Folklife Fieldnotes

In this episode of Folklife Fieldnotes, we ponder taking traditional Sephardic Jewish music into uncharted realms and how preserving the tradition, while expanding on it, is an essential way to introduce old music to new audiences.

With a lineage tracing back to the 1890s, Maxham Violins continues through Richard Maxham, the fifth generation in his family to carry on the legacy of making their instruments. He is currently apprenticing under Daniel Smith from Lynchburg, a master wood maker and violin maker through the 2022-2023 Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Class.

Punk music has held strong to the ethos of doing it yourself, or DIY for short. Very few punk bands make a living playing this music. In most of America, established venues for heavy music are few and far between. This is where the DIY ethos shines, and how houses become DIY music venues.

Katy Clune is Virginia’s state folklorist and the new director of the Virginia Folklife Program.

Dr. Rev. Edward Scott is the pastor at Allen Chapel AME Church in Staunton, VA. He’s also a jazz music enthusiast. He takes his love of jazz and combines it with his spiritual preaching at Allen Chapel’s “Jazz Worship Service.”

Mac Traynham is teaching Ashlee Watkins from Australia about the old time traditional music of Southwest Virginia.

Traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremonies are focal points for making connections with friends and loved ones. It’s not a small undertaking, with three servings of coffee paired with popcorn, barley and other baked goods after a multi-course lunch or dinner. Lemlem Gebray is teaching her daughters, Datta and Akeza Seyoum, in the Ethiopian coffee ceremony tradition for the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. In this Episode of Folklife Fieldnotes, we honor the coffee ceremony with Lemlem and her daughters.

Master of Brazilian capoeira, Yara Cordeiro, is apprenticing Ruthie Lezama of Reston, VA, in the 2021-2022 Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Class. Pat Jarret from Folklife recently went to a batizado, where they were honoring their students’ achievements and ranking in capoeira.

Earl White is a fiddler, founding member of the Green Grass Cloggers, and leader of the Earl White Stringband. He co-founded the Big Indian Farm Artisan Bakery in Floyd, VA, and is a influential person in the old-time music and dance community.

Skip Herman is a world-renowned instrument repairman from Frog Level Guitar Shop in Abingdon, Virginia. He's part of Folklife's 2021-2022 class of master artists and apprentices. Pat Jarrett from The Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities visited Skip in his repair shop and brings us his recollection of spending time with Skip.

WMRA's Chris Boros at Pat Jarrett from The Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities preview what's to come on Folklife Fieldnotes.