Old Time Duet Harmony Workshop with Suzanne and Jim
Wednesday, October 18 6-8pm, $15 "Old Time duets represent a bridge between the harmonies used in "Shape Note" singing and modern Bluegrass and country music. This workshop is an in depth study of the duet harmonies from recordings made in the "Golden Era" of Old Time Music, the 1920s and '30s. Students will listen to selections of original songs and then work from hand outs with the words, chords and melody and harmony intervals for each song. Students are paired off to work on their part next to a person singing the other part. We have seen that the majority of students exposed to our teaching system are able to sing harmony with another by the end of the sessions even if they have never sung with that person before." |
Jim Hale…
For more than forty years Jim has been at the forefront of the clawhammer banjo revival. His style has been referred to as “powerful”, “eloquent” and “tastefully professional”. In performances Jim also contributes rhythm and lead guitar and his half of a courtship dulcimer. Born in Kansas, his love of music was fostered by two great-aunts who performed at local events and family gatherings. Jim has had a varied musical career as a founder and front-man of regional bluegrass bands, leader of award winning string bands, as a luthier and co-founder of S.L. Mossman Guitars, and column author in music publications Sing Out! and Banjo Newsletter. In addition to Suzanne and Jim recordings his banjo playing has been featured in Home on the Range (Wichita Eagle and Beacon Publishing Co., Wichita, KS) and the Warner Brothers’ TV mini-series, “The Wild West”.
Suzanne Jaroszynski…
Suzanne has a well deserved reputation for her rich, versatile voice, bringing warmth and passion to sentimental ballads, nimble range to cowgirl yodels and power to Old-Time gospel shouters. She has been a repeat first place winner in the folk song category at the prestigious Mount Airy, North Carolina Fiddlers Convention. Originally from Michigan, Suzanne spent many years in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina immersed in traditional Old Time music. Her strong rhythm guitar playing provides a solid foundation for Jim’s banjo solos and for the duet’s vocals. A multi-talented instrumentalist, Suzanne also displays her skill on wind instruments- flute, fife, penny whistle and recorder. She plays chordal melodies on the courtship dulcimer, an instrument shared with Jim, and is known for her Maybelle Carter-style autoharp technique. Suzanne is an accomplished percussionist, creating complex rhythms with spoons, bones and her feet.
Together…
Suzanne and Jim are among the rare musical artists who explore new directions by looking back into the roots of Americana music and lore. The husband and wife team blend their voices and instruments in songs of an earlier time. The stories told by these old songs (and the stories behind the songs) not only relate tales of a bygone era but open a window into the origins of our modern culture. The duo’s performances are designed from their research into archived collections of historic music and are presented in a lively manner with just the right touch of Jim’s homespun humor. Since 1992 they have toured and lived on the road full time - truly modern day troubadours. Suzanne and Jim have enthralled audiences in more than 40 states, Canada and Europe appearing at festivals, concert halls, universities, civic events, community concerts, libraries and museums. Suzanne and Jim have released 5 recordings - Keep Smilin’, Song-Chasers, A Victorian Christmas, Down by the River, and Come Dance and Sing and a full length concert video Song-Chasers Live! In 2015 their recording of What Are They Doing In Heaven Today from the CD Down by the River was included in an episode of the French television show “Les Revenants” seen in France, Belgium and Sweden.
For more than forty years Jim has been at the forefront of the clawhammer banjo revival. His style has been referred to as “powerful”, “eloquent” and “tastefully professional”. In performances Jim also contributes rhythm and lead guitar and his half of a courtship dulcimer. Born in Kansas, his love of music was fostered by two great-aunts who performed at local events and family gatherings. Jim has had a varied musical career as a founder and front-man of regional bluegrass bands, leader of award winning string bands, as a luthier and co-founder of S.L. Mossman Guitars, and column author in music publications Sing Out! and Banjo Newsletter. In addition to Suzanne and Jim recordings his banjo playing has been featured in Home on the Range (Wichita Eagle and Beacon Publishing Co., Wichita, KS) and the Warner Brothers’ TV mini-series, “The Wild West”.
Suzanne Jaroszynski…
Suzanne has a well deserved reputation for her rich, versatile voice, bringing warmth and passion to sentimental ballads, nimble range to cowgirl yodels and power to Old-Time gospel shouters. She has been a repeat first place winner in the folk song category at the prestigious Mount Airy, North Carolina Fiddlers Convention. Originally from Michigan, Suzanne spent many years in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina immersed in traditional Old Time music. Her strong rhythm guitar playing provides a solid foundation for Jim’s banjo solos and for the duet’s vocals. A multi-talented instrumentalist, Suzanne also displays her skill on wind instruments- flute, fife, penny whistle and recorder. She plays chordal melodies on the courtship dulcimer, an instrument shared with Jim, and is known for her Maybelle Carter-style autoharp technique. Suzanne is an accomplished percussionist, creating complex rhythms with spoons, bones and her feet.
Together…
Suzanne and Jim are among the rare musical artists who explore new directions by looking back into the roots of Americana music and lore. The husband and wife team blend their voices and instruments in songs of an earlier time. The stories told by these old songs (and the stories behind the songs) not only relate tales of a bygone era but open a window into the origins of our modern culture. The duo’s performances are designed from their research into archived collections of historic music and are presented in a lively manner with just the right touch of Jim’s homespun humor. Since 1992 they have toured and lived on the road full time - truly modern day troubadours. Suzanne and Jim have enthralled audiences in more than 40 states, Canada and Europe appearing at festivals, concert halls, universities, civic events, community concerts, libraries and museums. Suzanne and Jim have released 5 recordings - Keep Smilin’, Song-Chasers, A Victorian Christmas, Down by the River, and Come Dance and Sing and a full length concert video Song-Chasers Live! In 2015 their recording of What Are They Doing In Heaven Today from the CD Down by the River was included in an episode of the French television show “Les Revenants” seen in France, Belgium and Sweden.