For Pete Sutherland’s return to Fiddle Club of the World
Seman Violins (4447 W. Oakton, Skokie).
Sunday, September 28
Admission is $15 at the door.
The meeting begins at 7pm with a short concert followed by a jam/workshop.
Pete Sutherland Oliver Scanlon Tristan Henderson
A couple of tunes, originals by Oliver Scanlon, that we will all play together at the jam.
Meetings held at Seman Violins (4447 W. Oakton, Skokie).
Admission is $15 at the door.
All meetings begin at 7pm with a short concert * followed by a jam/workshop.
Pete’s Posse – Sunday, September 28
Traditional tunes and interpretations from Vermont. This is Pete Sutherland’s return to Fiddle Club, after a successful visit in October 2009 with Mark Roberts & Jeremiah McClane.
Fingal’s Cave-The Big Picture by Pete’s Posse
Pete Sutherland – Fiddle, guitar, banjo, piano & vocals
Oliver Scanlon – Fiddle, mandolin, dobro, foot percussion & vocals
Tristan Henderson- Guitars, bouzouki, mandolin, harmonica, jews harp, bodhran, snare drum, doumbek, foot percussion & vocals.
Arto Järvelä & Antti Järvelä – Monday, October 6
Traditional fiddling from Ostrobothnia, a district in west central Finland, an area that has one of the largest concentrations of fiddlers to be found anywhere.
Polska Ostrobott & Rahapolska by Arto Järvelä & Antti Järvelä
*Workshop and jam session only. Arto & Antti are doing a concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music on Sunday, October 5. Bring your ticket stub and get half-price admission to this Fiddle Club meeting.
Maja Kjær Jacobsen & David Boulanger – Sunday, November 9
Traditional Danish and Québecois fiddle music. (Pending visa process)
Danish Tune-Quebecois Tune by Maja & David
Maja Kjær Jacobsen, from Silkeborg (Danmark) plays fiddle and hardingfele (hardanger fiddle). David Boulanger, a member of La Bottine Souriante from Montreal, plays fiddle.
Bob Bovee & Pop Wagner – Sunday, November 30
Old-Time tunes, cowboy songs, heart songs and maybe a rope trick or two by this pair of old friends from Minnesota.
Robinson County by Pop Wagner & Bob Bovee
-Paul Tyler, convener
Fiddle Club of the World (Chicago Chapter)
Held July 13, 2014 at the Square Roots Festival
For the 3rd year in a row, the Battle of the Bands ended in a draw. The objective was to fill the floor with dancers. Here is the report of the judges, as texted to the emcee.
“The Fantastic Toe Trippers Orchestra actually got the most dancers on the floor, as determined by counting feet and dividing by two. However, they were assessed penalties for having both a banjo and an accordion in the band. The Renato Anesi Trio did not attract as many feet. However, as Brazilian dancing requires moving more body parts, they were given bonus points. The Byzantine Time Machine was also given a bonus for the largest inchoate mass of moving humanity. An additional technology bonus brings them into a virtual tie with the other two bands.”
The following pictures illustrate the tie-clinching bonus.
Here are some recordings from the hotly contested battle of 2014.
Greek Syrtos by the Byzantine Time Machine
Brazilian Choro by the Renato Anesi Trio
Who could have imagined. Thanks to all particpated.
Paul Tyler – convenver
July 12, 2014. Old Town School of Folk Music
Square Roots Festival. The judges made their decision.
Solo Fiddle
1st – Tim Macdonald
2nd – Jess McIntosh
3rd – Vince deBattista
Medley of Scottish Tunes (Johnny Cope-strathspey-2 reels) by Tim Macdonald
Team Fiddle
1st – Iron County Brass Ensemble (Evan McBrayer Collins & Heather Malyuk)
2nd – Vampire Bats (Jim Becker & Steve Rosen)
3rd – Three-Legged Chair (Clair Halpin & Aron Packer)
The Bonnie Lass’s Pladie-Old Aunt Jenny With Her Night Cap On
by Iron County Brass Ensemble
Youth Division
1st – Willa Arnold
2nd – Kalman Strauss
3rd – Peach & 43 Strings
4th – Diego
There were eight contestants in each of the three categories. Everyone played their hearts out. The music was glorious. Thanks to all particpated.
Paul Tyler – convenver
The 3rd Battle of the Bands, sponsored by the Fiddle Club of the World, will unfold in Szold Hall at the Old Town School of Folk Music (4545 N. Lincoln) in Chicago on Sunday, July 13.
3 bands, 2 hours of dancing, intermittent dance lessons, big fun
The winning band is the one that best fills the floor with dancers. Vote with your feet.
Renato Anesi Trio
Brazilan Choro
This was Renato visiting an Old Town School class.
Check out some of the many concert videos on his YouTube channel.
Byzantine Time Machine
Scientronic* Greek and Balkan syrtos and kolos.
Check out some samples on their sound cloud.
* Santur, sax, horns and drums processed through a flux capacitor.
Fantastic Toe Trippers Orchestra
Polkas, waltzes and barn dances from 3 continents
The 12th Midwest Fiddle Championship is underway
The Final Round is Saturday, July 12th at 1:30pm at the Old Town School of Folk Music (4544 N. Lincoln) as part of the Square Roots Festival. The Open Division Finalists are . . .
