Friday, October 16, at the ABQ Press Club
Saturday, October 17, at Gig Performance Space in Santa Fe
Workshops on Sunday in Corrales • details below
Rhys Jones is one of the finest living performers of Appalachian and Irish music, and his numerous recordings have influenced generations of musicians over the last 30 years. Rhys plays with a unique style loved by audiences and critics alike. A recognized master musician, his fiddling is the gold standard for imaginative and inspired traditional performance, and he is in constant demand as a performer and teacher across many genres.
David Mckindley-Ward is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist from the DC area who now resides in Boston Massachusetts and is developing a reputation of one the finest interpreters of traditional Irish music and song, a multi-dimensional musical collaborator, and all around nice fella. David has found his own unique voice within traditional music, his style coming from a deep reverence and study of Irish, American and English ballads and singing. As a singer and accompanist in Irish music, he has performed and taught at festivals all over the country and has recently started a new project with much acclaimed old time and Irish fiddle player Rhys Jones.
Together, Rhys Jones and David McKindley-Ward create a captivating blend of traditional Irish and American old-time music. They bring a love, appreciation, and deep understanding for these rich traditions to their performances, which both transports the audience back in time even as they are breaking new ground sewing these related musical tapestries together.
Photo credit: Howard Rains
Videos:
Black-Eyed Susie
Three Irish Jigs: Mug of Brown Ale/Patsy Geary's/When the Cock Crows it is Day
Poor Little Mary Sitting In The Corner
Workshops with Rhys and David in Corrales - RSVP to Jane for location
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RHYS JONES - WORKSHOP
OLD-TIME FIDDLE (Intermediate / Advanced)
1-4 PM • $40-60 suggested
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Spend an afternoon going deep into old-time fiddling with Rhys Jones, two-time Clifftop fiddle champion
and one of the most respected traditional musicians in the country. This workshop takes the bow as its subject.
Working from tunes of southern West Virginia, the tradition Rhys learned firsthand from legendary fiddlers Wilson
Douglas, Ernie Carpenter, Melvin Wine, and Glen Smith, you'll develop articulation, clarity, and precision in bowing:
the common bowing patterns at the heart of the music, and how to apply them. Expect focused work on
rock-bows, pulses, drones, and double stops, and to leave with a significantly expanded repertoire.
Beyond technique, the workshop takes on the central challenge of traditional music: bringing out your own
voice in fiddling while remaining true to the tradition. Through close examination of the nuances and details
of a broad range of tunes, you'll learn to preserve the essential components of traditional style while expressing
your own musical individuality, strengthening rhythm through efficient bow use, introducing variation,
and discovering how bowing choices shape both rhythm and regional style.
Best suited for intermediate to advanced players; all levels are welcome.
Recording devices strongly recommended.
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DAVID MCKINDLEY-WARD WORKSHOP
BACKING TRADITIONAL MUSIC
11 am - 1 pm • $20-40 suggested
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In this workshop, David will explore both the practical and philosophical sides of
learning to support traditional melodies. Alongside ideas about groove, chord
voicings, rhythm, and dynamics, he will look at how to practice effectively, build
sustainable habits, and develop a healthier relationship with the learning process.
A central theme will be ego management: letting go of the need to sound impressive,
becoming comfortable with mistakes, and learning to listen and serve the music
rather than our own expectations. The goal is to cultivate a more thoughtful, confident,
and generous approach to playing, both for the other musicians and for our own continued growth.
(mostly contra, some squares, often featuring an old-time band)
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