New Season Starts Sunday

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Paul Tyler

Open jam this Sunday (9/15) at the Leadway Bar & Grill (5233 N. Damen) at 7 (pm).
Fiddlers and all players of other instruments are welcome. Bring your current favorite tune.

new season
(click here for a printable flyer)

To hear Norwegian tunes from Vidar Skrede, click here or here.
To hear recordings by Stuart Rosenberg, click here.

For the most current info and other goodies, check the Fiddle Club of the World facebood page. You do have to be on facebook (You mean you’re not!) and you do have to ask to join. Just ask, we’ll open the door for you. Click here for our facebook page

– Paul Tyler, convener

Special Last Minute Fiddle Club Guests

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Paul Tyler

Bjärv
Monday, June 24, 7pm
Seman Violins (4447 Oakton, Skokie)

Sometimes great musicians wander into Chicago with open dates on their schedule. Fiddle Club of the World loves to take advantage of these situations, especially when the musicians in question are the talented men of this folk trio from Sweden and the US.

Bjarv
Bjärv

Olof Göthlin (fiddle), Ben Teitelbaum (nyckleharpa) & Mikael Grafström (guitar) will be in the acoustically wonderful back room of Seman Violins. (Thanks to Peter Seman and his staff for hosting). They’ll give us a bit of a concert and teach us a tune or two so we can all play together. All we ask is a $15 donation, payable at the door. This is a great chance to hear these fine musicians up close.

Fiddle Club meetings at Seman Violins are BYOB. Munchies will be provided.

If you want more, check out their bios, visit their website,
listen to the them on MySpace or watch them on a recent visit to the US . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVt-xKzrcHY

Paul Tyler, convener
Fiddle Club of the World, Chicago Chapter

Jimmy Keane brings his accordion to Fiddle Club

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Paul Tyler

Sunday, January 27, 2013, 6:30pm
Seman Violins (4447 Oakton, Skokie)
B.Y.O.B. Snacks will be provided.

All fiddlers and friends of fiddlers, including players of other instruments, are welcome. $15 admission. Click here to register.

Here’s a tune I recorded Jimmy playing on stage at the Indiana Fiddler’s Gathering in 1980 when he was a mere lad of 22.

Frieze Britches aka The Friar’s Breeches, aka Cunnla

And a half dozen years later he played with the also youthful and equally accomplished Liz Carroll in a concert for the Adler Cultural Center in Libertyville, Illinois.

unnamed reel-Limerick Lasses

From that same 1986 concert comes this solo performance of two Cuz Teahan tunes: The Road to Glentowne and The School of Glentowne . . .

Jimmy, of course, has had a long and outstanding career performing and composing wonderful tunes in the Irish tradition. You can find more samples on his own website.

Paul Tyler, convener

Fiddle Club guests for 2013

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Paul Tyler

Two concert meetings * are now scheduled for the Winter and Spring to be held in fun new location with great acoustics, the back room at Seman Violins (4447 Oakton, Skokie) (Check ’em out.)
B.Y.O.B. Snacks will be provided.

Jimmy Keane

Jimmy Keane, Accordion Master
Sunday, January 27, 2013, 6:30pm

As a young boy, Jimmy Keane, Jr. chose, not the ubiquitous button box or melodeon, but the full scale piano accordion. And he mastered it fully, becoming All-Ireland champion while still in his teens. Today he rules the roost. A Chicago treasure, Jimmy was recently named the Irish “Male Musician of the Decade (2000-2010).” An accomplished solo artist, he has performed with such bands as Aengus and Bohola, and participated on numerous tours of “Greenfields of America” and “An Irish Homecoming.” He’s got some new tunes he wants to try out for us, and will teach us a few.

$15 admission. Click here to register.

Kirk Sutphin & Bertram Levy
Sunday, March 10, 6:30 pm
Banjos, Bows and Bellows

This unique program features two artists who learned their music back in the 1970s from the same Blue Ridge Mountain luminaries–Henry Reed, Tommy Jarrell and Oscar Wright. Kirk still lives near his birthplace in Walkertown, North Carolina. He is both an excellent fiddler and accomplished in clawhammer and old-time finger-style banjo. He plays with the New North Carolina Ramblers. Bertram Levy spent his younger years in North Carolina, where he was an original member of the Hollow Rock String Band. Some years ago he moved to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, where he helped found the American Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend. A virtuosic banjoist, favoring gut strings, Bertram also plays tango music on bandoneon in the band Tangoheart, and traditional American music on the Anglo concertina. Their recent CD, “The Bellow and the Bow” features duets with fiddle, banjo and concertina.

$15 admission. Click here to register.

* Our guests will present a short concert (one set), to be followed by jam session.

Euro Roots World Music

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Paul Tyler

Jutta & the Hi-Dukes
Sunday, November 18, 6:30pm
Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln)

A world music trio from Evanston, they will play a short concert to start things off. Then we’ll work through a couple of tunes (see the link below), and maybe even do a simple circle dance or two. All fiddlers, musicians, listeners and dancers invited.

The tunes: click here for recordings and actual notes!

Jutta Distler plays for folk dancers. Terran Doeher leads the dance.

To register, follow this link, type ‘fiddle club’ in class name box.
$15 for this meeting. $60 for a year long subscription.

Fiddle Events

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Paul Tyler

Jutta & the Hi-Dukes
Just booked as special guests for our next meeting
Sunday, November 18 – 6:30p
Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln), in the back room
(To register for this meeting, see below. *)

A bit of world music. Maybe a little Klezmer. Maybe a touch of Danish.
They are Terran Doehrer, Zoï Doehrer and Jutta Distler.

