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29 Nov 05 - 07:47 PM (#1616770) Subject: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton Being an English Folk Dance Caller but now well impressed with where American Contra Dance music is going...are there any mudcatters out there that can recommend me any good bands/ Cds I should listen to...I'm already into Rodney Miller, Wild Asparagus, Bob McQuillan/ Greenfield Dance Band, Moving Violations and am listening to "Contra Roots and Branches" as I type this! ...Anyone else (let me know CD number)...What's doing it for you? |
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29 Nov 05 - 11:46 PM (#1616915) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Desert Dancer Among the many I've collected (mostly buying at dance camps), the cds that are in the player the most are Nightingale (The Coming Dawn, and Sometimes When the Moon is Full), The Old Sod Band (Grass Roots). My favorite source for recordings is the Country Dance and Song Society. Great Meadow Music has a growing selection, and they're producing them, including samplers like "Roots and Branches". (Alas for the passing of Andy's Front Hall!) Elderly Instruments carries many as well, though I like to support CDSS first, if I can. Many albums you have to get from the bands themselves. Other bands I've enjoyed dancing/listening to: - the latest is Flapjack, from Canada - Hillbillies from Mars (San Francisco, mostly) - KGB (Seattle area) - Footloose (NC and DC) - The Groovemongers (Rochester, NY) - Uncle Gizmo - Reckless Ramblers - Yankee Ingenuity - Swallowtail (George Marshall's original band) - Hotpoint Stringband ~ Becky in Tucson |
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30 Nov 05 - 09:03 AM (#1617149) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Effsee Anything by Great Meadow Music, which I see you're acquainted of, but especially Mary Cay Brass. |
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30 Nov 05 - 10:27 AM (#1617225) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GUEST,Pamela in Ithaca Becky in Tucson has listed many of the ones I'd have listed. (As a contra dance caller in central NY... and dance gypsy all around the Northeast US coast... I get to hear tons) There are a large number of young (under 25, some under 20 year olds) musicians out there carrying on the tradition and moving it forward. Old "Popcorn Behaviour" recordings are great. I'd also point you in the direction of the VanNorstrand brothers of central NY. With their mom they're knows as the Great Bear Trio, and have three CDs to their credit even though Andrew's only been old enough to drive for two years. (Drive age =16 in the USA). Great stuff! |
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30 Nov 05 - 05:57 PM (#1617549) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Alan Day I would recommend Jody Kruskal`s band for a listen.A superb Anglo Concertina player and a huge following in the States. He is featured on "Anglo International"(3CD compilation) doing Two sets, but I expect that you are looking for much more. Al |
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30 Nov 05 - 07:00 PM (#1617600) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton Thanks All of you so far...All noted and the problem is how to get them over here!! Of the music so far mentioned, which bands/ players have the most "danceability"? |
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30 Nov 05 - 07:03 PM (#1617605) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: dick greenhaus getting them over there is a snap--Order 'em through CAMSCO Music. Good prices, and we ship all over the world. E-Mail dick@camsco.com |
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30 Nov 05 - 08:08 PM (#1617650) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GUEST Well, they're all fine dance bands, with varying styles. Are you looking for recordings with dance-length tracks, for actual dancing, or just the esthetic quality? Danceable recordings are fewer in number. ~ Becky in Tucson |
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30 Nov 05 - 08:09 PM (#1617651) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton Good Ad, Dick...will be in touch!...Is there an on-line catalogue? |
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30 Nov 05 - 11:58 PM (#1617814) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: dick greenhaus CAMSCO will sell you anything that's in print. I never figured out how to put that in a catalog. |
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02 Dec 05 - 12:00 AM (#1618234) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Susan A-R Pigs Eye Landing is also fun, They're out of the Upper Midwest (I guess that the band name comes from the old name for St Paul Minnisota) I'll second Great Bear Trio, also Atlantic Crossing is a band from my neck of the woods Northeastern US I get to dance to 'em Saturday. Also, had a chance to dance to Rodney Miller twice in the past month. If it's the music you are after, the Portland Collection is a good source book of tunes, with notes on how they are used in dances, and I have heard that there's a companion recording, and a second edition. |
