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Country Blues => Weenie Campbell Main Forum => SOTM - Song Of The Month => Topic started by: frankie on April 30, 2016, 03:07:54 PM

Title: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: frankie on April 30, 2016, 03:07:54 PM

The Song of the Month for April isn't properly a song at all, although we might have a tendency to think so. The title "Buck Dance" may make you think of one or two specific guitar pieces - we'll get to those later - but a Buck Dance is really just a type of flat-foot dancing related to clogging and tap. You can read a better description and definition here:

Links:
http://ncpedia.org/buck-dancing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clogging

Buck dancing and clogging are forms of dance that cut across racial lines. If this kind of thing makes you curious, you might enjoy the documentary Talking Feet:

http://www.folkstreams.net/film,121

Some points of specific interest for the country blues nerd include:

• starting at 5:55 or so - discussion from a mixed group of North Carolina dancers
• Algia Mae Hinton at 16:31 - playing guitar behind her head AND buck dancing!
• John Dee Holeman at 43:02

Musically speaking, there's no specific piece of music that is meant to accompany buck dancing and rather than denoting a 'specific piece' at all, a musical piece by that title seems to indicate that the musician is going to 1) show off their own prowess on the instrument, and 2) play in such a way as to let the dnacers show off as well. That might mean single-note runs, stop-time, imitations of dancing by tapping or clapping...  maybe even dancing and playing simultaneously. The pieces that follow actually have very little in common... some of these might be surprising to you and others, like the examples from Mississippi John Hurt, Libba Cotten and of course Sam McGee and Reverend Gary Davis will be familiar friends.

In general I expected these pieces to have a 'raggy' quality and I suppose you could say that's true where the guitar is the instrument in question. I did include a breakdown from Mississippi fiddler Enos Canoy and a stellar banjo showpiece from Hobart Smith. You'll also find dance accompanied only by percussion and a harmonica piece. All in all, I think you'd have to say that these all represent the unique imaginations of each of the performers. Some of these were a real surprise to me - like the recording by Lil' Son Jackson... I really didn't think he had anything like that in him at all!

Most of these pieces are pretty short - it shouldn't take you more than a half hour to get through all 14 of these and by the end of it, you may have a very different idea of how to approach a 'buck dance' piece yourself the next time you sit down with one of your instruments.

Enjoy!

ps: I would be remiss if I did not add that this is Rev. Davis's birthday...  Happy Birthday, Rev. Davis and thank you for the music!

Tracks

Georgia Fife & Drum Band - Buck Dance	http://picosong.com/KQHX
Horace Sprott - Buck Dance	http://picosong.com/KQHB
Enos Canoy - Buck Dancing Charlie	http://picosong.com/KQHt
Hobart Smith - Buck Dance	http://picosong.com/KQUy
Hobart Smith - Clog Dance With Guitar	http://picosong.com/KQUX
Horace Sprott & Harry Rutledge - Buck Dance	http://picosong.com/KQUx
Algia Mae Hinton - Buck Dance	http://picosong.com/KQdX
Jesse Fuller - Buck and Wing	http://picosong.com/KQdr
Melvin "Lil' Son" Jackson - Buck Dance	http://picosong.com/KQrc
Scott Dunbar - Buck Dance By Joe Tucker	http://picosong.com/KQr9
Mississippi John Hurt - Stop Time (Buck Dance)	http://picosong.com/KQrg
Elizabeth Cotten - Buck Dance	http://picosong.com/KQrK
Sam McGee - Buck Dancer's Choice	http://picosong.com/KQrH
Reverend Gary Davis - Buck Dance	http://picosong.com/KQGF

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Prof Scratchy on May 01, 2016, 03:00:51 AM

Lots of fine tracks there, frankie! And a different take on SOTM. Many things there that were new to me.
https://youtu.be/AAqiKtc5ags
https://youtu.be/Bp2FOVW4mnQ

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Lastfirstface on May 01, 2016, 08:17:14 AM

Great subject. Another one is the "buck dance" piece Mance Lipscomb recorded a few times. He plays it at the end of this recording:

https://youtu.be/cvz76fgZzhY

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: harriet on May 01, 2016, 10:16:05 AM

Thanks Frankie. A little something from Precious Bryant to practice to:

http://youtu.be/6qCDo6rFoO0

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: JRO on May 01, 2016, 10:52:14 AM

Here is Mississippi John Hurts Stocktime  aka Buck dance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFN-qF7v_zI)

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Lignite on May 01, 2016, 12:06:46 PM

Another recording of Algia Mae Hinton's Buck Dance from 1985; http://picosong.com/KhfF

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Johnm on May 02, 2016, 06:56:26 AM

Thanks for putting the topic together, Frank and for posting all of those versions.  I'd not heard Hobart Smith's "Clog dance With guitar" before.  Man, that is beautiful--his time was like a river.  Thanks to the other posters, too.  Hayes McMullan had a version of "Stockwell" which John Hurt also recorded, both as "Stockwell" and "Buck Dance", that will appear on his forthcoming album.  Something to look forward to.
All best,
Johnm

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Zoharbareket on May 06, 2016, 12:39:07 PM

Interesting!!

thank you Frank and all!


