Tuscaloosa Contra Dancers: The International Folkdancers

Eastern European music jam - Birmingham

Gus Heard-Hughes has started an Eastern European music jam in Birmingham that meets on the 3rd Sunday of the month. The next jam is on Sunday, Feb 18, 2 - 4 PM at Gus and Gwen's place in Irondale. Contact Gus Heard-Hughes, gusheardhughes {at} hotmail {dot} com, (205) 956-0100 for directions.

From Gus's messages:

2/14/2007 - On Sunday, I'll have copies of sheet music for the first round of tunes (mentioned below) as well as copies of the sheet music for tunes Steve (Der Rebe Elimelek, Fun Tashlikh, Jovano Jovanke) and Emily (Gas-nign, Dobriden) provided. [In addition to sheet music we have now started a practice tape.]

previous messages - I decided it would be much easier to provide links to sheet music for new tunes than to mail copies of the sheet music. So - here they are! These are great sites for Balkan, klezmer, and other Eastern European music, so if you look around and find other tunes you'd like us to play, please feel free to do so. Looking forward to our second gathering!

1. Go to balkanarama.com/charts.htm and click on "Gubite" (an upbeat Bulgarian Rom tune usually played by brass bands)

2. Go to http://members.aol.com/shawnkugel/kugelsheet.html and click on "Shabboz Waltz" (a great klezmer waltz you can find on David Grisman and Andy Statman's "Songs of our Fathers")

3. Go to http://members.aol.com/klezme2/music.html and click on "Freylach in D" (a classic klezmer tune)

4. Go to http://www.mandolinsessions.com/aug06/Dobrudja.html. This Bulgarian tune is tabbed for an alternate-tuned mandolin, but the tune is also provided in standard notation. I've been playing Version 2 (there are two version of the
tune in different keys).

I'll also have extra copies of the first four tunes we played (G Major Hora, D Major Hora, The Horse's Head Can Handle My Sorrow, and The Basso) for any newcomers...

Gus

I'm looking to put together a regular gathering (perhaps monthly) of Birmingham-area folks interested in playing. This could include the overlapping genres of Roma (gypsy) music, klezmer, Balkan dance music, and more. Many of the tunes (at least the ones I'm learning) have quite simple melodies, harmonies, and chord structures, and could easily be picked up by anyone who's played old time music. Moreover, they're enormously fun to play!! I have sheet music and recordings to share, which could get us started, but I definitely want to keep things open for anyone to bring in tunes in the same vein. Guitars, fiddles, mandolins, accordions, (subdued) brass/woodwind instruments, and various percussion instruments are probably the best fit, but I think most instruments could be made to work (I saw a klezmer band once with a banjo that sounded great). Right now, I'm just trying to gauge interest in a first gathering, so if you're interested, please RSVP to me.

Thanks! Gus Heard-Hughes

Great to get such a quick response from such an interesting collection of people. Quite a range of instruments - violin, viola, mandolin, accordion, Turkish saz, Bulgarian kaval, and recorder - and musical experiences.

Hi all,

The first Eastern European music jam in October was great fun! I really enjoyed the sound of the violin, mandolin, accordion, and cello together.

Guitar, bass, clarinet, and drums/percussion would particularly help round out the sound, but all instruments (and their players) are most welcome! I'm hunting for new tunes for our repertoire, and if anyone feels inspired to do the same, please bring them along. I already found a really catchy Bulgarian tune called Dabite.