Essence of Old Kentucky CD

Roger Cooper

"Essence of Old Kentucky"

Rounder 0533

Released 05/02/2006

    "At one time one of the richest veins of fiddle music to be encountered anywhere in the United States was found in rural Lewis County, Kentucky, a pleasant region of wooded hills that borders the Ohio River at the top of the state. There African-American blues inflections introduced syncopation into uplifting square dance rhythms; melancholy shadings of a mountain cast crept into old British melodic stock. Roger Cooper is one of our last homegrown players who has mastered this demanding music, in which the pioneer stirrings of America's distinctive musical forms can be first heard."

    This fully loaded CD contains 34 tracks of authentic old-time fiddle tunes with extensive 32 pages of notes included on the CD itself in PDF format. Roger's fiddlin' is mostly accompanied by Robin Kessinger on Guitar with Michael Garvin playing Upright Bass and occasional guitar.