Below is a tune to learn for their Chicago concert and jam session:
Thursday, February 26, 8:30pm
Leadway Bar & Grill
(5233 N. Damen in Chicago)
Admission is $15
Christmas Eve slow, a tune from Jim Bowles of Tompkinsville, Kentucky
Besides being multi-instrumentalists, they are also wondrous singers of old-time and early country. Check out this promo video from the YouTubes. Lots of great stuff.
Fiddle Club is flexible. That’s been a strength. If some good fiddlers or other musicians are passing through Chicago with an open date on her calendar, we can leap to the task and put together a meeting where they can be our featured guest. That’s exactly what is happening next week-Thursday, February 26 to be exact.
John Grimm & Beverly Smith
Thursday, February 26, 8:30pm
Leadway Bar & Grill
(5233 N. Damen in Chicago)
Fiddle Club of the World (Chicago Chapter)
Admission is $15
Old-time tunes and songs from a duo steeped in the tradition of north Georgia and the southern uplands. Visit their website to learn more. For the jam session that follows their concert, we might sing a few songs as well as play a few tunes. They’ll be sending some mp3s soon to help us get ready, just as soon as their power is restored after the recent blizzard. Check back in few days
Future Fiddle Club meetings
Colby Maddox, a bit o’ bluegrass
Sunday, March 15
location tba
Stephanie Coleman, old-time fiddler
Saturday, April 4
location tba
Originally from Chicagoland, Stephanie’s been tearing it up out East ever since she went off to college. It will be great to welcome her home.
Sunday, January 11, 7pm
Seman Violins (4447 Oakton in Skokie)
Fiddle Club of the World (Chicago Chapter)
is pleased to present
Ain Haas
with a demonstration, workshop and jam session of
Folk Music from Estonia and Latvia
Admission is $15
In memory of our good friend
Andres Peekna (1937-2014)
Ain Haas was born in Sweden to Estonian parents. He now lives in Indianapolis, where here he leads Siilikesed, the Hedgehogs, an Estonian and Latvian folk ensemble. In the concert, Ain will demonstrate a variety of plucked zithers (kannel and kokle), bowed lyres (hiiu kannel and giga), Estonian bagpipes (torupill) and other ancient instruments. A jam session of Baltic polkas, waltzes, marches and airs will follow. Most tunes will be fairly easy to learn. Some recordings are posted below. Sheet music will be available.
The evening will be a tribute to Andres Peekna, who, with Ain, led the Chicago-based Estonian folk ensemble, Tuuletargad, the Wind Wizards. In the top photo, Andres is playing the small table-top kannel. Andres, along with several members of Tuuletargad, appeared several times at the Midwest Fiddle Championship hosted by the Fiddle Club of the World. Here is a recording from the 2004 championship. Mary Allsopp is on fiddle. (Click the blue title to play.)
Vigala Reinlander
Kägära-Näpupolka, Ain on torupill and Andres on kannel
Click here for standard notation for all the tunes linked on this page. All from the collection of Andres Peekna.
Recordings by Siilikesed, the Hedgehogs
Ackups (a Latvian tune)
Minoome Labajalg (Minor-key Flatfoot Waltz)
Ruhnu Pulmamarss (Ruhnu Island Wedding March)
Recordings by Tuuletargad, the Wind Wizards
Hopser (hop-waltz)
Valgamaa Simmanilugu (Valga County Village party tune)
Bob Bovee & Pop Wagner
Sunday, November 30 – 7pm
Seman Violins (4447 W. Oakton, Skokie).
Admission is $15 at the door.
Okay, so this picture was taken 40 years ago. Their hair has turned gray, but they still play real good, with the same drive and passion for the old-time music they’ve shown to audiences all over the country. Few can do it any better. (Pop still has that fabulous mustache and Bob is sure to wear a great hat.) What’s in store for us is wealth of cowboy songs, old-time tunes, and more. Here’s some samples of Pop’s fiddling, tune we might play at the jam session.
Silver Creek Hasty by Anni Spring & Pop Wagner
Parted Lovers by Pop Wagner
Lamentation for William Hinkley by Adam Granger & Pop Wagner
Hobb Dye by Pop Wagner
Ebenezer by Anni Spring & Pop Wagner
Brazilian Tune (recording of a cool tune, sent by Pop)
Leadway Jam Session Big Shoulders Square Dance
Sunday, November 16:
Last jam session of the year at 7pm at the Leadway Bar & Grill (523 N. Damen).
(Click tune list above for running list of all 2014 jams.)
Friday, November 21 Big Shoulders Square Dance with White Mule.
