Kaufman Kamp 2012 Week 2: Who's Going?

[Rick Schmidlin]

Attention Kampers: There will be mando content in the open microphone tonight! Kristin, Rob, Thomas and I will be playing a Telemann concerto just to shake things up a little.

WOW what a great concerto, loved it!

[pickloser]

Kamp was nearly perfect for me this year. I took Sally Jones's vocal class. She is a charming and gifted teacher, and my classmates were a total hoot. Don Rigsby gave me great pointers on lead breaks in a Master Class--what a nice fellow--and I got to sing with him--woohoo. Got really irked when I had to give away my slot in Emory Lester's Master Class to handle the snafu that occurred when the AC in Carnegie went out.

I wasn't in the mood to sit thru a bunch of mandolin classes, but I got to play for hours each day. No rain last week, so the jammin spread out over campus. I did a better job this year of maximizing playing time, while still getting the minimum amount of sleep to continue functioning. I played with Cafe friends Celia and Wayne and Jbrwky (what a player!) and Gutbucket (yum yum margaritas) and met Rick Crenshaw (hi Rick!). WGlide was again one of my favorite playmates. Saw a lot of MCafe hats there. Ran into Phi V. and Brad and Rob all the time, but I think we were playing in different circles. Got a compliment from Beppe Gambetto on my tone and kept a stupid grin on my face for hours. (Come to think of it, stupid grin may have been my default face all week.) Celia got to play an O'Carolan piece with Chris Newman, and I got to play a swing tune with him and a hot young mandolin player, and one of my favorite kampers, Nicole.

Kristin impressed me twice at open mikes, once with her f-style and another time with her bowlback. If you don't mind, Kristin, would you post the names of the pieces you did with the F?

Alas, music world turns into regular world all too soon.
Hope everyone got home safe and sound.
See you folks next year.

[Mandobike]

I agree with ya, Pickloser--this might have been the best Kamp year yet. I'm crashing from the Kamp High right now, and am really bummed that it's over for another year! Oh, well, the OATS (Out Among the Stars) bluegrass festival--an hour and a half from here--is coming up this weekend. Hopefully, I'll get some jamming in there--although there always seems to be a surplus of bass players at any bluegrass event up north here. One more reason to retire to NC.

I seem to have finally figured out how to find a bunch of jams at Kamp, and simply ran from one to the next! Wayne and I spent quite a bit of good time with Nicole and her dad, Kirk (playing with Nicole and Chris Newman for the open mic was one of the highlights of the week. Of course, I was playing recorder--not mandolin; tsk, tsk!) The Carnegie Basement Jams offered some HONKIN' bluegrass with Ed Watkins, John Barron, wglide, and others (and the night Charlie the Maintenance Man--banjo picker and singer extraordinaire--was there was over the top).

My only regret is that I didn't get to play and sing with Gutbucket and Jbrwky more--we had a brief jam Sunday afternoon, and I didn't get to jam with them again. Next year, guys, hit the Carnegie basement and pick!

And yes, I think I even learned a little more on the mandolin! Moving into double stops is starting to become a little more intuitive to me; I'm starting to get away from playing just single-note stuff.

Only 300 and ? days until we're back at Kamp!

Celia

[wglide]

Hey Kampers,
I sure echo what everyone is writing. Boy what a great and talented bunch of folks gathered to pick and sing around some wonderful cosmic metronome. I'm not sure if the pickin or the fellowship is the best.I think that we're all figuring out our niches and heving a ball. My only regret is not getting to pick with everyone. Wish that we had more hours in the day during that week. I ain't getting any better but I sure am enjoying it more! My best to all you fabulous folks and remind me to tell ya'll about our road with Charlie--- hopefully next year we'll all join up again. John J(wideglide)

[Nicole Pey]

I agree, best kamp yet! Can't believe it was already my fifth year. Thanks for the compliment pickloser! I'm glad we got to perform that night. It was so fun and gave me a chance to play my tenor guitar. I always love playing swing tunes with you. What should we work on for next year? And Celia, I'm glad you brought your recorder! My renaissance music director at school will be so excited when I tell her about it. Not to mention that it was incredible to perform with Chris Newman twice. He's such a great musician and a nice guy. Wayne and Celia thanks for letting me borrow your Old Wave and try out your other mandos. Your Poe got us a jam with Roland White. Score. Then there's the Memphis Connection but that's another story.

Good seeing and jamming with everyone again this year. I always look forward to kamp.

P.S. Just doubled my number of posts! Woohoo

[KristinEliza]

Certainly a great time...as always. I didn't jam as much this year, sadly. Too much stress at work the previous weeks so my chops were out of shape. I will make sure to be prepared next year! Of course, the highlight for me is always listening to all the music. I could sit in the 'Memphis Room' and listen to Rick Crenshaw and Jim Phillips sing all day long!