Solo Fiddle
Vince deBattista
Tim Macdonald
Jess McIntosh
Team Fiddle
Iron County Brass Ensemble
(Evan McBrayer Collins & Heather Malyuk)
Three-Legged Chair
(Clair Halpin & Aron Packer)
Vampire Bats
(Jim Becker & Steve Rosen)
Honorable Mention
Blue Eagle String Band (Tyler Wilson & Fred Campeau)
The Lantern Kickers (Steve Hinds & Sara Legisky)
The Youth Division winner, Willa Arnold, will perform at the Open Division Finals on Saturday, July 12.
The Youth Division round was held on Sunday, July 6, the finals on Thursday, July 10.
Youth Division winners for 2014
1st – Willa Arnold
2nd – Kalman Strauss
3rd – Peach & 43 Strings
4th – Diego
at the Square Roots Festival
Festival info here.
Presented by the Chicago Chapter of the Fiddle Club of the World
Sunday, July 13, 7-9pm, Szold Hall
Old Town School of Folk Music East (4545 Lincoln)
Three bands (by invitation only).
The band that gets the most folks dancing wins!
Dancers wanted and encouraged for three different styles of music.
Quick dance lessons will be given intermittently throughout the event.
Byzantine Time Machine
Scientronic Greek & Balkan dance music.
Renato Anesi Trio
Choro music from Brazil.
Fantastic Toe Trippers Orchestra
Polkas, Waltzes & Barn Dance from 3 continents.
Put on your dancing shoes!
Paul Tyler, convener
Fiddle Club of the World
Presented by the Chicago Chapter of
the Fiddle Club of the World
Part of the Old Town School of Folk Music’s 3rd Square Roots Festival.
Once again, prizes will be given for the top 3 contestants in each of 3 categories: Open Division Solo, Open Division Team, and Youth Division. There are a limited number of openings for this years contest. Contestants must register by July 5, 2012.
Youth Division First Round
Sunday, July 6, 11am, Szold Hall in Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln)
Youth under 16 compete as teams or solo
Open Division First Round & Youth Finals
Thursday, July 10, 6:30pm, Maurer Hall in Old Town School West (4544 Lincoln)
Separate Fiddle Team and Fiddle Solo categories
Open Division Finals
Saturday, July 12, 1:30pm, Maurer Hall
Plus winner of the Youth Division
Prizes, Rules and online Registration form can be found at http://www.squareroots.org/fiddle/
Come back on Sunday for the 3rd annual
Battle of the Bands
Sunday, July 13, 7-9pm, Szold Hall featuring
The band that gets the most folks dancing wins!
Dancers wanted and encouraged for three different styles of music.
Quick dance lessons will be given intermittently throughout the event.
Three bands (by invitation only).
Renato Anesi Trio
Brazilian Choro.
Byzantine Time Machine
Scientronic Greek and Balkan dance music.
Fantastic Toe Trippers
Polkas, Waltzes and Barn Dances from 3 continents.
Paul Tyler, convener
One of my favorite classes to teach has always been my Twin Fiddle class. I remember getting the idea for the class while driving to West Virginia in the summer of 1998. I told Gail (as best I remember), “This will be a class where I can teach Gu’Achi tunes and Swedish tunes and American tunes that lend themselves to harmonizing. And the students can master a little chord knowledge and music theory to help them figure out harmonies for themselves.” We started the class within the next year, and it showed up in the Fiddle 4 rotation every year until a few years ago. This year I brought it back. As you will see at the end of this post, it was a great class.
But the most memorable year for Twin Fiddle was 2010 when, within the span of the few weeks, we were visited by fabulous fiddlers from three countries – Mexico, Austria and Finland – plus a band from North Carolina.
Osiris Caballero came by in May 2010. Besides teaching us a tune from his home state of Tamaulipas, he played a YouTube-worthy version of Cielto Lindo accompanied by our own Maria McCullough and Yahvi Pichardo.
Austrian ethnomusicologist, Rudi Pietsch, hung out at the Old Town School of Folk Music on his sabbatical away from Vienna. (The University of Chicago was his other hangout.) He visited Twin Fiddle class a couple of times and taught us a jodle (yodel) and a couple of polkas, as heard here
The Polka Chips from Finland and the Mostly Mountain Boys from North Carolina and Washington DC visited in June 2010 and did a special workshop for Fiddle Club and several Old Town School classes. This post reported on the workshop and the World Music Wednesday concert that followed. It also contains a recording and a video from Rudi Pietsch’s Fiddle Club meeting a few days earlier.
Check these old posts out for some great twin fiddle music 4 years past. And it continues, as this years Fiddle IV Twin Fiddle class proves at an Old Town School graduation showcase.
Paul Tyler, convener
Anyone who has participated in a past Fiddle Club of the World jam session may join us. Please contact me at fiddleclub@drdosido.net to ask for further instructions.
Here’s a working play list. Some standards will be added.
Scroll down or click here for a list, with links to recordings, of tunes on this list.
Paul Tyler, convener