Friday, July 22, 2011

MY FAVORITE CONTEMPORARY WALTZ COMPOSER

Make room on the bench, Jay.
I wrote the following before catching wind of Judy Hyman's and Dick Hyman's new CD, coming out in a couple weeks, Late Last Summer.
I already have three favorites: Audubon's Lucy, Ralph's Watch and Hannah.
Links will follow soon.

So if JAY UNGAR topped my list in the past then he's currently sharing it with Judy Hyman.

His tunes are heartfelt and emotional. He's a waltzer, too, and makes music that he would love to waltz to. There's something very endearing in his melodies.
I don't know if there's name for it but I call it the "floating pause" when just the right note is held for just the right about of time, allowing the dancers to float ever so briefly between steps and moves. This element takes me to the next level of bliss when I'm dancing. It allows a focus and balance and just the slightest amount of air between my feet and the ground. I feel weightless for just that second, like I have wings and could take flight.
Jay infuses his waltz melodies with these floating pauses.
Here Jay plays two tunes I got to waltz to when he and Molly visited Cornell in July 2011. I was waltzing with my partner behind the camera somewhere on the sidewalks that crisscross the Arts Quad.
Harvest Home Suite After the intro he goes into a beautiful and sweet waltz.
Lover's Waltz, here performed by Jay, Molly, Aly Bain and others in the Transatlantic Sessions. I've provided links at the bottom of the page for two more samples of this tune. Like all his waltzes it, too, tugs at the heartstrings.

Monday, October 25, 2010

EVERYWHERE THERE'S A WALTZ

(Click on titles for performance videos.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom, I've saved the best for last.
Thank you, Jay and Molly.)

I believe the first time I got up and waltzed around the room was to either the Ookpic Waltz or Midnight on the Water. Or was it when I was skiing hard through the woods and couldn't get the Blue Danube Waltz out of my head? It seems my heartbeat was made to match a waltz beat.
Dad was my regular waltz partner, born with the same heartbeat. Being a good Shetlander he always felt the pull, too.

I hope you enjoy my new blog!
~Louise
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We'll start with Ookpic Waltz, written in 1965 by Canadian Frankie Rodgers. This one's with a flute and guitar, the combination is quite sweet. I can't find any other good versions of it. Ookpic is an Inuktitut word for snowy owl. In some versions the harmonies are searingly evocative of...a broken heart or sad longing?

One of the most beautiful newer waltz tunes is Jay Ungar's Ashokan Farewell, written for a Ken Burns PBS special on The Civil War. I got a kick out of hearing several fiddlers of all ages play this over in Shetland at the famous Lounge. (My apologies, I've just discovered this tune has been removed from YouTube but it's worth leaving here, in case you can find it elsewhere. I'll keep looking, too.)

Another fine waltz by Jay and Molly is found at the end.

Another beautiful waltz, created by Solas, is called Doireann's Waltz. The squeezebox gives it a French flair somehow. Very pretty. (Also removed recently from YouTube.)

Midnight on the Water, an old Texas waltz tune by Luke Thomasson, played here by Carrie Rodriguez. Another that's high on my list. This tune gave me the inspiration to get out and paddle at midnight on Schroon Lake. Twice. Of course I hummed this while I paddled along. There are renditions of this that make my cry, it's so beautiful. It's another get up and dance around the room kind of tune, from the living room to the dining room and back again.

Speaking of water. The now defunct band, Tanglefoot (my most favorite band in the whole world) gave me the most joyful paddle of my life. During their sound check in the afternoon at a venue right on the water (The Boathouse, Schroon Lake, Adirondacks of NY) they rehearsed Song Writer over and over again. With its waltz beat and a little ruffly breeze bringing the sound across the water I found I could paddle straight into the sound for about half a mile. Of course the beat made me paddle faster than usual but it elevated my heart rate so now we were all in synch...paddle strokes, heart beat and music. A perfect harmony that I repeated again and again, it was just so joyful! Sadly this recording is not available to share. Thanks for that lovely tune, Brian Weirmeyer.

