Fiddle and Violins: Stringed Quartet

Jay Unger and Molly Mason: Ashokan Farewell

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Still on the Hill: Round Barn

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It's a Beautiful Day: White Bird

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GrooveLily: Gotham City Breakdown

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Whether Cajun, country, jazz, classical or rock, the fiddle/violin is my favorite instrument in the world - I should have posted a song a day for this right-up-my-musical alley theme, but I started a new job in an accounting firm two months ago... and we are heavily immersed in tax season!

However, the IRS deadline is April 18 this year and I am beginning to see the proverbial end-of-the-tunnel light - a vision of my newfound freedom has prompted me to share this quartet of favorites:

~ Jay and Molly's signature tune of loss and longing was showcased in Ken Burns' The Civil War - it brings me to tears each and every time I hear it...

~ Still on the Hill went from a foursome to a duo, but Donna's fiddle (and broad smile and bare feet) remains a constant - her joy of playing is only matched by those listening and watching...

~ It's a Beautiful Day will always remind me of my high school years - the soaring violin solo is part-escape/part-climax...

~ I had the sincere pleasure of hosting GrooveLily in a house concert in November 2001 - Valerie's Viper is going strong, composing for musical theater these days...

P.S. My graphic is a gorgeous quilted piece made by my friend Elizabeth Crisfield, who is quite a fine fiddler in her own right!

Leftovers (Fruits and Vegetables): Homegrown Tomatoes

Guy Clark: Homegrown Tomatoes

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Jay Ungar & Molly Mason: Homegrown Tomatoes

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Like several others of our hardy band here at Star Maker Machine, I start each week by compiling a quick list of likely candidates for the week's theme; from there, I generally dip in as time allows and the whim hits. It's a useful method, I guess, but it sure does leave a lot of good songs hanging at week's end, especially when I've been busy.

Today seemed like a good day to ketchup on a few old playlists, just to see what I missed. So I set the ol' music manager to shuffle, closed my eyes, clicked on a random playlist, and figured I'd just post whatever came up. And to my utter delight, up comes Fruits and Vegetables week, and Texas troubadour Guy Clark, live and grinning, singing of the juicy sensualities of summer's harvest just as the snow finally starts falling outside my New England windows. Yeah, that's a keeper.

Jay and Molly's cover is a swingin' set, too. And why not pick a bonus tomato song, while the fruit's on the vine?

Pink Martini: Hang On Little Tomato

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