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New recording from fiddle veteran

Area fiddler JJ Guy has a new disc fans will want to seek out.

Area fiddler JJ Guy has a new disc fans will want to seek out.

Following the success of their first collaboration disc, ‘Twin Fiddles’ which garnered a Western Canadian Music Award Nomination, Gordon Stobbe and JJ Guy have released their second album simply titled, ‘Twin Fiddles 2’.

Following the success of Twin Fiddles 1 which received the WCMA nomination, Twin Fiddles 2 “continues a quilt work of original tunes” which capture the pair’s “Canadian home land and its many hidden corners of wonder,” said Guy.

The material for the new disk came together during a focused time of collaboration.

“The writing process took place over eight days in Gordon Stobbe’s studio in Nova Scotia,” said Guy. “The eight days of writing were attempting to capture the spirit of the places or the people each tune was written for.

“Each tune was inspired by the travels we have made while traveling together across Canada, in a musically melodic way, each tune tells a story …

“I draw my inspiration from a large range of places, but my inspiration comes from creating new music.”

On a broader musical plain Guy said he draws from a number of influences.

“My early influences were other fiddlers that I grew up listening to, such as Don Messer, Graham Townsend, Ward Allen, Kenny Baker, etc,” he said.

Guy, originally from a small farm between Invermay and Lintlaw going to high school in Invermay, began playing at an early age.

“I started playing music when I was seven-years-old,” he noted. “My first instrument was the fiddle and I learned to play guitar a few years later. I got my start in music from my sister who played fiddle before I did, my great uncle was also an early influence in my playing. I played in a family band with my two sisters growing up and later played in a country band called Highway 49.”

The award winning fiddler competed in and won many fiddling competitions around the prairies including the Saskatchewan Junior & Novice Fiddling Championship.

It was a case of learning on-the-go.

“I don’t have a musical degree of any kind but I have learned a lot just by studying music on my own and getting advice from my peers, you might say persistence pays off,” he offered. “A big chunk of my music education has come from performance and time spent with my instrument.”

Today he draws from more than old-timer fiddle.

“However my influence now include a broad range of artists and genres.

“It influences me to write tunes outside of the box a bit.”

After the tunes were written it took about three months to complete the recording and mastering.

As for a personal favourite, Guy said that is a hard choice to make.

“I cannot say that I have a personal favourite, I equally enjoy playing and listening to each tune,” he offered. “Each tune draws on a certain memory on the person or place on which the tune was written for, which makes each song special for me.”

Much of the winter months JJ works teaching fiddle to youth in Manitoba through the Frontier School Division, and often can be found giving workshops for The Kole Crook Fiddle Association in the NWT, details his website. He has been featured at festivals, concerts and fiddle camps all across Canada from New Brunswick to British Columbia and all stops in between. This extensive work schedule allows him to meet many fans, consequently, this has made him an attraction on the Canadian fiddle circuit!

His previous fiddle albums, Nothing But Blue Skies (2005), Cadillac (2007), Fiddler (2009) and Old Time Dance (2011) Traveler’s Jig (2014) are full of lively traditional and original fiddle music

The new album is available at my website, www.jjguy.ca