I began playing at the (then Harrisville, now Nelson) Monday night dances around 1977. Jack Perron hired me to play my first playing gig at the Chelsea House in Brattleboro, Vermont shortly after that. My primary inspiration was, of course, Bob McQuillen, and though I soon developed a style that deviated from the pure traditional form he embraces, he remains my spiritual mentor, and a good friend.
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The original Fresh Fish: Kerry Elkin, Gordon Peery, Tom Hodgson, with caller Steve Zakon
Over time I was enriched by playing with so many different fiddlers who each brought unique qualities and inspiration to my playing. The first real band that I was in was Fresh Fish. Kerry Elkin, Tom Hodgson and I had met in 1985 when we were hired as musicians for a tour of Europe with the Green Mountain Volunteers, a traditional dance performance group. Returning to the states, we found that our synergies were to intense to let go of, so we started playing and within a short time found ourselves able to tour extensively. Tom left the band after about a year, and we started working with a variety of additional musicians (depending on who was available for which gigs). This gave a lot of breadth to what we were doing, but the music was always rooted in Kerry’s disciplined approach to selecting tunes, and to remaining focused on our mission to serve the dancers. Fresh Fish played in various configurations for about 10 years, and Kerry went on to make a name for himself as one of the best fiddlers (and teachers) in the country. Sadly, in 2007 Kerry was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which proved to be an unusually severe case, and he died in August of 2009. www.kerryelkin.com provides some additional information, and access to his recordings.
After a hiatus of about a dozen years, I gradually returned to playing for dances. I had the opportunity to play for several dances with Rodney Miller, and it was an honor and an inspiration to be able to make music with someone who is regarded as one of the most innovative and dynamic fiddlers in the country. I had worked with Rod before, notably in the New Hampshire Fiddler’s Union (with Randy Miller and Skip Gorman), but that was more of a studio project. Playing for dances allows us to both absorb and give back energy from the dance floor, and I credit Rod with facilitating a new level of musicianship for myself.
Randy Miller is also a significant influence, and in the last year or so we’ve enjoyed a new band with our long time friend Bill Thomas, who plays flute and Uillean pipes. I’ve always loved the sound of the pipes, and to my knowledge we are the only band that uses them for contra dance. Our repertoire is heavily Irish, and while Randy and Bill are both strong on traditional elements, they have been receptive to some degree of “corruption” that my rock and blues influenced playing provides.
The great thing about playing for contra dances is that the tunes are commonly known, and even when not, the requirements for the piano player are such that it’s possible to accompany tunes even when hearing them for the first time. One benefit of this is that I have the opportunity to play with literally dozens of other musicians, often somewhat spontaneously, such as at the Monday night dance in Nelson, where you never know who will show up to play. I feel quite blessed and perpetually nurtured by the many musicians I get to play with.
Where It All Came From
As a child I was introduced to the classical repertoire and piano style through the rather stern encouragement of my mother, who had a degree in music and was, in fact, a very respectable organist. As I grew out of single digits I became aware of other kinds of music, and eventually learned to play the guitar by ear. This was a very different approach than I had learned from classical training, and it was fairly emancipating. (I will readily acknowledge that the time and discipline required to play classical piano is considerably greater. I have great respect for anyone who can roll with Rachmaninoff or chop on Chopin.). Eventually I switched my keyboard orientation to playing by ear as well.
My playing is remarkably free of virtuosity, yet it does have value. I endeavor to imbibe the nuances of my fellow players, and to enhance them with rhythms, harmonies, and countermelodies. I am primarily an accompanist, and my goal is to provide something perhaps akin to a sonic form of full-spectrum lighting.
