GREAT MEADOW MUSIC
Contra Roots and Branches
New England's special music now belongs to America. What was once a curiosity is now a national phenomenon. The Roots from New England influenced the Branches across the country and beyond. Great Meadow Music with assistance of the Country Dance and Song Society, has released the CD Contra Roots and Branches described below. This section includes the CDs from which cuts from the Roots CD have been selected.
Contra Roots and Branches CD - $15
Hear Clip From Track #9
Contra Roots and Branches This CD features the best bands from across North America playing New England-style Contra music. We have cherry picked the best cuts from the best CDs of the best bands! We here in Westmoreland, New Hampshire listen to this CD almost every day. It is a very happy CD.
- 1.The Tar Road to Sligo, The Wild One, Apples in Winter -
- Swallowtail, After the Dance, MA
2. A Finnish Polka, Morpeth Lasses - Footloose, NC
3. Paddy Killoran's, Gallagher's Frolic - A Band Named Bob, PA
4. Old Man Old Woman, Hillbillies from Mars, CA
5. Romanian Invirtitia, Grasshopper on a Sweet Potato Vine,- Old Gray Cat, Shenandoah Falls - Grand Picnic, NY
6. Frenchie's, Habanera - KGB, WA
7. Eli Green's Cakewalk, Little Judique - Portland Selection, OR
8. Year-End Two Step, O'Donnel Abhu - New England Tradition,- Farewell to the Hollow, NH
9. Jig Mania, Tuba City Truck Stop, Yesterdays Noodles -- The Brea Castoffs, Folk Buddha's Path to Enlightenment, KY
10. Morag's Waltz - George Wilson and Friends - The Royal Circus, NY
11. Erin Reel, The St. Lawrence River, Oliver Tremblay's Reel -- Frank Ferrel and Friends - Yankee Dreams, MA
12. Montmarquette's, Pique Bois, Set americain,G Tune - Guys Can Talk
13. Aly on the Plains, Hay to Market, Just 4 Guys IA, MN -- Contratopia, Smitten
14. Reel du Tricentenaire, Reel Arthur , Reel de Port-Joli,- Reel de Moosonee - Domino, Quebec
David Millstone, whom many of you know for his wonderful calling, wrote the liner notes for Contra Roots and Branches, 2004.
Total Time 74 minutes
HERE ARE THE ROOTS
See Domino's DOMINO tune book Farewell to the Hollow, New England Tradition Yankee Dreams, Frank Ferrel
HERE ARE THE BRANCHES
A Band Named Bob CD - $15
A Band Named Bob This trio has been a fixture of the Philadelphia dance scene for a number of years, and their solid driving style is classic New England Contra.
- 1. Saratoga Hornpipe, Frenchie's, Say No More
- 2. Pipe on the Hob, The River Bend
- 3. The Road to California, Katydid, Contrazz
- 4. St. Antoine's, F# minor Reel, St. Jean's
- 5. The Pernod Waltz
- 6. Paddy On The Landfill, The Scholar, Sandy MacIntyre's Trip to Boston
7. Horse With a Heart, Penny Hill, David's- 8. Waynesboro, Shenandoah Falls
- 9. Justin Otter Schottische
- 10. Paddy Killoran's, Gallagher's Frolic
- 11. John Bowe's, Log Cabin, Trip to Windsor
- 12. Midwinter blossom
Barbara Greenberg, Bob Pasquarello and Bob Stein
Grand Picnic
NEW CD!
CD - $15
Hear Clip From Track #5
Hear Clip From Track #9
Grand Picnic All you can say about Grand Picnic's music is "joyful". These guys have fun and they showed us how at the 2007 Fall Ball in Peterborough, NH. Complete with tubas and whistles, these guys play great Contra music. CD originally released in 1992, but still fun as a country picnic. Nuff said!