In the same water theme there's River, by Bill Staines. "River, take me along in your sunshine, sing me a song...let's you and me river run down to the sea."

Another lovely waltz played by Tanglefoot and written by Terry Young is Lunenburg Skies. "And the Luneneburg skies were warm and alive, feel the melody dance on the breeze, as the notes rang down all over the town we joined in the sweet harmony." Who couldn't fall in love with lyrics like these?

While we're in Canada let's visit My Cape Breton Home, by Jerry Holland.

Peter Ostroushko is from Minnesota and sometimes plays in Rich Dworsky's The Guy's All Star Shoe Band, sometimes playing guitar or fiddle, on Prairie Home Companion. Playing mandolin is where he truly shines. Here's how he interprets Marjorie's Waltz, another traditional Scottish tune. His stirringly beautiful Heart of the Heartland is gut wrenching in reverent emotion. This is perhaps one of my most favorite waltzes ever and all because of the way he plays his mandolin. Of course the musical arrangement is rich, too.

While we're on Ostroushko's rich waltz arranging I'll give you his Mallard Island Hymn. This was created for Ken Burns' PBS Special, 2009 National Parks Project and sounds like this with full orchestration. Rich and powerful! You can almost see the wagons working their way west.

This is Ostroushko playing the tune Maycomb, Georgia. "In Peter's hand the mandolin sounds nostalgic and sad, like that old, lost love." If I ever find his 'A and A Waltz' I'll be sure to post it, another lost love sort of feel. It's another gorgeous piece but apparently it was taken off YouTube.

His gorgeous fiddle tune, Teelin Bay Waltz, was written after visiting this tiny village on the west coast of Ireland in Donegal. (Wait for it, the music starts at 6:30. It's so worth it!)

Pretty Flowers by Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin) from his debut album, The Crow. The lyrics are adorable and romantic! I can see an elderly couple dancing around the living room, whirling and laughing. Here's one other rendition of Pretty Flowers.

In "Snow" Loreena McKennitt puts a poem to music, in her remarkably haunting musical and vocal style. The lyrics for this song are the poem "Snow" by the 19th century Canadian poet Archibald Lampman. Listen for the harp.

Hayley Westerna sings Dark Waltz. An achingly beautiful orchestration adds flair to her angelic voice. You might recognize her voice from Celtic Woman.

The Shetland musicians are fantastic with a sound all their own.
Sands of Kuwait by Graham Wilson, famous Scottish accordian player. And also
The Alex Cullum Waltz, written for a Norwegian friend of his. This is gorgeous music.

Here's another traditional ballad from Graham Wilson, Wild Rose of the Mountain. It's a great example of the Scottish style. Mark Knopfler borrowed from this to embellish Mist Covered Mountains for his Local Hero theme (link below).

Aly Bain, another Scotsman, from Lerwick, Shetland, just down the road apiece from where dad grew up. I've met him and got to hear him play live, in Oneonta one frosty and clear evening. I recall there was a full moon and all was hushed and silent in the frozen night when I left the hall, as if I could reach out and grab a star, they seemed so close.
His Margaret's Waltz shows his true fiddle style. This is an earlier recording.

(Now I've got my nephew, David, sending me videos of his favorite waltzes. He plays mandolins, he makes mandolins and is also a great mandolin and guitar player. Margaret's Waltz is his pick for favorite waltz to play on mandolin. Great taste, David!)

Bain now plays mostly in concert with Phil Cunningham. At a concert in the Highlands Capital of Inverness they played this achingly beautiful tune. While not a waltz it's still right up there in emotional spirit, tugging on the heart strings. I believe it's called Swedish Hymn or Norwegian Hymn.
Bain got his start in a famous upstairs pub in Lerwick called The Lounge. I was there in Spring 2009 and got to hear a Tuesday night jam with players aged 12-80 and led by two other famous Shetland musicians, Bryan Gear and Violet Tulloch.

Jenna Reid playing Hector the Hero with Aly Bain. She's a rising star in the Shetland tradition as well.
Here Jenna Reid plays Bethany's Waltz, a tune she wrote for her sister. And playing again with Aly Bain, same tune. Created together with the famous Russ Barrenburg on guitar for the BBC's Transatlantic Sessions. She has great patience and timing, her music is never rushed.

