James Leva (Special Event)

JAMES LEVA is a Master fiddler, singer, banjo player in the old time Southern mountain tradition. James learned from the great masters of the mountain tradition, including Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham.. He has learned Appalachian traditions the hard way, through apprenticeships with traditional musicians and years of performance in Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and other homes of unbroken mountain tradition, and performs the old songs as compellingly as anyone. James has performed at countless concerts, and festivals, he has taught at a variety of folk music camps.THE REPERTOIRE RANGES from foot-stomping Appalachian fiddle tunes to tender, catchy portraits of love and life, covering a wide range of emotions, turning simple moments into art. He also writes classic original songs, many of which sound as though they were traditional.JAMES LEVA is originally from New Jersey. An encounter with a Tommy Jarrell LP hooked him on mountain music. James moved to Lexington, Virginia in 1971 to study at Washington and Lee University, but a serious interest in the music of the area helped to sidetrack him; he became a dedicated performer, and didn't graduate until 1980. He won a Fulbright Scholarship to study in France, where he lived for four years. While in Europe, he toured extensively with Plank Road, a trio from Lexington. He also wrote and performed music for a French theater company. He returned to Virginia in 1984 and earned his Ph.D. in French from the University of Virginia in 1990. He met Carol Elizabeth Jones in 1989, and began performing as a duo with her. He will come to us fresh from a stint teaching Appalachian music in Scotland.HE'LL BE ACCOMPANIED by Rose Sinclair on the accordion and Gary Wright on the guitar.Art Menius writes: '{Jones and Leva] add daring harmonic ideas and unexpected chords without losing sight of rural American music.' The Washington Post praises their 'Timeless poetic and affecting songs,' while Crossroads says: 'This music is rooted in tradition, but is still young, fresh and powerful.'