ITHACA NY - Notes Inégales for a traditional, old New England style Contra Dance on Fri May 24th. Notes Inégales [pronounced notes in-a-gall] is Andrea Katz on fiddle and Michael Ludgate on mandolin. For this dance featuring special musical guests: Laurie Tupper on flute and Tim Ball on guitar. Caller: House callers. Location: Bethel Grove Community Center 1825 Slaterville Rd Ithaca NY. 8-11 pm $6- TCCD sponsored event. Band: www.notesinegales.org FB event https://www.facebook.com/events/441495482607316/

Andrea Katz (fiddle, viola) - Andrea Katz (from Texas on playing fiddle and viola) is a PhD candidate in applied physics at Cornell University (finishing her 2nd year there). Andrea played in a variety of contra dance bands in the San Antonio area and has studied with Jay Ungar and David Kaynor. Andrea is joined by Michael Ludgate (mandolin, fiddle, tenor banjo), joined by occasional special guests. Both are fantastic contra dance musicians and are playing a dance with Ithaca contra musician and music promoter Michael Ludgate under the new band name Notes Inégales. This will be an exceptionally fun dance!

Laurie Tupper (flute) - Laurie Tupper is also a graduate student at Cornell University, moving here from Swarthmore College. Laurie is well know in contra dance circles as the flute player for “Last Exit” a Philly based band. She has played all around the northeastern US. She is also the flute player for “Stunt Double” contra band. More here http://tedcrane.com/DanceDB/DisplayIdent.com?key=LAURIE_TUPPER

Tim Ball (guitar) - Tim has recently been perfecting a style of guitar playing that is great for Irish sessions and contra dancing. Most folks know him for his fiddling: Tim plays fiddle with Contrapasso, Tunescape, the O’Shanigans, and other fine musicians for contra and English Country dances around upstate New York and beyond. A recent graduate of the Ithaca College School of Music where he studied violin with Susan Waterbury, he brings training in classical music and jazz improvisation together with a love of social dancing and a great respect for the traditional music of New England, Ireland, Quebec, and the many other regions that have lent their influence to contra dance musicians everywhere. http://tedcrane.com/DanceDB/DisplayIdent.com?key=TIM_BALL

Notes Inégales (pronounced notes in-a-gall) contra dance band performs Celtic, American and world fiddle tunes suitable for contra dancing,  general entertainment and weddings. Fiddle and dance tunes from: New England, Southern Appalachia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Finland, Sweden and the Middle East! We currently combine the skills of two of Ithaca’s most talented contra dance musicians: Andrea Katz (fiddle, viola) with local contra session leader and acoustic music promoter, Michael Ludgate (mandolin, fiddle, tenor banjo), joined by occasional special guests.

From the dancers and callers –  “Notes Inégales, what a fantastic band! You guys rock! True to it’s name, the band infused some interesting rhythmic swing-like patterns (rock step-1-2-3??) into regular square steps. Thanks guys for a fun evening!” “A wall of dance sound” “Wow! What was that Horse Flies tune you played?” “The music was fantastic!” “That was a delightful contra dance last night … I truly enjoyed the many subtleties of your musical arrangements.”, ” … such a fun group of people, and the band was awesome … ” , “The band was absolutely wonderful last night!”

Notes Inégales - About the band name: “Notes Inégales” (pronounced notes inagall) contra dance band http://www.notesinegales.org/ — “In music, notes inégales (French: unequal notes) refers to a performance practice, mainly from the Baroque and Classical music eras, in which some notes with equal written time values are performed with unequal durations, usually as alternating long and short. The practice was especially prevalent in France in the 17th and 18th centuries, with appearances in other European countries at the same time; and it reappeared as the standard performance practice in the 20th century in jazz.” source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_in%C3%A9gales

More about the musicians here: Bios and Photos www.notesinegales.org

More about Contra Dancing:

WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR FIRST DANCE Contra dancing is easy to learn. It’s so easy to learn that you don’t take lessons. Just show up at a dance and by the end of the first night you’ll have learned Danceers at an O’Shanigans’ contra dance in Ithaca NYall the dance moves and you will be able to enjoy the next dance even more. People are friendly and welcoming to beginners. The age range is from kids to folks that have been around for a while. Both singles and doubles come to contra dances and women as well as men ask people to dance. It is usual that you change partners after every dance. You will meet people in a relaxed, pleasant, smoke and alcohol free atmosphere. The patterns of the dance can be a tad confusing at first but remember everyone had a first time and that other dancers will help you. Listen to the caller and the music and go with the flow of the dance. Some people find they get dizzy at first. Looking directly at the person you are dancing with eliminates this sensation. For many, the music is what keeps them coming back as it is exciting and lively. People come to dance, hear the music, socialize and have a good time.

