Lyrical fiddle music

[lwl]

I'm looking to expand my listening a bit.

I'm looking for specific CD recommendations as well as some general information about styles and bands, for lyrical fiddle music. Not necessarily slow (though it can be) -- but good tuneful stuff, played by fiddlers who don't have a harsh "edge" to their sound.

Any suggestions?

[DougH]

Bonnie Rideout seems to fit your description.

Laura Risk, too.

[simon]

Martin Hayes might interest you. Try "The Lonesome Touch".

[fiddlefaddle]

Lydia, I have found that the majority of top notch fiddling is on non-mainstream labels.

Staking my credibility on this, There is no equal to the music of Mary lea and Peter barnes.

Mary's alblum Cascade of Tears is a wonderful mix of Music from Scandanavia, eastern europe, and latin america.

Two Groups she , and he play with are Yankee ingenuity and Childsplay. http://www.gis.net/~iolair/bands.html

For American fiddling personally I would favor Rodney Miller a New England Fiddle master. Awarded A national endowment disctinction in 1980. He is available from Cornicopia.

Good Luck

[bob kogut]

My number one choice for top Fiddle CD would be Randy Howard's "Survival of the Fiddlist".

If your partial to a sweet dark tone, with brilliant playing expertise, this is it.

Randy passed away last year, but won the Gand Master's Fiddle Championship three times, and appeared on numerous major Nashville CD projects.His style was a combination of Swing,Celtic,Gypsy, Classical, and Bluegrass all rolled into one.

[crystal]

Lydia:

I highly recommend Bach Meets Cape Breton. The fiddler on it is David Greenburg. He also is a member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra from Canada. He is my favorite fiddler. This CD brings some baroque pieces and Cape Breton pieces together and weaves them into each other to form a "suite".

You can get a sample listen from Barnes & Noble. www.bn.com Type in the title of the CD, Bach Meets Cape Breton. Page down to the bottom for some audio clips. I am currently learning #5.

[This message has been edited by crystal (edited 10-15-2001).]

[Hildegard]

Åsa Jinder!

Plays the nyckelharpa, a weird instrument that sounds just lovely.

Released a really nice CD this past summer.

[purplehaze]

maybe you've already heard this one (it was quite a big seller) but the wonderful Mark O'Connor collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer in a couple of really nice recordings; the cd "Appalachia Waltz" is my favorite (and it's mostly original compositions)

[Candace]

I second the vote for Martin Hayes, for lyrical Irish fiddling...he's the most lyrical of the Irish fiddlers, in my opinion, because he plays the Clare style. I liked his Live album and his Under the Moon the best.

Bonnie Rideout's Scottish Fire and Celtic Circles tie in my estimation for most lyrical Scottish. There are some bagpipes on some of the tracks, so don't be surprised.

I also favor Rodney Miller for American/New England style.

I haven't heard many very lyrical Old Time fiddlers. Energetic, yes; exciting, yes. Lyrical...well, I suppose I haven't got enough cd's.

And I like JP Cormier's cd, Heart and Soul, for Cape Breton lyricism. (There's a few other types of tunes on there).

All of these would be very accessible for a classical violinist. Cormier uses vibrato more than the others.

[Yankee Fiddler]

I third the vote for Martin Hayes. You have to hear him!

Yankee Fiddler

[JB]

I'd say listen to Alisdair Fraser (Scot), Kevin Burke (Irish) and Liz Carroll (American/Irish). Different styles, but each with exceptional tone, phrasing, etc.

[Fiddle Girl]

Another vote for Martin Hayes. All 4 of his CDs are worth getting, though I'd start with the Lonesome Touch (although Live in Seattle has 27 minute set on it that includes Pachelbel) teases. I also second the motion for Kevin Burke, who is one of the best of the Sligo fiddlers. And for American fiddling, nobody, but NOBODY, beats Vassar Clements in the smooth category. He makes it sound so effortless. Try the Live at the Bottom Line release.

