Last night in Nashville a group of us had a music/Christmas party. I
wouldn’t call it a session, because the music ranged from Irish to folk to
classical to the Beatles. Jessie and her husband Richard were there, and
guess what whistle Jessie played: Abell? Rose? Copeland? No, it was a
brass-bodied, red-plastic-fippled Generation! She found a good one, tweaked
it a bit, and it sounded great. She’s not just a collector who appreciates
finely crafted instruments; she is dedicated to becoming a good
whistle/flute player. She’s well on her way (far better than me!).
The only problem is that when Jessie is playing whistle, she can’t sing. I
don’t know how many of you know it, but she is a fantastic singer. One of
the highlights of last night was her performance of my favorite Christmas
carol, “O Holy Night.” Even though she hadn’t performed it before, she
nailed it.
I hope all of you have a great holiday season, and that 2002 will be a
joyous year for all. With all the ugliness we have seen in the world, let’s
make this forum a place of encouragement and celebration. The simple
pleasure of music from a whistle has the power, as we have seen, to bring us
together and lift our spirits. I wouldn’t have Jessie (and others of you I
haven’t even met in person) as friends otherwise.
Last night WAS really fun! Terry arrived at the party sporting a new concertina…he can play Dannyboy on it already, which impressed me…I don’t know what any of the buttons do. And he played the Ballad of Inisheer (<–spelling?) on his Burke Al-pro d. There were FAR too many fiddlers (hee hee), but it was a great time. Terry and I talked about all the good stuff that has come out of C&F.
You are right about all the good stuff that comes from C&F Jessie. I have gotten to know and meet Brian from SLC and he has turned into a good friend, I get to meet Mack and Tom from Wyo. in Jan. thanks to the board and hopefully will meet more of you in the future. This board and the people on it have all made a big difference in my life this past year, it’s like xmas came early. I hope Santa is especially good to Dale and Rich for providing it for us.
On 2001-12-21 13:44, JessieK wrote (among other things!)There were FAR too many fiddlers (hee hee),
I also have a rather cynical attude toward fiddlers (the first piece of advice I recieved about playing the whistle was imparted to me by a fiddler - He told me that the whistle was useless as a lead instrument in a band or session and I should learn the fiddle instead).
But I have to admit they add a nice sound to a session. Damn their eyes. It did’nt take me long to prove that particular fiddler wrong. And a few others who told me the same thing.
Does anyone else find fiddlers just a tad egotistical?
[ This Message was edited by: nickb on 2001-12-21 18:46 ]
Well, to elaborate, the fiddlers in question were a group of (lots of) young teenage kids from a Suzuki fiddle class (one was the daughter of our hosts). They were louder than anyone else and they liked to show off by speeding everything up after each time through. Some of the old timers got frustrated. Hee hee. There were also some very good and sensible fiddlers there…but in any case, far too many.
That reminds me of a 70’s comedy record that did a rock’n roll version of Abbott and Costelo “Who’s on first” about a concert that had 3 bands The WHO, Yes and The Guess Who.
And he played the Ballad of Inisheer (<–spelling?) on his Burke Al-pro d. There were FAR too many fiddlers (hee hee), but it was a great time. Terry and I talked about all the good stuff that has come out of C&F.