Ken Kolodner

Saturday, 12 March

Hammered dulcimer workshops:

10 am to noon and

1-3 pm

Old-time fiddle workshop:

3:30-5:30 pm

JAM Performance space,

Cornell’s North Campus

Ken Kolodner Workshops March 12

An astonishing virtuoso, recognized as one of the world’s masters of hammered dulcimer, Ken Kolodner’s also a hot old-time fiddler and mbira player. You’ll find him regularly on the NPR airwaves, performing with Chris Norman and Robin Bullock (as Helicon), with Laura Risk as Greenfire, keeping contra dancers up to speed, teaching with passion, and playing solo or with other fine musicians such as Doc Watson, Kevin Burke, Allison Krauss, Jay Ungar, John McCutcheon, Bryan Bowers, Jean Ritchie, and his son Brad (an Ithaca College student), who plays a mean and melodic clawhammer banjo and banjola. 

Ken Kolodner is in high demand for workshops and lessons; in addition to CDs, he’s created tunebooks and instructional materials that span his 25 years as an influential musician and teacher.  Folowing the three workshops, he and Brad will perform in concert for the Cornell Folk Song Society, 8 pm in 165 McGraw Hall, Cornell Arts Quad. Concert details in separate article on this BLOG.

10 am-12 pm: Hammered dulcimer workshop for advanced beginners and above: topics will include techniques and ideas for arranging and for playing accompaniment. Written music will be provided (including examples of full arrangements), but I recommend bringing a recording device. Designed to hit all levels of players.     

1-3 pm: Continue hammered dulcimer workshop but possibly at a faster pace, depending on the composition of the group.

3:30-5:30 pm: Old-time fiddle workshop for advanced beginners and above: the focus will be on systems of bowing to include 3-1 bowing, ghost bows, bow rocking, left hand techniques (unisons, slides, chords, etc.) and much more.

$30 for one session; $50 for two sessions; students $20. Please register in advance by contacting Ken directly at kenkolodner@aol.com  or 410-746-8387.

Workshop location for workshop:  JAM (Just About Music) Performance Space, Cornell’s North Campus, Ithaca, NY.  JAM (aka Low-rise #9) is on Program House Drive off of Jessup Road, which runs between Pleasant Grove Rd. and Triphammer Rd. For unloading dulcimers, you can drive right up to the P-space, which resembles a cement box on the side of a brick dorm. But do not park here; a ticket is almost guaranteed! There is free legal parking in several nearby lots: off Cradit Farm Drive, at Robert Purcell Union, or in the “A” lot. We can direct you once you’ve unloaded your instrument. 

Cancellation policy: In the event of really bad weather, contact Ken to find out if the workshop is on. Full refunds will be provided if the workshop is cancelled.

Saturday, 12 March

8 pm

Ken and Brad Kolodner

165 McGraw Hall

Cornell Arts Quad

An astonishing virtuoso, recognized as one of the world’s masters of hammered dulcimer, Ken Kolodner’s also a hot old-time fiddler and mbira player. You’ll find him regularly on the NPR airwaves, performing with Chris Norman and Robin Bullock (as Helicon), with Laura Risk as Greenfire, keeping contra dancers up to speed, teaching with passion, and playing solo or with other fine musicians such as Doc Watson, Kevin Burke, Allison Krauss, Jay Ungar, John McCutcheon, Bryan Bowers, Jean Ritchie, and his son Brad (an Ithaca College student), who plays a mean and melodic clawhammer banjo and banjola.

Although Brad grew up in a home filled with traditional music and played cello, he began banjo just three years ago at a music camp, with Richie Stearns as instructor. Not a bad start! Brad took to it with fluidity and feeling, winning the Old-Time Banjo Contest in Maryland last year, and performing widely at venues such as the Common Ground Festival and the Kennedy Center with Helicon. Wanting to encourage other young musicians, Brad has formed a Traditional Music Club at Ithaca College.

