As usual. Tuesday night hearing Liz Carroll, Anna Massie, Alasdair Fraser, and various other powerhouse fiddlers at the same jam. Thursday night at the Bedford there was a Quebecois session (with Trinique L’Amourette and others. I swear that every man from Quebec was named Gilles.) in one corner, a lovely session with Brian McNeill, Alasdair Fraser, Patrick Orceau, Maire Breathnach, and Janet Harbison in another, and an Irish/Ontario session in yet another corner.
I enjoyed sitting and playing next to Sol (colomon) at two sessions and had a lovely chat with Lizzie on Saturday. Plus the food (as always) was amazing thanks to the Four Redheads (I don’t know about anyone else, but I always gain weight during the week). I’ve still not recovered.
But possibly the best thing about the week is the sense of community the College week imbues. This happens at a lot of Summer Schools, but for some reason (I attribute it to Warren and Elenaor Robinson who founded and administer the School) the feelings of community and bonding are much stronger than at other places. Those of you that are within driving range should consider attending next year-it’s a great time and pretty cheap if you’re using American dollars.
And (if I’m not getting my nights confused) a bunch of us were at Big Daddy’s Bar and Grill playing tunes as well. Though when that closed I joined the Bedford Irish/Ontario session. (Though I must say I’m horribly confused on the distinction between Quebecois and Ottawa Valley tunes.)
I enjoyed sitting and playing next to Sol (colomon) at two sessions…
Yeah, I’m not sure they know the difference! Either way “Mouth of the Tobique” is one of my favourite tunes and it works very well on whistle. When did you take off Colomon? I thought we’d meet up again for a couple of tunes after Maureen’s thing on Sunday but I didn’t see you again…
We started a nice little session in the Bedford Sunday night, then a bunch of the young professionals blew by us into another corner of the pub and started playing their tunes so loudly we couldn’t hear ourselves anymore. So after about a half hour of waiting around for things to get better, I decided things looked pretty hopeless and went back to the motel room to get some much needed sleep.
BTW, I got to thinking about it, and the Irish/Ontario session I was thinking of was Friday night in the Bedford. I remember it was during the festival because Martine Billette was playing piano towards the end of it, and I had seen her earlier at the festival and not been sure it was her. (It seems like every festival we go to we see her with a different band…)
What a drag…I was going to stay through Sunday night but wussed out, so I missed you all. Friday was the other night I missed (came home to do laundry and sleep in my own bed for one night). Hey, another time, eh?
I just feel sorry for anyone who was not there!!! That week is the BEST!
Having a house right across from the festval was too cool..slip home for a beer on the deck every now and then and listen to the music from there…the highlight for me was being in Keith Easdales’s (of Calasaig) Scottish ensemble playing..that man is a wizard!!!
Janice, I bought the other (Johnston) Keith’s Cd and he has two really lovely pieces of music he has written (Sort of airs I guess) and I am learning them by ear!!! Thanks for the inspiration.
I saw your class’s performance… it was amazing! And wildly different from what we did in Irish Ensemble. (But I’m happy I took that, as I learned Sunny Banks and got significant tweaks to my versions of Connaughtman’s Rambles and My Love is in America.)
I’m sorry I missed that-I had heard that you all sounded pretty amazing. My friend Bruce played piano in the Scottish group and was raving about what a great experience it was and what a wild man Keith Easdale is (well there’s a shock! Besides being an accomplished piper, he’s also a fantastic whistle player).
Being with Keith through the week was sooo neat, especially for those of us with not much group playing experience…just to see how he and Kirsten and the other Keith worked out the arrangement…just witnessing the process…at an early stage we were playing a tad too ‘happily’..well, Keith went through this whole thing about the crofters leaving Mull and how they “werra nae happy to go”..I was in stitches!
And what about that jump of his at the very moment we were all to come in…white men CAN too jump!