- 1. Saint Joseph's Reel / Pulaski Skyway / Little Red Brick House in Georgia
- 2. Dean Street
- 3. Peter's Jig / Where's Marco / Smart Young Man
- 4. Druttjenkarl Lenken
- 5. Romainian Invirtita / Grasshopper on a Sweet Potato Vine / Old Gray Cat / Shenandoah Falls
- 6. Judith's Waltz
- 7. Raise the Devil / Hayride / raise the Devil
- 8. Bunch of Rushes / Bonaparte's March / Butcher's Row
- 9. Canadian Waltz
- 10. Puff Adder Quickstep
- 11. The Mouse in the Cupboard / I lost My Love / Scollay's Reel
- 12. Grand Picnic / Johnny in the Swamp / West Virginia Gals
- 13. Galician Waltz
Michael Gorin, Sam Zygmuntowicz, Jody Kruskal, Marco Brehm, Bill Peck, with guests Danny Elias and Karen Geer
Hillbillies From Mars CD - $15
Hillbillies From Mars Hillbillies from Mars are exciting and fun. Their music is always
mischievous and progressive, but never contrived. Their range is large - traditional Quebec reels, Irish tunes, Southern tunes, and new tunes are all given the Hillbillies touch. This is superb contra dance music and it's superb listening music too. visit their website!
- 1. North Carolina Breakdown
- 2. Elzic's Farewell
- 3. The Full Catastrophe
- 4. Waynesboro Medley
- 5. DNA Bourrees
- 6. Blind Fiddler, Sandy Boys
7. Quebec Reels- 8. Uilleann Pipes Set
- 9. Old Man Old Woman
- 10. Friends, Don & Kelly's Waltz
- 11. Martian's Farewell
Kevin Carr, Paul Kotapish, Ray Bierl, Daniel Steinberg, 1993
A Portland Selection CD - $15
Susan Songer, George Penk & Clyde Curley Playing for the "sheer fun of it" Susan Songer, George Penk and Clyde Curley present a selection of tunes from The Portland Collection. Susan and Clyde put together the Portland Collection of tunes in 1997. Due to many requests to actually hear the tunes as they are played in Portland Oregon, this CD was born. A diverse selection is featured, mirroring the pot-pourri of music in the Portland dance community. Their excellent musicianship and great enthusiasm for the music is displayed for our enjoyment.
- 1. Hommage a Edmond Parizeau
- 2. Money in Both Pockets, Campbell River, Reunion Jig
- 3. Shamrocks in the Galax, Damon's Winder, Two Wide Nickels
- 4. Round the Horn
- 5. Basket of Yarn, Blair Atholl, Millbrae
- 6. Father Kelly's
- 7. Star Above the Garter, Reverend Brother's, The Walk Home
- 8. Miss Monaghan's, Cottage in the Grove, The Mason's Apron
- 9. Liza Jane
- 10. Shoes and Stockings, Johnny Cope, Big Liza Jane
- 11. Eli Greene's Cakewalk, Little Judique
- 12. Merriweather, Sally Ann Johnson
- 13. The Black Cat Jig, Asher
- 14. Le Cultivateur, Evit Gabriel, La Belle Catherine
- 15. Pretty Peggy
- 16. Bouchard's Hornpipe, Ice on the Road, Sandy MacIntyre's Trip to Boston
- 17. Celina
George Penk, Susan Songer, Clyde Curley, Creighton Lindsay
Total Time 62:58
See Companion Book
Smitten CD - $15
Contratopia Here are four talented musicians from the Great Plains. Both Minnesota and Iowa claim them. Cut four with Aly On the Plains and Just 4 Guys is Betty Ann's favorite.
- 1. Loaves and Fishes, Too Many Goats, 4th and Walnut
- 2. Puddle Jumper, Snow Day, Offshoot
- 3. Bighorn River Sunset
- 4. Aly On the Plains, Hay to Market, Just 4 Guys
- 5. Ladybug Lightning
- 6. Mason's Apron, Maggie in the Snow, Julia Delaney
7. Lucy's Stroll, Box Elder Stomp- 8. Smitten
- 9. Surprise, Stumpy, Bunch of Stuff
- 10. Manistique, What You got There, Scandy Twist
- 11. Lost Summer
Pat O'Loughlin, John Goodin, Patrice Pakiz, Erik Sessions
Total Time 47:47