colomon wrote:
He's the sort of fiddler who, seeing he's playing with whistle and flute, will start a bunch of tunes that heavily use the G string, or are in A major or G minor, or are so obscure the second-most-experienced player (not me!) doesn't know them. He's managed to chase away some of our best players, and frankly, the only reason I show up on his nights is for that magical moment when he gets sick of playing and goes to have a drink in the corner.
I have had dealings with exactly this sort of fiddler myself, and it's always aggravating. Our guy wasn't the session leader, but he sure acted like he was...starting 2/3 of the tunes when he came to session, usually obscure tunes in some odd key, always at a blistering pace. And then he'd put on this sheepish, false obsequious face, and go "Oh, you guys didn't know that one...gee I'm so sorry" and then repeat the performance with another similar tune.
Maybe it's just me, but I think making music is a lot like making love: The goal isn't necessarily to see how novel you can make it, or how fast you can get to the end. Though I suppose sometimes that sort of thing can be fun in moderation.
Last I heard, he went off to try to start his own session with a drummer and hand-picked musicians that could "keep up with him". I haven't heard that it's gone anywhere, though. Can't say I'm much surprised. I think with the way he wants to play, he'd be better off forming a band (since he is a rather good fiddler), rather than inflicting himself onto sessions.