australianbluegrass.com

Donal Baylor 24th August.

News just in from Jan Dale is that Donal Baylor will be Jan’s guest for the second half of her show on 24th August.

Jan will interview Melbourne duo The Lonesome Low who will also be performing live on Southern Style. Donal Baylor will now be on the show for the second half of the show to talk about his new CD Town and Country Fiddler, and performing in the studio.

Southern Style with Jan Dale – Tuesdays 1:00pm to 3:00pm or online at www.psfm.org.au.

In March this year we featured a review of Donal Baylor’s new CD Town and Country Fiddler featuring Donal and a host of great Australian musicians – Steve Gilchrist – mandolin, Pete Fidler – Dobro, Mick Harrison – banjo, Hamish Davidson – banjo, Lachlan Davidson – mandolin, Andy Baylor – guitar, Mike St.Clair-Miller – double bass, Chris Jacobs – vocals, Ruth Hazleton – harmony vocals.

This months Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine also features a review of Donal Baylor’s new album.

Check it out at Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine

Town and Country Fiddler by Donal Baylor

Reviewed by G. McGrath editor, australianbluegrass.com

Town and Country Fiddler is about as good a name as one could come up with for this album as it not only describes the fiddle and guitar master responsible for it, but it conjures up great imagery of the music contained therein.

Donal Baylor is one of this country’s most respected fiddle players and one of life’s true gentlemen. Not to put too finer point on it but his guitar playing is far from ordinary also. Donal’s dexterity on both guitar and fiddle has won him honours at national picking championships and earned him great respect from his international peers. So much for the man, on to the CD.

On this album Donal plays guitar and fiddle on all but 2 of the very generous offering of 15 tracks on this album. He is also accompanied by some of this nation’s finest bluegrass musicians in Hamish Davidson on banjo, Lachlan Davidson on mandolin, Mick Harrison on banjo, Andy Baylor (Donal’s brother) on guitar, Steve Gilchrist on mandolin and Pete Fidler on Dobro. It’s an exciting collection pickers which bears out in the music.

The album opens with a 30 second teaser featuring Donal and the Davidson Brothers in a fast yet sweet rendition of the old Stanly Brother’s tune Daybreak in Dixie. It closes with a wonderful duet of When I Grow Too Old To Dream featuring Donal on fiddle and his brother Andy on guitar.

The album holds many surprises not the least of which is the title track, Howdy Forrester’s Town and Country Fiddler, which Donal does great credit to on both fiddle and guitar, as does Hamish Davidson on banjo and his brother Lachlan on mandolin.

Another gem is Marshall Wilborn’s composition Goodbye to the Blues. For this arrangement Donal has pulled in Chris Jacobs one of Australia’s most highly regarded bluegrass vocalists along with Steve Gilchrist on mandolin, Mick Harrison on banjo and Ruth Hazleton delivering some fine harmony vocals.

A track worth highlighting is Bill Monroe’s haunting Farewell to Long Hollow, again featuring Donal, Mick Harrison and Steve Gilchrist. These boys play it like it should be played – Monroe pleased would be well pleased.

There are a total of 15 tracks on the CD and all equally worth commenting on, but space prohibits. There is nothing left to say now but to urge you to go out and buy this CD. Help keep Australian bluegrass music alive. This is an album worth collecting.

For a full track listing and some sample tracks on our previous post announcing the CD’s launch. Or you could simply visit Donal’s website.

Some good news for all you Bluestone Junction fans in Victoria, is that will be playing support for Uncle Earl at the East Brunswick Hotel, next Thursday, 11th March.

Pete Fidler tells us that the show kicks off at 8.30pm and that Donal Baylor is coming down from the ACT to join them. They will be playing a tune or two from Donal’s new CD.

It will be a great night of home-grown bluegrass and all-girl old timey music.
Tickets are available from Brunswick Music Festival office on ph: 03 93881460.

Here’s an update from Donal Baylor’s fiddle workshop in Melbourne next month. Two space have become available due to a late cancellation.  If you are interested you can contact Sean Kenan on  Phone: (03) 9380 5643  or email: seankenan@hotmail.com. The workshop fee is $60.

