JS wrote:There's a very enjoyable live recording of music and talking about music from Alan Jabbour and Stephen Wade, "Americana Concert" (it's on Spotify). Lots of the tunes are from Henry Reed, who Jabbour knew and whose tunes he recorded and transcribed (they're on the LIbrary of Congress website). Speaking of one of Reed's mentors, Quince Dillon, Jabbour points out that Dillon was a military fifer as well as a fiddler, and that often the fifer and the fiddler were the same person. Could it be that the fiddle seemed more appropriate for dance music, as the fife was more effective for military purposes? For one thing, the fiddle can play drones and double stops, which adds to the possibilities for a solo player whose job is to keep the dancers moving.
Glad to see the mention of Othar Turner and the African-American fife and drum tradition. You can hear his granddaughter, Sharde Thomas, carrying it on and knocking it out of the park on the North Mississippi Allstars' "World Boogie is Coming."
But in the Appalachian region there's both the specific focus of playing for dancers and, for want of a better description, the 'banjo song' tradition. Song is a main focus of the latter. Given the accessibility and common vernacular connection I'm curious how - we're led to believe - flute never found it's way into either form when it is suitable as dance accompaniment and sensitive accompaniment for a singer. It seems evident that banjo and fiddle were/are the mainstays of rural American vernacular music, and they certainly are in OT circles now. I wonder if non-A440 pitch of early simple flutes is a possible reason for their apparently not being taken up in that context? My curiosity is heightened because on the rare occasions we've had a flute player turn up at our OT sessions it was noticeable by all of us other musicians that it is a very nice sound-fit.