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02 Dec 05 - 12:05 AM (#1618239) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Desert Dancer Last night I had nearly completed a comprehensive and erudite essay on the nature of American contra dance music when I pressed some wrong button and it disappeared into the ether. I'll give another run at it tonight. :-) Compton, in your PM to me (which I hope you won't mind if I quote) you said, " How many of what you recommend have "Danceability"?. Some tracks go into free form of what I've got! Or are American Contra Dancers able to cope with all that!" I take it that you're in the U.K.. And English dance music is different over here too. :-) If you're used to what we call English country dance (Playford style, over there), you're used to tunes that for the most part go with particular dances. And e-ceilidh dances are short and lively (read, "rowdy"), in my understanding, of variable length and flavor, some with special tunes, some not. For contra dances any 32-bar (64 beat) jigs or reels will work (some better than others, of course), and the choice of tunes is up to the band, with or without the collaboration of the caller. Nowadays most bands play a medley of 2-3 tunes per dance, since a dance goes for 7-10 minutes. For the dancers, the key thing is the beat, and the traditional reel and jig phrasing in 8s and 16s, corresponding to the number of steps in the figures. Beyond that, a band has a fair amount of latitude in both the tunes they pick and how they play them. The same dance may give a dancer a very different experience depending on whether the band picks northern or southern style tunes, or traditional or contemporary tunes. And then, the same tune may sound completely different depending on who's playing it. Some fiddlers put a certain amount of swing in their playing, what kind of rythm backup there is makes a huge difference (piano: straight boom-chuck or flowing, with some melody? guitar? percussion? etc.) How does a band arrange the tune? Do all players play all the time, or do they tinker with variations in the orchestration? Of what you've listed that you've heard, you've got some sense that variation, I'll bet. Any band with Bob McQuillen on the piano will have a bit straighter, more traditional sound, while Wild Asparagus was one of the first real innovating bands. (The first time I danced to them I was tired and grumpy from being a camp organizer -- it was our first year -- and I thought to myself, "I didn't come here to dance to rock music!") Nowadays there are contra dance bands that go much further than they do. Rodney Miller was one of the earliest folks promoting traditional New England tunes, but his idiosyncratic fiddling style owes a lot to jazz/swing. As to danceability, part of the euphoria-making thrill of contras for modern, urban contra dancers is getting into the groove of a dance. A good band can start you out quietly and simply and gradually crank up the energy by means of orchestration and tune and tune key changes (not tempo changes!) to whip the group into a frenzy. So, yeah, sometimes it can get a bit out there! As far as "danceability" goes, sometimes a band's creativity goes too far, in my opinion. The above-mentioned Popcorn Behavior features some very young and talented musicians (well, it was 7 years ago that I danced to them), with some strong jazz training. They have a tendency to get into their own groove to such an extent that although the beat remains, the phrasing disappears, and the caller has to work hard to remind the dancers where the heck they are in the dance. All of that said, a complicating factor for your perspective is that when a band makes a recording they often take advantage of the opportunity to be creative in ways that they wouldn't be when playing for a hall full of dancers. Tempos may be varied in a set, or be faster or slower than dance speed. The tunes themselves may not be "square" 32-bar tunes. The tunes might be ones that are fun to listen to, or fun to play, but not necessarily the first choices for dancing. And, usually a recorded track is not as long as that 7-10 minutes required for a dance. So what you hear on a recording is not exactly what you get in a dance hall. (There are recordings intended for dancing, not many though.) I hope that gives you a little bit more to work with. All of the recordings people have mentioned here are from working dance bands who know their stuff. You might be interested in reading Henry Morgenstein's dance essays. He's an American who calls contras and English dance, and who, with his British wife, spends a fair amount of time in the UK dancing and calling, too. He's written a lot to compare and contrast the dancing here and there. Regarding "free form" he says in one essay "One name for American Contras is "Appalachian Sufi dancing" -- like the whirling dervishes, we try to induce a trancelike state through constant repetition, and through dances that contain many swings." The along with the choreography, the music is a big part of making that happen. For my part, I like more punctuation in my dances then just continuous whirling, but there's the heart of the variation among dances and dance bands. ~ Becky in Tucson (Eek! nearly lost this one in preview by not having closed the quotes on my link!) |
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02 Dec 05 - 06:40 PM (#1618897) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: TonyK Greenfield Dance Band and Nightingale are my favorites. I also like A Band Named Bob for its accordion use. |
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02 Dec 05 - 06:58 PM (#1618905) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: artbrooks There is a band called "The Privy Tippers" who are from Becky's neighborhood, and the one CD of theirs I have is both good listening and very danceable. |