WHAT TO WEAR? Wear smooth soled shoes and comfortable light weight clothing. Some halls require non-street shoes so make sure the soles of shoes aren’t bringing grit onto the dance floor. Most people bring a bottle of drinking water. Contra dancing is joyous so it’s important that you bring a smile. Adapted from http://www.greatmeadowmusic.com/music.html

More information about contra dancing at these links:

http://canaaninstitute.org/mn/mus_dance.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cny.contradance/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_dance
http://tedcrane.com/DanceDB/DisplayDance.com/US_NY_ITH_TCCD
http://tedcrane.com/DanceDB/DisplayBand.com?key=OSHANIGANS
http://hands4dancers.org/
http://www.syracusecountrydancers.org/
http://contra.binghamtondance.org/contra_calendar.htm
http://www.thedancegypsy.com/
http://www.thedancegypsy.com/performerList.php?band=Oshanigans
http://www.sbcds.org/contradance/whatis/

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BROOKTONDALE NY - Long Time Courting - Workshop for musicians (instrumental and vocals) Sunday July 29th 2012 2:00-4:30 pm $20- at The Canaan Institute. RSVP to Mike to reserve a seat and for detailed directions mike@cinst.org

Long Time Courting will be performing for WVBR’s Bound for Glory radio show later that same evening.

Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/402306366486460/

Band website http://www.longtimecourting.com/home.html

Workshop details:

In this workshop, Long Time Courting will work with instrumentalists and vocalists to explore ensemble playing and arrangement of traditional music. Long Time Courting will teach a song/tune and use that piece as a springboard for creative exploration, diving into the different aspects of arrangement that can craft a song or tune set into a unique musical experience for the players and their audience.

We will explore groove and harmonic options that can add that extra bit of excitement to a tune set. In order to bring out the narrative structure of a song, we’ll demonstrate and experiment with the usage of harmony vocals and instrumental breaks. By looking at aspects of arrangement such as orchestration, form and harmony/melody, we’ll show participants ways in which they can shape their traditional repertoire into a unique sound that is both personal and well grounded in the tradition that they are drawing from.

This is a hands-on workshop, so participants should bring their instruments. While Long Time Courting specializes in voice, guitar, fiddle, whistle, accordion and cello, all instruments are welcome. Like instruments will be grouped together for some small “sectional” work and larger full ensemble playing will be done as well.

Long Time Courting: Bio (scroll down)

PHOTO from L to R: Valerie, Sarah, Liz, Shannon.

Take four individually accomplished traditional musicians and singers with fresh attitudes. Combine them, and you have the rich, soaring four-part vocal arrangements and high energy dance tunes that are Long Time Courting. Bringing together the talents of Sarah Blair on fiddle/vocals, Liz Simmons on guitar/vocals, Shannon Heaton on flute/vocals, and Valerie Thompson on cello/vocals, this Boston-based band shares a love of traditional Irish, Scottish and American folk music as well as contemporary material. They bring elements of these various genres to their repertoire in a way that is seamlessly innovative, inventively arranged, and skillfully rendered.

Meet Long Time Courting:

Sarah Blair “Sarah Blair is simply a great fiddler. Her combination of grit and control makes for music with drive, lift, and a compelling earthiness.” -Fiddler Magazine.

Sarah began playing Irish fiddle in Providence, Rhode Island’s thriving traditional Irish music scene. She honed her playing as a sought-after session leader in Boston and in the world of American contra dancing. With her band The Sevens and with other ensembles, Sarah has played at festivals, concerts, and dance weeks from Alaska to Quebec to Florida. Her most unusual gig was filling in for fiddler Liz Carroll for a portion of The Eagles’ singer Don Henley’s 2000 tour. In 2001, the Sevens were featured on NPR in an interview with Noah Adams. She is included in “Handy with the Stick: Fiddler Magazine’s Best of Irish fiddling,” a forthcoming book profiling top Irish fiddlers by Brendan Taaffe.

Liz Simmons “A honey-voiced singer. . .Simmons sings with winsome ease and genuine feeling.” -Dirty Linen Magazine

Liz grew up listening to her mother sing traditional songs from Ireland, Scotland, England and Appalachia, as well as the New Orleans brass music her father plays. Since then, she has developed a unique vocal and guitar style that incorporates the sounds of traditional and contemporary music. She is the lead singer of Annalivia, a string-band that fuses Celtic and Americana musical styles. Among her other performing credits are North Cregg, The Sevens, and The John Whelan Band. Her singing will be featured in the soon-to-be-released film “Time and Charges”, written and directed by Grammy and Emmy award winner Ernest Thompson.

