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DANCE MUSIC RELEASES ON VOYAGER

VIVIAN WILLIAMS, PAT SPAETH, PHIL WILLIAMS:
STARRY NIGHTS AND CANDLELIGHT
CD 333

Vivian Williams - fiddle and piano, Pat Spaeth - accordion and piano, Phil Williams - guitar and mandolin

Lightning Hornpipe/Mary Clair, French Fries and Gravy/Union Street/Thingamajig, Brahms Polka, Starry Nights and Candlelight, Farewell to Whiskey/The Groundhog Saw His Shadow, Peacock Rag, Tour of Puget Sound, Fittro's Folly/Golden Rooster/Swinging on a Gate, Oyster Shucker's Jig/ Smash the Window/Maggie Brown's Favorite, Crystal Schottische, Tracie's Two-Step, Larry's Waltz

Vivian, Pat, and Phil have played for old time dancing - ballroom, pattern, folk, contra and square - most of their lives and are regarded as among the most experienced dance players in the region. This recording features a variety of danceable tunes, both traditional and recently composed. The tunes are played long enough for dancing.

"Straightforward, no tricks dance music, played with skill by folks possessing a wealth of knowledge and healthy respect for the tradition." (Victory Review).

Sound Clip: Starry Nights and Candlelight MP3 MP3(LoFi); Tour of Puget Sound MP3 MP3(LoFi)

What the Reviewers Say Liner Notes How the Recording Was Made

 

WALTZES: VIVIAN WILLIAMS
CD 351

Vivian Williams - fiddle; Phil Williams - guitar, bass

Sir John MacDonald's Waltz, Silver Wedding, Whistler's Waltz, Saturday Waltz, Stonetown Waltz, Emma, Keepsake Waltz, Rebecca's, Fairweather Waltz, Fairy Waltz, A & E Waltz, Good Neighbor Waltz, Dry River Waltz, Swedish Wedding Waltz, A Beautiful Night, Anniversary Song

Vivian Williams has been playing for dances for over forty years, and is well-known for her beautiful waltz playing. This CD contains sixteen of her favorite waltzes: Scandinavian, Canadian, traditional Pacific Northwest, and four of Vivian's original compositions. Accompanied by Phil Williams on guitar and bass. A very enjoyable recording for dancing or relaxing listening.

Sound Clips: Sir John MacDonald's Waltz MP3 MP3(LoFi); Emma MP3 MP3(LoFi); Fairweather Waltz MP3 MP3(LoFi)

What the Reviewers Say Liner Notes How the Recording Was Made

SALMONBERRY: NEW ENGLAND CONTRA DANCE MUSIC
CD 352

Derek Booth - English concertina, melodeon; Liz Dreisbach - clarinet, sax, recorder, whistle; Phil Katz - melodeons; Arne Reinert - flute; Erin Shrader - fiddle; Pat Spaeth - piano.

Quindaro/St. Joseph's Reel; Old Joe's Jig/Kesh Jig; Round the Horn/Jackie Tar/Goodnight and Joy Be With You; Upton-on-Severn/Tripping Up Stairs; Bouchard's Hornpipe/Eggnog Reel; My Birthday Waltz; Bus Stop/Lady Anne Montgomery; The Sweets of May/Devlin's Jig/Seven Stars; Far From Home/Miss Thompson's Hornpipe/Owen's Reel; Belknap's March/Jimmy Garson's/Louise's Parlor; Dirty Newfoundlander/Cooley's Reel/Mate's Reel; Waltz: Ye Banks and Braes

Great contra dance music! From December 1980 through February 1994, Salmonberry produced and played for a contra dance on the second Saturday of every month in Seattle, Washington. The style of playing was inspired by several New Hampshire and Vermont musicians and bands, by the transplanted contra dance music evolved in the San Francisco Bay area, by several English regional traditions, and by the adaptation of Irish styles to contra dance playing. This CD was recorded live at the May 11, 1991 dance

Sound Clips: Bus Stop MP3 MP3(LoFi); The Sweets of May MP3 MP3(LoFi)

.Liner Notes How the Recording Was Made

WILLIAMS & BRAY : BLUEGRASS HOEDOWN
CD 359

Vivian Williams - fiddle, Harley Bray - banjo, Phil Williams - mandolin & bass, Shera Bray - guitar

Dance All Night With a Bottle In Your Hand, Glise de Sherbrooke, Old Joe Clark, Chinese Breakdown, Jenny Lind Polka, Tennessee Grey Eagle, Sugar in the Gourd, Sam and Elzie, Beethoven's Favorite Waltz, Cheat or Swing, Redwing, Cock of the North, Leather Britches, Arkansas Traveler, Golden Slippers, Chinky Pin, Sweet Bunch of Daisies, Turkey in the Straw

This is a CD for good old time square dancing, with a couple of waltzes, a jig, and a polka thrown in, just as at a typical Western old time country dance. The fourteen hoedowns are played long enough for most callers. While Williams & Bray have been playing together as a band only since 1985, its members have over forty years experience playing bluegrass and old time dance music. Vivian Williams is one of the West's best known dance fiddlers with many national, international, and regional fiddle championships as well. Her husband, Phil Williams, has been doing these dances ever since he was a small child. While he plays almost anything with strings on it at a dance, here he sticks to mandolin and bass. Harley Bray played banjo in the mid 1950's and early 1960's with The Bray Brothers & Red Cravens, also known as The Bluegrass Gentlemen. Two of the recordings made by this band are still in press as CDs, and still influence present day bluegrassers. He is one of the true masters of bluegrass style banjo. On this recording Harley's wife, Shera Bray, sticks to guitar, but in real life she also plays mandolin and fiddle, and even calls dances! A lot of the tunes on this CD are a part of America's old time dance music heritage. A few are relatively unknown. All of them are played by Williams & Bray at country dances in the Pacific Northwest. So, get on your dancing shoes and let's all have a good old fashioned hoedown!

Sound Clips: Sam and Elzie MP3 MP3(LoFi); Beethoven's Favorite Waltz MP3 MP3(LoFi); Leather Britches MP3 MP3(LoFi)

What the Reviewers Say Liner Notes How the Recording Was Made

The above releases were recorded for dancing as well as listening. Many of our other releases have selections suitable for dancing, especially the Northwest style, Scandinavian, and our Cajun style releases.

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