The rich repertoire of the father-son Kolodner duo ranges from stunning originals to traditional tunes from Ireland, Quebec, and Appalachia, to music from over 20 other countries. Ken and Brad have an exciting new release, Otter Creek, a CD including Brad’s compositions, and a host of recordings, tunebooks, and instructional materials that span Ken’s 25 years as an influential musician and teacher. Don’t miss this concert!

Fiddlers and hammered dulcimer players take note: Ken will lead workshops all day before the concert. Details in separate workshop article!

Concert tickets: Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves Bookstore, Bound for Glory, and online at www.cornellfolksong.org/. $15 advance/$17 door; $3 rebate for members, seniors, teens; children 12 & under free. Students $10/$12. Info: 607-279-2027 or website.

Magpie!

Saturday, 26 February

8 pm, 165 McGraw Hall

Cornell Arts Quad

So says the song: “The Magpie brings us tidings of news both fair and foul; she’s more cunning than the raven, more wise than any owl.” In taking the name Magpie, Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner took up the challenge to be messengers of joy and sorrow, and they’ve been making strong music together since 1973.

Magpie is known for thrilling, fresh vocal harmonies, but they’re also fine instrumentalists: Terry plays harmonica, mandolin, fretted dulcimer, and rhythm guitar and Greg is an accomplished, versatile finger-style guitarist. Their transcendent arrangements can take the listener into deep realms of emotion. Terry and Greg can croon or growl their way through vintage jazz, country swing, and blues or lay down a sweet traditional folk song, or one of their own timeless compositions, such as their encounter with a magpie in a circle of ancient stones in Britain: the mysteries of continuity. They have easy-going rapport with each other and with their listeners. After a festival in the UK, reviewer Colin Irwin (Melody Maker) wrote: “When they yodel in harmony… well you can wave ta-ta to your heart.”

Greg and Terry are also known for their fiery topical songs. Their passions range from ecological issues to human rights; they understand and use the power of music to support environmental and social change, following in the steps of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and leaders of the civil rights movement. Recently, they’ve created a folk opera about abolitionists John and Mary Brown and the Civil War. Working with the Smithsonian and Wolf Trap, they’ve dedicated many years to school music programs and teacher training, and have performed in support of many federal and nonprofit conservation organizations. Among other causes, they’ve championed the National Audubon Society’s puffin restoration project and, for a Smithsonian exhibit, have set to “rollicking” music the life cycle of the blue crab. They know how to leaven tough messages with humor and hope. Magpie frequently teams up, in performances and on recordings, with kindred spirits Kim and Reggie Harris.

Over the decades, they’ve produced eight outstanding recordings and have criss-crossed the U.S. and the globe to share their convictions by means of cleverly crafted, heartfelt music that becomes instantly familiar to audiences. Their songs have catchy tunes, memorable choruses, and lyrics that demand consideration. Terry and Greg have the rare ability to inspire children as well as adults. Tom Paxton declared, “I’ve just been listening to Circle of Life and want you to know it’s a great link in the chain. It’s also a challenge to those of us who aspire to putting out music with depth and relevance. Long may the Magpie fly!”

The Cornell Folk Song Society is proud to open its spring season with Magpie! Please make them welcome. Tickets: Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves Bookstore, Bound for Glory, and online at www.cornellfolksong.org/. $15 advance/$17 door; $3 rebate for members, seniors, teens; children 12 & under free. Cornell students $10/$12. Info: 607-279-2027 or website.

Margaret Shepard

Contra Dance and Dessert with The Contradictions

Saturday 5 February 2011, 7:15-11:30 pm; dessert potluck 10:30 pm

Women’s Community Building, 100 W. Seneca Street, Ithaca

Experience a February thaw at the Eighth Annual “Dance and Dessert Potluck” hosted by Hands Four Dancers of Ithaca. Contra dancing 7:30-10:30 pm is followed by a fabulous dessert potluck and schottisches, hambos, and waltzes, 10:30-11:30 pm. Step lively and you just might balance your caloric intake and output! Music is by the witty, high-energy Contradictions: Laurie Hart on fiddle, Rick Manning on fiddle and mandolin, Tom Hodgson on guitar, Dave Davies on bass, and the sparkling Vikki Armstrong calling. Their irresistible fiddle harmonies and imaginative, hot rhythms will drive the cold winter away, at least for one night. Having performed together for over a decade, they’re revered for tight playing; nary a contradictory note. Their peppy mix of Appalachian and Irish jigs and reels, bluegrass, driving French Canadian tunes, lilting Swedish couple dances, 1930s and Texas swing, and sophisticated tango-waltzes from Venezuela has brought joy to dancers from the Saratoga Dance Flurry, the Brattleboro Dawn Dance, and Ashokan, to the Finger Lakes!