Old-Time Square Dance this Friday
October 26, part of the Old Town School’s Global Dance Party.
Great music by Geoff Seitz & Friends,** calling by Paul Collins.
The dancing starts at 8:30. All dances will be taught throughout the evening. No experience necessary. Fun will be had.

*You can register for Fiddle Club of the World meetings at www.oldtownschool.org and search the class catalog for Fiddle Club. That brings up two choices: 1) a single meeting registration for $15, or 2) a year’s subscription to all Fiddle Club events for $60.

** Jim Nelson, Dedo Norris and Steve Rosen.

-Paul Tyler, convener
Chicago Chapter

Guest Artist for next Fiddle Club meeting

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Paul Tyler

Frank Hall, Old-Time Fiddler
Sunday, September 30 – 6:30p
Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln), in the back room

Founding fiddler of the Easy Street String Band, Bloomington, Indiana’s finest in the 1980s. Frank also played with the Yeah Buddys and the Monks before moving to Ireland right at the start of this century. He’s still playing American old-time tunes along with some of Ireland’s best traditional musicians.

You can register at www.oldtownschool.org and search the class catalog for Fiddle Club. That brings up two choices: 1) a single meeting registration for $15, or 2) a year’s subscription to all Fiddle Club events for $60.

Here are some tunes to learn for the jam session with Frank . . .

Sopping Up the Gravy learned from a 1972 recording of Charlie “Jake” Corns of Battle Ground, Indiana

Jim Shank from Bruce Greene

Frank is a fine dance fiddler. So Fiddle Clubbers get to decide. Do we want him to play a concert set, or should we have a dance? If the latter, we’ll start with the jam session at 6:30, and follow with the dance. Let me know your druthers with a comment below.

– Paul Tyler, convener

Banjo master to appear at Fiddle Club

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Paul Tyler

Clarke Buehling – vintage banjoist
Sunday, July 8 – 6:30pm
Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln)

Clarke Buehling

“Clarke Buehling is both a banjo master and a devoted clear channel to America’s musical heritage dating back as far as 200 years. Most important of all: He sounds really good!” So says Pete Wernick, “Dr. Banjo,” founding member of the bluegrass band, Hot Rize, and a pretty good picker, himself.

Leader of The Skirtlifters Old-Time Band, Clarke Buehling specializes in the 19th century banjo styles that pre-figured both clawhammer and Scruggs picking. Clarke can play breakdowns and jig using the minstrel stroke, followed by virtuosic finger-picking on banjo rags and classical pieces. He’s a powerful player and a dynamic performer. A fiddle tune jam will follow a presentation not to be missed!

Green Corn-Essence of Old Virginny from the album Out of His Gourd.

St. Louis Tickle (Rag Time Two-Step) from the Skirtlifters album Wait for the Wagon.

(Both albums available here.)

Clarke Buehling will guest at Fiddle Club on Sunday, July 8 at 6:30 pm in the backroom of the Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln). Click here to register for a single meeting ($15 ), or click here for a year-long subscription ($60) to all Fiddle Club events..

Swedish guests at Fiddle Club

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Paul Tyler

Anders & Maria Larsson
Monday, June 4 – 7p
Room E124 — Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln)

This duo, veterans of the thriving Swedish folk music scene, is making their first visit to Chicago. In their few days here, they will give a workshop at the Old Town School on Sunday, June 3, followed by an evening concert at the Swedish-American Museum. Then on Monday evening, they will gather with Old Town fiddle alums, students and fans for an evening of traditional Swedish tunes. Come just to listen, or to play along. Not just for fiddlers.

Anders & Maria Larson of Svanevit
(click here for info on June 3 concert at the Swedish-American Museum)

You can register for the Fiddle Club meeting for $15 by clicking here, or click this link for the $60 yearly subscription that gives you entrance to all Fiddle Club events.

Once again, here’s a couple of tunes of their beauteous music, as given on an earlier post, from the album Rikedom och gåvor with their quartet Svanevit.

Kardborren

Tranan

Big Fiddle Times a-Coming

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Paul Tyler

Lots of good stuff coming up. Get your calendars out. Make your summer plans.

1. Fiddle Club of the World meetings

Dorian Gehring, Cajun
Sunday, May 20 – 6:30p
Room E324 – Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln)

Single meeting dues is $15: register here.

Sample these tunes recorded live from the grounds at the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival in 2010, when Dorian Gehring & the Cajun Vagabonds took first place in the 8th Midwest Fiddle Championship Band Division.

Cajun waltz

Lacassine Special

Dorian Gehring & the Cajun Vagabonds

Anders & Maria Larson of Svanevit

Anders & Maria Larsson, from Sweden
A special meeting, just scheduled
Monday, June 4 – 7p
Room E124 — Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln)

Single meeting dues is $15: register here.

Or come to both meetings, plus all Fiddle Club events for the next 12 months with a yearly subscription of $60.
2. Old Time Square Dances
(part of Global Dance Party)

The White Mules (Genevieve & Smith Koester)
with caller Bridget Edwards from Bloomington, Indiana
Friday, May 18 – 8:30p
Szold Hall – Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln)

All tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance by clicking here.

More square dances have been added to the schedule
Patt & Possum
with caller Bill Sudkamp
Friday, August 17

Geoff Seitz & Friends (from St. Louis)
with caller Paul Tyler
Friday, October 26 (tentative)

3. As part of the Square Roots Festival

10th Midwest Fiddle Championship
Finals will be held on Saturday, July 21 – 1:45-2:45p
Maurer Hall – Old Town School West (4544 Lincoln)

and

Fiddle Club of the World Battle of the Bands
an invitational, same day – 7-8p
Szold Hall – Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln)

Opening round and registration information to be announced soon.

-Paul Tyler, convener

Fiddle Club of the World

(Chicago Chapter)

Category Archives: Featured Guests