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Vassar and
Ed Hunter, Jr. fiddling
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By Art Howard
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Photos by Bryan
Gay
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Like
so many others, I’m sure, I was introduced to Vassar’s
playing through the landmark three-record album Will
The Circle Be Unbroken by the Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band, recorded in Nashville in 1971. I
started playing banjo at age 18, in 1978, and was trying
to get my hands on anything,
any vinyl that contained good bluegrass banjo playing. Of
course, this meant stockpiling as much Earl Scruggs as I
could find, along with any other banjo players I had
heard or read about, and the Circle
album was a perfect introduction to this music for me. It
combined the young, hip crossover pop-country-rock
phenoms of the day, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with
their musical heroes from the Golden Age of the Grand Ole
Opry and recorded "hillbilly" music: Roy Acuff,
Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin,
and Earl Scruggs.
What I didn’t know about this record as I set the
needle down into the groove was that I was about to be
introduced to a fiddler who was at once the embodiment of
tradition and innovation. How could I fully appreciate
what I was hearing? How could I know that the addictive
voice, the fluid tone, the seamless yet earthy runs, all
combined to make up a new musical language that can only
be spoken by one. Just listen to the lonesome beauty of
Vassar’s fiddle with Doc Watson’s guitar and
singing on Jimmy Driftwood’s classic "Tennessee
Stud," not to mention the way the fiddle blends with
the harmonica of Jimmy McFadden to make a new sound.
Believe it or not, this was a brave undertaking for the
time, breathing new life into an old Eddie Arnold hit in
such a way that it became a new classic among the young
people of the day. Of course, Vassar’s rendition of
"Orange Blossom Special" on this record is THE
ONLY ONE, the blueprint for this showcase of fiddle
virtuosity.
Since that time, I went on to discover other
ground-breaking projects with Vassar’s indelible
stamp; most notably, I love the (eponymously-titled) Old
and In The Way album with Peter
Rowan, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman and John Kahn and
Steam-Powered Aeroplane with John Hartford, Tut Taylor,
and Norman Blake. In retrospect, there is no other
fiddler at this time in history who could combine a vast
knowledge of old-time, bluegrass, country, western swing,
big-band jazz, be-bop, and pop, with the depth of
creativity and innovation and versatility that Vassar
Clements has brought to his music.
Our only rehearsal with Vassar came on the day of the
show! We got together the day before and chose some
material we thought Vassar would enjoy, including some
songs he has previously recorded and others he has
written like "Kissimee Kid," which we rehearsed
with him but didn’t have time to perform. So we had
about three hours to go over arrangements with Vassar on
Friday afternoon before the show Friday night, and he was
so gracious and easy to work with.
Everyone in Blueground Undergrass is in awe of Vassar,
and we are constantly aware of the honor of having had a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with an icon. For
me as a fiddler, I had to mentally slap myself repeatedly
just to grasp the idea that I would be standing on stage
with this hero. Actually, up until the day of the show, I
really thought I would be offstage most of the evening in
order just to watch and listen and absorb. But Vassar was
so accepting and encouraging and gracious that he made me
feel like I had a contribution to make. This is the
unseen genius of Vassar Clements: his only love is the
purity of the music, not whether or not he is onstage
with a name player. He gave me the benefit of the doubt;
he let me play with him, as a peer! For this I will be
proud the rest of my life.
So, we were so excited to take the stage with Vassar, so
impressed with his energy, stamina, awesome playing
ability, and humbled by his graciousness.
Thank You, Vassar!
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