[KutiEm]

I too would have to agree with everyone about Martin Hayes. I personally like his Live in Seattle CD. Another good one that doesn't have fiddle, but is great Irish music is The Green House with Grey Larsen and Paddy League.

[Layers]

If you would like to hear some incredible East Clare fiddle playing by Martin Hayes' elderly uncle, do a web search for Paddy Canny. There is an Irish company selling a 1997 CD of Canny playing many typically odd Clare tunes. Canny's playing is a little rough but very expressive. I think of him as an Irish analog of Kentucky players such as Buddy Thomas and J.P. Fraley.

[simon]

Give me Paddy Canny (and a lot of other "rougher" fiddlers) over Martin Hayes any day. I recommend Martin Hayes mainly because his style is relatively accessible to people coming from a classical background, and it's the name that springs immediately to mind given Lydia's criteria. Don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic player, but he is only the tip of a huge iceberg, as I'm sure he would happily agree.

There are some nice mp3 files of Paddy Canny at:

http://www.irishfiddle.com/canny.html

I know nothing about Rodney Miller or New England style, but there are some excellent sound clips here: http://www.contracopia.net/cgi-local/cdpag...e.cgi?cdreq=rm1

[This message has been edited by simon (edited 10-18-2001).]

[newfie]

You should check out Eugene O'Donnell, Slow Airs and set dances on www.greenlinnet.com . I just got a copy of it from someone and although a little too "nice" sounding for my taste, I think you would actually like him. He sounds kind of classical in my opinion, he may have some classical training or something of that nature. Another fiddler that is very smooth and lyrical is Maire O'keefe, she has a cd on gael-linn records.

Simon speaking of rough fiddling I just picked up the new Topic Cd "Micheal Gorman-The Sligo Champion". I just got it the other day and it is wicked, a lot of the tunes on it are the same as from the Coleman double cd and the Vesey cd, but there are a few tunes I've never heard before.

N

[oldgeezer]

Mark O’Conner is not a traditional fiddler although he comes from that form. If you don’t have his solo CD Midnight on the Water it is worth a listen to hear what fiddle music can become. It’s mostly unaccompanied violin with some guitar and mandolin tracks.

[Alias]

Nobody mentioned Aly Bain.

Can anyone suggest a good source for the more obscure violin CDs? I couldn't find, for example, Randy Howard on cd.now. I'm also interested in gypsy & non-Western music.

John Huie / Athens, GA

[rgwebb6]

Alasdair Fraser's "Portrait of a Scottish Fiddler" is one of the best examples of good listening, lyrical fiddle music I know of. Nothing harsh, repetitious, boring or just plain show-off about the music. It is as I said just great listening. He is on Culburnie Records. e-mail culburni@oro.net. Snail mail at PO Box 219, Nevada City, CA 95959. Ph 800-830-6296.

[Ernst]

I just got O'Conner's "Heartland" cd. It's so beautiful it literally can move you to tears. Your description of "Midnight on The Water" sounds similar. I'll have to get it.

[BobbiFiddler]

I have everything Alasdair Fraser has ever recorded!

In addition to fine fiddlers already listed: If you can find(and it isn't easy) Carl MacKenzie (Cape Bretoner), he's just wonderful. Very sweet, and somehow he finds tunes no one else seems to know about. Not classical sounding in the least, but very smooth.

Has anyone mentioned Jerry Holland? Ian Hardie? Ron Gonella?

I'll second (and third!) Crystal's David Greenberg vote--I had a lesson with him a few weeks ago!

I get tons of CD's dirt cheap on Half.com, by the way.

[fiddlein Chris]

John Hartford. Although he sings, and plays the banjo too, his later stuff, especially "Hamilton Ironworks", the best "old time fiddlin" I've heard! "The speed of the ole long bow" is also good, his tribute to blind appalacian fiddler Ed Hailey.

[dogmageek]

I recommend

Wilson Douglas "Right Hand Fork"

and Highwoods String Band, any of their disks.

-Dogma