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06 Dec 05 - 05:18 PM (#1621477) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Claymore I would add Uncle Gizmo, No Strings Attached and re-endorse Swallowtail. |
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06 Dec 05 - 07:39 PM (#1621569) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton Thanks all, I'm making copious notes...would always be glad of more from people who know the music Compton |
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06 Dec 05 - 11:16 PM (#1621669) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Desert Dancer I don't think of No Strings Attached as a dance band -- do they have any recordings that are more that flavor? (Uncle Gizmo was on my list, too. :-) ~ Becky in Tucson |
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07 Dec 05 - 10:49 AM (#1621968) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: MissouriMud As mentioned a few times above one of the main problem with using many of the recordings of contra-dance style music for an actual Contra dance is tune length. I'm sure there must be recordings with tunes in the 8 minute range, but most bands that play that style of music dont record at anything close to that length - more typically under 3 minutes a tune. One recording I am aware of that, while not up to the 8 minute level, at least has longer cuts than ususal is put out by an Ozark (Missouri-Arkansas) oriented group called "Chicks with Guns" - I think the cd is currently being marketed on their web site (http://www.geocities.com/chicks_with_guns) under the title Still Life - although it has also been marketed as "Barn Dance" under the band's former alter ego, Ozark Traditions. The musicians (Billy Matthews on fiddle, Barbara Weathers on guitar and Tom Hall on clawhammer banjo) are gifted and well steeped in the genre having learned from some of the true old timers. The recording quality may not be perfect but the tunes really kick. The cuts, many of which are medleys(such as Illinois Ricketts/Fishers/Durang's Hornpipes), are mostly square/contra danceable and tend to be in the 4-5 minute length - still short for a fullsize Contra but closer than a lot of the other recordings around. The web site has ordering instructions for cd via email. The site also has some samples of the cuts. |
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08 Dec 05 - 06:17 AM (#1622570) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton MissouriMud, here in the Uk....almost everything recorded is about 7 times through...so the "old Folks" aren't used to anything more!. So if I'm using the CD's at our clubs, they don't really have to be great lengths. The Ceilidh scene is however different and 13 or 14 times through isn't unusual ....but there again, the ceilidh scene doesn't do New England Contras. I'm between a rock and a hard place!! |
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08 Dec 05 - 12:29 PM (#1622876) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: KathWestra All of Bob McQuillen's bands are wonderful New England-style contra music. I love his current band, Old New England, and have all their recordings. Bob, 70+ years young, was recognized last year by the (U.S.) National Endowment for the Arts with a National Heritage Fellowship for his work keeping traditional contradance music alive. (He also writes the loveliest waltzes of anyone I know. The real-life "Amelia" who inspired his waltz by that name waltzed onstage to Bob's music on the night he received the award--a touching moment, for sure!) In addition to quite a few thousand dollars, the honor singles Bob out as a national treasure of folk music. Dudley Laufman's Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra is also an old-style New England contra group--don't know if anything of theirs is still in print though. |
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08 Dec 05 - 01:22 PM (#1622927) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GLoux Thank you, KathWestra, for your Bob McQuillen story. I had not heard about the award and the award ceremony. He's a national treasure for sure. Is there a more prolific tunesmith? Hold The Mustard and The Fish Family Dance Band are two contra dance bands in the NY/NJ area that had recorded, but I'm not sure if they ever made them into CDs. Plus look out for anything with Donna Hebert on fiddle. -Greg |
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08 Dec 05 - 01:40 PM (#1622949) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Stewart Here in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle) Cathie Whitesides plays the most contradances and she often plays and records with Bob McQuillen and also Laurie Andres. Check her web site for recordings. Another very active contra dance musician here is W. B. Reid - check his web site for recordings. Cheers, S. in Seattle |
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08 Dec 05 - 01:54 PM (#1622963) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton It all looks good from here...Thanks Mudcatters from "over the pond"...Listening to "Contra Roots and Branches"..."Grand Picnic" sound the biz...Anyone jknow anythingh about them? Compton |
