First Fiddling Master's Class Proposes a Regular Jam

The musicians who attended the first of this year's Master's Classes with Hilt Kelly and the Sidekicks learned and shared a wide variety of traditional, old-time, Irish, and Northeastern tunes, as well as popular and sentimental melodies from the early 20th century.  At the end of this article I'll give you a partial list.  The attending musicians had such a good time that they proposed having a regular jam, perhaps starting out at someone's house, then hopefully finding a larger space as the group grows.  We're thinking about one Friday per month, perhaps the second Friday so it won't conflict with the open mic on first Friday nights in Stamford.

If you'd like to participate in planning this jam, which may start as soon as January, please e-mail Ginny at gscheer@manhattancountryschool.org or call 607-326-7049.  Also don't forget that there will be another Master's Class on January 22, 1-4 p.m., also at the Roxbury Arts Group's Hilt Kelly Hall.

Last Sunday we played:

Soldier's Joy, Liberty, Turkey in the Straw, Haste to the Wedding, Darlin' Nellie Gray, Faded Love, Harvest Home, an unnamed reel Hilt learned from his Dad, Staten Island Hornpipe, Little Billy Wilson, the Wreck of the Old 97, Irene Goodnight, Angeline the Baker, and Make Me a Pallet on the Floor.

After he performed Play a Simple Melody, Hilt told how he thought he had learned it from a sheet music collection still in his possession that used to belong to Forest Bouton, piano player for the Melody Boys in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

Then Hilt sang Fraulein, and joined in high harmony when Don Strausser sang Silver Haired Daddy of Mine.  One of the young attendees introduced a jig, Paddy Whack, and was pleased to have Hilt join in.  Stella requested  Mississippi Sawyer - another tune Hilt learned from his Dad - and then Hilt demonstrated Money Musk, a fiddler's showpiece that is a contradance in New England.

Hilt told about playing many years ago for the Norway Ski Club out on Route 28.  When he played a Norwegian folk tune the ski members were astonished.  One asked him to slow it down - he had been playing it as a polka - and all the skiiers got up and joined in a Norwegian folk dance.  Hilt allowed that he had learned the tune from his Uncle Cedric Kittle - his mother's brother, born in 1890.  Cedric had learned it from his son-in-law who was Norwegian American.  Cedric's daughters are still alive, living in Bovina. 

Then HIlt started a waltz in D that resembled In the Good Old Summer Time and parts of Let Me Call You Sweetheart.   Again, there was no name.  Hilt and the Sidekicks then performed Just Because, with square dance calls, Don Irwin sang Good Timing Woman, and Don Strausser and Hilt joined again to sing Sitting Alone in an Old Rocking Chair.  Eva Irwin requested that her husband sing Frankie and Johnnie.

Then Hilt played Doc Boyd's Jig, from his recording "Hilt Kelly Catskill Mountain Fiddler"  and told how he learned the name of it from Bill Eddie, an IBM worker who was originally from England or Scotland. finally Hilt talked about his family history, going back to Matthew Halcott, as described in Bill Birns's articles in the Catskill Mountain News.

If these kinds of old-time melodies and dance tunes interest you, plan to attend the next Master's Class on January 22 and join us once the monthly jams are organized. -G.