Darol Anger Fiddler

The first volume, Diary Of A Fiddler, was released on Compass Records in 1999 and featured me, Darol, accompanying a wide range of brilliant contemporary fiddlers in many of the styles which were exploding into popularity at the turn of the new century. I like to believe that it demonstrated fiddling’s deep relevance to just about every style of music. The duet format enabled my chosen duet partners and me to demonstrate a set of musical and fiddling skills that might have been unfamiliar to much of the music world prior to this release.

If Diary #1 was an expression of the recent coalescing of an international multi-stylistic fiddling community, Diary # 2 is a celebration of my particular connection to that community and a shared musical ethos within the acoustic string world.

This second volume, due out this year 26 years later, celebrates the brilliance of at least 3 generations of spectacularly skilled fiddlers with whom I’ve been privileged to work. This spectacular bloom of talent shows no sign of slowing down and is directly attributable to the ongoing effect of fiddle camps created by Jay Ungar, Alasdair Fraser, Mark O’Connor and others, which sparked Diary #1.

Each of my duet partners in Diary #2 is a former student or someone with whom I worked at some level of mentorship, whether a short or longer period. I feel a deep connection and admiration for all of the players on this recording, just as with Volume 1.

Though I hope to record more projects for many years, I consider this project, Diary Of a Fiddler #2, to be the clearest expression of any musical legacy I might leave to society, and if it happens to be the last thing I release, I think I can consider my work on this Earth complete.