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VRCD 343 THE PIONEER TRIO: OLD TIME SCANDINAVIAN DANCE MUSIC
One of those who preserved Scandivavian music and heritage, taught dances and documented the culture was Gordon Tracie, and in 1956 he was part of the Pioneer Trio along with Fiddlin' John Sears and Art Nation - viola. That trio played until Tracie's death in December of 1988. This new recording has Sears and Nation plus son Phil Nation on fiddle and Bjarne Jacobsen on 12 string guitar. For 40 years their music has been in local Scandinavian dances. The tunes include polka, waltz, schottish, hambo, hopsa, polska and even "Tracie's Two Step." Many songs are Swedish with Danish or Norwegian mixed in. The final tune is a NW Folklife Festival recording of the original trio. Nice touch. Swedish fiddle music has a light loving sound and even some romantic classical overtones like in "Lif-Antes Polska." The beat is a bit less emphasized than in old time music. Most of the tunes are well known dance tunes like "Skinnbracka med Lucku," a hambo. Sears and Nation can ham things up and do what they call a schmaltz type waltz "En afton vid Mjorn." Sears' fiddle work is strongest on "Polkan Gar," and I love the floating elegance of "Trasten." Wonderful to have this historical documentation. (Victory Music Review)
*****
Here's some fiddle music by the Pioneer Trio. Not exactly like our fiddling, but never-the-less it shows a style a little different than what we're used to. Good one for fiddle fans and artists, as they can pick up a few different licks. When you get right down to it, it's not that much different. (Disc Collector)
*****
It all begins with "Kivikspolka" (also known as the Hollerin' Polka) which is a wonderful way to kick off this highly danceable and energetic recording by the Pioneer Trio. The Pioneer Trio now consists of "Fiddlin' John" Sears and Phil Nation on the fiddles, Art Nation playing the viola and acoustic string bass, and Bjarne Jacobsen on the 12-string guitar.
The Pioneer Trio has an extremely interesting background, and reading the liner notes for their album is like a history/music lesson in itself. The trio has played in many places and for many events. When asked what type of affairs they usually play for, Fiddlin John always replied, "We play for wakes, weddings, funerals, back-yard barbecues, bacchanalian revelries, witch burnings, and quite a few fancy balls."
There are 18 tracks in all ... most of which I could never hope to properly pronounce. But once again, songs such as "En afton vid Mjorn," a hauntingly beautiful tune, transcend the language barrier, allowing me to enjoy the wonderful polkas, waltzes, hambos, and schottisches included on this album.
What impresses me the most about the Pioneer Trio's music is the intricate harmonies and wonderful orchestration on each and every song. After hearing just a few tunes, you realize that these men have mastered the art of playing each of their instruments with a unique flair while still contributing to the sound of the group as a whole.
Perhaps the most memorable track on the entire album is the final one, "Fjellbruden," which was recorded by the original Pioneer Trio: Gordon Tracie, John Sears, and Art Nation at the Northwest Folklife Festival in 1977 (all the other tracks were recorded at Voyager studios in 1997 ... twenty years later.) This is such a beautiful melody to end the recording with as it gives us a glimpse into how the trio began and why their music has brought joy into many people's lives over the years. (National Old Time Fiddler)
*****
Trio members (guitar and two fiddles) have been sawing away since 1956, playing schottisches, polkas, hambos and waltzes for dancers in the fire halls and dance tents of America's Scandinavian-heavy Northwest. To celebrate their 40th anniversary, two original members gathered their new third member and guests for a two-day recording session sponsored by
Seattle's Skandia Music Association. The sound is rough, raw-boned and honest, preserved for posterity while the Trio's still young enough to wail. (Fiddlin' John Sears was one month shy of 80 during recording.) (Dirty Linen)
*****
The Pioneer Trio was founded in 1956 by Gordon Tracie, to play live music for the Skandia Folkdance Society in Seattle, Washington. Gordon Tracie's life was dedicated to the study and teaching of Scandinavian folklore, dance, and music throughout the US. Tracie encouraged the exchange of music and dance between Scandinavians and Americans for over 40 years, until he died in 1988.
In the new CD, the producers wanted to honor Tracie's "home band," the Pioneer Trio, while two of the original members (John Sears, fiddle, and Art Nation, viola or bass) are still actively playing in it. The "Trio" is now a quartet: including Phil Nation on fiddle, and Bjarne Jacobsen on guitar.
The Pioneer Trio plays gammaldans, or "old-style dancing." Their waltzes, hambos, schottisches, polkas and polskas come from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, acquired via Tracie's extensive Scandinavian travels. The Pioneer Trio has entertained Scandinavian-Americans in the Seattle area for over 40 years at events including "wakes, weddings, funerals, backyard barbecues, bacchanalian revelries, witch burnings, and quite a few fancy balls," according to Fiddling John Sears, 82 (the group's lead fiddler). (Fiddler Magazine)
*****
For those in search of a true Swedish-American musical delight, The Pioneer Trio (actually a quartet here) offers a CD of "traditional old time dance tunes such as schottisches, polkas, hambos, and waltzes" the Trio used to play for Seattle's Skandian Folkdance Society. This is an interesting CD for fairly straightforward dance tunes on fiddles and guitar. Listen to some fun music. (Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Bulletin)
*****
The various members of this Scandinavian group have been in other lineups at dances and festivals all over this town (Seattle) for years. The Pacific Northwest, Seattle in particular, has lured immigrants from the Scandinavian countries for generations. Most of these folks have made strong efforts to preserve important elements of their folk cultures and heritage. One person who stands above the rest in Seattle was a founding member of the Pioneer Trio, Gordon Tracie, who appears on one track here, the finale, a wedding waltz recorded in 1977. Gordon died in 1988, 32 years after helping found the group. A lot of mythology has arisen about Gordon's stature in preserving traditional Swedish fiddle music and dance, but the bottom line is that he did a lot of field recording in Sweden in the 1940's and '50's, archived his material, shared, taught, prosetylized, with a nearly messianic fury in some ways. In any case, Seattle and environs currently is a hot bed of Scandinavian music, dance, and folkways, primarily due to the lead of Mr. Tracie.
This recording was produced by the Seattle-based Skandia Music Foundation, which wanted to
record this pioneering group while two of its founding members were still around. It is a very
pleasant and danceable recording, but by all means not the best Scandinavian music in our part of
the world. It is much more than adequate though. There is a facility in the Pioneer Trio's music
that is sometimes missing in more virtuoso-type players. Their focus is on danceability, not to
say that the musicality fails, for it is very pleasant. Yes, pleasant, but it won't knock your socks
off. They tackle a number of dance forms among the 18 selections, emanating from the traditions
of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and of course, America. There's even schmaltz, as represented
here on "En afton vid Mjörn," apparently a waltz practice for which this Trio was well-known.
This CD would be enjoyed more by those who know and knew the Trio, or have danced to them
over the past 40 years, but it also might serve as a palatable entry point into the world of
Scandinavian folk dance music. (Old Time Herald)