Rhomylly

I had the same thing happen to me after I bid on, and lost, Frank Edgley's 24-button that he'd posted, the one he took to NESI. Like what are the odds that someone besides Frank would be selling one of his 24-buttons right now? And the "seller" was also not a native English/American speaker. I informed Ebay *and* Frank, who chuckled, and that was the end of the matter.

Um, Dave, you're not.

Sounds good, or if you want me to try to find contact info, just email me and let me know. I'm feeling guilty for not doing more to help! I think people would be interested in having NH stay for the squeeze-in, at least for the first day, if he's got to get to the next ICS.

Minnesota. Summer. Camping. Mosquitos. 'nuff said.

(starts estimating how much per pound her ex-football playing spouse would be worth...)

Helen, I'm flattered and looking forward to the phone call maybe almost as much as you're looking forward to the delivery of your Edgley! Hmmm, insurance. Yeah, that's a consideration. Wonder how much Marydale charges for an event, and if maybe they could get us on the schedule for the MWSI some other time that isn't immediately after NHICS. Haven't been able to find a website just for Marydale, so unsure who to talk to there. Maybe we could move MWSI to 2005 and use the 2004 NHICH to, among other things, scope out Marydale as a possible site.

WOOOOTTT!!!!! Helen's going to Noel Hill Midwest too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The 24 button Edgley contingent will be there in force!!!!! Helen, I truly cannot wait to meet you in person. Psst, when you get your Edgley, I'm tempted to ask you to call me and play it over the phone so I know how mine is likely to sound.....

Jeffries are not logical.

I only managed thanks to a Christmas bonus...

That's funny, I got an email a week ago from the NHICS registrar that the midwest dates are Aug 15-20. I sent my deposit in yesterday... Mann, someone Mann, is who I'm emailing.

Paul, I am finding much to think about after reading your post, in particular your comments about "tradition." You wrote, "The best players of today are the custodians of these traditions, and if you try to take a shortcut, avoiding the committment of an apprenticeship with one of these players, you may be missing the most valuable part of the trip. " For this, I must approach the issue as a dancer, as I've been an English County/Morris/Sword/Contra dancer for over 30 years. As an advanced dancer, I totally, utterly, and completely agree with your statement. And I also think your comments on balancing the advanced performance with the communal beginner's cacophony are also dead-on, and that those comments compliment the quote above. To learn a tradition well enough to be one of it's custodians or "links in time," one must first be exposed to the tradition, either as a child or as a questing adult. And there has to be room and the freedom to be awful at it, at least at first. Sometimes this tolerance for beginners is sorely lacking. And some traditions are not for everybody. Many require more of a commitment than the masses are willing to give. With that in mind, I would encourage Jay, and anyone else starting up a regular jam session, dance event (which I am personally trying to do -- perhaps why Paul's comments have caused so much food for thought) or other folk venue to: Listen to the needs of the group. And outreach, outreach, outreach so the group and the tradition it represents will continue for another generation. For instance, if the group is all or mostly advanced, it will develop a flavor that is very different from, say, the beginner's experience you may have originally had in mind. Don't know if I'm echoing Paul or enhancing his comments or just rambling like an idiot, but those are my thoughts at present.

This is what our local slo-jam session does, and it's really very effective. As a novice (and I mean novice) player, that at least gives me a couple chances to pick 1) a tune I know in a key I can play on a 20-button and 2) the tempo. Granted, our slo-jam is for beginning/intermediate players, but it's still really nice to have everyone take turns choosing a tune. I think it builds community. I would imagine that in more advanced sessions, having folks choose tunes would give everyone the opportunity to learn something new! Just my two cents' I'd also advertise the session on www.thesession.org and maybe at local music stores. edited for typos

THIS is the coolest stuff I have EVER SEEN!!!!! Jim, thank you so much! I am perfectly happy to lose a little gooberness if it means actually I get to watch William Kimber play anglo concertina (a 30-key Jeffries, according to the liner notes) again...and again...and again...and again... I knew y'all would know how to access the good parts ) Back to staring at very cool grainy pieces of video....and maybe Constant Billy won't be such an annoying fellow now.

