Mountain Music: Henry Reed Memorial Convention at Newport VA

What a treat, the 12^th annual Henry Reed Memorial Convention held June 13-14, 2014 in Newport VA. Every fiddle convention has a special flavor and this one is intimacy. Newport was a new location for the festival and for a newcomer it appeared to be the perfect setting. Henry Reed was an old-time fiddler from Glen Lyn VA who learned tunes from several sources. Alan Jabbour collected his tunes in the 1970s and saved many tunes from obscurity. A section of the articles in the Library of Congress is dedicated to traditional US music where Henry Reed is prominently placed.

Festival Grounds at Newport VA

The grounds opened on Wednesday afternoon and we arrived Thursday to discover we were the fourth group to arrive. Before us were another camper, a judge, and the organizers. Thus after we set-up camp Bill assisted Terry (organizer) with a few tasks. I circulated the area meeting other musicians as they arrived and eventually followed the sidewalk into the scenic town of Newport.

It is a short walk to town

After a bit a jam started at the PennVaTenn camp. This was the place to be Thursday evening with many smiles and good tunes. As other campers arrived they joined the group. So between breaks and camp cores there was a revolving group of musicians adding flavor and interest. The low-key friendly ambiance continued through the weekend.

Vendor tent with banjos and fiddles

One reason to arrive on Thursday was Alan Jabbour's fiddle workshops which happened Friday and Saturday 10-12 AM. Alan is an enthusiastic teacher who strives to meet the skill levels and needs of each participant. Alan's confidence has you playing a new tune each hour which means four new-to-you Henry Reed tunes! Not that I own these tunes (yet) but I have a good start.  And, yes there was a small charge for the workshops.

Sampling the banjos

Friday evening there area performances from 5 to 10 PM, both old-time and bluegrass. Saturday afternoon the fun begins with contests which run until 10 PM or the last band competes. Yes, I entered two categories: folk songs and old-time banjo.  Well, others took both contests but that's OK, I won because I entered.

The Stage at Newport

It was a fun weekend and not because Friday was a full-moon and the 13th.  

Put this event on your calendar for 2015.