8:30 Global Dance Party at the Old Town School of Folk Music (4545 N. Lincoln).
Hot fiddling by Genevieve Harrison Koester. Solid old-time backup by Smith Koester, Andy Gribble and Abby Ladin. Callin by Paul Tyler. Dancing by y’all. No experience necessary.
(Click photo above for more information. Tickets available here.)
This event is the culmination of the apprenticeship grant that Judy Higgins and I received from the Illinois Arts Council. We’ve met every week for the last half year to learn about 18 to 20 tunes. We’ve worked on building up speed and drive with the bow. Judy’s playing has become way more danceable. And we’re going to test that out tonight with a return to the Atlantic Bar & Grill for a old-time square dance in the back room.
The band, Judy and the Big Dogs, includes Steve Rosen, Chris Walz and yours truly. Eric Zorn will call – and teach – the figures. Come on out at 7pm, fill the floor and square your sets. We’re gonna have a big time tonight.
Maja Kjær Jacobsen & David Boulanger
Sunday, November 9 – 7pm
Seman Violins (4447 W. Oakton, Skokie).
Admission is $15 at the door.
Tretur fra Falster Danish tune played by Maja & David
(from a suite, The Bee Tour)
Le Batteux Quebecois tune played by Maja & David
(from The Overstringed Set)
Maja Kjær Jacobsen, from Silkeborg (Danmark) plays fiddle and hardingfele (hardanger fiddle), and has recently joined with David Boulanger, fiddler with La Bottine Souriante from Quebec.
Sunday, October 17, 7pm
Fiddle Club jam
at the Leadway (5233 N. Damen)
Sunday, November 2, 7pm
Old-Time Barn Dance
Led by Judy Higgins, Calling by Eric Zorn
at the Atlantic Bar & Grill (5046 N. Lincoln)
With Paul Tyler, Steve Rosen & Chris Walz
A culmination of an apprenticeship, sponsored by
the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and
the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sunday, November 9, 7pm
Maja Kjaer Jacobsen & David Boulanger
Concert and workshop/jam at Seman Violins (4447 W. Oakton in Skokie)
Fiddling from Denmark and Quebec
Friday, November 21, 8:30
White Mule* with calling by Paul Tyler
Big Shoulders Square Dance
in Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music (4545 N. Lincoln)
Led by Fiddle Club guests (2010), Genevieve & Smith Koester
Sunday, November 30, 7pm
Pop Wagner & Bob Bovee
Concert and workshop/jam at Seman Violins (4447 W. Oakton in Skokie)
From Minnesota, old-time tunes and cowboy songs
In their concert, Sunday (10/5) at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Arto & Antti Järvelä sang the song Tappelulaulu, about two murderous men who claimed many victims in a small district in central Finland in the first years of the 20th century. In 1909, they went on a killing spree at a wedding in Härmä. Nine bodies were found on the scene. Reportedly, the killings were result of the two men not being invited to the wedding.
Here is a link to a photo of Isontalon Antti and Rannanjarvi, the two murder men, in shackles.
Arto & Antti will conduct a peaceful workshop on Finnish fiddling on Monday, October 6 at Seman Violins in Skokie (4447 W. Oakton). A workshop for kids will begin at 5:30, with a regular Fiddle Club of the World workshop scheduled for 7pm. Admission is $15. Half price admission given to those who have a ticket stub or wrist band from the Sunday night concert.
Finnish Fiddle & Guitar workshop with
Arto Järvelä & Antti Järvelä
Seman Violins (4447 W. Oakton, Skokie).
Monday, October 6
Admission is $15 at the door. *
A family friendly workshop will begin at 5:30pm followed by the regular workshop at 7pm.
* Present a ticket stub from Arto & Antti’s concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music on Sunday. Click here for information and reservations on what is sure to be a fabulous show.
Top ten reasons why you don’t want to miss this workshop.
10. This is Arto’s 3rd visit to Fiddle Club of the World. **
9. Arto’s first two visits were awesome.
8. Polskas are awesome
7. Finnish fiddling is both archaic and contemporary.
6. Järveläs have been playing the fiddle for at least 7 generations.
5. Antti is a really friendly guy.
4. This will be a load of fun.
3. Antti and Arto are awesome musicians.
2. Arto is one of Fiddle Club’s best friends.
1. Did I mention that Finnish fiddling is awesome?
** Check out these previous Fiddle Club posts (or just click Arto’s name in the tag cloud in right hand column). Check back later in case they send us more tunes.
Like these . . .
Foops two polskas from Maria Spoofs manuscript collection, circa 1800.
Reinon Knäpsäys a polkka (aka polka)
