10 December 2009
Winter 2009 Newsletter
Willie Beaudoin, guitar; Lillian Beaudoin, singer; Glenn Bombardier, behind Willie. 2006 Champlain Valley Folk Festival, Beaudoin Legacy Concert. Bill Spence photo.
Sadly, we have also lost some wonderful folks this year, including Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland, contradance fiddler Kerry Elkin and Old-Time banjo player and scholar Ray Alden. We also lost Willie Beaudoin, Louis’ brother and guitarist. I’m grateful for the times I had with each of them, especially Willie, a dear friend and inspiration. Thirty years after his brother Louis’ death, I can still feel his presence in the room when I play his music, so I know their music lives on in us. It’s a small comfort for their loss, but a comfort nonetheless.
Big news on several fronts – Irish accordion legend John Whelan and I have an exciting new group exploring the Irish-French music connection. Joining us are fingerstyle guitarist & singer Max Cohen, flatpick guitarist & singer Flynn Cohen and singer Molly Hebert-Wilson. Based in New England, we have two October weekends in NYC, Albany, Boston and RI and are booking 2010-11 concerts, festivals and schools. Contact me: donna@fiddlingdemystified.com or John Whelan: whelanbx1@aol.com to book this new supergroup that fiddler Jane Rothfield calls “The perfect storm!”
Last winter in Québec, I recorded a new French-Canandian fiddling CD, In Full Bloom / En pleine floraison, released in July. I was very fortunate to have fiddler Pascal Gemme of Genticorum as producer. With Pascal, guitarist Max Cohen, fiddler André Brunet, pianist Rachel Aucoin and accordionist Sabin Jacques, choreographer and stepdancer Marie-Soleil Pilette, bassman Stuart Kenney and guitarist Liza Constable as well as the late Québecois pianist, Dénis Fréchette, I was able to fully express my French heritage’s joie de vivre! Merci bien à tout – many thanks to all of you!
I’ve also just completed the companion“In Full Bloom” tunebook with all 18 tunes from the CD fully transcribed in French-Canadian style, with chords, bowings and accents noted. Includes seven tunes from the repertoire of Louis Beaudoin, with a free sample tune transcription. For the holidays, I offer both book and CD together for only $20 – a $5 savings! Offer good through 1/15/10.
Pascal Gemme (fiddle, songs, podorhythmie) and Marie-Soleil Pilette (stepdance, social dances) are also joining us August 16-20 at
Pascal Gemme
À la prochaine . . . ’till next time!
Donna Hébert
December 2009
Amherst MA
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- Donna Hébert
- Mist Covered Mountains
- French Camp at Old Songs
- Donna, John Whelan – the Irish-French Connection
- Donna, Max Cohen, Molly Hebert-Wilson
- The Beaudoin Legacy
- A Place Called Beautiful - song downloads benefit Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
