by Stacy Phillips
The past few years have seen a relative bonanza in fiddle-oriented nonfiction in print. Check out the previous review article I wrote for the October 2004 edition of Fiddle Sessions. Here is a rundown of nine of my favorites that are not mainly music transcriptions or instruction.
“Fiddler of the Opry – The Howdy Forrester Story” by Gayel Pitchford (Viewpoint Press – 2007) is a biography of the most important Nashville fiddler in the 1950’s and `60’s.  He composed many now standard tunes as well as variations of pieces …

by Anthony Barnett
 SP: Comment on the evolving position of violin in the ragtime, early, swing, bebop and current eras of jazz.  
AB: First, let me say I am not the knowledgeable person about ragtime and, say, early string bands. Document CD’s (http://www.document-records.com/index.asp) are a good source of, if not always accurate information, at least the string band music itself. I would also mention the two very useful early blues violin compilation CD’s put out by Old Hat (Folks He Sure Do Pull Some Bow! and Violin, Sing The Blues For Me …

by Tim Woodbridge
May 9th was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Don Messer (1909-1973), the great Canadian fiddler and cultural icon. Measured by popularity, influence and long running success on radio, recordings, and television, Don Messer was arguably the most important Canadian fiddler of his generation, if not the 20th century. His instantly recognizable style — bright, precise, lively and accessible, earned him the loyalty of millions of Canadians (and many in the United States). He and his band, the Islanders, toured extensively throughout Canada, reinforcing an image …

by Miamon Miller   
Romanian Transylvania has many sub-regions each with its unique folkloric flavor and traditions and the northern county of Maramureş is no exception. Indeed, each valley can be said to have distinct characteristics.   
While most Transylvanian folk bands rely on bowed strings for both melody and accompaniment, Maramureş musicians have gone down a different path. For over a century, they’ve used a version of the guitar (called ‘zongora’) to play rhythm and harmony. When Béla Bartók recorded musicians during a 14-day research trip in 1913, he wrote that a 2-string …