Search - Gerry Milnes, Lorraine Lee Hammond :: Hell Up Coal Holler

Fantastic!

John Andrew Deskins | 01/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are very few widely available commercial recordings featuring Appalachian dulcimer and even fewer featuring dulcimer with fiddle, so this recording is a rare treat. Gerry Milnes, folklorist and fiddler, is featured here with Lorraine Lee Hammond on lap dulcimer in a collection of some of the most traditional music from the Appalachians.The music is haunting, beautiful and ancient. Each tune is from the repertoire of older West Virginia fiddlers that Milnes has studied (for more information on the origins of these pieces and where Milnes learned them, I would suggest Milnes book "Play of a Fiddle" or his documentary film, "Fiddles, Snakes & Dog Days."). Most of the tunes are not widely available on record, and some are very peculiar to West Virginia, such as Ernie Carpenter's "Shelvin' Rock." The wonderful, old scratchy fiddle sound is just gorgeous with the drone of the dulcimer, particularly on the modal tunes. It is a wonder to me that this combination has not been explored more. My favorites include "Flannery's Dream," "Give the Fiddler a Dram," "Cattle in the Cane," and "Shelvin' Rock."Highly recommended."