Magdalen
18th July 2009, 16:49
Holland loses cancer battle but his music will live on
LAURA JEAN GRANT
The Cape Breton Post
SYDNEY — In life and in music, it came from the heart for Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland.
The widely respected and beloved musician, firmly rooted in the island’s rich fiddling tradition, died Thursday night after a battle with cancer. He was 54.
“I’m going to remember Jerry as a brilliant, gentle giant,” said Joella Foulds, artistic director of the Celtic Colours International Festival. “Jerry made such an enormous contribution to the music but he also was a very special person in that everybody really, really respected and loved him. He was a great person to bring people together and he’s just going to be so, so missed.”
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Holland began to learn the fiddle at the age of five. His family made annual summer visits to Cape Breton and he eventually made the island his permanent home in 1975.
Foulds said Holland dedicated himself to the music and established himself as a sought-after performer.
“He basically played with everybody and got along with everybody. When he started composing tunes on a regular basis they were tunes that the locals picked up and played because they were so playable and really wonderful,” she said. “The musicians know who’s really, really good and that was Jerry.”
Ashley MacIsaac, one of the most recognized faces of Cape Breton fiddling, said Holland was a mentor for a whole generation of young fiddlers who were in awe of the sweet sound of his fiddle playing, his distinct melody lines which set him apart from other composers, and his very kind nature as a person.
“He’s just a wonderful person who supported everybody and never had a bad word to say about anyone,” he said.
MacIsaac said Holland had been there for him since the beginning.
“The first television show I ever performed on, a show called Up Home Tonight, Jerry was the fiddler who played for me to stepdance when I was eight and since that I’ve had many years of reading his music and listening to his playing and eventually I recorded and did a video for and had quite a bit of success with one of his tunes called Brenda Stubbert.”
Stubbert herself, used three words to sum up Holland on Friday.
“Love, laughter and music,” she said, of her longtime friend and fellow fiddler.
Howie MacDonald said Holland raised the bar for his fellow musicians and generously shared his knowledge and music with others.
“He was a musician’s musician.”
An active performer and recording artist, Holland’s tunes, books and recordings remain influential around the globe as he has travelled the world with his music making numerous trips overseas to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Germany, Mexico, England, France, as well as the United States.
Carsten Panduro, director of the Tonder Festival in Denmark where Holland played on several occasions, said the Cape Breton fiddler’s music resonated with audiences wherever he performed for one simple reason.
“It came from the heart. When this guy took the stage, that was it. There was something magic about him,” he said, noting Holland was one of the first people that made people in Denmark stand up and take notice of music from Cape Breton.
“I have the deepest respect for Jerry not only as a musician but a man meeting a serious illness. He’s going to be missed by a lot of people,” added Panduro.
Anni Lehmann, also with the Tonder Festival, said she’ll remember Holland as a kind, humble man with a great personality and sense of humour. His talent also shone through every time he took the stage.
“You can speak with your fiddle if you’re a great fiddler and he was a great fiddler that way and that came across,” she said.
The Celtic Colours International Festival announced earlier this year that they would pay tribute to Holland in their 2009 event and Foulds said Friday that show will go ahead.
“It will be a celebration of his life and a tribute to him,” she said.DiNuFD1f4Cw
I doubt many of you have heard of him (perhaps a few of the Canadians have), but Jerry Holland was one of the best traditional musicians out there, and his work certainly had a terrific impact on my playing. His 1982 album, 'Master Cape Breton Fiddler' set the standard in fiddle music, and many of the tunes he composed are played the world over.
LAURA JEAN GRANT
The Cape Breton Post
SYDNEY — In life and in music, it came from the heart for Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland.
The widely respected and beloved musician, firmly rooted in the island’s rich fiddling tradition, died Thursday night after a battle with cancer. He was 54.
“I’m going to remember Jerry as a brilliant, gentle giant,” said Joella Foulds, artistic director of the Celtic Colours International Festival. “Jerry made such an enormous contribution to the music but he also was a very special person in that everybody really, really respected and loved him. He was a great person to bring people together and he’s just going to be so, so missed.”
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Holland began to learn the fiddle at the age of five. His family made annual summer visits to Cape Breton and he eventually made the island his permanent home in 1975.
Foulds said Holland dedicated himself to the music and established himself as a sought-after performer.
“He basically played with everybody and got along with everybody. When he started composing tunes on a regular basis they were tunes that the locals picked up and played because they were so playable and really wonderful,” she said. “The musicians know who’s really, really good and that was Jerry.”
Ashley MacIsaac, one of the most recognized faces of Cape Breton fiddling, said Holland was a mentor for a whole generation of young fiddlers who were in awe of the sweet sound of his fiddle playing, his distinct melody lines which set him apart from other composers, and his very kind nature as a person.
“He’s just a wonderful person who supported everybody and never had a bad word to say about anyone,” he said.
MacIsaac said Holland had been there for him since the beginning.
“The first television show I ever performed on, a show called Up Home Tonight, Jerry was the fiddler who played for me to stepdance when I was eight and since that I’ve had many years of reading his music and listening to his playing and eventually I recorded and did a video for and had quite a bit of success with one of his tunes called Brenda Stubbert.”
Stubbert herself, used three words to sum up Holland on Friday.
“Love, laughter and music,” she said, of her longtime friend and fellow fiddler.
Howie MacDonald said Holland raised the bar for his fellow musicians and generously shared his knowledge and music with others.
“He was a musician’s musician.”
An active performer and recording artist, Holland’s tunes, books and recordings remain influential around the globe as he has travelled the world with his music making numerous trips overseas to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Germany, Mexico, England, France, as well as the United States.
Carsten Panduro, director of the Tonder Festival in Denmark where Holland played on several occasions, said the Cape Breton fiddler’s music resonated with audiences wherever he performed for one simple reason.
“It came from the heart. When this guy took the stage, that was it. There was something magic about him,” he said, noting Holland was one of the first people that made people in Denmark stand up and take notice of music from Cape Breton.
“I have the deepest respect for Jerry not only as a musician but a man meeting a serious illness. He’s going to be missed by a lot of people,” added Panduro.
Anni Lehmann, also with the Tonder Festival, said she’ll remember Holland as a kind, humble man with a great personality and sense of humour. His talent also shone through every time he took the stage.
“You can speak with your fiddle if you’re a great fiddler and he was a great fiddler that way and that came across,” she said.
The Celtic Colours International Festival announced earlier this year that they would pay tribute to Holland in their 2009 event and Foulds said Friday that show will go ahead.
“It will be a celebration of his life and a tribute to him,” she said.DiNuFD1f4Cw
I doubt many of you have heard of him (perhaps a few of the Canadians have), but Jerry Holland was one of the best traditional musicians out there, and his work certainly had a terrific impact on my playing. His 1982 album, 'Master Cape Breton Fiddler' set the standard in fiddle music, and many of the tunes he composed are played the world over.