ArtistInfo

Simon St. Pierre And The Dukes Of Bluegrass
The Joys Of Quebec

Album 1973 on Revonah Records label
Country (Bluegrass)

Joys of Quebec Revonah RS-915 1973 "The first time I heard Simon St. Pierre was in the dead of night at a parking lot pickin' session at the Country Gentlemen Festival in July of 1972 up at Webster, Mass. I never really saw him that night because the light from my little flash light could not penetrate the large crowd he had surrounding him. I saw many good fiddlers like Bud Morrisroe, Vernon Derrick, and others who were fiddling along with this wild French Canadian either close up to him or around the periphery of the crowd. All were listening very intently because this was a true “happening” and they all wanted to hear the great music. It was, as usual, a 3-4 hour session with almost never a repeat of tunes few had heard before. The French flew fast and loose as he had a friend with him who played bass and his son Danny on guitar. It was a night I will never forget but I never really saw his face. Next day I had to find him… and of course there he was again in the field, fiddling, and with an even larger crowd around him. To say the least he is an unusual fiddler. He knows hundreds of tunes and plays them in a unique style – he holds the fiddle against his chest instead of under his chin. This of course, is against all the rules of good fiddling but when you hear his work on this album, you can only say, as we all did…what rules? This professional lumberjack was born in 1930 on the hill of St. Benoit, Quebec Province (about 20 miles from the U.S. border). He says, “I play the fiddle. I was 14 years old…then in 1967 I met a guy, musician, Clair Lake, Island Falls, ME and get really interested again. After that, I go to Jamborees and festivals…” Although I was not there, I heard that he played again up at Smokey Green’s 1973 festival in upstate New York where Paul Gerry found him and arranged to record this album. The word was that he was so great up there that Paul had to think hard to match this talent with a back-up band who could do him justice. Of course, who better than the great Walter and Jim Hensley and the Dukes of Bluegrass…the decision was not difficult. As Paul puts it, “First class talent needs first class accommodations” And so, Revonah Records has produced a winner. This is like no other fiddle album you have ever heard. Two cuts are fantastic, five or six are magnificent and the rest are super. Can you ask for more than that? Now to the individual cuts: “The Joys of Quebec” is my far and away favorite. I don’t know what you call it technically but it is surely some sort of a “figure dance” related to some of the court dances dating back to the 16th or 17th century French Kings. But for me…if I close my eyes I see the horses racing through the snow in the old French section of Quebec. They are pulling a sleigh and it’s full of kids and they are all laughing and shouting…faster, faster etc,. (Oh, well enough of the old romantic). The piece is beautiful and played with the drive that is a credit to the Dukes of Bluegrass as well as Simon. Listen especially to Walter’s chiming banjo and Simon’s style which is just incredible. My second favorite is “Minstrals Fancy”. This piece is in the style of a French quadrille (duple meter in 2/4 time). Historically the French migrated from Canada to New Orleans and course, brought with them their music. The roots of ragtime jazz were replanted, as it were, in New Orleans and strongly influenced by French fiddle and dance music such as the quadrille and gavotte. You can still hear it in some of the Cajun Fiddlers today. Simon’s version of this piece is a beautiful example of how different styles of music come together as roots while the branches spread out in many directions. Enough of history and musicology just listen to it. I’m sure you will enjoy it. There are two “reels” on this album. “Golden Wedding Reel” has a good strong fiddle kick off, an excellent guitar break, and is neither in major nor minor scale, but rather in a “modal” scale. “St. Ann’s Reel” and “Woodchoppers Reel” are two solid fiddle tunes which are given new life and spirit in Simon’s expert hands. “Maple Sugar”, I have heard before by Bill Poffenberger who is on good fiddler but this version is a bit different. The backup for “Big Jim McNeil” is tastefully done by the Dukes of Bluegrass and the drive of “Donnie Gilcrist’s Breakdown” has some especially good guitar work by Jim Hensley.

Musicians

	Simon St. Pierre And The Dukes Of Bluegrass , album by
	Jerry Yager eb, acoustic bass
	Walter Hensley bj, *1936 US banjo
	Simon St. Pierre vn, fiddle
	Danny St. Pierre g, guitar, second
	Jim Hensley g, b, lead guitar
	Frankie Short man, bj, voc, g, mandolin
	Dee Gunter g, rhythm guitar

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