[Except where noted, all photos by Lou
Seiler. Click on the smaller images to see an enlarged view.]
Pre-Festival
Activities
Senior
Life of Florida
Volume 12, Number 7, November 2009
TGIF
section of Florida TODAY
November 13, 2009
John Ellis, Martha Pessaro, & Mike Knight
at an October organizing committee meeting
at Panera Bread in Melbourne. [photo by Claire Ellis]
Brevard County
Commissioner Mary Bolin presents the county's Native
American Heritage Month Proclamation to Martha
Pessaro, Jim McCarthy, and John Ellis.
(October 20, 2009)
Native Rhythms
Festival Organizing Committee members Jenny Ashbury,
Mike Knight, Jim McCarthy, Martha Pessaro, and John
Ellis at the Brevard County Center.
(October 20, 2009)
Mike Knight
and John Ellis perform Amazing Grace for the
Cocoa City Council after city council member Jim
McCarthy read the city's Native American Heritage
Month Proclamation and Martha Pessaro (far right)
invites the council to the Native Rhythms Festival.
(October 27, 2009)
Native Rhythms
Festival Organizing Committee members Martha Pessaro,
Mike Knight, and John Ellis in front of the new Cocoa
City Hall.
(October 27, 2009)
Thursday
"Meet & Greet" Reception
The weekend's activities kicked off on Thursday
evening, November 12th, with an
informal "meet and greet" reception for the performers
and vendors at our Platinum Sponsor, Candlewood
Suites. We
originally planned to hold this event "out back" at
the Candlewood's beautiful gazebo, but the weather was a bit
chilly for Central Florida (in the low 50s) so it was moved
indoors. I'm sure our visitors from places like Alaska, Montana,
and Nova Scotia would not have minded, but one's blood thins out
after just a few years living in Florida!
As part of the evening's festivities, Jonny
Lipford brought out a cake to celebrate the release of his third
CD, "Turn
the Page: The Journey Continues".
NRF
Chairman Mike Knight chats with soundman Bruce Iwinski
during setup.
Mike begins
the introductions...
Most of the
NRF Organizing Committee: Mike Knight, John Ellis, Jim
McCarthy, & Martha Pessaro.
Mark Holland
Nelson Rios
& Jan Seiden
Dock Green
Silverhawk
Ed
WindDancer
Randy
Granger
Clint Goss
Jonny
Lipford
The
room was Standing-Room-Only! Food was available through
that door.
Jonny formally
announces the release of his latest CD.
Ooops! Started
cutting the cake before we could get a photo.
Jonny
plays a couple songs from his new CD.
Clint
warms up the crowd for open mic performances.
Mistress of
Ceremonies, Chante Ishta, sings during the open mic
time.
Mike plays
during open mic.
Randy
Granger plays his hang.
Damion
Begay plays his drone.
Dock
Green
The
Festival Grounds & Guests
The
Performers
Wind
& Fire (Mark Holland & N. Scott Robinson)
Jan
Seiden, Nelson Rios, & "Butch" Armstrong
Michael
Graham Allen (Coyote Oldman)
Randy
Granger
Jonny
Lipford
Dock
Green Silverhawk
Ed
WindDancer
Chante
Ishta
Keith
Davis
Denise
Reina Taylor
Performers
on Video
Features
Jonny Lipford, Dock Green Silverhawk, and Ed WindDancer [Video submitted to YouTube by
kgeorgeson.]
Features
rhythm duet featuring Nelson Rios and "Butch"
Armstrong [Video submitted to YouTube by
thumperd74.]
Features
Jan Seiden playing "Highland Heather" [Video submitted to YouTube by
moonkricket1.]
The Vendors
2009
Flute Players' & Makers' Competitions
The
Players' Competition
The flute players' competition was divided into
two categories: Novice and Advanced. For the preliminary round
of the competition, entrants in each category were to submit a
CD or audio cassette with three songs: (1) a slow, melodic
piece, (2) a faster, rhythmic piece, and (3) a piece using the
Clint Goss Night Rider background track. There were three
qualified entrants who submitted entry CDs in the Novice
Category, but none in the Advanced Category. We decided that the
three Novice Category entrants would all advance to the final
round in accordance with the published rules. But instead of
canceling the Advanced Category competition, we decided to open
it to walk-on entrants and eliminate the requirement to play
along with the Night Rider track. Three walk-on entrants
competed in the Advanced Category.
The final round of the competition was conducted
on-stage in the early afternoon of Friday, November 13th.
The judges were hidden behind a panel and could not see the
contestants, who were announced only by a contestant number.
There was a healthy wind blowing across the stage to further
challenge the competitors.
The Players'
Competition Judges were (from left to right) Mark
Holland, Jan Seiden, Jonny Lipford, and Randy Granger.
Mistress of
Ceremonies, Chante Ishta calls the competitors to the
stage to begin the final round competition.
Novice
Category Contestant #1 Pat Wilson, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
Novice
Category Contestant #2 Jim Peck, Port Richey, Florida
Novice
Category Contestant #3 Sydney Mitchell, Pinson, Alabama
Advanced
Category Contestant #1 Tom Matthews, Great Falls, Montana
Advanced
Category Contestant #3 Dave McCullen, Fruitland Park, Florida
Novice
Category, First Place Sydney Mitchell
Novice
Category, Second Place Jim Peck
Novice
Category, Third Place Pat Wilson
Advanced
Category, First Place Dave McCullen
Advanced
Category, Second Place Damion Begay
Advanced
Category, Third Place Tom Matthews
Sydney
Mitchell, Dave McCullen, Damion Begay
Pat Wilson,
Jim Peck, Tom Matthews
The
Players' Preliminary Competition Audio
Listen to the audios submitted by the Novice Category
competitors. Click on the "Piece" number to download
and play each audio.
Sydney Mitchell
- Piece 1
(slow, melodic)
- Piece 2
(faster, rhythmic)
- Piece 3
(with Night Rider background track)
Jim Peck
- Piece 1
(slow, melodic)
- Piece 2
(faster, rhythmic)
- Piece 3 (with
Night Rider background track)
Pat Wilson
- Piece 1
(slow, melodic)
- Piece 2
(faster, rhythmic)
- Piece 3
(with Night Rider background track)
The “Night Rider”
track for this competition was used with permission from the Clint Goss CD “Jam
Tracks in A Minor”, Track #17. This and other “NAF jam track” CDs
from Clint are available from his website at www.naftracks.com/recordings.htm.
The
Makers' Competition
We offered three categories for the flute
makers' competition: (1) single chamber wood, (2) single chamber
of other materials, and (3) multi-chamber. There were no entries
in the multi-chamber category, so awards were made in only two
of the three categories. In addition to the awards in these
categories, the judges chose a "best of show" flute
and made a special award.
The Makers'
Competition Judges were (from left to right) Leonard
McGann, Jonny Lipford, and Mike Knight.
The Flute
Makers' Competition entry table.
Best of Show Utah Farris, Lake Wales, Florida
Single Chamber
Wood, First Place Joey Hill, Gainesville, Florida
Single Chamber
Wood, Second Place Rand Rowe, Lugoff, South Carolina
Single Chamber
Wood, Third Place Ed Dougherty, Clayton, North Carolina
Single Chamber
Other Material,
First Place Craig Noss, Casselberry, Florida
(bamboo)
Single Chamber
Other Material,
Second Place Chuck Theroux, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
(bamboo)
Ran
Rowe, Ed Daugherty, Craig Noss, Chuck Theroux, Joey
Hill, Utah Farris