Beginners are welcome, with a workshop at 7:15 to teach the simple steps. No need to bring a partner, but please bring clean, soft-soled shoes and something yummy to share for the grand dessert finale. Hot beverages will be provided. Info: 607-539-3174 or www.hands4dancers.org.

– Margaret Shepard

Saturday, Nov. 13

VOCAL HARMONY WORKSHOP 2:30-4:30 PM                  Hollis Cornell Auditorium in

CONCERT 8:00 PM                                            Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell Arts Quad

       Sponsored by the Cornell Folk Song Society

Moira Smiley & VOCO, based in LA, are passionate about spreading powerful music in sweet, fiery, and spine-tingling four-part vocal harmony, with cello, accordion, banjo, and body percussion. Named the top U.S. a cappella group in 2007 and NPR’s Harmonia favorites, they fuse the fearless energy and free spirit of street song (gypsy to rap) with the elegance and precision of a string quartet. They inhabit and put their own twist on a rich vocal world, from medieval to avant-garde; American traditional (shape note, ballads, spirituals), Celtic, Irish Sean Nós, Eastern European, South African, and stunning originals. Some of their songs are familiar (Long Time Travelin’, Wondrous Love, Katie Cruel; Bring Me Little Water), performed lovingly but with a fresh slant. Many of Moira’s compositions sound as though they’ve been sung for centuries. Other material shakes up the Anglo-Western perspective: crooked-tempo Balkan dance tunes and pieces inspired by Béla Bartók, Native American chant, bird calls, a trace of jazz improv, the wedding of different cultures. These remarkable women are vocal chameleons, by turns seductive, comforting, dissonant, playful, keening, exuberant. Their profound and joyful music mourns and dances at the same time.

Moira Smiley & VOCO have won rave reviews from folkie icon publications Dirty Linen (”Their audience is transfixed”) and Sing Out! (”Cushioned layers of vocals in complex arrangements, cleverly thought out, very satisfying“). They’ve performed across the States and Europe, but this will be their upstate New York debut. A few hours in their company will be unforgettable.

Concert tickets: Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves Bookstore, Bound for Glory, and online at www.cornellfolksong.org/. $15 advance/$17 door; $3 rebate for members, seniors, teens; children 12 & under free. Cornell students $10/$12. Info: 607-279-2027 or website.

VOCAL WORKSHOP: Moira Smiley, rooted in New England/Celtic music from her native Vermont and schooled in early and classical music at Indiana University, where she recorded with Paul Hillier and Harmonia Mundi, is now based in California, where she’s active in composing, arranging, and performing music for VOCO, Eastern European groups, film, and theater/dance from Shakespeare to experimental. She’s in demand in the U.S. and Europe as a phenomenal, experienced teacher: inspiring and encouraging, with a voice that can do just about anything! This workshop with Moira and VOCO will challenge and delight all levels of singers. They’ll teach a diverse repertoire by ear as well as with sheet music, with a focus on vocal color, phrasing, physicality, and the joy of creative harmony. See  http://www.moirasmiley.com/MOIRA_main.html  and www.moirasmiley.com/VOCO_main.html.

For workshop info./registration, contact Margaret Shepard (mbs19@cornell.edu). Workshop is sliding scale, $17-25; some financial aid available. Deep discount for those attending workshop and concert! Please pre-register so we’ll know how many to expect.

