Presenting a curious collection of fiddle tunes
“The ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ is an indispensable companion to all those who are keen to make sense of life in an infinitely complex and confusing Universe, though it cannot hope to be useful or informative on all matters, it does at least make the reassuring claim that where it is inaccurate, it is at least definitively inaccurate. In cases of major discrepancy, it’s always reality that’s got it wrong.”
Alas, there is, as of yet, no real “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, but there is Wikipedia, our current version of that famed reference, and it shares some crucial similarities. Namely, it is expansive, cheap, and frequently wrong.
Wikipedia describes Thomas Morley as 16th century English composer, theorist and organist of the Renaissance. That is not the Tom Morley we will be discussing today. Our Tom Morley is somewhat more contemporary, a classically trained music educator and master of all things violin and fiddle.
Tom has sat in, recorded, and toured with no small number of famous acts, earning himself a gold record in the process. There isn’t a style Tom hasn’t made his own, but it is perhaps his Irish traditional work that is his greatest claim to fame, or at least his greatest passion.
Tom and his wife Fran (a highly skilled musician in her own right) currently provide instruction at Chattanooga’s hidden gem, Fiddler’s Anonymous, tucked away on Dayton Blvd. in Redbank.
Tom and Fran, along with Bryant Haynes, make up the band Stringer’s Ridge, specializing in Celtic, Folk and String Band Music.
A welcome addition to the growing community of traditional roots music in the Scenic City, Stringers Ridge has already earned the respect and admiration of the local music community and will soon be releasing their debut album, a full review of which will be found in these pages in the upcoming months.
In the meantime, however, I’d like to tell you about Tom’s solo album, The Raven’s Wing (a curious collection of fiddle tunes).
Comprising twelve tracks of fiddle pieces ranging from traditional to contemporary and exemplifying Mr. Morley’s impressive ability at a range of styles, the album is a must-have for fans of traditional music.
From his delightful interpretation of “Crossing the Cumberlands” to the haunting and stirring title track, “Raven’s Wing,” Tom demonstrates the canny ability to say more with mere notes than many a singer/songwriter can with a sheaf of lyrics, a thesaurus, and a rhyming dictionary.
It’s no secret, in fact, that I personally am very much a “words” guy; I love a well-turned phrase, but Tom proves once again a point first made to me by a dear Russian friend and musician whose English was far better than my Russian: Music is the universal language. Tom’s ability to engage the listener emotionally is a thing of beauty and I cannot recommend Raven’s Wing (available now on CDBaby) enough.
As if that weren’t enough, I can tell you from the short amount of time I’ve had the pleasure of spending with Tom and his wife, they are just absolutely fine and wonderful people.
Look for a review of Stringer’s Ridge further up the road, but in the meantime, soothe your soul with Raven’s Wing, catch a live performance of Stringer’s Ridge locally, or best of all, stop by Fiddler’s Anonymous and take a few moments to get to know the Morleys whose presence in the Chattanooga music scene is yet another “get” for fans and musicians alike.