Clifftop Notes Volume 1
The Clifftop notes players are (clockwise from top left) Brendan Doyle, banjo; Karen Falkowski, bass; Jody Platt, tenor guitar; Maxine Gerber, banjo; Rusty Neithammer, guitar; Deborah (Tolly) Tollefson, bass; Rich Hartness, fiddle and guitar; Edwin Wilson, guitar and banjo-uke; Mark Simos, fiddle; and Bob Carlin, producer. This is the second album in a trilogy recorded in October 2005 at Tim Brown’s 5-String Productions in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The first album, The Cliffhangers: On the Edge, consists of older traditional tunes. This recording and its companion, Clifftop Notes Vol. 2: Big Ears, presents some of the tunes I’ve composed over the years at or around the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia. (So, though I grew up in California, learned much of my old-time music in Philadelphia, and currently reside in Watertown, Massachusetts, these could be called "indigenous West Virginia tunes" if you were feeling particularly literal-minded!) Click here for Notes on the Tunes, Tunings and SourcesFor me, making up new tunes has always been part of being a traditional musician. At Clifftop, over the years, I have made up many tunes; many of them have sprung from the fiddle bow unbidden in the midst of a session (like Athena springing from the brow of Zeus but not nearly as alluring). Many of these tunes were written while playing with the Cliffhangers or various groupings of those players and other friends. A goodly assortment of these Clifftop Notes are included on these albums. Many of these tunes first leaped from my fiddle spontaneously during sessions, a bit woozy on arrival but soon struggling to their feet. Others emerged after waking too early in the morning, ears still ringing from the music of the night before. Some are portraits dedicated to fellow musicians and other friends; others commemorate particular nights of music. I could draw a map of the Clifftop campground and point to the spots where most of these tunes were written. Since these tunes were steeped in the heady and hearty brew of the campground, I wanted to record them with Clifftop friends: mostly unarranged, played just like good old tunes. I composed several of these tunes in sessions with the Cliffhangers, and it is a delight to feature that spirited assemblage on this project. Brendan got the knack of recognizing when a tune I’d launched into was actually being invented on the spot; many a sly look has passed between us on such occasions. We’re joined by various combinations of other friends and favorite musicians of mine: Maxine Gerber on banjo; Rich Hartness on fiddle and guitar; Deborah (Tolly) Tollefson, our "relief" bass player; and Edwin Wilson on guitar and banjo-uke (which has — almost! — the last word). Some of these tunes have already been in circulation for some time and have begun to sprout variants and versions. We reined them in, just barely, to record them, and they will no doubt soon wander off again with minds of their own. Enjoy them, play them, and write some yourself! — Mark Simos THE PLAYERS:
CREDITS:
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CLIFFTOP NOTES VOL.1
Champion fiddler and tunesmith Mark Simos leads old-time stringband the Cliffhangers and other Clifftop Festival friends in original old-time fiddle tunes (composed by Mark at Clifftop), played in the improvisational "campground" style.
