The Art of the Old Time Music Jam, late 20th-early 21th Century

There's a subculture lurking beneath what many folks consider the real world. If the real world is the teevee screaming look at my boobs, then bellowing make more money now if you want to participate in reality, this subculture ain't it.

Since the start of America, people have made their own musical entertainment, without the "help" of an industrial complex linked to media and technology. If we consider only the Southeast areas of this country (this is strictly arbitrary, determined by personal taste), the cultural epicenter is near Bristol, TN or Surry County, NC, or Copen WV, or further south to the land of Great Big Yam Potatoes, depending upon who you talk to. In these regions, 17th and 18th and 19th century Scotts-Irish and German immigrants, living primarily a tradition-based agrarian life style in somewhat isolated communities, blended the music they remembered from home with the music of another "immigrant" group. These folks were African-Americans, and they didn't come here by choice. That's a whole 'nother story.

Out of this musical and cultural emulsification activity came a type of music we now call "Old Time Music". It's played mostly on acoustic string instruments made of wood, like fiddles, banjos, guitars, mandolins, bass fiddles, ukeleles, lap dulcimers, or hammer dulcimers. But wind instruments are sometimes used, when you march to the fife, as opposed to dance to the fiddle. It's also sung. Sociologically, it was one of the defining characteristics of bricks-mortar-people physical communities at the time. People shared their music, danced to their music, and taught their family members the music. These activities provided a sense of social and cultural continuity in the communties. The music may be old, but it's awfully tough. Musicologically, most of the popular music to which we listen today has some bits and pieces of old-time DNA in it's mitochondria.

Direct temporal and spatial links from the start of the tradition to modern day Old Time Musicians exist. This is by no means a dead tradition, in a musical sense. But pre-20th century tradition-based agrarian living just ain't what it useta be...so, many folks who play this music don't come from Surry County in 1855. They come from today's New York City, or Philadelphia, or Minneapolis, or Lexington, KY or Ithaca, NY. Or they come from Surry County, NC, but originally were from upstate New York. And they carry a cultural history that passed through Ellis Island, NY. This is really neat!

Tommy Jarrell once asked a young banjo-playing student, "Don't your people have their own music?" Yes they do, but why be limited to it? Instead of asking: can an overweight PhD chemist of Semitic extraction from Cleveland, OH like me play "real Old Time Music", let's ask: why many folks like me were attracted to this type of music making, and what happened to the above-mentioned tradition as a result!! Here, take a look....


These folks don't look like they ever walked behind a plow drawn by a mule, or told a 1930's record company A&R man that they could make more money farming than fiddling, but they play the music extremely well. In fact, they "made it their own music". This is a relatively recent sociological phenomenon. Rusty, the bearded, bespectacled fiddler leading the session has mastered the Jarrell style almost as well as his wife (she's in another room on food break), who has been described as Tommy fiddling when you turn your back to her. She should sound like that. Nancy spent a lot of time visiting Tommy and learning his music as well as learning about his life. Steve, the banjo player on my right, has been playing bluegrass and country music for nearly 40 years. Frank, the banjo player in the light pink cap with his back to the camera plays so much like a Round Peak banjoist that he won at Galax a while ago. I'm flailing the banjo-uke. I learned the music from these folks.

What draws us together? I think it's more than the music. A community has formed in which the central aspect is not 19th century agrarian life. Our community revolves around sharing music, good times, and friendship generated in part by common interests and intersecting lives. Communities like the one shown above exist all over the country, and are linked by gatherings such as these. Some of these gatherings are a lot bigger. Geographical separation is a characteristic....it's a virtual community....it existed long before ARPANet became the Inent with virtual this-and-that...

These folks are not outsiders to the tradition. They are continuators, to coin an ear-stinking neologism. To see how they affected the tradition, check out the link to Mr. Lynch's page on my home page. It's fun and life affirming....welcome aboard.