Z

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: uncle bud on May 07, 2016, 08:28:06 AM

Nice choice, Frank, never heard the Lil' Son Jackson track before.

Bill Williams had a fingerbusting buck dance as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQmgFUCkYis

John Jackson has a version of what he called Buckdancer's Choice. You can find it on Don't Let Your Deal Go Down as "Flat Foot and Buck Dance". But here's another medley where he demonstrates these and other country dance pieces. Flat Foot is first, then Buck Dancer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtY09-MJDck

Can't wait to hear Hayes McMullan, John!

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Johnm on May 07, 2016, 08:48:13 AM

Yes, I'm really looking forward to the Hayes project being out too, uncle bud.

Here's a version of Buckdancer's Choice played by John Cohen on guitar and Tracy Schwarz on spoons from the New Lost City Ramblers album "Gone To The Country".

https://youtu.be/jDJYHC549Og

And "Buckdancer's Choice #2" by Mark Spoelstra:

https://youtu.be/nKRTGICprl4

All best,
Johnm

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Lastfirstface on May 07, 2016, 11:49:11 AM

I thought I'd try MJH's Buck Dance on banjo and had some fun getting it under my fingers. I threw in a bit of the Chicken Reel bit from the Mance Lipscomb recording. Just a quick and sloppy take:

https://youtu.be/FS4IsdYNQA8

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: uncle bud on May 07, 2016, 05:17:34 PM

nicely done, LFF. Great feel.

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Lastfirstface on May 08, 2016, 02:56:20 PM

Thanks, Uncle Bud.

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: frankie on May 08, 2016, 03:11:59 PM

That's right in the spirit, Pete - fantastic. Thanks for posting.

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Lastfirstface on May 09, 2016, 08:49:31 AM

Thanks, Frankie. I've got a decent version of Louis Collins worked out for banjo too, I'll have to try to get it on video. I like approaching MJH's C tunes in "low bass tuning" on banjo, it seems to suit them.

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Johnm on May 09, 2016, 11:09:50 AM

Nice job, Pete, and the melody comes through so clear.
All best,
Johnm

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: banjochris on May 09, 2016, 01:35:58 PM

A great banjo buck dance! Love it!
Chris

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Lastfirstface on May 09, 2016, 03:40:50 PM

Honorary Buck Dance piece?

https://youtu.be/ICU6Vw-O_Ow

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Johnm on September 15, 2016, 11:48:39 AM

Hi all,
I thought it would be fun to do my own version of "Buckdancer's Choice".  Here it is.
All best,
Johnm

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Lastfirstface on September 15, 2016, 07:04:44 PM

Really nice, John. Thanks for posting that.

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Johnm on September 16, 2016, 06:59:27 AM

Thanks for the good words, Pete, I'm glad you liked it.
All best,
Johnm

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: eric on September 16, 2016, 09:35:59 AM

That's a sweet arrangement, John.  I just got the go ahead to start playing, and I was mulling over, with some trepidation, what to try first so... Buckdancer's Choice was it.  The hand is still pretty stiff, especially the little finger, but I think it'll be ok.

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Johnm on September 16, 2016, 11:02:20 AM

Thanks, Eric.  I'm glad to hear that your hand is healing up, and that you're able to start getting back to playing again--that's good news!
All best,
Johnm

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Pan on September 22, 2016, 02:53:02 PM

A very nice arrangement, John, with some tasty chord changes. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Cheers

Pan

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Mr.OMuck on September 22, 2016, 05:08:47 PM

Another rather sloppy Buckdance ..but in the spirit.. :D

http://picosong.com/TEa3 (http://picosong.com/TEa3)[/size][/font]

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Johnm on September 23, 2016, 06:21:54 AM

Thanks, Pan!
All best,
Johnm

Title: Re: SOTM April 2016: Buck Dance
Post by: Mark Miller on October 03, 2016, 10:40:22 AM

Thanks to Pete, John, and Mr. O'Muck for three great versions of such a fun song!