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Tommy Jarrell Festival slated this week

The annual Tommy Jarrell Festival gets underway later this week, with three days of workshops, lessons, competition, dancing and concerts to celebrate the musical legend who spent his life perfecting the Round Peak style of old time fiddle playing.

Jarrell, who lived from March 1, 1901 until Jan. 28, 1985, was known throughout the world of blue grass and old time music for his distinctive playing style. Many musicians from around the world made the sojourn to Surry County to study under his tutelage during his life, and some of those students, along with many fans, descend on the county each February for the festival, set for the final full weekend in February every year.

Old-Time workshops and classes are slated Thursday through Saturday.

On Thursday, the free Youth Traditional Arts Lessons will get under way at the Historic Earle Theatre. At 4:30 p.m. will be flatfoot dancing instructions, followed by fiddle at 5:30 p.m. and the guitar, banjo, and mandolin at 6:15 p.m.

Award-winning musician and teacher Jim Vipperman leads the instrument classes and Darius Flowers oversees the dance lessons. Instruments are provided if needed while available. Parents and guardians are welcome to stay and participate

On Friday, bluegrass and old-time master Wayne Erbsen will hold a beginning banjo workshop, followed by a concert. The workshop is 2 to 4 p.m., while the concert is 7 p.m., both at the Andy Griffith Museum Theatre. The workshop costs $35, with a $10 banjo rental for those who may need an instrument. The workshop and concert cost is $45. Those attending the concert only can expect to pay $12.

“As a musician, Wayne is a master of old-time, bluegrass, folk, Appalachian, cowboy, pioneer, railroad, and gospel music and music of the Civil War,” the Surry Arts Council said. He plays clawhammer and bluegrass banjo, fiddle, mandolin and guitar.

“Wayne has performed … across America and in western Europe. He has recorded many solo CDs and written dozens of music instruction books and songbooks. Wayne has won numerous prizes at fiddler’s conventions, including first place in clawhammer banjo (Galax, Virginia, 1973) and first place in senior old-time fiddler (Fiddler’s Grove, North Carolina, 2004).”

On Saturday, from 2 to 4 p.m. will be a series of old-time workshops in the Historic Earle Theatre, led by Emily and Martha Spencer, with a $25 cost per participant.

At 4 p.m. in the Earle will be one of the highlights of the annual gathering — the Tommy Jarrell Celebration Youth Competition. This is free to all youth who wish to take part, and categories include fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar, vocal, dance, and other (which includes all other instruments and bands), in two age levels: 5-12 and 13-18. Each contestant may enter only two categories. Contestants will have three minutes to perform and can have one accompanist, though no recorded backup is permitted.

Saturday evening at 7:30, again at the Historic Earle, will be the annual Tommy Jarrell Birthday Concert, featuring Whitetop Mountain Band.

“The Whitetop Mountain Band is a family-based band from the highest mountains of Virginia,” arts council officials said of this year’s concert artist. “Whitetop, Virginia is an area rich in the old-time music tradition; this band has deep roots in mountain music. The members have done much to preserve the Whitetop region’s style of old-time fiddling and banjo picking and are legendary musicians and teachers of the style. The band is currently led by Emily Spencer, who was a founding member of the group in the mid-1970s.”

Cost of the concert is $12.

For additional information or to enter the youth competition or purchase tickets for any of the events, visit https://www.surryarts.org/shows/tommyjarrell.html or call 336-786-7998. Tickets can also be purchased at the door prior to each show, if they are available.

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Source: https://www.mtairynews.com

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