Here’s a great tune from the playing of Esker Hutchins of Dobson, North Carolina, about 10 miles from Mt. Airy, home to fiddle legend Tommy Jarrell. Ray Alden recorded Esker Hutchins in 1972 and you can hear him play this tune on Ray’s 1982 album Visits, produced on the Heritage label in 1982.
Puncheon on the Floor (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=431]
Puncheon on the floor (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=432]
Here’s a classic Quebec session tune from the repertory of fiddler Jos Bouchard, who named it in honor of his sister (though chances are he is not the composer). In Quebec, each part of the tune is repeated before moving on to the next part, but if you are playing this tune for a contra, you’ll want to just play each part once through. I just taught this tune for the Quebec Session Class #7 (Contra-Friendly Tunes). We’ll be playing it at this month’s 5th Annual Quebec House Party.
Joe or Jos (Joseph) Bouchard 9 (b Pointe-au-Pic, near La Malbaie, Quebec, 6 May 1905, d Île d’Orléans, Quebec, 12 Jun 1979). Jos Bouchard started on the violin at the age of 8, probably with some classical training, as well as coaching from Huron fiddler Élie Sioué; by 14 he was playing dance. Fiddling was a sideline for Jos, who worked for the CNR railroad for 32 years, but he participated in local festivals and was also part of the legendary radio band, Les Montagnards Laurentiens. Bouchard recorded 13 78 rpm records starting in the late 1930s, and followed these with a couple of LPs in later years. His playing style, characterized by a powerful bow arm, quick tempos, use of vibrato, and melodic variations, earned him a following which continues to this day. You can hear a lovely duet recording of brothers Gabriel and Jean-Louis Labbé playing “Reel Antoinette” on Youtube.
“Reel Antoinette” (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=398]
“Reel Antoinette” (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=392]