Art of the Folk Violin".
So, who would you feature on such a program and why? I'd like to see some of your ideas before I write down some of mine.

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 11:04 AM

My dad, because he plays wonderfully and has a specific style known only in Western Colordao; it's subtle, but it's there.

John Hartford because, well you know! Plus he had spider fingers, they just crawled all over that neck, independent of one another and I loved his bowing, so elegant and at ease, with that enigmatic smile all the while.

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 11:29 AM

John Doherty, Michael Coleman, James Morrison, Tommy Peoples, Kevin Burke, Frankie Gavin, Mairead Ni Mhaoinaigh, John Sheahan, Aly Bain, Matt Cranitch, Julia Clifford, Paddy Canny, Martin Hayes, Denis Murphy, Seamus Creagh ... to name just the few that come flooding into my head as I write

People might be interested in this link :

Larry Sanger's Donegal Fiddle Page

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 12:03 PM

Mark O'Connor. An excellent composer as well as a marvel on the violin. He is doing a good job of bringing folk music to the classical venue as well

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: GUEST,Leonard
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 12:35 PM

Frankie Gavin. I did once see a documentary on UK tv once where Gavin ripped off some mind-blasting reel and this was immediately followed by a stunned Yehudi Menuhin discussing Gavins technique and performance in glowing but bewildered terms. But... ART of folk violin ? Desipte the stratospheric levels of skill and insight that some folk fiddlers bring to their work is it not precisely because folk fiddling is not of the art world and conservatoire playing that makes it what it is? Folk music can BE art on occasion, but I'am suspicious of any high falutin' notions and imposition of academic rules.

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 01:23 PM

Insight, originality and presentation are what make a great artist. This is as true of the folk artist as it is of the academy or conservatory graduate.
The contributions of both should be recognized as art. Japan has its "National Treasures," Inuit sculptors with minimal or no training are members of the Royal Canadian Society of Artists, and the best folk artists are recognized on concert stages, at least in North America.
The heading of this thread, Art of the Folk Violin, is not amiss.

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: GUEST,Ron Olesko
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 02:07 PM

add Seane Keane, Kevin Crehan & Junior Crehan

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 02:18 PM

Chubby Wise, Mac Wiseman, Kenny Baker, Tommy Duncan, Byron Berline, Jean Carignan, Buddy McMaster, Vassar Clements, Tommy Jarrell, Blaine Sprouse, Kevin Burke, Eugene O'Donnell, Mike Cross, Fiddlin' John Carson, Charlie Monroe, Eileen Ivers, Liz Carrol, Natalie McMaster.................might be better to choose a style/genre and do several shows.

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 02:21 PM

One of the greatest (if not the greatest depending upon where you're coming from) was a folk fiddler par excellence called "Ti Jean"(little Jean) .Jean Carignan from Montreal drove a cab for a day gig and played fiddle all of his life. Classical violinists would marvel at his technique that he would do "all wrong" with stuff they couldn't do.

Johnny was as good as Morrison, Killoran, Coleman, and could play almost every style. Don't know if he could play jazz like Stuff Smith or Claude Williams but probably could have come close if he worked at it.

In my view he was the greatest folk violinist I ever heard. He could play a Strathspey as good as any Cape Breton player, Scottish player, and knew all of Coleman and Morrison's repitiore. His forte of course was Acadian music since that's his background. There is an affinity for irish music there in that culture.

I had the honor of accompanying him at the Gate of Horn in Chicago in the 1950's when the late Alan Mills brought him in.

Frank

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Dec 01 - 02:40 PM

A 3cd set, a single cd, and a video are available on Jean Carignan. Type his name into Google and you wil find the site "Treinte sous Zero - Thirty Below," with the data on the cds and video. This is the Quebec Traditional and Folk Music Site (both French and English).

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: DeanC
Date: 13 Dec 01 - 09:03 AM

I realized when I asked this question that it was a little silly since there are so many styles of folk violin. Here are a few of my picks.
Bluegrass - Kenny Baker, Mark O'Connor (though he has branched out considerably)
Canadian - Jean Carignan, Graham Townsend
Eastern European/Gypsy - Marco Dreyer (if you haven't heard Harmonia you need to - harmoniaband.com)
Irish/Celtic - Eugene O'Donnell (especially for his slow airs), Aly Bain Old Time - Jay Unger (I'm not sure where to put him)

I'm sure there are others that I can't think of right now as well as categories I either haven't thought of or don't know about - Cajun, Mexican, etc.

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: Arbuthnot
Date: 13 Dec 01 - 06:19 PM

Was that cab driver thae man who rocked the bow in a fascinating way?

Separate nominations - Chris Leslie - a man of exceeding talent - Chris Woods - a man with thorough knowledge of various traditions - Cambridge Clive - the best fiddler I've ever met (sorry, Chris, sorry,Chris) - Gerry Sharpley - the most forgiving of fiddlers - Martin Herbert - doesn't know what he is doing, but does it excellently nevertheless!

Subject: RE: Art of the Folk Violin
From: Robin2
Date: 13 Dec 01 - 10:02 PM

I'd like to add Kentucky fiddlers JP Fraley, Ed Haley. and Art Stamper to the list of fiddlers that kept the local fiddling traditions alive.

Frank, one of the early recordings I heard of Jean Carignan left me amazed! What an unbelievable player he was.

Robin