Groovemama Events

New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society presents
Groovemama
with Donna Hébert (founder of Boston contra band Yankee Ingenuity), old-time and Celtic fiddler Jane Rothfield, and guitar virtuoso Max Cohen

Donna Hébert, Max Cohen, and Jane Rothfield, of Groovemama.
Thursday, February 28:	Groovemama House Concert in Corrales, 7:30 p.m. Melding minds and rhythms, Groovemama performances blend music of Ireland, Scotland, French Canada and the Appalachian South with new compositions of their own. Old-Time fiddler Jane Rothfield and Franco-American fiddler Donna Hébert have played together for many decades. Their style is one of musical exploration as they morph into new rhythms and harmonies in tunes from the British Isles and North America. Max Cohen's great groove guitar is the perfect rhythm instrument; his original songs are well-crafted stories with a twist. Groovemama has a great time onstage and invites the audience to do the same!
	Come hear the band in an intimate setting! $10 suggested donation (all proceeds go to the musicians)
	RSVP to reserve your spot -- email Jane Phillips or call 505-898-2565

Saturday, March 1:	Groovemama will play for the ABQ contra dance, with Merri Rudd calling. Heights Community Center, 7:30-10:30. (go to calendar)
	You can read Donna's essay "Ecstasy at the Contra Dance" online, and an article profiling her life in the contra scene in the Old-Time Herald.

Sunday, March 2:	The Groovemama musicians will hold workshops from 3-6 p.m., followed by potluck dinner and jam. Fiddle workshops will begin at 3:00 and 4:30 Guitar workshop will run from 4:00 to 5:30, to allow participants time to join us for potluck and jam in Corrales. (See full schedule below) Location: Fiddle workshops in Corrales; Guitar workshop in NE Heights 90-minute Fiddle Workshops: FolkMADS members: $15 for each workshop Non-members: $25 for each workshop or $40 for both 90-minute Guitar Workshop: FolkMADS members: $15 Non-members: $25 Contact Jane Phillips to register and get directions: email or call 505-898-2565
3:00-4:30:	Jane Rothfield Fiddle Workshop: Moving to the Next Level
Content and Skill Level:	This workshop is for fiddlers who have been playing their instrument for 2+ years, and can play tunes at a moderate tempo. It is ideal for those who want to get to the next level in playing technique and tune complexity, and improve the following in their fiddling: Tone Rhythm and speed Ear Training (learning tunes without music) Bowing technique Backup fiddling Harmony
	Bring recording device and notebook
About Jane:	Jane Rothfield has taught fiddle to individuals and groups from Los Angeles to Edinburgh, Scotland. Her remarkable method enables students to quickly “fix” problems with tone and rhythm, and move students on to the next level of playing-regardless of the repertoire. Jane’s fiddle style encompasses Old Time American, New England and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) music. Jane performs at dances and concerts with her bands, Jane’s Gang and Groovemama, and has a new CD out titled “In the Moment” which features her original tunes as well as a selection of traditional tunes. www.janerothfield.com
4:30-6:00:	Donna Hébert Fiddle Workshop: Improvisation & Grooveswapping
Content and Skill Level:	Learn to drum new rhythms over a melody as we swap one meter or rhythm for another over the same tune. Students learn to follow a chord chart, finding complete progressions using two-note combinations. As we build on these combinations, it simplifies our process of improvisation. Participants should have at least intermediate skills, be able to play at a reasonable speed in common fiddle keys and learn easily by ear.
About Donna:	Veteran dance fiddler Donna Hébert has played for more than a thousand dances. After an apprenticeship with Dudley Laufman's Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra, in 1975 Donna founded seminal Boston contradance band Yankee Ingenuity with choreographer and caller Tony Parkes. In the 1990s, Donna co-founded Franco-American heritage group Chanterelle with singer Josée Vachon and guitarist and singer Liza Constable. In 2005, Donna and dance fiddler George Wilson co-founded The Beaudoin Project, preserving and presenting the Franco-American fiddle and vocal music of Vermont's Beaudoin family. Donna is adjunct fiddle instructor at Amherst College and is working with Massachusetts teachers, writing curriculum with them introducing fiddling into their string curriculum from elementary through high school. "Donna gets it all right!" says string pioneer Darol Anger in his foreword to Donna's new "Fiddling Demsytified for Strings."

4:00-5:30:	Max Cohen Guitar Workshop
Content and Skill Level:	Need to get your creative juices flowing? Need some fresh ideas that will help you get more out of your guitar playing? Max Cohen’s guitar workshop might be just what the doctor ordered! What’s Covered? • The fundamentals of fingerstyle guitar are explained, with particular emaphasis on tone, rhythm, and right hand technique. • Max provides handouts that include fingerpicking exercises designed to improve right hand technique and expand fingerstyle vocabulary. All exercises are notated in guitar tablature. • Also discussed are the use of dynamics and muting. Left hand techniques such as hammer-ons and pull-offs are discussed - and advanced exercises involving the integration of right hand fingerstyle with left hand slurs are covered. • Alternate tunings are discussed, particularly DADGAD. Max is fully prepared to discuss the tonal advantages of alternate tunings as well as the creative and stylistic reasons for deviating from standard tuning. Alternate voicings and drone strings are discussed as well as Max’s philosophical ideas on “composition through serendipity”. • For demonstration purposes, Max will perform several pieces over the course of the workshop. He cannot be held responsible if they are inspirational and breathtakingly beautfiul. Whether you are an experienced player or just starting out, you will get something from this workshop that will improve your playing!
About Max:	Max is a Massacusetts based guitarist who has been playing for twenty-five years. He has worked as a studio musician, a performer and a teacher and has developed a guitar workshop that appeals to players of all skill levels. "Max delivers lush glistening tones and makes use of immaculate arpeggiations and stately slurs. His relaxed but spirited execution holds true, even at virtuoso speed." -Guitar Player Magazine "Max is among the most musically complete players this column has seen. He shows just how beautiful acoustic guitar music can be: harmonically rich without sounding complex, melodic without being sappy or sweet. Max makes the grade as both a composer and a player." -Guitar For The Practicing Musician Visit Max's MySpace page for music samples.