Help! As previously mentioned. I got a copy of Absolutely Classic: The Music of William Kimber as a nice Yule prezzie. I am apparently too stupid to figure out how access the cool part of the "enhanced CD." All the extra photos, footage, transcriptions, etc. Here are the complete directions I have found so far in the accompanying booklet: "To access the enhanced part of the CD, you will need a computer with an internet browser that supports frames, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator." That is not helpful. I put the CD in, and I hear Constant Billy. I log onto the Internet, hit "play" on the CD, and I hear, you guessed it, Constant Billy. No cool pics or nuffin'. I am now sick of Constant Billy. Could someone please, please help me without laughing at me too much? I have Internet Explorer. I have speakers. I have no computer sense whatsoever.

Nick rocks! I just wish I'd appreciated his close proximity more when I actually lived there. Now all I can do is remember his playing fondly

Old friends are/were Cora and Stuart (hah, great friends, I'm blanking on the last name here). Cora and I pretty much grew up together in Berea. I was with Baltimorris in the early '80's and my ex founded and was on Chesapeake Morris and Sword in the mid-'80's. Post-divorce politics prevented me from joining Rock Creek Morris Women, ex eventually ended up with Deer Creek in CA. I hung out with the Foggy Bottom guys at Washington Revels stuff, but haven't danced on a team in, oh, years. I miss the Bluemont Ales, they were always very well run and a lot of fun. Still have a scar on one finger from my first ale. I was making something rather last minute to wear to the contra dance, sliced open my finger on a pair of no-sharpen scissors, and went to the ale with a huge bandage and three stitches in my finger. There's a photo of me dancing across from Alastair Brown (Thames Valley) at a mass dance in front of the courthouse with my white hankies and whiter bandage a-flappin' in the breeze. Nice, nice folk, Bluemont. Give good party

Jim, when were (are) you with Bluemont? My Baltimore teams attended the ales pretty regularly in the early-mid 1980's, and an old friend of mine from Berea was on the team for years....

I've known Jim Morrison for many years, I'll remember that advice. Nope, subtle and morris don't usually go together Thanks for the input. Sounds like I got some useful presents! Now, more to practice...

Yay! I get to play with my prezzies (like I wasn't already!) Jim, I'm going to have to try Trunkles in C now...you've piqued my curiosity. I, too, noticed that Kimber seemed to play awfully fast (as a former morris dancer, I know I never danced that fast in my life!), but I'm assuming it's easier to learn it a little fast and slow down for dance accompaniment than to learn it slow and have to speed up.

Helen, my grade for listening well to others was generally not very good, lol. Thanks, Sharron! But seriously, has anyone else used the Mallinson morris book/CD to get them started as morris musicians?

too late! already listening to the Kimber CD!

Yeah, but my household tends to celebrate the solstice...which was yesterday

My parents sent me the Dave Mallinson Cotswold Morris book and CD for a Christmas present *and* the William Kimber CD with interactive photos and film footage. I don't know which has me more thrilled. Much as I am loving the Irish music, I still also aspire to be a decent morris musician someday, especially since I suspect between age, ankles and weight, that my morris dancing days are behind me. And Kimber played the anglo! I can tell by the photos in the CD booklet! I was going to start working on the Mallinson last night, then remembered that today is my day to get up super-early to take an animal on local TV for the rescue group I volunteer with, and I had to go to bed

Helen, I have a pit bull/red heeler mix with a very very thick skull (and, fortunately, a very loving and submissive personality). Actually, I have two. Paige, the one who head-butted my finger and strained the tendon when it hyper-flexed into the palm of my hand, and her identical sister Phoebe. Fortunately our beagle/jack russel mix and our shepherd/hound mix aren't nearly so hazardous to my health. Note to self: do not interact with dogs prior to a performance. Thanks for the useful playing tip, Alan!

Ah, dogs. My right forefinger is still a mess from unfortunate contact with the very hard top of one of my dogs' heads.