 – Margaret Shepard

Cornell Folk Song Society Concert

Saturday, 23 October, 8 pm

165 McGraw Hall, Cornell Arts Quad

Jez Lowe is respected as one of Britain’s finest songwriters, strongly rooted in tradition. He weds a fine voice with some dazzling guitar work; although this is a solo tour of the U.S., he also performs with the rollicking band Bad Pennies. Jez Lowe convincingly and lovingly translates the lives of Northern England working class folk into songs that are vivid, aching, and resiliently humorous. Few contemporary musicians create such catchy, timeless melodies and lyrics that ring true and clear. He also finds inspiration in poets such as Yeats and Heaney, in road travels, and in humanity that persists in times of terrorism and greed. He’s won the hearts of Old Songs audiences; this will be his Ithaca debut!

Tickets: $15 adv/$17 door; $3 rebate for members, seniors, teens. Cornell students $10/$12. Children free. Tickets at Ludgate’s, Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves, Bound for Glory, online <http://www.cornellfolksong.org/>. Info: website or 607-279-2027.

Saturday, Oct. 2, 1:30-4:30 pm
Hollis Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell Arts Quad
Sponsored by the Cornell Folk Song Society

Brendan Taaffe, of Brattleboro, VT, has a remarkable ability to bring cohesiveness and joyful music-making to diverse groups of all ages. He has led vocal workshops in Western and Eastern Europe, Canada, and the U.S., and is the founder and director of Turtle Dove Harmony, a non-profit arts organization focused on developing community through song by bringing together outstanding teachers and participants from different traditions and nations. A skilled singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer/arranger, and teacher, Brendan has performed with Northern Harmony, Village Harmony, and numerous contra dance bands, most recently Magic Foot. He holds a Master’s in music performance from the Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick. In recent years, he has delighted in working with children, year-round in public schools and in music camps, residencies, and performances. The Oct. 2 workshop is designed for adults and teens and is open to the general public; singing is everyone’s birthright.

Brendan’s vocal workshop will explore multi-part harmony in traditional American and African songs: early gospel, Appalachian ballads, shape note hymns, shaker songs, Brendan’s own compositions, and Makwayera singing from Zimbabwe. No experience is necessary—all of the pieces will be taught first by ear, then with sheet music. Background at www.brendantaaffe.com

For more info. or to register, contact Margaret Shepard (mbs19@cornell.edu). [She has taken several of Brendan's vocal workshops and can heartily recommend them!]

Workshop cost is $25; some financial aid may be available. Payment at the door is fine, but please pre-register so we know how many to expect

Vance Gilbert

Saturday, Oct. 2, at 8 pm

Cornell Folk Song Society Concert

165 McGraw Hall, Cornell Arts Quad

Among the leading contemporary American singer-songwriters, no one so totally owns the stage as Vance Gilbert. His personality is large and he has talent to match. Every concert reveals at least two sides of this prodigious performer. There is Vance Gilbert the amazing singer-songwriter, whose words are both poetic and powerful, earning him the Kerrville Music Award’s Vocalist of the Year in 1997; whose voice is full of eloquence and passion; and whose dexterous guitar playing has been called wizardry. Then there is Vance Gilbert the comedian, who is entertaining not so much because his jokes are funny and impersonations so on the mark, but because his manner is joyful, spontaneous, and at ease, even when he’s doing some wicked skewering!

His voice is a remarkable instrument; he employs circular breathing and other vocal techniques seldom heard from a folk musician. Every year, he wows the crowd of thousands at the Falcon Ridge Festival with sustained, unamplified projection of his rich tenor, rolling out across the hills.

Expect a rollercoaster ride of an evening at this concert. Vance Gilbert knows how to write a catchy tune, but the words may haunt you: uproariously funny can be juxtaposed with uncompromisingly wrenching. The Fort Worth Star-Telegraph sums it up: “The voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god!” It’s been over 10 years since Vance Gilbert last graced us in Ithaca: help us welcome his return.

Tickets: $15 advance/$17 door; $3 rebate for CFSS members, seniors, teens. Cornell students $10/$12. Children 12 and under free. Tickets at Ludgate’s, Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves Books, Bound for Glory, and online at <http://www.cornellfolksong.org/>. Info: website or 607-279-2027.

