It’s 8:16, a nice early start for writing. What do you mean it’s 8:16 PM? Oh well; need brooks no delay but late is better than never. I’m back to having adventures. Yesterday I traveled to my ancestral homeland of Fort Greene Brooklyn. I only lived there three months but that was my favorite neighborhood that I called home. What brought me there? Music. More specifically Hannah Read, a gentleman I don’t know, and the Stephanae. That’s my name for the combination of fiddler Stephanie Coleman and banjoist Stephanie Jenkins. Stephanie is English and the proper plural is Stephanies, but I think they deserve a special plural and chose the Greek looking Stephanae. I met them around the same time, and it took me a bit to learn which last name belonged to which. Initially they were tall Stephanie and short Stephanie. I wonder if I’m still on speaking terms with either of them after that. Hannah, are we OK? How about you, Gentleman I don’t know that played guitar? I can see that I’m in one of those moods. That comes from being happy but alone all day. My mind is entertaining itself.
This was Hannah’s gig. The owner of the bar, The Mayflower, a fellow Scot and invited Hannah to play. Hannah decided to bring her friends. You can see Hannah perform in my configurations, Celtic or Old Time Fiddler, fiddling accompanist for any kind of music, and singer/songwriter. She is great at all of them.
Why are they worth an hour and twenty minute trip to see? They are great. On Thursday’s Gord’s Gold on Folk Music Notebook I’ll be playing a song from Hannah’s new album with Michael Starkey and song by Stephanie Jenkins’ band, The Calamity Janes. They don’t feal that Jane deserves a special plural. The show was not so much a show but a small Old Time session in a small pub. I got a seat right by the corner where they were sitting. Do I have to explain Old Time music to My Gentle Readers? People that don’t know what bluegrass is might call it bluegrass. Hillbilly music is acceptable. It’s the traditional music of the Appalachians. It’s music to be played at home, not in a concert hall. A small pub is a great setting for it. Hannah and Coleman played fiddle, Jenkins banjo and the person I will hereafter call “The Gentleman” played guitar. Shortly after I arrived Jenkins’ mother Sandy and brother Reid came in. I met them independently of Stephanie as Sandy and her husband Rich host an awesome house concert series. Even after I saw Steph there, I didn’t think they were related, it’s a common last name. Reid is also a fiddler. Sandy is a musician too, but I’ve never seen her play so I’m forgetting what instrument. Rich is a pianist. This is a musical family.
With their arrival it became a Gathering of the Tribe. I love gatherings of my various tribes. Sandy is also a teacher, and we had a discussion that you’ve never had. She taught me that there are powerful magnets that farmers use to extract metal that cows swallow. She demonstrated the magnets, not the cows, to her elementary school students. I want a teacher like Sandy.
I told Sandy I was surprised I didn’t know anyone else there. Two seconds later Melanie walked in. Melanie also hosts house concerts. She’s also part of the tribe. She was with her husband and son. This is a proper way to celebrate Mother’s Day.
A great irony is that Old Time, the music of the often illiterate and usually formerly uneducated Appalachians, is complex and musically sophisticated. They lacked book-learning not intelligence. I do not think I could appreciate it if I hadn’t taken a course in classical music in college that covered the Baroque. When listening to Old Time I use the Bach part of my brain. It’s not four instruments playing in unison but four voices dancing around each other. There is a lot of there, there. All the musicians are great as is Reid who sat in for Coleman for a song or two. I feel weird calling the Stephanae by their last names but it’s the only way to make things clear.
This was a great way to spend an early evening, listening to great music surrounded by great people. I can’t wait to see everyone again. Unfortunately, I have to miss the Calamity Janes next week because I’m seeing Nora Brown and Jake Blount at the Common Ground Coffeehouse. They also play Old Time. It isn’t fair, people need to coordinate things. Yesterday I had to miss Our Band because I couldn’t be in two places at once. Someone need to be a cloning/recombining device. Then I could do both, recombine, and have memories of both.
I had a wilderness adventure today, but that tale must wait until tomorrow.
Wise Madness 