New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society

FolkMADS Calendar and Notes

January - February 2003 Volume 6, Issue 1

P.O. Box 40421, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87196-0421

The FolkMADS Calendar and Notes are published bimonthly by the
New Mexico Folk Music and Dance Society, a nonprofit organization.

FolkMADS sponsors Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos contra dances, concerts, camps, and other special events. "Contra" dances include contras, squares, mixers, and couple dances. Unless noted on the calendar otherwise, admission is $5 for members, $6 for nonmembers, $3 for children. You need not come with a partner. Free instruction for beginners starts at 7:30 p.m. Most dances begin at 8 p.m. and are smoke-free and alcohol-free. Children and teens are encouraged to participate if supervised by an adult.

Albuquerque Dances 1st and 3rd Saturdays.
Heights Community Center, 823 Buena Vista SE, Albuquerque.

Occasionally dances are held at the Lloyd Shaw Dance Center; watch the calendar for details.
The Lloyd Shaw Dance Center is located at 5506 Coal SE in Albuquerque (2 blocks south of Central and 2 blocks east of San Mateo).

Santa Fe Dances 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Odd Fellows Hall, 1125 Cerrillos Road (south of Cordova Drive on the western side of Cerrillos).

Megaband Practices All musicians welcome. Albuquerque Megaband practice is held at the Blue Dragon Coffee House, 1517 Girard NE,Albuquerque, the Tuesday before the 3rd Saturday dance. Bruce Thomson, 268-6003, or email Jane Phillips to be added to the listserv.

Acoustic Jam 7 p.m. before the Albuquerque dances. All acoustic musicians are welcome and all types of music are played. Call Jay Cutts for more information, 281-0684.

Calling All Contra Callers

Want to try your hand at calling contra dances? Merri Rudd is hosting a four to six week callers class in 2003, one afternoon or evening a week, to teach basic calling skills. The class would cover rhythm, teaching, timing, calling to the music, and programming an evening dance. The class would end with an open mike Albuquerque dance, where students could show off their new skills. Live and recorded music would be used during class sessions. Merri wants to know how many folks would be interested in such a class. Students of all ages welcome. Email her or call her at 268-3318, if you are interested.

 

2003 FolkMADness Music and Dance Camp Update

Our guest artists for Memorial Day week-end will be:

Band: Rodney Miller with Mary Cay Brass, David Surette, and Marko Packard.

Callers: Cis Hinkle and Joseph Pimentel.

Singer: Susie Burke (wife of David)


The camp committee is hard at work and is looking for people to help with the following:

  • Meal planning and snack assistance
  • Hosting artists, transporting from the airport to camp
  • Raffle coordination
  • Evaluation form, drafting & compiling responses
If anyone would like to help in any of the above areas please contact Lisa.

Flyers with complete information will be soon.

 

Have you moved?
Changed phone numbers? Changed your e-mail address?
Keep FolkMADS up to date so you'll continue to receive the newsletter and we can contact you. Call John Arthur, 831-8096.

 

FolkMADS 2003 Board and Officers

Bob Ford, President
Barbara Seeley, Vice President
Kelly Kellstedt, Secretary
Nancy Ford, Treasurer
Lisa Bertelli
Regina Jenner
Ted Seeley
John Taperek
Steve Thornton

 

2002 Officers/Directors

 

Ongoing Events

 

 

As a child in the 1920s, my father square danced at community parties in his home in rural New York state. Later he introduced my mother to square dancing, and they taught old-time square dances to children at summer camps in the 1940s. I was first introduced to old-time square dancing and New England contra dancing at the Farm and Wilderness camps in Vermont at age 9. After eight full summers at these camps, these traditional dances and their music became a integral part of my person, and I have been dancing ever since.

Becky is one of the core callers for the Tucson Friends of Traditional Music (TFTM) contra dances and was the primary caller for TFTM's weekly week-night dances, held from 1993 through 1997. She has been a dance organizer for TFTM since 1992 and served as Dance Committee Chairperson from 1992 to 1995. Currently she is Managing Director of TFTM.

This will be Becky's first appearance in Albuquerque. Let's welcome her with a big turnout!

 

MegaBand Tune of the Moment: Polecat Blues

by Bruce Thomson

The old timey repertoire includes a number of bluesy tunes. In contrast to the familiar 12 bar songs from the southern black blues singers, bluesy fiddle tunes are usually pretty lively and have a catchy melody. The principal characteristics of fiddle tune blues include their accentuated change from the 1 to the 4 chord (i.e., D to G) in which you just can't help but put in a 7th chord, by incorporating lots of syncopation in the melody, and by sticking in lots of slides from one note to the next. Bill Cummings (outstanding fiddler from Flagstaff) was in town before Thanksgiving and played Polecat Blues. I found it also on a CD by the Freight Hoppers ("Waiting on the Gravy Train", Rounder11661-0433-2) who attribute it to Tommy Magness. Transcribing this tune gave me fits because:

1) the darn thing is a little crooked - there's 25 2-beat measures (or 12.5 4-beat measures) in the first half, and 2) there's no way to capture the syncopation or slides with written music.

