Tradtional Blend Bill & Patti Cummings by Bill and Patti Cummings

Predominantly, they are a quality fiddle and guitar duo driving a strong and steady rhythmic beat. Occasionally, the duo is transformed into a family trio when their daughter, Crystal, joins them in the studio, but generally the husband and wife team play festivals and dances in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Oregon. They also have been asked to play in Florida, Nebraska, New Mexico, Missouri, and Texas. Festival and dance performances include reels, jigs, slip jigs, polkas, slides, mazurkas, hornpipes, flings, strasthpeys, marches, clogs, two steps, one steps, waltzes, hoedowns, music for squares, etc... Their harmonies compliment each other. They are well blended and rich in tone which brings out their unique touch on the arrangements of the tunes recorded.

They travel to areas of the US and Canada to study the fiddle styles from world class Irish fiddlers: Clare fiddler, James Kelly of Dublin Ireland, currently living in Florida, New York Sligo fiddler, Brian Conway of New York City, on Folkways Label, fiddler Seamus Connolly of Ireland, currently living in Vermont, on Green Linnet Records, and many more. They have traveled to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to study the Scottish fiddle and piano music of the MacLellan family, masters of Cape Breton dance music. They have also traveled within the US to study the fiddle styles of master Cape Breton fiddlers: Sandy MacIntyre, Buddy MacMaster, (uncle of Natalie MacMaster) Jerry Holland, and David Greenburg. From the late 1980's through the early 1990's they went to North Carolina to study the Round Peak style of Appalachian Old Time fiddle styles with Robert Sykes, who recorded on Heritage Record Label and with Tommy Jarrell, also of Heritage and County Record Labels, who was recognized as a National Treasure by the National Endowment for the Arts in the 1980's. Also during these years, they went to the Southwestern Prairies of Louisiana to study and collect traditional Cajun music. There, they studied the fiddle style of Zydeco Cajun master fiddler, Canray Fontenot and the Zydeco Accordion style of accordionist, Bois Sec Ardoin, who are also recognized as National Treasures by the National Endowment for the Arts. Bill and Patti have studied from other great fiddle masters of Louisiana Cajun music such as Dewy Balfa (of the late Balfa Brothers from the string band era), Dennis McGee, and that of Nathan Fontenot from Ville Platte, LA.

As a duo, Bill and Patti bring to audiences and dancers quality authentic traditional Celtic, Old Time, Cajun and Mexican music, influenced by their mentors in the US, Canada, and Ireland. They are warmly received by their audiences and dancers. They are also becoming known from Arizona to Florida for their friendship among fellow musicians and listeners and the sharing of music which are fine qualities they see in their mentioned friends and mentors. They are among the few pioneers of Celtic, Cajun, and Old Time Appalachian music in Arizona. They have encouraged players of traditional music at all levels to join them in playing and performing. In turn, this has inspired others to form their own groups of Celtic music in Northern Arizona. Bill and Patti keep tradition of folk music alive as they spread the joy of it to listeners, dancers, and newly inspired players wherever they go. Their love for the traditional music they play is passionate. They have pure fun performing, which audiences sense; thus leaving fans looking forward to more of their music and asking where they can be heard next. Fans have been asking "Traditional Blend" for tapes and CDs of the music they play from the very start. After years of deep desire, study, experience, and encouragement from fans, family, and friends, they present the self-titled CD, “Traditional Blend”. Their performance record is exceptional as they deliver a unique, high energy, exciting, and electrical performance for all. Their music is infectious and makes dancing inevitable. Undoubtedly, for two musicians, they always bring a lot of foot stomping good music to enjoy. Their music is appealing, it is true to tradition, and performed passionately from the heart!

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