Some Tunes from Dennis Stroughmatt

Some tunes from Upper Louisiana, aka the old French district of Illinois and Missouri, straddling the Mississippi River down from St. Louis. Dennis here gives us a brief intro to each tune. More stories to come on March 18 at the Leadway.

Press the arrows to listen or right-click the blue title to download and save on your computer.

Old Man Lucky in the key of D: “Old Man Lucky I learned from Charlie Pashia, right at the source. It was a song (no lyrics) for a guy named LaChance. He was a lucky man, and that was his name too.”

Old Man Lucky slow


Grandmere In waltz time in G: “Grandmere is a story song. It means Grandmother Complains. I learned it from Ida Portell in Potosi , MO.”

Grandmere slow


D’ou Viens in A: “D’ou Viens Tu is iShepherd, from where did you come.’ It’s a Christmas song. Also from Ida Portell. But I got the fiddle part idea from Roy Boyer.”

D’ou Viens slow


Dennis Stroughmatt will be the featured guest at the Fiddle Club of the World meeting on Sunday, March 28 at 6:30pm at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen) in Chicago. Click here to register.

Some Tunes from Liz Knowles

Ready for some Celtic/Irish tunes. Before she headed off to China, Liz gave us these to try. Each recording has the tune played slowly, and then up to tempo.

Press the arrows to listen or right-click the blue title to download and save on your computer.

The Black Rogue – jig


Gone for His Tea – reel


The Factory Smoke – hornpipe


Liz Knowles will be the featured guest at the Fiddle Club of the World meeting on Friday, February 19 at 7:30pm at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen) in Chicago. Click here to register.

Kenny Stone tunes

Important Notice: We apologize, but once again we must postpone Kenny Stone’s visit to the Fiddle Club of the World. The workshop listing currently reads that the new date is March 7, 2010. That date is not yet confirmed. Check back soon. I guarantee that Kenny Stone will be our featured artist soon and help us become more bluegrass-worthy.
-Paul Tyler

Kenny Stone is veteran bluegrass fiddler, with a performing career that started when he was nine. He released his first album in 1989, at the age of nine, and followed that up with series of recordings and tours with a variety of bands, including his own, the Kenny Stone Unit and Midwest Wind. Family life and work has taken him off the road. But he continues to perform with the Chicago Bluegrass Band and to teach select students at his home in Dyer, Indiana.
Kenny Stone
Kenny Stone

The Fiddle Club of the World is pleased to present Kenny Stone to a new audience of fiddlers. He’s looking forward to playing through a potpourri of standard old-time and bluegrass tunes. He’s also offered us several of his own originals.

Buckley Barndance


Grangers Farewell


Kenny Stone will be featured guest at the Fiddle Club of the World meeting on January 24, 2010 at 4:00 pm at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen). Click here to register.

Pete Sutherland Tunes

Here are some Pete tunes, sent to us from the Champlain Valley of Vermont. These will be great to play in the jam. The reel is, in Pete’s words “from our local hero, Louis Beaudoin.” The second tune –pronounced tess-fie-yay–is an Ethiopian waltz song. The last is from the Skillet Lickers.

Dad’s Reel

slow


Tesfaye


Streak o’ Lean

slow


Click here to access Paul Tyler’s notation of a couple of Pete’s tunes.

Pete Sutherland, along with Mark Roberts & Jeremiah McLane, will be performing at the Fiddle Club of the World‘s meeting at 7:30 on Friday, October 16 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen). Click here to register, or call 773.728.6000.

Arto Järvelä tunes

Here are solo fiddle performances by Arto of three tunes we can all play together at the jam. Arto learned both the march (marssi) and polska from Elias Tallari of Kuortane, Finland. The waltz (valssi) is “efter” (from the playing of) Johan Petter Ragvals of Övermark.

Peli-Jussin syömämarssi

slow

Peli-Jussin syömämarssi can also be heard on the CD “Arto Järvelä Plays Violin” (there is a tunebook with the same name) one of the many you can purchase from Arto during his residency at the Old Town School.

Mäläskän kuoleman polska

slow


Both polskas and waltzes are in 3/4 time. But it is easy to hear that they are for totally different dances.

Ragvalsin valssi

slow


Go here to view Paul Tyler’s notation of Arto’s tunes.

Arto Järvelä will be performing at the Fiddle Club‘s meeting on Friday, September 25 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen). Click here to register, or call 773.728.6000.

Some Tunes from Dan Gellert

Dan sent us recordings of these tunes played at a moderate tempo. The first two are in the key of C. The third is in Bb. Be brave and give it a try.

Shelvin’ Rock

New Five Cents

Brushy Run

Just added, a D tune, from a 1985 album of Dan’s band, Shoofly.

Sugar Hill

Send a comment and let us know which two of these four tunes you especially want to work through at the Fiddle Club session.

Dan Gellert will be performing at the Fiddle Club of the World’s meeting on Saturday, March 28 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery.

You can register for the Fiddle Club meetings as a workshop. Cost is $20. Call 773.728.6000 or to register on line, go here. Space is limited.

Tunes from Karen Solgard

Here are some tunes played by Karen Solgrad on a Norwegian hardanger fiddle.

Reiselaat fra Hallingdal

Steffasgard

Trondelag Bridal March

Go to Karen Solgard’s transcriptions of these Norwegian tunes.

Karen Solgard will be performing at the Fiddle Club of the World‘s meeting on Sunday, November 30 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery. Click here to register, or call 773.728.6000.

Alan Jabbour tunes

Alan learned all these tunes from Henry Reed (1884-1968) of Glen Lyn, West Virginia.

Granny

Slow

medium


West Virginia Highway (aka Ebenezer)

Slow

medium


Peekaboo Waltz

Slow

Used with permission from Learning Old-Time Fiddle Appalachian Style with Alan Jabbour.

Go to Alan Jabbour’s transcriptions of these Henry Reed tunes.

Alan Jabbour will be performing at the Fiddle Club of the World‘s meeting on Wednesday, October 29 at Paddy O’Splaines. Click here to register, or call 773.728.6000.

Ken Perlman tunes

Ken learned these tunes from fiddlers on Prince Edward Island.

Brae Reel

Miramichi Fire

Medley: The Brae Reel & The Miramichi Fire

Used with permission from Ken Perlman, from his Island Boy CD.

Go to Ken Perlman’s transcriptions of these fiddle tunes.

Ken Perlman will be performing as part of a fiddle-banjo summit with Alan Jabbour at the Fiddle Club of the World‘s meeting on Wednesday, October 29 at Paddy O’Splaines. Click here to register, or call 773.728.6000.

Tunes from Frank Ferrel

Here are some tunes played by Frank Ferrel, a Yankee fiddler from Maine.

Mrs. Hogan’s Birthday

Connemara Stockings

Beans & Humors of Maine

Tripping to the Well & Galway Belle

These tunes are from Frank’s earlier CDs, “Boston Fiddle” (Rounder) and “Fiddledance.” You should buy them (see Great Meadows Music).

Frank Ferrel will be performing at the Fiddle Club of the World‘s meeting on Saturday, October 4 at Chief O’Neills. Click here to register, or call 773.728.6000.