Traditional New England Dance Music

Several years ago I headed out from Nelson over to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where my band, Fresh Fish, was going to be recording our first (and it turns out only) album. I usually like to keep early morning travel on the quiet side, but this morning I turned up the CD player and took a good infusion of the Rolling Stones and then Oscar Peterson. This sufficiently lubricated my creativity so that when we started recording, I could incorporate the rhythmic and arpeggiotic twists into my piano playing that gave our band an edge in teasing energy out of the dancers. I cite this as an example of the diverse influences that inform my playing of what is primarily a traditional music repertoire: Irish, French Canadian, and New England fiddle tunes.

As a child I was introduced to the classical repertoire and piano style through the rather stern encouragement of my mother, who had a degree in music and was, in fact, a very respectable organist. As I grew out of single digits I became aware of other kinds of music, and eventually learned to play the guitar by ear. This was a very different approach than I had learned from classical training, and it was fairly emancipating. (I will readily acknowledge that the time and discipline required to play classical piano is considerably greater. I have great respect for anyone who can roll with Rachmaninoff or chop on Chopin.).  Eventually I switched my keyboard orientation to playing by ear as well. 

My playing is remarkably free of virtuosity, yet it does have value. I endeavor to imbibe the nuances of my fellow players, and to enhance them with rhythms, harmonies, and countermelodies. I am primarily an accompanist, and my goal is to provide something perhaps akin to full-spectrum lighting.

Fresh Fish played together for about a decade. We got to travel a lot, met some wonderful people, and played in a lot of interesting places, such as the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo, and music camps such as Ashokan and Buffalo Gap. Our recording, Turning of the Tide, was well received, but it is no longer in print.

I have had the privilege of playing with many other excellent musicians as well. Notably, the New Hampshire Fiddler’s Union recorded tunes from the collection of John Taggart, a 19th century renaissance man whose journals we were instrumental in retrieving from obscurity. In addition to several gigs in New England, this band also played at the 10th Annual Shetland Folk Festival, which brought us into contact with many wonderful musicians from the British Isles.

Discography

The Music of John Taggart
The New Hampshire Fiddler’s Union
Randy Miller - fiddle
Rodney Miller - fiddle
Skip Gorman - fiddle,
Gordon Peery - piano and guitar.

Turning of the Tide
Fresh Fish
Kerry Elkin - fiddle,
Gordon Peery, piano,
Danny Novick, fiddle, tenor banjo, mandolin, dumbek, congas
Dirk Powell, bass, five-string banjo, electric guitar
David Surette, guitar, mandolin, octave mandolin
Ruthie Dornfeld, fiddle

Studio Guest Appearances on:
Roots of the Tree of Life: Kathy Miller
Nat Hewitt: Nat Hewitt
A Cowboy’s Wild Songs to His Herd: Skip Gorman
A Greener Prairie: Skip Gorman

Notable Tours / Performances

The Green Mountain Volunteers (traditional New England dance performance group) Summer of 1985: Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia.

The 10th Annual Shetland Folk Festival (with the New Hampshire Fiddler’s Union).

Fresh Fish:
     Events and Music Camps

Ashokan
Buffalo Gap
Champlain Valley Folk Festival
New England Folk Festival
Old Songs
Pinewoods

Jazz

I came to jazz fairly late in life. I appreciate all but the smoothest genres of jazz, but I have focused my own playing on classic standards. This is largely a consequence of the gradual introduction of swing dancing within contra dance circles. In the 1980s it became increasingly common to include in a swing dance or two among the squares and contras. Weekend-long dance workshops, or week-long dance camps often had swing dance segments.

As you might guess, then, the melody instrument I am most likely to accompany is the fiddle, or violin, as it is more commonly referred to in the jazz context. This in turn suggests that the tunes are usually rendered in the key of C or one of the sharp keys, and occasionally F (one flat). This is because most fiddle music is in those keys, which in turn is because there are more opportunities for open strings, thus stabilizing the intonation.

But I digress. The repertoire works very well for weddings and other social gatherings, it is recognizable to a broader audience than contra dance music, and it is very much fun to play. My current jazz partner is usually Carey Bluhm on violin, and if the budget facilitates a larger sound, we can add a bass player and even percussion.

Sample of Repertoire

After You've Gone

All of Me

Am I Blue

Autumn Leaves

Do You know What it Means, to Miss New Orleans

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Georgia

I Can't Get Started

I Can't Give You Anything But Love

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Right Myself a Letter

Lady Be Good

Paper Moon

Please Don't Talk About Me When I've Gone

Satin Doll

Sentimental Journey

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Sunny Side of the Street

Sweet Georgia Brown

Undecided