Yesterday/Sunday, Barbara made arrangements for us to travel a few miles south to attend the Faculty Concert of the "American Roots" seminar at the Rock Ridge Music Center. What a day! It was a concert lasting more than 3 hours with several of the most-respected people of "American" music. The surroundings were rustic and beautiful. We had a personal tour of the center from a local citizen who trained there as a youth and has remained active with the center as an adult. There are a few pictures here, one with our local friend and guide. The "Back to the Future" professor is Stephen Wade, the director for the American Roots retreat. The guy with the baseball cap is Dick Weissman (Founder of the Journeymen (remember "500 Miles"?)). He is also a tenured professor at the U of CO School of Music. The big tall guy is national mandolin champion and flat-picking guitar expert Charlie Provenza. Also on the stage are fiddler and composer Max Wolpert; Cajun and Creole expert Sharon Arms; and virtuoso fiddler, guitarist, and banjoist Matt Brown.
The concert closed with the faculty and audience joining in to sing such ballads as "The Train they Call the City of New Orleans" and "Jambalaya Crawfish Pie"
These were NOT old artist reliving distant past memories. They are the elders, the mature artist of American Music, in their prime and still exploring, preserving, and teaching the genre.
Venue
Rustic setting for the Music Center
Our tour guide is a friend and local, Estes Park resident
Steven Wade, Banjo legend and preserver of American Roots music.
Dick Weissman, founder of "The Journeymen" and Tenured professor of Music at The University of Colorado.
The faculty playing together.
Here are a few links:
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