My classic CDs

We all must go through the cycle of buying new CDs, listening to them religiously for a while, and then forgetting about them when other new music replaces them. This weekend, I decided to go back to not just my all time favorites, but a broader sample. I flipped randomly to a page of my CD holder and made myself choose one of the 8 CDs that appeared (pretty lenient anyway). I ended up listening to Mark O'Connor "Heroes", the Macalester College orchestra playing Vivaldi, and Gaelic Storm "Tree".

Heroes was a favorite of mine at one point in large part because of the concept-- the whole CD is fiddle duos with Mark O'Connor and another fiddler who inspired him. That means a good range of styles on one disk. There's Texas Swing, some Bluegrass, and even some Indian music. And, man are those good fiddlers!

The Mac orchestra is a bit sloppy at times, but it's good to reminisce. Plus, I love listening to the Four Seasons.

Gaelic Storm's CD was my favorite of the three. I love the songs. I want to sing along and learn to play the fiddle parts. This is the band from the lower decks in the movie Titanic. They are a good trad/non trad Irish band and have some funny songs and pretty songs in this collection. Nice percussion, vocals and fiddle.

Crooked Still at the Pickathon

The Boston-based quasi-Bluegrass, Newgrass, do your own thing-grass band Crooked Still was at the Portland Pickathon this year, sporting two new band members and a new CD. Following the potentially devastating departure of ex-bandmember, cellist Rushad Eggleston, the band has picked itself up and taken to the road with a new set of tunes. The two new band members are erstwhile fiddle prodigies Brittany Haas and Tristan Claridge (Tristan now on the big fiddle, a.k.a. cello). Tristan told me it's a bit difficult to say when they joined the band-- was it when Rushad left last fall, when they sat in the studio putting together the new CD in the winter months, or when they played their first gigs early this summer? Sounds like a lot of relationships. The new CD is cutely called Still Crooked, and I haven't had a chance to listen to most of it yet. Tunes from the first two CDs still got a lot of play at this show. Tristan had learned many of Rushad's cello lines note for note, but they lacked the distinctive drive (perhaps the term is wildness) of Rushad's playing. Brittany's fiddle adds splendidly where there was nothing to replace-- Brittany did play on a few tunes on Crooked Still's first CD Hop High and fiddler Casey Driesen appeared on Shaken by a Low Sound. I think it will take time for this new group to coalesce, though Tristan has certainly come a long way from his strictly flawless, painfully perfect contest days. I'm missing Rushad, but I'm pretty darn happy to see the band keep on going.

Sheet Music at Your Public Library

Sheet music can be expensive. I've become a proponent of getting whatever I can from the library, and if I'm not looking for a specific piece or book, it can be pretty effective. When I visited friends in Minnesota, we went to the stacks and pulled out a handful of duets and sonatas just to read through once. Today, I searched for string quartet parts, and found hundreds of selections at the Multnomah County Library. From the comfort of my living room, I scrolled through and chose a bunch to request. I really enjoy putting things on hold and then forgetting about them. When they come in months later, I get to go find out what it is I requested and get excited about it all over again. A few at least were available now, so I'll get to go pick them up in a couple of days.

Great Young Fiddlers

Darol Anger asked me to help publicize this upcoming concert. I don't think posting it here will have any effect whatsoever, but it won't hurt either. It should be great-- these are fine young musicians, doing some creative stuff.

Concert: Fiddle Summit: State Of The Art
with Aoife O’Donovan, Alex & Tatiana Hargreaves,
Tristan & Tashina Clarridge & more.
7 PM- $12 suggested donation
Community Music Center
3350 SE Francis St Portland, OR 97202
503-823-3177
www.CommunityMusicCenter.org

A contemporary fiddle concert with the best of the new generation of acoustic music players, with members of Crooked Still and Darol Anger’s Republic Of Strings.

Some of the country’s finest young fiddlers will gather here in Portland on March 23 for a freewheeling display of some of the new (& old!) acoustic string music which is moving audiences all over the world. Picking up their cue from artists such as Bela Fleck, Darol Anger, and Mark O’Connor, these young virtuosos are already making their mark nationally in venues from concert halls to bluegrass festivals, and have forged a tight community of committed artists at the age when most kids are still trying to figure out wardrobe issues and master Facebook.
Convened in Corvallis the previous week for a self-organized group teaching clinic, some of these young master musicians will perform a concert at the Community Music Center in southeast Portland, in a small, excellent-sounding hall, perfect for acoustic strings.
Complete list of musicians:
Aoife O’Donovan,
Alex & Tatiana Hargreaves,
Tristan & Tashina Clarridge,
Simon Chrisman, Paul Kowert.

Vocalist Aoife O’Donovan is considered by many to be the successor to Alison Krauss as Queen of the younger folk music community. Her pure and agile voice can be heard on many different recordings, including her own group, Crooked Still.

Tristan & Tashina Clarridge, Grand National Fiddle champions, make a brilliant brother-sister team and have performed and recorded extensively all over the U.S. They have created music educational events all up and down the west coast, and perform regularly with Mark O’Connor, Natalie MacMaster, Tony Trischka, and Darol Anger.

Alex Hargreaves at age 15 is one of the most talented jazz fiddlers ever, and is fluent in a variety of other styles as well. in 2007, Alex was awarded a Belle Foundation Cultural Development grant for his musical achievements and won an Alternative Styles award from the American Strings Teachers Association. In 2005, Alex was awarded the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin.

Alex’s 11-year old sister Tatiana Silver Hargreaves is also a startling prodigy, one of the finest old-time appalachian fiddlers ever, and a riveting protege of Bruce Molsky.

Up and coming hammer-dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman is one of the few young players to successfully integrate his instrument into the New Acoustic scene.
The astonishing acoustic bassist Paul Kowert is an Edgar Meyer protégé; ‘nuff said.

Community Music Center
3350 SE Francis St Portland, OR 97202
503-823-3177
www.CommunityMusicCenter.org

PCR Song

This BioRad thermocycler (a.k.a. PCR machine) ad is hilarious! Watch the video.

Ostroushko's Orchestra

Peter Ostroushko's CD Sacred Heart is one of my favorite recordings-- the kind that I can keep coming back to over and over without being bored. I love the orchestral feel of thick strings, the world music influence, the strong Irish influence, jazz, Eastern European, and so on. The melodies make me want to sing along (even though they don't have words) and the arrangements often sound so tangible that they could be part of a movie soundtrack. I don't mean to trivialize the pieces by either comparison, but while I love how complex Peter's arrangements, I also love how accessible the music is.