Cornell Folk Song Society Concert

Ellis Paul

Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell Arts Quad

Maine has produced some amazing folk musicians, and one of those many mighty is Ellis Paul, who grew up on a potato farm in Aroostook County. He took the folk “scene” in Boston (and the nation) by storm in the 1990s, winning an unprecedented 13 Boston Music Awards. Now based in Charlottesville, Virginia, he spends much of his life on tour and in the recording studio. He’s a favorite at Falcon Ridge but rarely makes it to Ithaca, so mark your calendars.

Long a leading voice among singer-songwriters, Ellis Paul is ranked with Billy Bragg, Shawn Colvin, and Ani DiFranco for his urban, literate, folk/pop style. Although his songs are snapped up for film and TV soundtracks, he remains authentic: unique, without pretense, never imitative. He’s got it all: great voice, skilled guitar work, remarkable lyrics, charismatic stage presence. With poetic, powerful storytelling and tunes with a “hook,” he gracefully builds a bridge between his populist heroes Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and contemporary issues and outlook. It was his request to perform for the Cornell Folk Song Society specifically on September 11, when he is likely to share many songs from his latest (and 15th) album, The Day Everything Changed. Ellis Paul has “the sensibility of Bob Dylan and Bill Morrissey delivered with a passion that sets him apart…,” declares Performing Songwriter Magazine.

Although many singer-songwriters fall into the trap of introspection, Ellis Paul has always had a strong sense of commitment to community, thanks to his small-town upbringing and years as a social worker in Boston, trying to keep poor kids out of trouble. That humanism is what drew him to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Old friend Bill Morrissey says, “Ellis Paul has a sense of roots, of connectedness to the whole history of folk music; he sees the thread that runs through all the generations of this music.” Nora Guthrie asked Ellis Paul to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute show for her father Woody, and he was also made an honorary citizen of Guthrie’s birthplace, Okemah, Oklahoma, in recognition of his success in reviving interest in the Dust Bowl troubadour. Nora writes, “Wise, tender, brilliant, and biting, Ellis is one of our best human compasses, marking in melodies and poems where we’ve been and where we might go if we so choose to. Personally Ellis, I’m goin’ where you’re goin’!”

Tickets: Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves Bookstore, Bound for Glory, and online at www.cornellfolksong.org/. $15 advance/$17 door; $3 rebate for members, seniors, teens; children 12 & under free. Cornell students $10/$12. Info: 607-279-2027 or website.

Saturday, 28 August, 8-11 pm; beginners’ workshop 7:30 pm

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 402 N. Aurora St., Ithaca

It’s been a hot, dry summer around these parts, but Riverbend is about to flow into town for a cool event guaranteed to keep dancers floating in contra bliss. Rebecca McCallum (fiddle) and Jane Knoeck (piano and accordion) of the Groovemongers will be joined by Tom Santasiero (mandolin, tenor banjo, guitar, foot percussion). The energy and musicality will be at peak flow. Bev Bernbaum will call with her celebrated aplomb.

Beginners are encouraged to try out contra dancing; there’s a workshop for newcomers at 7:30 pm. Each dance is taught, the steps are simple, and the dance community is welcoming and helpful. You don’t need to bring a partner, but please bring clean, soft-soled shoes. This church basement space stays cool even during the hottest summer. Admission $8 for members of Hands Four Dancers of Ithaca; $10 for nonmembers. You can join at the dance and receive discounts on all dances for a year. HFDI is an all-volunteer community nonprofit organization dedicated to hosting great dances. For more information, visit www.hands4dancers.org or call 607-539-3174.

