Southwest Tour Feb 27- Mar 10, 2008
Groovemama blends serious performance talent with deep fiddling knowledge, an energizing and impeccable dance groove and the ability to teach fiddle music to groups of varying ages, abilities and musical learning styles. Master dance fiddlers, teachers, multi-instrumentalists, singers and songwriters, Groovemama plays for dances and coaches The Great Groove Band each summer at both the Old Songs and Philadelphia Folk Festivals. Starting in 2008, Groovemama teaches two weeks of summer camp for adults and children at Old Songs Inc. in Voorheesville, NY.
What brings Groovemama to the Southwest is fiddler and teacher Donna Hébert's invitation to present Franco-American fiddling tunes and teaching methods at the National String Teacher's Conference in Albuquerque Feb 28-Mar 1. Band members Jane Rothfield (fiddle/banjo/vocals) and Max Cohen (guitar/vocals) will join her at the conference, with the trio performing at dances, house concerts and workshops in Albuquerque, Phoenix and Tucson. (itinerary at left).
Veteran dance fiddler Donna Hébert has played for more than a thousand dances. After an apprenticeship with Dudley Laufman's Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra, in 1975 Donna founded seminal Boston contradance band Yankee Ingenuity with choreographer and caller Tony Parkes. In the 1990s, Donna co-founded Franco-American heritage group Chanterelle with singer Josée Vachon and guitarist and singer Liza Constable. In 2005, Donna and dance fiddler George Wilson co-founded The Beaudoin Project, preserving and presenting the Franco-American fiddle and vocal music of Vermont's Beaudoin family. Donna is adjunct fiddle instructor at Amherst College and is working with Massachusetts teachers, writing curriculum with them introducing fiddling into their string curriculum from elementary through high school. "Donna gets it all right!" says string pioneer Darol Anger in his foreword to Donna's new "Fiddling Demsytified for Strings."
Few fiddlers possess Jane Rothfield's quality of being able to instantly morph into another rhythm on a tune, which makes her a sought-after playing partner for dances in the Northeast. She and Donna have played "joined at the hip" in rhythm for 20 years. Jane not only fiddles in New England, Scots and Appalachian Old-Time styles, she is a grooving banjo player, A singer and a talented tunesmith. Her "In the Moment" CD on the 5-String label will soon be joined by a second, being recorded this fall. Known for her musical stamina, Jane packs enough energy into her small frame to keep a roomful of veteran musicians going until it's time for breakfast, say festival folk from Clifftop to the Philly Folk Fest. CD-Baby calls her CD, "a consummate masterpiece that no serious collector of traditional, old-time music should be without."
Max Cohen rocked the dance stage at Philly Folk Fest in 2007 with Groovemama, combining with 'Mama's bassist and dance veteran Stuart Kenney to help stir up what Pittsburgh caller Ron Buchanan called, "a wild and unstoppable storm of music!" An accomplished fingerstyle guitar player who has recorded tracks for Dar Williams and others, Max recently joined folk legend Priscilla Herdman as her accompanist and opening act. His musicianship has drawn accolades from critics and fans alike. Guitar for the Practicing Musician says Max is "among the most musically complete players" they have seen, and Guitar Player Magazine has raved about Max's playing, saying it was nothing short of "immaculate".
Tuscon dance caller Tod Whittemore has known Donna Hébert since the 1970s when they ran contra dances in the Boston area. A terrific caller with a great sense of humor, Tod joins Groovemama at Phoenix and Tucson contra dances and will add his singing squares and yodeling to the evening's entertainment.
Melding minds and rhythms, Groovemama performances blend music of Ireland, Scotland, French Canada and the Appalachian South with many new compositions of their own. Old-Time fiddler Jane Rothfield and Franco-American fiddler Donna Hébert have played together for decades. Their style is one of musical exploration as they morph into new rhythms and harmonies in tunes from the British Isles and North America. Max Cohen's great groove guitar is the perfect rhythm instrument; his original songs are well-crafted stories with a twist. Groovemama has a great time onstage and invites both the dancers and the listening audience to do the same!
ABOUT GROOVEMAMA . . ."Donna and her Groovemama colleagues changed the way my students and I think about fiddling. They helped us to feel confident enough to turn our music over, close our eyes and play independently. The techniques can be a real help to your ears for harmony and melody, your sense of rhythm and your bowing technique. There is nothing in classical music that approaches these skills in this way. I even started playing Mozart the following day in a different style - much lighter and more at ease! Through careful preparation, Donna has designed a program that teaches students theory and fiddling styles. She instructed us in detail on what to prepare, and she was very easy to work with. The students and their director will have materials to play and work with for the rest of their playing lives. They now have the tools to pursue fiddling further and we have all gained an appreciation of the art." Jane Ezbicki - Mass. ASTA chapter president, Fine Arts Director & Orchestra Conductor, Wayland MA Schools
"What a wild storm of music!" Ron Buchanan, dance caller with Groovemama, 2007 Philadelphia Folk Festival
"Donna gets it all right! I suspect that the general level of fiddle knowledge and playing will take a major uptick soon after [Fiddling Demystified] is published, just as other great music books such as Earl Scruggs’ original banjo book, O’Neill‘s great Irish fiddling reference, and the infamous jazz Real Book influenced the course of musicians’ lives and work." String wizard Darol Anger in his foreword to Fiddling Demystified
"Donna Hébert is an outstanding performer and world class teacher. I consider her at the forefront of the developing field of fiddle pedagogy." Dr. Alan Jabbour, Dir. (ret)., American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
"Max Cohen delivers lush glistening tones and makes use of immaculate arpeggiations and stately slurs. His relaxed but spirited execution holds true, even at virtuoso speed." - Guitar Player Magazine
"An endearing and inspiring performer. I love Max." -Dar Williams
"Jane Rothifield's In the Moment CD is a consummate masterpiece that no serious collector of traditional, old-time music should be without!" Michael Diaz, CD Baby
Please email info@fiddlingdemystified.com to inquire about your event