A traditional piece, The Blackest Crow, played here during the Transatlantic Sessions 3. Aly Bain on fiddle.

And here's Aly Bain with partner Phil Cunningham, Russ Barenberg and others with a stunning version of Flatwater Fran, played here on Transatlantic Sessions 4.

Scotsman Richard Thompson wrote Waltzing's For Dreamers ages ago. This second version is more recent.

No waltz list is complete without Mist Covered Mountains, a tribute to the awesome and raw beauty of Scotland and the Shetland Islands. Mark Knopfler created this haunting version for the sound track to one of my most favorite movies, Local Hero.

Before we leave Scotland I need to toss out this tune for you. It's called Dark Island and talks about returning home. I saw North Sea Gas from Edinburgh perform this locally and was blown away by the tune. Then there's Caledonia, by Dougie McLean, sung here beautifully by NSG as well.

On to Bruce Springsteen's If I Should Fall Behind, from a live performance with an Irish audience in Dublin.

Casey Willis is an outstanding fiddler from Idaho. His tunes are on YouTube and he offers Skype fiddle lessons. Here's his rendition of Lover's Waltz, by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, among my all-time favorite folk musicians, from the Catskill Mountains. Willis could play this with Jay and have his smile of approval, it's the best I've heard, besides Jay's of course.

Larry Unger wrote Judy and Jim's Wedding, another achingly beautiful lover's type waltz.

And here's Willis playing Teardrop Waltz, one I hadn't heard before. I stumbled upon it, also on YouTube, of course. Another powerfully emotional waltz.

Here's another cheerful waltz I found on YouTube, by the Dubliners, called The Marino Waltz.

I'm weighing in with a late addition, a lovely tune called simply Home. This is an older video, from 1991. I'm seeking a newer version, sung by Mae Robertson, a clear sweet voice teasing the song along and making me want to get right up and dance, of course. I'll post it when I find the link.

A friend mentioned the name of a waltz I hadn't heard of before. I don't know its history but here is Josephine's Waltz (watch for it at 2:27).

UPDATE October, 2012
Judy Hyman, of the long running band the Horse Flies, has teamed up with her dad, Emmy award winning jazz pianist and composer, Dick Hyman, to create a new CD called Late Last Summer.
It's a CD of all waltzes Judy's written over the years.
Among my personal favorites are Audubon's Lucy, Hannah and Ralph's Watch, a tribute to her husband's father.
All three have everything a good waltz should have...that indescribable ability to get you rocketing out of your stupor and sail around the house in a full blown, freestyle waltz with yourself.
Of course it'd be sweeter with a good dancing partner!
The release party is scheduled for October 9 so afterward I should have some links for the above tunes.
I can't place it but I've heard the Hannah waltz somewhere before.
It tickled me then just as it did now, listening to the teasers.

I'VE SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST
Here's a very recent concert of Lover's Waltz, played simply and sweetly by Jay and Molly, alone on the stage. He infuses this simple rendition with little complexities, like the harmonizing notes and little dips and teases the bow into coaxing out extra sweet little notes. This is among my most favorite waltzes of all time.

Here's Jay and Molly playing it with daughter Ruthie and her husband, The Lover's Waltz. I think this is the better video.

The list is endless but I do have my favorites and these are most of them. Yet to find is a video or recording of Waltzing With You by Molly Mason, still working on it. But the above tunes ought to keep you busy for a while.

I hope you've enjoyed my little waltzing blog. It's been a pleasure sharing this delightful music with you.

Perhaps someday I'll get to Dance In The Kitchen with you.

Much love,
Louise

PS If you've never gotten to paddle up to a dock, hop out and waltz with your paddle under a half moon rising with live musicians playing whatever waltz you can think of...I highly recommend it! Thank you, Tom and Rick, for luring me in with the last strains of a beautiful waltz coming across the water at WaterMusic 2011. How beguiling!

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