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08 Dec 05 - 04:37 PM (#1623112) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GUEST,Pamela in Ithaca Grand Picnic *is* a terrific band (out of New York City) which doesn't travel much. When they do, make the effort to hear them. I recently worked with a "cousin" band - The Brooklyn Swing Ensemble - which, dispite their name is a great contra dance band (swing also). Also, one of the two fiddlers, Sam Zygmuntowicz, is a renowed violin maker who has had his instruments played in some *very* high brow places. GP has put out one recording (chock full of great original tunes) which has recently been re-released as a CD. Google Grand Picnic for more info. By the way, I'm pleased as punch that this crowd of folk singers knows so much about contra dance music. Sometimes it seems like these communities are worlds apart... but that's another thread. Oh, the concertina player in the band, Jody Kruskal, has just come out with a tune book, all original tunes. Lovely stuff. |
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08 Dec 05 - 05:25 PM (#1623140) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: MissouriMud We aren't all exclusively singers - you'll find a broad spectrum here. A few of us actually play squares and contras. |
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08 Dec 05 - 08:11 PM (#1623282) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton Yes, I sing, call, dance and (almost) do anything for money! |
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09 Dec 05 - 09:23 AM (#1623504) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GUEST,Bob L The UK band Fiddling Around has a well-deserved reputation as a Contra dance band, but (so far) only one CD, "Who's Calling?". Another good band, who were at Chippenham in May, are KGB, but their CDs seem to be more for listening than for dancing. On the other hand the danceable tracks are good and long, 11 or 13 times through. I can definitely recommend the Portland Selection CD too, although again not every track is danceable. Finally, there is a CD of the Canterbury County Dance Orchestra, made up of selected tracks from their LPs. Some of these I used for dancing yonks ago, but the speeds aren't what you would call "zesty" so they might not have the same appeal in this day and age. I get most of my dance records and books from Folk Sales, usually at festivals, but they have a thriving mail order business as well. |
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09 Dec 05 - 11:44 AM (#1623612) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton I know of Folk Sales that do carry some American Imports...but am impressed with MusicScotland.com and confusingly MusicinScotland.com that carry certainly the Great Meadow Music Catalogue. |
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09 Dec 05 - 07:32 PM (#1624002) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GUEST All the CDs I've got were bought directly from the bands during dance weekends. I'll re-endorse both Uncle Gizmo and Nightengale. Geoff Seitz from St. Louis, MO has a CD of old time fiddle tunes. Merriweather is a New England style band from Florida, and have a couple CDs with tune times ranging from 2:30 to 5:15. String Beings are from North Carolina with a very danceable CD "Late For the Dance." I've also got some Yankee Ingenuity and Wild Asparagus. |
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09 Dec 05 - 07:46 PM (#1624011) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GUEST,petr |
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09 Dec 05 - 07:54 PM (#1624019) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GUEST,petr sorry hit return too early, Im glad you mentioned Laurie Andres and Cathie Whitesides, also George Penk and Clyde Curley are well known names in the Northwest Clyde Curley & Susan Songer published the portland dance tunebooks portland book George Penk also plays in a band called Jigsaw with Dan Compton (I believe) and Dave Marshal a well known fiddle player/musician in Vancouver has a great cd called the Lost Chicken (with Andrea Cooper and Joel Bernstein) and another one with a band called Afro Shillellagh you could check his site - www.fiddletech.com cheers Petr |
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10 Dec 05 - 12:32 PM (#1624430) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton Thanks to all you goof people. I am delighted you have been sharing all your favourite contra bands with me. I hope CAMSCO has a few of these. Anyone out there know of (another) good US to UK distributor, It's also heart warming that your "dance band" scene is so "Alive". There is no way the UK "dance Band" recording scene is ib any way as healthy,....but that also sums up our (folk) record industry. We are very the (underground) music! |
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10 Dec 05 - 12:56 PM (#1624443) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: GUEST This just in! -- New England Dancing Masters, a collaboration of folks who teach traditional music and dance in New England, have produced a cd called "Any Jig or Reel", designed for dancing to. The musicians are fiddler Becky Tracy (of Wild Asparagus and Nightingale), Andy Davis on accordion (one of the New England Dance Masters, as well as the seasonal music group Nowell Sing We Clear), and Keith Murphy of Nightingale and Assembly/Popcorn Behavior on piano, guitar, and foot percussion. I've not heard it, but it's sure to be just the thing, if you have to do contras to recorded music. The NEDM Chimes of Dunkirk and Listen to the Mockingbird recordings were also made for classroom use, including a nice mix of 32-bar jigs and reels, as well as some other more specific tunes. These I've used many times. Highly recommended for actually dancing to. I'm ordering the new one today; style-wise, the new one with Becky and Keith may be slightly more interesting than the first two, which are pretty straight (not that that's a problem, just different). You can probably order directly, or talk to Dick of CAMSCO. ~ Becky in Tucson |