The workshop is at Fancy Yourself Fiddling located at 316 Park St., Carlton. The workshop will run from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on Saturday 13th March.

News from Donal Baylor is that he will be presenting a fiddle workshop in Melbourne next month that might be of interest.

The workshop is at Fancy Yourself Fiddling located at 316 Park St., Carlton. The workshop will run from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on Saturday 13th March.

Workshop space is limited to a maximum of six students participating.  The workshop fee is $60.  If you are interested you can contact Sean Kenan on  Phone: (03) 9380 5643  or email: seankenan@hotmail.com.

Sean is a great fiddle teacher for anyone in the Melbourne area.  He is particularly good with adults who want to take up the instrument.  Here’s a link to a recent article in The Age about him and his success with students.  The Age Newspaper link

Donal Baylor has been a sideman for acts as diverse and Mic Conway and Slim Dusty and also been an integral part of such bands as the Dancehall Racketeers and Bluegrass Parkway.  He’s been a two-time Australian fiddle champion and a recipient of a Kentucky Colonel honorary award.   Now, finally, he’s released his first solo CD.  This momentous bluegrass and old timey event features Donal on fiddle and guitar as well as some of our best pickers lending a hand.

I’m really proud that all the pickers are Victorian and it shows that we do have something meaningful to say – and hopefully it is worth hearing – Donal Baylor

The album, Town and Country Fiddler features Donal Baylor on fiddle and guitar with Steve Gilchrist – mandolin, Pete Fidler – Dobro, Mick Harrison – banjo, Hamish Davidson – banjo, Lachlan Davidson – mandolin, Andy Baylor – guitar, Mike St.Clair-Miller – double bass, Chris Jacobs – vocals, Ruth Hazleton – harmony vocals.

You’ll find “Donal Baylor – Fiddle” on a lot of albums produced over the last 25 odd years. This is Donal’s first attempt at one of his own. One may ask why this has taken so long. But when dealing with a man of Donal’s calibre, where there is an exceptional ability, there is also a countervailing humility and Donal would simply not be so presumptuous. His many, many fans – everyone who has played with him or sat in the audience, have clearly worn him down. So here we have it, Town and Country Fiddler, from one of the best of those that we know - John Taylor.

Track listing:

1. Daybreak in Dixie
2. Southern Aristocracy
3. White Rose Waltz
4. Goodbye to the Blues
5. Laughing Boy/Old Bell Cow
6. Farewell to Long Hollow
7. Town and Country Fiddler
8. Elzick’s Farewell
9. Fourteen Days in Georgia
10. I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow
11. Jekyll Island
12. The Waltz You Saved For Me
13. My Father’s Footsteps
14. Kansas City Railroad Blues
15. When I Grow Too Old to Dream

My Father’s Footsteps

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Farewell To Long Holow

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Goodbye To The Blues

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Here’s some news from Donal Baylor. I caught up with Donal when he made a brief appearance at this year’s Harrietville Festival playing with Bluegrass Parkway’s Tribute Show.

Donal is about to release a new CD which features him on fiddle and guitar. He is also joined by Hamish and Lachlan
Davidson, Steve Gilchrist, Chris Jacobs,  Mick Harrison, Mike St. Clair Miller, Ruth Hazleton, Andy Baylor and Pete Fidler. Pete Fidler also produced the CD.

As well as a new CD in the offing, Donal also announces that he will be playing at this year’s Cobargo Folk Festival with the reunion of Canberra’s The Department of Bluegrass and the Brunswick Music Festival with Bluestone Junction who are supporting US band Uncle Earl.

I was only able to make the Thursday night show at Harrietville recently, but I was amazed how big the crowd was on that night. It seems to get bigger every year and shows that the scene is in great shape.

I am presently putting the final touches to my CD, which should be released early in 2010. I am pretty pleased with it and think it has something that will please bluegrass and old timey music lovers and yet offers something a little different. It’s been a lot of fun planning, recording, and putting it all together and I’m really grateful for the help I have received from my friends - Donal Baylor.