So last Monday August 5th was the 52nd anniversary of the birth of fiddle player/violinist and composer Mark O’Connor. I did a lot of reading that day about the great Americana music that he’s produced over the length of his career, but couldn’t decide on what to play. So I think I posted something else. Anyway here’s some background about Mark:
Mark O’Connor (born August 5, 1961 in Seattle, Washington) [1] is an American Classical, bluegrass, jazz and country violinist, fiddler, composer and music teacher. O’Connor’s music is wide-ranging, critically acclaimed, and he has received numerous awards for both his playing and his composition. As a teenager he won national string instrument championships for his virtuoso playing of the guitar and mandolin as well as on the fiddle. His mentors include Texas old-time fiddler Benny Thomasson[2] who taught O’Connor to fiddle as a teenager, French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli[3] with whom O’Connor toured as a teenager, and guitarist Chet Atkins.[4] Continue Reading.…
and here’s a list of a few of the awards that he has amassed:
‘….O’Connor has won two Grammy awards; one for his New Nashville Cats album (1992) and another for Appalachian Journey album (2001) with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer.[19] He was named Musician of the Year by the Country Music Association six years in a row (from 1991 to 1996).[20] His collaborative single Restless (with Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Steve Wariner) won the 1991 CMA Vocal Event of the Year award.
All Awards/Honors:
2 Grammy awards; 1992 & 2001.[19]
8 Grammy nominations; 1982–2004.
7 CMA awards; 1991–1996.[20]
7 National & Grand Master fiddling championships; 1975–1984.
2 National Guitar championships; 1975 & 1977.
World mandolin championship; 1982.
Frets Magazine Readers Poll Musician of the year; 1983–1987.
Irish-American Top 100; 2005.
Hundreds of regional, state and local awards; 1972–present
Now the reason that I’m posting today about Mark is that I spotted a YouTube video this morning labeled Best “Boil ’em Cabbage Down” ever! – Mark O’Connor/Wynton Marsalis and you know what the title is correct!!! I’ve written before about music moving the body and the spirit well just watch Wynton look on in, well, maybe awe, but certainly respect as Mark plays and the band well once again it’s a band having fun and so is the French audience, the video was shot at the Jazz Festival in Marciac, France in 2010. They know great music when they hear it. Oh, by the way Wynton’s solo is not too shabby either!!
