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THE PIONEER TRIO: Old Time Scandinavian Dance Music
VRCD 343
Gordon Tracie loved to quote a Swedish saying, "If you meet three people walking down the road in Rättvik (a village in the Swedish province of Dalarna), at least four of them are fiddlers." This could be re-stated for the Pioneer Trio to the effect that "in the Pioneer Trio there are at least four musicians."
The original Pioneer Trio consisted of three musicians, as one would expect. They were Gordon Ekvall Tracie, founder of Seattle's Skandia Folkdance Society, on guitar; "Fiddlin' John" Sears on fiddle; and Art Nation on viola. They first got together on March 17, 1956, on a trip to Holden Village, to play for a group of folk dancers. Holden Village is reachable only by a half-day's boat trip up Lake Chelan in eastern Washington, and they jammed all the way up and back. They began playing for many of Skandia's dance events, then for other events as well. They provided the only live music at Skandia for a number of years. Dancers delighted in pivoting and dancing around the floor to their traditional old time dance tunes such as schottishes, polkas, hambos, and waltzes. Asked what type of affairs they played for, Fiddlin' John always replied, "We play for wakes, weddings, funerals, back-yard barbecues, bacchanalian revelries, witch burnings, and quite a few fancy balls."
In 1982 the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Council for the Traditional Arts sent the Trio on a special tour of the mid-west areas that were settled by Swedes in earlier times. Along with a couple of dancers and a singer they put on traveling musical "immigrant" shows similar to the old vaudeville days.
The original three members of the Pioneer Trio played together until Gordon's death in December 1988. They occasionally invited an extra person to sit in with them, sometimes calling themselves Pioneer Trio and Friends, or Pioneer Trio and Son when Phil Nation, then a teenager, joined with them on fiddle for occasional gigs. After Gordon's death John and Art continued playing, inviting different guests to join them at times. Bjarne Jacobsen, a Norwegian guitar player, became a regular member.
The Pioneer Trio celebrated their fortieth year as a group in 1996. The Skandia Music Foundation decided that the group should be recorded while two of the original musicians were still around, featuring the tunes and the style that they became known for over the years. In January 1997, just one month before John's eightieth birthday, they spent two days in the studio recording their music for posterity.
The Skandia Music Foundation is proud to present this recording to preserve the music of a legendary group which has contributed so much to the enjoyment of Scandinavian dancing in the Pacific Northwest. So roll back the rug, push back the chairs and be prepared to have one heck of a good time dancing with the Pioneer Trio!
Trella Hastings, Skandia Music Foundation
1. Kivikspolka, Gustav Egerstam, Swedish
John also calls this the "Hollerin' Polka." You'll see why!
2. Sparf Fars Polska, Trad., Swedish
3. Gammelvals fra Midtjylland (waltz), Christian Telling, Danish
4. Jämtgubben (polka), Gnesta Kalle and Solve Strand, Swedish
5. Skinnbracka med Lucku (hambo), Trad., Swedish
6. En afton vid Mjörn (waltz), Karl Severin, Swedish
A schmaltz type waltz which the Trio is known for. John's typical "one more time" request can be heard. Bird-whistle played by Trella Hastings.
7. Trasten (schottish), Eric Öst, Swedish
8. Gotlands Bröllopsmarsch, (wedding march), Trad., Swedish
The Trio has played this one at many weddings over the years.
9. Polkan Går (polka), Trad., Swedish
John plays his famous "tour-de-force" part on this one.
10. På Spelmansstämma (hambo-polska), Blånn-Olle, Swedish
11. Meistervalsen (waltz), Per Bolstad, Norwegian
This tune was popularized by Sigbjørn Osa on the Hardanger fiddle. The Trio fiddlers have their G strings tuned up to A in this typical "Hardanger" tuning.
12. Skæve Thorvald (hopsa), Trad., Danish
13. Den Frilynde (reinlander), H. Gjeitvik, Norwegian
14. Lif-Antes Polska, Trad., Swedish
Violin duet with John and Phil. A baroque style tune written as a polonaise in Germany in the 1700's. It became the favorite tune of blind Hälsingland fiddler, Lif-Ante.
15. Turné Luft (polka), Gnesta Kalle & Eric Öst, Swedish
16. Hälsa dem därhemma (waltz), Elith Worsing, Danish
A well-known, nostalgic immigrant song which became popular in Sweden.
17. Tracie's Two-step, Gordon Tracie, American
Gordon used to bang this one out on the piano at the old Skandia reunion parties at Dick and Barbara Sacksteder's house. Siren, train whistle, Bombay taxi horn, and duck call played by Trella Hastings, David Lamb, and Art Nation.
18. Fjällbruden (wedding waltz), Arthur Hedström, Swedish
The original Pioneer Trio: Gordon, John, and Art. They played this tune at many weddings. The
recording was made at the Northwest Folklife Festival in 1977.
Fiddlin' John Sears, fiddle
Phil Nation, fiddle
Art Nation, viola and acoustic string bass
Bjarne Jacobsen, 12-string guitar
Producers: David Lamb and Trella Hastings
Sound Engineer and Mixing: Phil Williams
Cover photo: Art Hare
Production Consultant: Vivian Williams
Special thanks to the Skandia Music Foundation (Dick Sacksteder, president) for sponsoring
this recording; the Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle WA, for letting us use their Dream of
America exhibit in the cover shoot; Phil and Vivian Williams for the use of their home and
countless hours spent in recording and helping to make this a reality; and to the Pioneer Trio
musicians for their patience, time, and talent.
Recorded at the Voyager studio in Seattle, Washington January, 1997.
A Viking Records production of Skandia Music Foundation