Who Are Your Tina Influences?

[ragtimer]

Tom Kruskal, whose 1980 record "Round pond relics" (with the amazing fiddler Jim Morrison) started Morris music on concertina rattling around in my head. It's never left.

 

Jody Kruskal. His Grand Picnic album - a cassette when i bought my first copy - was a revelation about how an Anglo could be used as a driving force in a dance band. And I connected with his apparent belief that if a concertina has all those buttons, by cracky, use them, and not just one at a time.

I have some CDs I listen to for learning, and others are jsut for fun. Jody's "Grand Picnic" and "Naked Concertina" are both good fun lsitening AND instructional and inspirational to me, a Duet player who has learned mostly in isolation. Though I had a great learning session with Jody as teacher, and what he seemed to radiate was that playing should be fun!

 

But now I have to ask -- who is Tom Kruskal, and what is his relation to Jody?

--Mike K.

[Lawrence Reeves]

I suppose my biggest influences have been Gearóid OhAllmhuráin, Tim Collins, Dympna O'Sullivan and Edel Fox, as I have attended workshops from them in the past few years.I really respect their music,and I am always intrested in the lineage of players they listened to, and learnt from. On a side note, I am very drawn to the playing of players like Tom Carey, and Gerald Haugh,and the late Gerdie Commane from Clare.I love the plaing of Chris Droney, and also Kitty Hayes, each using their own choice of fingering. I would try to give the analogy of rock and roll of today as opposed to the 60's. Early recordings of Blues artists influenced the Beatles, The Who, Eric Clapton,etc....and now they are the influence to artists of today. If we can take it back to the essence of playing concertina, and listen to the "source" recordings now available we might be able to put regional "style" into our own music. We could look at the small triangle in Clare, Milltown Malbay to Kilrush/ Cree to Lisscasey as our Chicago, and Memphis in the analogy of Mississippi Delta Blues, realizing that we still have some of our source players accessable to listen to. So, any time I find a senior player, I sit in awe and try to absorb as much as possible.

[Perry Werner]

Howdy:

I do believe that Tom Kruskal is Jody's Anglo playing brother and I think he recorded at least one (I know he did since I have it and it is the LP referred to above) and maybe more records.

I saw them perform together (wonderfully, I might add) at "The Incredible Concertina" at New York University a few years ago.

I also think I saw a reference to Tom recently as being up in Connecticut or Massachusetts.

Oh yeah, according to his website, he's in Boston and is a jewelry designer/maker.

Here's the URL and that is what I remember Tom looking like.......

 

http://www.tomkruskaldesigns.com/index.html

 

 

I'm guessing Jody (or Tom if he's around) can fill us in further.

 

Have fun,

Perry Werner

Edited November 6, 2007 by Perry Werner

[jdms]

Howdy:

...I also think I saw a reference to Tom recently as being up in Connecticut or Massachusetts.

Oh yeah, according to his website, he's in Boston and is a jewelry designer/maker.

Here's the URL and that is what I remember Tom looking like.......

 

<a href="http://www.tomkruskaldesigns.com/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.tomkruskaldesigns.com/index.html</a>

 

 

I'm guessing Jody (or Tom if he's around) can fill us in further.

 

Have fun,

Perry Werner

 

Tom is indeed in the Boston area; he has a lovely Crabb which he plays for the Pinewoods Morris Men (of which his son is a member), Orion Longsword (of which his daughter is a member) and various other teams/sides. Being involved with Pinewoods, he often accompanies their performances in the Christmas Revels at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge. I don't think he's on c.net, but of course Jody knows more than I do...

 

jdms

[cplayer]

hi all

my intrest in the anglo started when I saw alan day play at a pub tune up in ditchling in sussex.I just had to have one I got an old 30b anglo alan tuned it and gave me some instructions on what to do!!!

I have attended workshops and have picked up many playing tips over the years,one who I have great respect for is vic gammon that goes back a long time at many sessions around lewes .

jkp,john watcham,andy turner,roger digby,etc ,etc.many more

and whats more all the concertina people that I have met have all been willing to share what they know,they are all good eggs!

Oh well time for a tune.

cplayer