June 5, 2008 issue
Award-Winning Duo Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder Return to the High Country June 14
Story by Sally Treadwell
Find a classically trained violinist who has turned rebellion into an art form by winning the U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship. Have him fall in love with a dexterous mandolin and cello player. Whisper up a purifying wind to strip away extraneous accompaniments from their cache of age-old Celtic and Breton melodies. And then send them off to make a CD.
Pretty soon you have Zephyr in the Confetti Factory that just won Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder the Vox Populi vote in the World Traditional category of the Independent Music Awards. The CD’s quirky title is a radical departure from the conservative name of Laval’s solo debut album, Shades of Green.
“The idea is that there are these musical shards, little scraps of music, and a wind sweeps in from the west and swirls everything around and makes something new,” said Laval. “We were throwing out possible titles—I just blurted it out, and we both busted out laughing. But then we kept coming back to it—the fun and the whimsy of it.”
But is the music a radical departure, too?
Fans might have thought that Laval’s relationship with Broder would bring a looser sound to their music. Not at all. Instead, he said, their music has become tighter, with a rhythmic precision and finesse. The result is very different from the more lush sound of Shades of Green.
“It’s just Ashley and me, presenting ultra-stripped down melodies. The arrangements are very careful, very sparse—almost harmony-free. It’s not the usual melody with backup accompanists, but counterlines are woven in and out of the material almost like an accompaniment. Some of the songs are slow and tender, some are fast and energetic, but the focus is on the original melody. Back when these tunes were first performed they didn’t need drums or guitars, and you can hear more of the detail with a sparser melody.”
What remains the same, however, are the passion and sense of joy that come through in even the most yearning piece and that have won the couple a very loyal fan base as well as critical acclaim.
The duo is in the middle of recording a new CD that they hope to release around Christmastime. About two-thirds of the tracks are old tunes that were written solely for bagpipes, and Laval is enjoying the challenge of bringing the music to life.
“The bagpipes have two disadvantages as an instrument. First, you can’t play the same two notes in a row—they just become one long note—and over the centuries musicians have turned that problem into an advantage by creating remarkable ornamentation. It has become a high art. Secondly, you can only play nine different notes. That gives bagpipes a haunting, almost melancholy sound that everyone associates with the wide open spaces of Scotland. We’re determined to preserve that quality.”
This CD will have a judicious amount of bass or guitar backup, and a couple of tracks will have an overdub of bagpipe music.
Laval and Broder play in a wide variety of venues, from concert halls to large festivals to tiny salons. Each setting requires the artist to bring something different to the table, Laval said, and ultimately brings new qualities and wider expression to their playing.
“An intimate setting like a living room is certainly fantastic; you can really hear the natural vibrating quality of the sound,” said Laval. “In a concert hall you have a very astute and focused audience. The only difficulty is when things are so formal that people don’t feel they can even tap their feet. We really encourage people to move around in the aisles.
“Then at an outdoor festival, the tone can just evaporate into the ether and we have to compete with all the other distractions—we have to really pound out the sound and supersize everything.”
But learning how to play festivals has taught them how to occasionally step on the gas in a concert hall. And audiences, he thinks, really appreciate that much wider swing of emotion.
High Country audiences will soon be able to decide which they prefer, the concert hall setting or the salon setting. Laval and Broder will perform first at the Blowing Rock School Auditorium for the Mountainhome Music concert series on Saturday, June 14, at 8:00 p.m. Purchase tickets by calling 828-964-3392 or click to www.mountainhomemusic.com. The next day, Sunday, June 15, they will perform at the much more intimate River House Salon in Grassy Creek at 4:00 p.m. For ticket info, call 336-982-2109.
Want To Go?
What: Jamie Laval/Ashley Broder Concert
Date: Saturday June 14
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Blowing Rock School Auditorium
Cost: $12.50 in advance/$15 at the door
Want To Go?
What: Jamie Laval/Ashley Broder Concert
Date: Sunday, June 15
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: River House, Grassy Creek NC
Cost: Call 336-982-2109 for info
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