@Pickloser - the tunes in the set that Jim Turpin and I played at open mic were: Reel Beatrice, Carpathian, Catharsis. I'm sure you can find those at www.thesession.org

If there are any of you that are not great TAB readers (like me), I put Emory's tune into standard notation. If anyone wants it, just PM me.

[Mandobike]

Hey, Nicole! Next year I'll bring the recorder again, along with some more O'Carolan music (I know I have more of it buried around here somewhere). Maybe I can dig up some cool Renaissance music, too. The poor Kaufman camp audience--subjected to our distinctly non-bluegrass selections! Ah, well, it's all music, and all fun. Looking forward to playing with you again next year.....and say hi to your dad from us!

[Mandobike]

P.S.--Hey, all you Kampers, the 2013 SKAK faculty is already posted. Lookin' good. John J, I can't wait a year to hear the Charlie story!

[Phil Vinyard]

It was an amazing year! So much information to take in. I'm still trying to sort through John Moore's Landmarks for pentatonic improvisation.

Played through a bunch of classical stuff with Kristin, Rob and Thomas--even some mandolin orchestra stuff. I've got a video of the Telemann that we performed during open mike on Friday I'll get edited and posted sometime. And got to play Kristin's bowl back mando and lust more for one myself.

Enjoyed seeing my mandolin teacher, Bruce Graybill, in action as faculty. He's the one responsible for getting them all to play the "Theme from The Flintstones" as their final song.

Thursday night even had Andy Hatfield crash our Beeson Village apartment jam. A totally cool guy--hope he gets to come back again.

I don't think Brad (my roomie) and I hit the sack before 1:30 anytime. We began to really treasure that little gap between lunch and the afternoon class--nap time!

Anyway, as of today only 355 more days until Kamp next year! Really looking forward to seeing everybody again.

[Rick Crenshaw]

Hey, Kamp was great again! I have to hit the Carnagie Bluegrass jam next year. Missed picking with John. It was fun seeing Kristin and Nicole and meeting Pickloser. I guess I picked a little with Mandobike (recorder, right?). She was laying down the bass on some tunes up in the 1/2Twisted Pair's lair. Our Beeson jam had quite a few instructors come by to jam. It got really hot one night with two Winfield flat pickers and Garry from Canada going off on his Heiden. Big Fun.

[Rick Schmidlin]

Me again, this made me really miss playing mando but my flatpicking went well and over the last no more ear ringing.I was lucky Wed-Fri to sit in the front row and record on my Zoom all three concerts.Play them at home and makes it feel like Kamp is still hear with my new lessons from Beppi/Adam,Andy (also a great mando player)Wayne,Chris and John. A years work indeed! Gabale Hall had Jams to two and my roomate Tommy had his Sam Bush out at 6:30 AM and that is way to wake up. Can't wait to next year.

[Phil Vinyard]

And here I am at my staff meeting today leading my nurses in a rousing chorus of Kieth Yoder's song, "When It's Hog Calling Time In Nebraska." Oh, the useful things you learn while at Kamp!

[Rick Schmidlin]

"When It's Hog Calling Time In Nebraska." Oh, the useful things you learn while at Kamp!

It was Ira Rosenbergs tune that we all sang during his show.

[Mike Bunting]

It was Ira Rosenbergs tune that we all sang during his show.

I'd put my money on it being Ivan Rosenberg's song.

[Rick Schmidlin]

I'd put my money on it being Ivan Rosenberg's song.

Sorry for the mis spell, yep it was him on Dobro :First verse him twice then all, then ladies,the guys, then all with Ivan.

It was a hit a recorded it.

[CrazyMandolin]

Good times, everybody! Lots of fun picking and carrying on all week.

Until next time,
Jake

[John Ritchhart]

Wow, thanks everyone I had a great time this year as well. I loved picking with Celia and Wayne and thanks for the compliment Laura. It means a lot to me coming from you. Got to stay in Beeson this year and that'll spoil ya. Don't think we left the room any of the nights, the jams just kept coming to us. Gutbucket and I roomed together and for you fans of snoring it was the perfect storm. He sounds like elephants making love and he said I sounded like a swimming pool pump cavitating. We are obviously meant to be roomates. I didn't get to play with Nicole this year, she's getting too good for me. I sat next to Crenshaw in most of the classes and had fun exchanging quizical looks with him in John's and Emory's classes. As in "What the....???" Rick always does his Aw shucks act about not knowing anything and then just tears it up when he plays. Disgusting. Anyway thanks everyone for the great time. When we get together again I'll tell you the story of the hot little fiddle player that came over one night. She is really great. Laura, let's get together and play "Just Because" again. Celia, when you're ready to talk to someone about real estate give me a call. I know a guy.... Everyone is invited to come stay with us if you're ever in western N.C. We have plenty of room. See youens.