MusicFilter: What do these folks (or their fiddling friends) have in common?

May 3, 2009 7:49 PM

Looking for fiddle music that hits all my hot buttons.

It seems I have a weakness for the fiddle. I realized recently that nothing else can explain my fondness for songs as various as "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show, "Dixieland Delight" by Alabama, "Crush" by the Dave Matthews Band (skip to 2:30), and "Ashokan Farewell" (the theme song for the civil war documentary by Ken Burns).

(Okay, I suppose some would say that my bad taste might explain it, but setting that aside, I apparently have a weakness for an enthusiastic fiddle. The moments when the fiddle sweeps in during those songs simply exalt me.)

Are there any fiddle aficionados out there who can tell me where to look for similar music? Sorta traditional but minus the warbling (i.e., soulful solo singers mourning their lost loves at a very slow tempo. I've got no problem with folk songs that move at a fast clip).

I've been poking around on fiddle-friendly blogs and in the process I've discovered a vast world of fiddle genres, some of which (like Cajun stuff) leave me completely cold. I've also searched metafilter for Irish recs, but I've mostly ended up with reels. Advice (or random expertise) for soulful fiddle would be most welcome!

posted by artemisia to media & arts (35 comments total)

Dunno about lost loves, but the bit in the Dave Matthews sounds to me like the fiddle parts in the Doobie Bros "Black Water."
posted by rhizome at 7:51 PM on May 3

Alison Krauss?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:58 PM on May 3

I love me some Vassar Clements!
posted by sourwookie at 7:58 PM on May 3

(This is somewhat more typical of Alison Krauss. And it does have some of that "soulful solo singers mourning their lost loves" part, though not at a slow tempo. But she's so good at it!)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:03 PM on May 3

Just for the hell of it, let me toss in an outlier: Jean Luc Ponty. It's jazz, not traditional, but he's as good a fiddle player as you'll find, and his music has no vocals.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:12 PM on May 3

you might like The Waterboys and Nick Cave
posted by merocet at 8:24 PM on May 3

Check out Natalie McMaster. While his stuff can vary wildly, you might also like Ashley MacIsaac (two links there). I like anything of his from Hi, How are You Today?
posted by rtha at 8:30 PM on May 3 [1 favorite has favorites]

Traditional Cape Breton music has a long history of fiddle playing. Natalie MacMaster is the most recently famous and of noted lineage, I'd describe plenty of her stuff as 'soulful.'

Also seconding the Waterboys, and suggesting Great Big Sea, they're just a lot of fun.
posted by ArgentineBlonde at 8:31 PM on May 3

If the jazz thing floats your boat, you need to listen to Stéphane Grapelli's recordings with Django Reinhardt.
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:34 PM on May 3 [1 favorite has favorites]

Depending on your opinion of cajun music, the Balfa Brothers may appeal to you. You can still buy some of their CDs and, I must say, it's some of the best traditional music you'll ever find.

Of course, being Irish, I'm also going to recommend some good Irish fiddle music!
posted by Mephisto at 8:36 PM on May 3

If it's called violin is it OK? If so then have a listen to Bobby Notkoff's dirge on Neil Young's Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets) from his masterpiece Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, released 40 years ago this month.
posted by Neiltupper at 8:41 PM on May 3

Seconding Ashley MacIsaac. Look up "Wingstock" by him.

Theirs is Celtic, but Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas are a good fiddle and cello duo.

If you like a bit of folk mixed in, you can try my old fiddle teacher and her husband, actually. Look up Jim and Inge Wood on iTunes. Jim is a four or five (can't remember which) Tennessee State fiddle champion. He and Inge, his wife, have another CD ("Island Home"), too, with their formed band Terra Nova. It's a mix of Celtic, oldtime and folk music. I'm into Celtic music, and not all of their stuff is to my tastes, but some of it is amazing to me. You might like it.

I can give you a lot of other Celtic fiddlers, if you find you're into some of them, but see how you go with those few and what others are listing. Other than that, try film scores of particular styles of movies. They are notorious for having a good fiddle piece or two in them.
posted by metalheart at 8:51 PM on May 3

You will be needing to know about Great Big Sea, then. It is like, obligatory.
posted by Mizu at 8:54 PM on May 3

The Del McCoury Band - All Aboard

And you can't beat Vassar Clements as someone up thread pointed out.