Adina Gordon

Saturday, May 22, 8-11 pm

Beginners’ workshop 7:30 pm

Hands Four Dancers of Ithaca

Beverly J. Martin School,

$8 HFDI members/$10 nonmembers

You may have danced to them at big festivals, in Rochester, or on the east and west coasts, but it has been three long years since the Great Bear Trio has performed in Ithaca. You don’t want to miss their boundless energy, spirited fun, and musical virtuosity. Brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand set a high standard for modern contra dances, inventively playing an eclectic mix of traditional and original tunes from Celtic, French-Canadian, Scandinavian, and Appalachian to World Beat. Just a few years back, they were finalists on Prairie Home Companion’s national “Talent under 20″ competition, and are crowd favorites at the Dance Flurry. They play (at last count) 14 instruments, including fiddles, guitars, bouzouki, mandolin, bodhran, djembe, and didgeridoo, while their mother Kim Yerton provides a solid, lively foundation on piano. New Englander Adina Gordon will call with her trademark joy. She’s appreciated throughout North America for her inspired choice of dances and gift for clear teaching that maximizes dance time. She and the GBT are a great match! Beginners are most welcome: the steps are simple and each dance is taught. Beginner’s workshop at 7:30 pm. There is no need to bring a partner. Please bring clean, soft-soled shoes to protect the floor! For more information, visit www.hands4dancers.org or call 607/539-3174.

NOTICE: Due to cancellation of flights out of Britain resulting from volcano eruptions in Iceland, it now seems highly unlikely that Brian Peters will be able to arrive in time for his scheduled concert Saturday night. If you are planning to attend, please check here [Cornell Folk Song Society web site: http://www.cornellfolksong.org/ ] before driving any long distance.

BRIAN PETERS — Concert for the Cornell Folk Song Society 165 McGraw Hall, Cornell Arts Quad. Saturday, April 17, 8 pm

Fingers flying, this British musician from Glossop is one top-notch button man (Anglo concertina, accordion, melodeon), and he’s no slouch on guitar. Brian Peters’ intricate, energetic arrangements, combined with a fervent voice and sly humor, give life to old jigs and reels, wild sea songs, ragtime, blues, hillbilly rock, contemporary songs, and his own clever compositions. His passion for music of the past is evident, but he is hardly mired there: you can expect a surprising performance with forays in many directions, anchored by musicality and wit.

Where he truly shines is as a world ambassador and guardian of centuries-old ballads: ghosts and dragons, the wise child and the devil, the beggar and king, the spells, the magic ring. Brian Peters plunges deep into these ancient songs to find their mystery, evil, drollery, and courage, and brings them to us fresh. Some of the old Child ballads he has unearthed had no tunes, so he has ably met the challenge of writing music that fits them beautifully. This is a fine gift. Roy Harris of The Living Tradition calls him “A ballad hero….a man who sings these vivid tales as though he read them in this morning’s headlines.” He’s not afraid to give some songs a shake-up. Steve Winick of Dirty Linen praises his “folk-rock arrangement of Three Ravens worthy of Steeleye Span…. tragedy, action, excitement, and humor, to say nothing of sex, drugs, and even rock ‘n’ roll. You couldn’t ask for more.”

In concert, Brian Peters’ musical integrity and easy-going nature draw in his audience. A fine teacher, he is in demand in Europe and the States for vocal and instrumental workshops. DANCERS TAKE NOTE: Brian composes traditional-style dance tunes, researches dances and songs from rare old manuscripts, and is a powerful force in the resurrection of dance music from Northern England. When he isn’t busy nosing out new old material, performing, and teaching, he’s likely to be found in a recording studio: 11 fine albums to date.

For a sampling of his style in live performance, Brian suggests checking out You Tube on his web site, http://www.harbourtownrecords.com/peters.html.

A Dirty Linen reviewer describes Brian Peters as “a singer, guitarist and melodeon player of rare ability, unusual repertoire, and unusual conviction in singing it.” And Rock’n'Reel puts him in fine company: “No singer outside Nic Jones and Martin Carthy has embraced the tradition and used its wellsprings in as vivid and ingenious a way.” Help us welcome in the spring in lively fashion with this thoroughly grounded, well-rounded angular Anglo!

Tickets: $15 advance/$17 door; $3 rebates at door for members, seniors, teens; children 12 and under free. CU students $10/$12. Tickets at Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves Book Store, Bound for Glory, and online <http://www.cornellfolksong.org/>. Info: website or 607-279-2027.

– Margaret Shepard