 

ABC Notation

X:24

T:Polecat Blues

R:Reel

M:2/4

L:1/8

N:Transcribed by Bruce Thomson

K:D

|:a4|a2 a2-|abag|fd3|a4|a2 a2-|abag|fd3|B4|

g2b2-|bgag|fd3|fafe|d2f2-|ffff|f2d2|(cB3)|A3B|A2BA|

cBAF|EDB,2|[F4D4]-|[FD][FD][FD][FD]|[F4D4]-|[F4D4]:|D3 D-|D2E2|F3 F-|F2G2|

A3 A-|A2B2|=c2=c2|BA3|FECF|EDD2|B,DEF|ED3|D2ED|FEDB,|

D4|ABA=c-|=cBAF|ABAF|EDB,A,|[F4D4]-|[FD][FD][F2D2]|[F4D4]-|[F4D4]||([F2D2]D2)|

([F2D2]D2)|([F2D2]D2)|[F4D4]|([F2D2]D2)|([F2D2]D2)|([F2D2]D2)|[F4D4]|B4|B4|BAdB|

AFE2|D2DF|EDB,A,|D4|ABA=c-|=cBAF|ABAF|EDB,A,|[F4D4]-|[F4D4]|]

 

 

FolkMADS thanks The Blue Dragon Coffeehouse, 1517 Girard NE, Albuquerque, for generously hosting the Albuquerque Megaband practices.
For more information, contact Bruce Thomson, 277-4729, or Jane Phillips, to sign up for the Megaband listserv (automatic e-mail reminders).

Sunday, February 23

Le Loup Qui Danse Special Concert Dance and Potluck

6-9:30 p.m. at the Heights Community Center, 823 Buena Vista SE (south of Lead/Coal) in Albuquerque. $6/$10. Bring a potluck item to serve 10-12, your own table service and drinks. We will be entertained and instructed by Agnès Guerry on cornemuse and fiddle and Bruno Sabalat on accordeon. They will teach the French dances (such as bourees, rondeaux, scottisches, and mazurkas) that go with the original tunes they play. Brush up on your French and check out their web site: http://le.loup.qui.danse.free.fr/

Join us for an evening of exuberant music and dance.

 

 

Ken Perlman & Alan Jabbour

Rumor has it that Folklorists and musicians Ken Perlman (banjo, guitar) and Alan Jabbour (fiddle) will be coming to New Mexico in late February 2003. A house concert is in the planning stages, watch for more information on the dance tables and on the web site.

Ken Perlman is renowned for his virtuosity and his instructional books on clawhammer-style banjo and on finger-style guitar. Alan Jabbour was founder and long-time director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and is best known for his apprenticeship with Virginia fiddler Henry Reed. We'll give you more info as the events near.

 

Southwest Picker's Concert Schedule

Saturday, January 11
Chris Brashear & Peter McLaughlin. 8pm at the Outpost. Suggested ticket price $12, SW pickers $10. www.chrisbrashear.com Chris was the fiddle player, songwriter with Perfect Strangers at our Festival. Peter was the guitar player, a National Flatpick Champion.

Saturday, January 25
John Reishman & the Jaybirds. John played with the Tony Rice Unit. 8pm at the Kimo Tickets $15 at Ticketmaster 883-7800 or Kimo 764-1700.

Friday, January 31
Stephen Bennett at the Outpost, 8pm - plays extraordinary harp guitar and guitar. Suggested ticket price $12, SW pickers $10.

Saturday, February 15
Robin & Linda Williams & Their Fine Group at the Outpost, 8pm. Suggested ticket price $15, SW pickers $12. www.robinandlinda.com

Saturday, March 1
John McCutcheon at the Kimo, 8pm Tickets $15 at Ticketmaster 883-7800 or the Kimo 764-1700. www.folkmusic.com

 

 

 Notice of Instrument Theft

In the Taos area on December 10, 2002, the following instruments were stolen: a hand-made Susie Norris violin with a heart carved on the bridge, a hand-made Susie Norris ten-string viola-violin with a dancing couple carved on the head, and a set of five silver and rosewood penny whistles made by Chris Abell (#395). If you happen to see any of these instruments at a pawn shop, garage sale, or on the Internet, please contact Lausanne Allen, 505 737-3020.

 
Yucca Bucca Contra Dance Featured in CDSS News

As participants in Dan Pearl's dance composition class during FolkMADness 2002 will recall, Yucca Bucca is a dance the class created. Dan wrote up the experience, and CDSS News published it in the November/December 2002 edition. The dance has been called a time or two at our dances, perhaps it is on its way to becoming one of our local chestnuts.

 

 

 

folkMADS home