Hanneke Cassel Band

Concert
Hanneke Cassel Band
Hanneke Cassel (fiddle), Keith Murphy (guitar, vocals), Jenna Moynihan (fiddle, vocals)
Club Passim
Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA
May 9, 2024, 8pm

A highly adept Cape Breton inspired fiddler, Hanneke Cassel, was joined by two other wonderfully adept musicians, Jenna Moynihan, also a rockin’ fiddler, and Keith Murphy, a solid guitarist, to provide an evening of rousing and robust numbers. The repertoire hovered largely in the Cape Breton style realm, though the variations on that foundation were sometimes quite distant from that motif. Nonetheless, the idiom served as the anchor for most of the themes, providing the foundations for ballads, lullabys, jigs and reels throughout.

It was truly a pleasure to witness the verve and companionship these musicians exhibited – there was real joy and camaraderie evident in the fiddling partnership, and Murphy supplied a solid foundation for that. Both Cassel and Moynihan bounce with enthusiasm as they play, and their musical signals and interchanges are palpable and evident. When they play fast tunes in unison, or sometimes in parallel thirds, they do it with a wonderful joy and ease that gives the music a vivid and palpable energy.

In addition to working as part of Cassel’s band, both Murphy and Moynihan have recorded on their own, and there is a real sense, in this trio, of a group of individually established musicians who have come together with a sense of mutuality. In the comments between songs, it was sweet to hear Cassel note how she and Moynihan had met at a fiddle camp in Wisconsin some years back, when Cassel was a young adult and Moynihan was a teenager. Cassel said she was meandering about the camp and overheard two teenage girls playing fiddle beautifully together. One of them was Moynihan, and a friendship and collaboration began. It has clearly flourished into a wonderful musical partnership.

As well, Cassel noted that she had begun fiddling in the Texas style before she had ever encountered the Cape Breton style, but then went to a camp run by famous fiddlers Alasdair Frasier and Buddy McMaster and she was hooked. She said that Buddy McMaster was indeed the master of the Cape Breton style and both he and Frasier served as important early sources of inspiration.

Some notes on songs and performances:
Evacuation Day
It is quite something when these two women play together, with nice harmonies interleaved with unisons, very fast and entrancing. In the break, nice interplays and echoings, then striking accuracy playing in harmonic thirds. Richly exuberant, with evident enjoyment, supported by Keith Murphy’s solid guitar in the background.

Lovely Liddy
A bit more wandering and exploratory, perhaps an improvisation. Then it breaks into a more traditional motif, sedate and charming. It’s amazing what eloquence they get out of two violins. Hard to tell how much of this piece is traditional and how much is embellished.

Teegan’s Trip
This breaks into a jig, fast and energetic, then again in close harmony – beautiful!

Serendipity and Making Tracy Smile
Cassel noted that these pieces came from a kid of de Maupassant coincidence. As I heard the story, Cassel, in working with the Many Hopes organization encountered two married people who approached Cassel individually, without knowledge that the other was doing so, to write pieces for the other in honor of their anniversary. Consequently, Cassel wrote Serendipity for the man and Making Tracy Smile for the woman. Serendipity, smooth and gentle, with Moynihan’s fiddle coming in for mellow bass support. Making Tracy Smile is a real jig that takes off. Moynihan’s fiddle takes on the jig beautifully – she and Cassel play so well together – perky, with nice harmonies.

Along the way, Cassel pitches that Murphy has a new album – Bright as Amber which he will be rolling out in a gig at The Burren in Davis Square, Somerville, MA on June 9, 2024. As well, Cassel notes that Moynihan has recorded an album entitled Five Songs available also on bandcamp.com.

Across The Western Ocean
An immigration ballad, inspired by the movement from Ireland to the Rocky Mountains. Singing by Jenna – lovely. But interesting to think of how to manage singing while fiddling at the same time. Nice harmonies in vocals by Murphy. Low and slow. Doesn’t sound too traditional.

Commando
Keith Murphy noted that he came to Boston to check out the contradance scene, among other things, and was taken, as well, by Shape Note composition, of which Commando is an example. More modernist fiddle departures.

West Denmark
Cassel said this was her attempt to write a piece in 7/8. Kind of sweet and fun to count along in 7’s. Thoughtful rather than rollicking. Harmonized duet near the end very sweet.

A variety of other tunes filled out the evening, with terrific examples of the two fiddles playing in parallel harmonies.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)