The picture has a thick layer of sawdust on it and has suffered other damage over the years. But I love looking at the picture and remembering how good the music must have sounded. In particular there are three things that I really like about the picture:
1. I can tell from the way that Jack and I are standing that we are playing fast and hard. The train has left the station and is highballing down the line. This ain't no pointy toed waltz we're playing.
2. Jack, Wolf and I are all looking at Doc, waiting for his cue to switch to the next part. The band is in synch with the caller, just the way we should be.
3. And Doc isn't watching the band, he is looking at the dancers. How many times have you been to a dance and the caller is looking at their shoes or the ceiling, or talking to the band? It sounds elementary, but the caller needs to watch the dancers closely, to observe what is working and what isn't, and to give the band a sign when the dancers are ready to start the square again. And that's Doc- a solid caller who is humble enough to take his cues from the dancers and not force his calls on them. It was always fun to play for one of Doc's dances.
When I moved to Alaska in the late '70s, I was really surprised to find musicians who not only knew the good fiddle tunes, but knew them in the right keys and liked to play fast. That list of D tunes Danny C. has on this blog could have been a set list from a North Carolina band I played with before heading North. In those days West Coast string bands played completely different tunes and styles than the Southern bands I had played with- but these guys had the right ideas and played the right tunes. And playing in Alaska was fun.
I kept hearing from everyone about this guy in Fairbanks who taught them how to play- Doc South. And as someone who enjoyed playing all those D tunes around Alaska with his students- thanks Doc!
Steve Roberts
sjr at ix dot netcom dot com
