When I traveled in Ireland and England in
the summer of 2000 I found Jerry Holland's music being played
at several of the pub sessions I attended, even in obscure localities.
This is an example of his major influence on the world of traditional
celtic music today. The reason, of course, is that he is both
a great player, and a prolific composer of catchy tunes. His music
leans heavily toward that of Cape Breton, but in it I also hear
Irish and Scottish influences.
Cape Breton fiddling is a subset of Scottish fiddling, but there
there are some subtle differences between what a Cape Breton fiddler
and fiddler trained in Scotland might do with the same tune. Jerry's
influence is helping to blur these differences, and also those
between Irish and Scottish fiddling, as many younger fiddlers
in these several locations are absorbing his magnificent sound
and style and blending it into tunes from their respective traditions.
I've had the pleasure of sitting close to Jerry at informal jam
sessions and listening to him play. He plays with a rare fire.
This CD is a "must have" item for the collector of celtic
fiddle recordings because it is a sort of "mini encyclopedia"
of celtic fiddle music. It consists of medleys of solo fiddle
tunes. I counted 62 tunes in all, in 20 different medleys. The
big advantage of solo fiddle is that you get more fiddle for your
buck(and listening enjoyment) than if there were other instruments
in the mix. This only works if the playing is extraordinary. It
is.
The liner notes mention the high quality of his "Austrian"
violin with its "deep soaring tone" but of course its
really Jerry's excellent playing that's coming through here. Jerry
has played this particular fiddle since he was 10 years old however,
so there has been plenty of time for a certain kinship to develop
between man and fiddle. My guess is that the triple combination
of high quality music making, the Austrian fiddle, and the excellent
recording and production of this CD will stimulate its popularity
through word of mouth of the listeners. I hope so.
Being a full time fiddler, I do have a critical ear, but I can
honestly say that I liked everything I heard. The music consists
of original tunes by Jerry Holland and several of his friends,
and traditional tunes from Ireland, Cape Breton, and Scotland.
Tune types include jigs, reels, hornpipes, strathspeys, marches,
slow aires, and a waltz, There are too many tunes to name. The
promotional copy I received for review was distributed by "Portland
America" who can be contacted at 1-800-797-3868. For more
specific tune information I refer readers to Jerry Holland's web
site at: jerryholland.com