I could have sworn The Seldom Scene 1979 - Rider had a fiddle in it but I see that they don't, but what the hell you may like to hear this one too.
posted by nola at 9:02 PM on May 3

Try Stuff Smith: very swinging jazz violin (you can sample some here).
posted by ornate insect at 9:02 PM on May 3

Try Barrage.
There are other CDs and DVDs on their site, too.
posted by angiep at 9:05 PM on May 3

Bright Eyes - Four Winds
posted by phrontist at 9:18 PM on May 3

Maybe Cajon fiddle, or Zydeco fiddle?
posted by X4ster at 9:31 PM on May 3

I would recommend Sid Page from Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks - various versions or I Scare Myself are in fact the most soulful beautiful songs ever written. And Sid Page's fiddle playing can make you weep. I was actually meaning to do an FPP on Dan Hicks, but I was weeping too much.
posted by mattoxic at 10:19 PM on May 3

Califone, Million Dollar Funeral
posted by scody at 10:56 PM on May 3

Grab "will the circle be unbroken" by the nitty gritty dirt band and friends. It's the best of the best all in one place... I think Vasser is the fiddler on the first album, (they've done three parts)
posted by magikker at 12:37 AM on May 4

Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay for brooding English folk fiddle playing.
Spiers and Boden - Prickle-eye Bush for a more cheery take on the above.
posted by permafrost at 3:36 AM on May 4

Try listening to The Duhks. Great band with lots of fiddle.
posted by bassjump at 4:57 AM on May 4

Dirty Three. Instrumental, not traditional, blood-racingly soaring.
posted by desuetude at 6:14 AM on May 4

May I suggest browsing the offerings of the Simithsonian Folkways Collection? You may be particularly interested in this album.

Also, Bruce Molsky is a darned good fiddler (and a little more contemporary than most Smithsonian offerings).

Finally, I am rather fond of this album from Mark Schatz. It's got more than just fiddling on it, but you may enjoy it; as the title suggests, it is also more modern.
posted by Commander Rachek at 7:55 AM on May 4

Wow, so much good stuff. Natalie MacMaster's stuff is particularly amazing, and Ashley MacIsaac's track fits right into my much-worn playlist. (Also, bassjump and rhizome: you nailed my taste exactly -- "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers and "Mists of Down Below" by The Duhks are two of my all-time favorite songs.)

Thanks, all!
posted by artemisia at 7:58 AM on May 4

The foghorn stringband gathers around a microphone and plays hard. They're pretty amazing fiddle music.
posted by umbú at 8:15 AM on May 4

I've long been a fan of Shooglenifty for when my fiddling itch needs scratching.
posted by pts at 8:19 AM on May 4

Here's a link of the foghorn stringband.

On the other side of the spectrum (fiddle in an oddball pop context), Camper Van Beethoven's Key Lime Pie and My Beloved Revolutionary Sweethearts have some really interesting fiddle playing. Also, Andrew Bird is worth checking out.
posted by umbú at 8:26 AM on May 4

Also, there is a lot of really great and unexpected fiddle music from Brazil, including Mestre Ambrósio, Chão e Chinelo, DJ Dolores when Maciel Salu collaborated with him, and even the Orquestra Contemporânea de Olinda on a few tracks.
posted by umbú at 8:36 AM on May 4

Old and In the Way's first album, with Vassar Clements on fiddle, will scratch that itch that Old Crow Medicine Show kicked off for you.

Clements, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, John Kahn, and Peter Rowan. Sickest lineup ever.
posted by Roach at 9:59 AM on May 4

Does the artist have to be "new"? How about Bob Wills, Spade Cooley, or Bill Monroe?

Oh, you want "new" then? Try Asleep at the Wheel?
posted by goml at 10:15 AM on May 4

The moments when the fiddle sweeps in during those songs simply exalt me.


Then you will love Railroad Earth, with Tim Carbone, an awesome fiddle player. What great great music comes out of this band!

Also Carrie Rodriguez, from Brooklyn, NC.
posted by ourroute at 3:53 PM on May 4

I recommend the Marshall Tucker Band, In my own Way. The fiddle isn't exactly 'hot', but the song is suitably melancholy.
Trying to find out what I liked about Alabama led me to the Marshall Tucker Band.
posted by macg02 at 4:54 AM on May 5

Probably the greatest American fiddle recording is also the first country recording: Eck Robertson performing "Sally Gooden" from 1922. Caveats about sound quality apply, but it's an amazing performance.
posted by argybarg at 6:43 AM on May 5