 “No Culture can live, if it attempts be exclusive” Mahatma Gandhi
On a surprisingly cold April evening, the scene at Johnny D’s in Davis Square is remarkable. The club is packed. The age-diverse crowd milling about in anticipation of the musical presentation. The stage is set in a standard way; Microphones, some chairs, monitors, the usual mix of heights for mike-stands. And yet something looks different, unusual for this smoky, bluesy, big-screen-tv-game-always-on club which, in spite of its frustrating distractions, has been one of my favorite venues in Boston for the past fifteen years or more. Music stands dot the stage. With sheet music in place ready to be read. Music sheets READ! What!
Everybody is here to celebrate the release of fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s first solo album, My Joy. (Actually, to be honest, seven people are here to watch the Flyers take on the Sabres.) This CD is indeed one of unbridled “joy” for Hanneke herself, for the host of dynamic musicians who wrote some of the included tunes and especially those who are hearing the music of this young, Boston-based musician for the first time. To understand the make-up of the musical combinations on stage this evening (and the abundant use of music stands) is to understand the buzz of our wonderful city’s youthful “trad” scene and how its exponents are as comfortable in the hallowed halls of Berklee, Boston College and the New England Conservatory as they are at The Burren, Kitty O’Sheas or Johnny Ds.
Boston has become a Mecca for traditional musicians of many disciplines and indeed, for some with little discipline at all! The proliferation of Irish Pubs in the area has helped this development in recent years. Often, the bar’s casual, welcoming atmosphere encourages impromptu musical outbursts. Many pubs have found economic advantage in “creating” sessions whereby a group of musicians commit to providing the core while others are encouraged to join in. These gatherings are one of the key indicators of the musical pulse of a city at any given time.
When I came to Boston first in 1980, a well-established session led by fiddlers Larry Reynolds and Seamus Connolly was going strong at the now defunct Village Coach House in Brookline. Another had just started at the Emerald Isle in Dorchester. By comparison with what’s happening today, these were modest affairs. While the music was often excellent, the “scene” was so small that most musicians knew each other well. Today, a traditional music session is available seven nights a week and even then, a choice is necessary. At most of these sessions, young American musicians with last names like Schneckenburger, Lech, Risk, Keith and Cassel are playing with McCarthys, Molloys, O’Briens, Keneallys and Connollys. While the music is often Irish, one need only scratch the surface to realize the depth of diverse musical influence and celebration that echoes around each pint-laden table.
Hanneke Cassel talks about the young musician’s scene in Boston with palpable excitement. “We all hang around the Bluegrass musicians teaching them to play Celtic styles and absorbing their tunes. The Cape Breton scene is incredible here. Scottish music is thriving. Of course, Irish music is everywhere. Many of us were deeply influenced by (Scottish Fiddler) Alasdair Fraser’s fiddle camp in California (Valley of the Moon) and quite a few of us have moved to Boston. We say to ourselves hey, we are American but look at what we are exposed to and look at what we can play. Boston is definitely the place to be.”
Alasdair Fraser is a noted fiddler who now resides in Northern California. His music camp, called “Valley of the Moon” has gathered young and old musicians alike each summer to share and learn in an atmosphere that “excels in expressing the beauty and energy of traditional Scottish fiddling and in creating exciting new music that remains true to that tradition.” While Alasdair and his work must be the subject of a separate article, suffice to say here that his influence on the scene around the US and right here in Boston, cannot be overestimated.
Scottish Music of course, shares many of the same roots and influences as traditional Irish music. Cape Breton styles have unique qualities reflecting a separation of its people from Scotland for centuries. American “Old Timey” and the more recent Bluegrass styles hearken back to the Scots-Irish, Presbyterian traditions of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. While styles and tune forms are distinct, the spirit of the playing is the same. Like speakers of different dialects of the same language, communication between musicians of these genres is often tentative at first then excited and drawn out by the commonalties of the pieces played. Often, when the musical conversation gets going, a deep emotional connection is made and the celebration is magic.
Laura Risk, another protégé of Fraser’s and producer of Hanneke’s album, describes what she found when she moved to Boston from San Francisco in 1996. “The scene in San Francisco was great but small. Most of the people playing any sort of traditional fiddle knew each other. In Boston, there are such strong individual scenes – Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, Bluegrass, Old Timey, Jazz, Swing. There are so many people in each of these areas that individual musicians can immerse themselves in one style giving it a depth and richness that is truly just amazing. I can’t think of another place that has so many styles, so well developed. The standard of playing is very high and the pressure is on all of us to keep up. That’s what makes the scene so special in this city. More and more young musicians are hearing about it and coming here. Its an exciting time to be around.”
Institutions like Boston College, the New England Conservatory and Berklee are hardly thought of as bastions of Reels, Jigs and Hornpipes. But the changing societal role of academic institutions combined with a growing acceptance of the importance of world “roots” music has forced a re-think in curricular inclusion. Cause and effect is difficult to sort out in this case but the arrival Hanneke Cassel, Lissa Schneckenburge (whose album Different Game has also just been released) and their ilk, forces academics and administrators no matter how entrenched, to sit up and take notice. Such commitment of resources on the part of these institutions when integrated into the everyday (and everynight) activities of the city’s thriving traditional music scene makes a strong statement for the present and the future of this music.
Hanneke Cassel, Lissa Schneckenburger and myriad friends played all sorts of music that night at Johnny Ds. Some of the tunes were original, some traditional. One or two sounded distinctly Jazz. Bluegrass licks were in evidence. Many tunes had the distinct marks of Alasdair Fraser’s Scottish influence. Some musicians including Hanneke just stood and played with eyes closed, feeling the pulse and sway of the notes. Other’s, called on stage for different sets, peered at the sheet music on the stands. For all of us gathered to celebrate this young, vibrant scene, only the spirit mattered. Believe me, it soared!
And yet, there are still those who say these “outside” influences can damage the core of the Irish traditional music itself; effectively stating that “innovations” are impurities that can destroy from within. For the Irish, this “purist” thinking pushed our great musical heritage to the brink of extinction or worse, the museum, at various times during the last century. Thankfully, it is the very sense of self-security and confidence at the core of the various “Celtic” genres that resists the shackles of the archivist. Time and again, it declares itself to be a truly living tradition. Speaking to Scott Alarik of the Boston Globe recently, Martin Hayes, himself one of the truly interpretative fiddlers playing today and as such, the target of some purist criticism, put it beautifully:
“I’m convinced that this is an incredible body of music and I have no fears or doubts about it. But if you were to say it’s locked and steadfast right now in terms of how it’s to be played, you would kill it… Who is to say the high point of Irish music is in the past. It’s like a society telling itself their high point is behind them.”
Sounds like Mr Hayes, Mahatma and I would have a lot in common!
Brian O’Donovan.(Boston 2001)
Brian O'Donovan is the host of Celtic Sojourn. The programme is available on demand at http://www.wgbh.org/celtic If you have a question or a follow-up comment on this article, Brian’s e-mail address is briano@celticradio.com.
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