Shannon Heaton “Shannon’s voice is the sun: remarkably light yet powerful, reminiscent of the 10,000 Maniacs’ Mary Ramsey…

Shannon’s flawless flute playing adds another layer of lightness…” -Molly Snyder, OnMilwaukee.com??Shannon is a veteran performer, having toured nationally with her husband, guitarist Matt Heaton, for over ten years. She developed her love of folk and traditional music early on, having lived in music-rich Nigeria and Thailand. It was in Chicago, IL that she discovered the local Irish music community and began learning tunes at Comhaltas and pub sessions. Since then, her keen melodic and arranging sensibilities, discerning ear, and exquisite Irish flute style has been featured with numerous Boston area ensembles.

Valerie Thompson “One of the most interesting female low end musicians isn’t technically a bass player. She is electric and acoustic cello player, Valerie Thompson.”-Bill Copeland - CTRL ALT Music

Kansas City native, Valerie grew up a classical cellist in a household filled with the music of Bach, The Beatles, The Chieftains and the blues. Entranced by dance music in her teens, she supplemented her formal studies by participating in summer folk festivals. She graduated with honors from the Berklee College of Music and is currently pursuing a masters in music in Contemporary Improvisation at New England Conservatory. She has toured nationally and internationally with musical projects as diverse as Fluttr Effect (world infused progressive rock band,) Laura Cortese’s Acoustic Project (acoustic folk pop,) and Goli (songdriven chamber duo.) Not just an engaged performer, Valerie is an active teacher and recording session musician in the Boston area and her original music has scored independent films and plays.
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ITHACA NY - This workshop will focus on songs that Aoife learned from her father Bobby Clancy, and other family members growing up in Co Tipperay, Ireland. The class will include material at all levels, from childhood songs to advanced material with a brief history on the background of the songs. Aoife will also be teaching some love songs from around the time of the Napoleonic wars and other unusual family songs that were passed down from her grandparents on both sides. She will work on the pacing of a song and also help students develop their own individual style and approach to singing. There will be some time spent on vocal technique, ornamentation and warm up exercises for the vocal chords. The focus will be on the oral tradition and learning to sing by ear, so students should bring some recording device for class. Aoife will encourage students to sing and help them overcome the “fear of performing”.  http://www.aoifeclancy.com/

Sunday October 2nd 2011 - in the afternoon 2-4 pm $20-
at The Canaan Institute (Mike and Raylene’s workshop)
http://canaaninstitute.org/mikesmusic/viewtopic.php?p=4206#4206
RSVP to Mike to reserve a seat and for directions michael@canaaninstitute.org

About Aoife ….

Aoife Clancy (pronounced “Eefa”) brings a refreshing new voice to folk music, one that ranges from traditional Irish songs to ballads and contemporary folk. Aoife comes from the small town of Carrick-on-Suir, in Co Tipperary, Ireland, where her musical career began at an early age. Her father Bobby Clancy of the legendary Clancy Brothers, placed a guitar in her hands at age ten, and by age fourteen was playing with her father in nearby pubs.

She later moved to Dublin, where she studied drama at the Gaiety School of Acting. After a season at the Gaiety, Aoife was invited to do a tour of Australia. There she performed at festivals and concerts sharing the stage with some of Ireland’s greatest performers, including Christy Moore and the Furey Brothers. Her performances also include a Caribbean cruises with the Clancy Brothers, the Milwaukee Irish Festival and a seven week tour of the United States with the renowned Paddy Noonan Show

In 1995 Aoife was asked to join the acclaimed group “Cherish the Ladies”, which is one of the most sought-after Irish American groups in history. For the past four years Aoife has toured extensively doing no less than two hundred dates a year throughout the United States and Europe. She has been a featured soloist with orchestras such as the Boston Pops and Cincinnati Pops and, while performing with Cherish the Ladies, collaborated with the Boston Pops on their Grammy nominated Celtic album.

Now with seven recordings under her belt in the last decade, Aoife has clearly established herself as one of the Divas of Irish and contemporary Folk Music. She has recorded two solo projects “Its about Time” and “Soldiers and Dreams” on Rego Records. On her debut CD “It’s About Time,” Aoife presents some traditional favorites, such as “Factory Girl” and “Mrs. McGrath,” but she also presents a sassy rendition of Leon Russelson’s “Don’t Get Married Girls.”

As one reviewer remarked, “she has a breadth of styles that make her concerts fascinating. Her singing would melt packed ice with it’s warmth and richness”—Mike Jackson, Canberra Times. On Aoife’s second Rego solo album, “Soldiers and Dreams,” Al Riess, from Dirty Linen magazine, wrote: “Soldiers and Dreams has a contemporary-meets-traditional-music feel and Clancy’s smooth, expressive singing works both ways—ensuring a successful merger of the two approaches and an enjoyable listening pleasure”.

Currently, Aoife is touring with her own band in support of her two Rego solo releases and her latest Appleseed release “Silvery Moon”. When she comes to a town near you, be sure not to miss this totally enchanting performer.

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