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10 Dec 05 - 04:57 PM (#1624595) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Desert Dancer Well, now that I listen to the clips, if you want "interesting", get the Assembly (former Popcorn Behavior) cd "Other Side of the Tracks" from the same source. "Hypnotic, pheromone producing, hormone popping, T-cell enhancing groove music geared for older elementary age children, this is also a great listening and dancing album for any age." ;-) "Any Jig or Reel" sounds straighter (though it's hard to tell with a clip -- the first time or two thru a tune is likely to be the straightest version, and who knows what happens in the medley). (2 of the 4 Assembly players are the sons of Peter and Mary Alice Amidon, who are 2 of the 4 New England Dancing Masters.) :-) ~ Becky in Tucson (back on my own computer) |
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10 Dec 05 - 08:13 PM (#1624695) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton Hormone Popping ???? |
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10 Dec 05 - 09:56 PM (#1624750) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Effsee I remember that........I think! |
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11 Dec 05 - 12:52 PM (#1625046) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: NH Dave I found a list of Dudley Laufman's CD's here , but when I visited Cecil Sharp House, the home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS). back in the 70's, I found cassettes of some of his work after he'd visited the UK playing Contra Dance tunes. Talk about full circle. Dave |
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11 Dec 05 - 05:49 PM (#1625202) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Mo the caller I would endorse "Fiddling Around". Dance to them live if you can. I've also got an LP from way back when they were called "Ho Down". |
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15 Dec 05 - 12:49 PM (#1627987) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton As this thread goes into the great Mudcat void, my I thank all the Dancing Mudcatters both sides of the Atlantic for the valueable information. Since we started, Mary Cay Brass is now playing on my CD player. Hopefully Dick at CAMSCO is speeding my way, Grand Picnic and when further funds come my way...we'll take further advantage of the advice. Take my word, America..look after these bands, we don't have too much like it over in the UK. Compton |
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15 Dec 05 - 09:37 PM (#1628437) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: KathWestra Anytime you want to come over the pond, Compton, there's wonderful dancing to be had all over the U.S. Pick a city on the East or West coast, or in many places in between, and you'll have terrific dancing to wonderful live music. Friendly folks, too! My personal favorite venues are the Scout House in Concord, Massachusetts just outside of Boston, and the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park in Glen Echo, Maryland,just outside Washington, DC. Both venues have amazing "floating" hardwood dance floors (no sore ankles and knees!), and the best live music--and good dancing--anyplace. Or you can come to the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA) in April, and hear LOTS and LOTS of terrific American contradance bands and get to dance with some of the best dancers from all over the country who descend on the festival every year. Think about it! Kathy |
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16 Dec 05 - 04:13 AM (#1628565) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton Thanks for invite, Kathy...You just never know! But when I go to dances over here, I realise what a diffence there is. I gusss "Fiddlin' Around" may be the nearest thing we've got to the genuine article. Good Dancin' Compton |
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16 Dec 05 - 06:17 AM (#1628610) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Mo the caller Saw an advert in eds (the EFDSS mag) for the online catalog (is that how Americans spell it?) of the Country Dance Society. www.cdss.org/sales and sales@cdss.org So thats one way to get them |
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16 Dec 05 - 10:21 AM (#1628757) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Compton ...Mo the Caller...Yep, it sure is! ....but they also sell them Scotland way...Shame Mrs Casey's Muso / Rocking Chair isn't up with them yet! ...having said that..The prices appear cheaper to import than here..although I haven;t got CD yet! and may have to pay import tax when it comes!! |
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12 Apr 06 - 01:50 AM (#1715868) Subject: RE: American Contra Dance Band CDs From: Desert Dancer Here's a listening source that doesn't require you to buy (but may be a good way to sample a few things and choose your investments): Music from the Contra Dance, A bi-weekly internet radio show & PodCast. Robert Cox is in the Washington, D.C. area. ~ Becky in Tucson |
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23 Nov 10 - 05:38 PM (#3038984) Subject: contra dance tune index From: Desert Dancer Jeff Kaufman has created and is maintaining an index to the contra dance tunes played in the "Music from the Contra Dance" program I linked just above (4 years ago). It is here. ~ Becky in Long Beach |