Tommy Jarrell
Encyclopedia
Tommy Jarrell was an American
fiddle
r, banjo
player, and singer from the Mount Airy
region of North Carolina
's Appalachian Mountains.
for the North Carolina Highway Department
until his retirement in 1966), Jarrell was an influential musician, eventually attracting attention from Washington D.C. when he received the National Endowment for the Arts
' National Heritage Fellowship
in 1982.
Jarrell's style was notable for its expressive use of syncopation
and sliding ornamentation
, and he was adept at singing while playing. His formidable technique and rough timbre continue to influence modern aficionados of Appalachian old-time music
and in particular the Round Peak
style of clawhammer
banjo.
In his later years, Jarrell lived in the small unincorporated community of Toast, North Carolina
. His life is documented in two films by Les Blank
, listed below.
He got his first fiddle with ten dollars he got from his grandpa. That fiddle is now in the Smithsonian Institution
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
r, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player, and singer from the Mount Airy
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,388.-History:Mount Airy was settled in the 1750s as a stagecoach stop on the road between Winston-Salem and Galax, Virginia. It was named for a nearby plantation...
region of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
's Appalachian Mountains.
Biography
Although he made his living from road construction (operating a motor graderGrader
A grader, also commonly referred to as a road grader, a blade, a maintainer, or a motor grader, is a construction machine with a long blade used to create a flat surface. Typical models have three axles, with the engine and cab situated above the rear axles at one end of the vehicle and a third...
for the North Carolina Highway Department
North Carolina Highway System
The North Carolina Highway System consists of a vast network of Interstate highways, U.S. routes, and state routes, managed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation...
until his retirement in 1966), Jarrell was an influential musician, eventually attracting attention from Washington D.C. when he received the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
' National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
in 1982.
Jarrell's style was notable for its expressive use of syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
and sliding ornamentation
Ornament (music)
In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note...
, and he was adept at singing while playing. His formidable technique and rough timbre continue to influence modern aficionados of Appalachian old-time music
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
and in particular the Round Peak
Round Peak, North Carolina
Round Peak is a small unincorporated community in Surry County, North Carolina, United States, near Mount Airy, North Carolina with an elevation of 1,280 feet...
style of clawhammer
Clawhammer
Clawhammer is a highly rhythmic banjo playing style and common component of American old-time music. The principal difference between clawhammer style and other styles is the picking direction...
banjo.
In his later years, Jarrell lived in the small unincorporated community of Toast, North Carolina
Toast, North Carolina
Toast is a census-designated place in Surry County, North Carolina, United States, located just west of Mount Airy, North Carolina. The population was 1,922 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Toast is located at ....
. His life is documented in two films by Les Blank
Les Blank
Les Blank is an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians....
, listed below.
He got his first fiddle with ten dollars he got from his grandpa. That fiddle is now in the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
Legacy
An annual Tommy Jarrell Festival, established in 2002, is held in Mount Airy, North Carolina.http://www.surryarts.org/main/displaypage.php?page=news/tommyjarrellfestival.htmlhttp://surryart.ipower.com/main/displaypage.php?page=aboutus/sacschedule.htmlFilms
- 1983 - Sprout Wings and Fly. Produced and directed by Les Blank, CeCe Conway, and Alice Gerrard. El Cerrito, California: Flower Films.
- 1994 - My Old Fiddle: A Visit with Tommy Jarrell in the Blue Ridge. Directed by Les Blank. El Cerrito, California: Flower Films. ISBN 0-933621-61-2.
Selected discography
- 1976 - Sail Away Ladies. Tommy Jarrell. County RecordsCounty RecordsCounty Records also expanded into the bluegrass music genre, although Freeman preferred those artists who stayed the closest to their old-time roots. The label's first bluegrass release was 1965's Blue Ridge Bluegrass featuring Larry Richardson and the Blue Ridge Boys.-Related businesses:Freeman...
- 1986 - Been Riding with Old Mosby. Frank Bode with Tommy Jarrell and Paul Brown. Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
External links
- Jarrell commemorated in the Old Time Fiddler's Hall of Fame. Includes sound file.
- Donny Mussel's Tommy Jarrell page
- Field Recorders Collective To find a superb collection of CDs of American traditional styles; including Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham, music from private collections now made available to the public
- Been Riding with Old Mosby Album Details at Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
- http://www.folkstreams.net/film,128 Appalachian Journey: PBS film with a segment on Jarrell