This album represents a meeting of minds of two musicians from very different musical backgrounds, but with one common characteristic: A deep appreciation for real music that touches real people.

Donna has been singing for as long as she can remember, and her knack for hearing the musical worth of a particular song led her to learn and assimilate folk ballads and sentimental parlor songs to the point at which she now"owns" them stylistically and interpretively. Known today primarily as a lutenist, Ron usually keeps a lid on his musical past when rubbing patched elbows with paper-trained musicians. But his first instrument was the banjo, and as a founding member of the Portland Folklore Society he played an important role in establishing the now-thriving folk music and square dance scene in Portland, Oregon.

Music on our new album draws from the well of parlor songs and ballads that were sung at home around the turn of the 20th century. Some of the ballads are much older and at least one song dates from the last time we had a Great Depression. The term Heart-Songs is inspired by a collection of songs by that title published in 1909, representing the most popular songs of the day. The editor described the collection as "Songs that have entertained thousands from childhood to the grave and have voiced the pleasure and pain, the love and longing, the despair and delight, the sorrow and resignation, and the consolation of the plain people..."

"...I just listened to the first 5 songs and was just blown away. I don't think I've ever heard a fiddle/banjo duet as tight as that. Jon's playing was awesome as usual and Ron Andrico's banjo was very complementary and never overpowering. He was locked in like a clock to the melody almost as if he could read Jon's mind. I'm a huge fan of Tommy Jarrell and Bruce Molsky but the more I listen to Jon the more I think that he was the finest fiddle player I've ever heard."

- Tbird - 01/28/2016: 13:23:31 on Fiddle Hangout

The music here is from a recording made by Jon & Ron in 1983. Traditional fiddle tunes expertly played with wild abandon by two good friends. As was the case with many repertoire tapes, it was copied and re-copied again and again, eventually sounding as scratchy as any old field recording. We have decided to release the versions from the original master tape as a tribute to Jon, who passed away far too soon on June 15, 2015.

For a bit of background on the recording, read our blog post:
https://mignarda.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/jonathan-bekoff-may-8-1959-june-15-2015/

Find volume 2 here:
https://eulalie.bandcamp.com/album/tunes-from-the-heart-of-the-valley-volume-2

VOLUME 2: Traditional fiddle tunes expertly played with wild abandon by two good friends. The music here is from a recording made by Jon & Ron in 1983. As was the case with many repertoire tapes, it was copied and re-copied again and again, eventually sounding as scratchy as any old field recording. We have decided to release the versions from the original master tape as a tribute to Jon, who passed away far too soon on June 15, 2015.

For a bit of background on the recording, read our blog posts:

mignarda.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/jonathan-bekoff-may-8-1959-june-15-2015/

mignarda.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/more-on-jonathan-bekoff/

At the time, Jon was still playing the old fiddle given to him by his step-father, which had the bridge propped up with a matchstick when I met him. Needless to say, I made him a new bridge. I was playing an 1890s WA Cole banjo and a 1943 Gretsch archtop guitar.

This is the promised follow-up to Volume 1, available here:
https://eulalie.bandcamp.com/album/tunes-from-the-heart-of-the-valley-volume-1

In AD 1996 on one of those rare sunny afternoons in Portland, Oregon, two friends sat down in a recording studio to do what they usually did when they met. After an hour of chitchat, tuning, deciding what to play, and playing it, the result was a cassette tape that held just over a half-hour's worth of tunes. These were personal and current favorites at the time when Portland's current old-time music revival was in its infancy. One take per tune, and no funny business from the control board.

After a quarter-century of nestling in a box among other miscellaneous treasures, stored in various attics, basements and chicken coops across the country, we can finally let loose with those tunes and share the vibe with the rest of the world. Enjoy.