bosco - Posted - 03/01/2010:  16:55:03

It's Tommy Jarrell's birthday today. He was born in 1901.
Tommy was the most influential person of the old time revival in 70's and early '80s. Without him, the old time music might be quite different than what we call old time now.

Tommy, Boliver & me at Tommy's in '81

Here I play Pretty Little Girl in DDAD.
fiddlehangout.com/myhangout/me...archived=
The tune is played in key of A (AEAE) usually. But Tommy played it in this tuning. According Bruce Molsky, Tommy never record it that way because he liked it so much.
Bosco

Edited by - bosco on 03/01/2010 18:05:35

OTJunky - Posted - 03/01/2010:  17:50:24

Thanks three times over Bosco..

Once for the reminder, twice for the picture and thrice for the recording...

--OTJ

bsed - Posted - 03/01/2010:  18:12:15

Hmmm...I thought you were much younger, Bosco. But I must ask...Where did you get that neat white shirt?
And thanks for the recording!

DougD - Posted - 03/01/2010:  18:30:02

Thanks for the tune and the picture, bosco. Anyone fortunate enough to have visited Tommy will remember what a presence Bolivar was in that household!

Today is also the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederic Chopin, another great one.

brya31 - Posted - 03/02/2010:  02:32:15

Thanks Bosco!

Chuck Naill - Posted - 03/02/2010:  10:15:06

Thank you the reminder, but I have a question. Why do you think he was the most influential person in the OT revival?

My first impression is that he was the most influential for those who came South and not those indigenous to the area. Actually, and not just me, many consider that nothing needed to be revived.

That, of course, is not meant to diminish the appreciation or those that documented Mr. Jarrell et al's music. If we had depended on the locals, we would not have the recordings.

chuck

bsed - Posted - 03/02/2010:  18:00:29

I can't help but remember his comment (query?) to one of his visitors who I guess didn't live too nearby him. To paraphrase: "Don't you have any native/folk music where you live?"

I have thought about this for many years. And I come to the conclusion that even if we don't come from Carolina or
east Tennessee, this is still an American musical form. And it "speaks" to me. As I'm sure it spoke to the legions of people who traveled to Toast. One of them wasn't me. Guess I came along a little too late. I never met the man, and I regret that!

But I remember in about 1983 listening to a concert by Bill Hinkley & Judy Larson (from the Twin Cities). I'd only been fiddling a few years, and I heard Bill play this song called the Jack of Diamonds. So I think I must have learned it by ear on the spot, even though I hadn't completely shed myself of written music yet. And I learned all the bells and whistles and I know it's the first song I learned to sing while playing fiddle, and I did the plucking (pizzicato) thing etcetc.
And the funny thing is it was years later when I learned how indebted to Tommy Jarrell I was!

Edited by - bsed on 03/02/2010 18:09:13

bosco - Posted - 03/02/2010:  18:56:07

OK, I should write he was the most influential person of the NY Klezmer revival If Henry Sapoznik didn't meet Tommy, there is no Max and Frieda Weinstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research now.

Chuck Naill - Posted - 03/02/2010:  19:39:46

quote:

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Originally posted by bosco

OK, I should write he was the most influential person of the NY Klezmer revival If Henry Sapoznik didn't meet Tommy, there is no Max and Frieda Weinstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research now.

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