David Stenshoel profile picture

David Stenshoel

Say it in Fiddle!

About Me

More info about the tunes in my player: Cuz Mapfumo, from the Boiled in Lead album, From the Ladle to the Grave , is a combination of aThomas Mapfumosong calledShumba , and two Irish tunes by Cuz Teahan of Chicago: All My Grandchildren, and The Teahan Clan. They came together serendipitously one evening when I was exploring adding Zimbabwean rhythms to Irish jigs, by playing Cuz's tunes over the recording of Shumba. Imagine my surprise and joy when I discovered that, not only did it work rhythmically, but the jigs also fit nicely harmonically with Mapfumo's song. Boiled in Lead wasRobin "Adnan" Anders on drums,Todd Mentonon guitar,Drew Miller on bass, and myself on fiddle andSchwab electric mandolin .Guest artists includeLaura MacKenzieon flute and tin whistle, Celso Maldonado on congas,Willie Murphy on sequencer programming,Rick O'Dell on soprano saxophone,Steve Tibbets on guitar, andMarcus Wise on tabla.

His Eva/Tracking the Owls comes from the CDSkyline to the Seaby Bob Zander, kalimbist extrordinaire.Mick Labriola plays hand percussion,Peter O'Gorman is on drums, andAndy LaCasseplays bass.

Sevan and Bandar come from the album Music of the Heart, by the bandRobayatSevan is an Armenian tune with improvisations fromMaryam Yusefzadehon vocals, myself on violin,Tim Sparks on oud, Tim O'Keefe on percussion, andTom Lewis on bass. Bandar features Tim Sparks on chumbush.

I work at theMinneapolis Public Libraryand play violin and tenor sax with various groups, includingBoiled in Lead ,Honeysuckle Rose ,Felonious Bosch ,Sunplug'd ,Robayat ,American Swedish Institute Spelmanslag ,Voices of Sepharad , andCrossing Borders .I also sometimes play withParisota Hot Club and Cafe Accordion Orchestra .My daughter and I are involved with theYoung Fiddlers Association .My wife grew up inKuala Lumpur , Malaysia, and went to the University of St. Catherine in St. Paul, and the University of Minnesotaand my daughter goes toSouth High School .

I enjoy playing a wide variety of music including jazz, country, Irish, Swedish, Klezmer, Arabic, Balkan, etc. Minneapolis groups I've played with in the past include Infinity Art Unit, The Radio Rangers, Jan Reimer Band, Intuitive Bikers,Ethnic Dance Theater Orchestra ,Yiddische Folksmenchn, Imp Ork,Electric Arab Orchestra , Shalita,Dusty Drapes and the Dusters ,The Deadbeats, and You, Me, and Betsy. I love shows onKFAI radio likeFubar OmniverseandInternational Jazz Conspiracy , and I go to many great shows at theCedar Cultural Center .I was born in Springfield, Illinois on January 5, 1950, grew up in Cheyenne Wells, Boulder, Denver, and Estes Park, Colorado, Sioux Falls South Dakota, and Minnetonka, Minnesota.I went to Hopkins High School, St. Olaf College, and Augsburg College.

The first band I played in after college was Infinity Art Unit, with my brotherPeter Stenshoel ..boards, Stu Mathews on bass, Damon Mathews ..boards and saxophone, Kyle Huggins on guitar, and a couple of different drummers.

Next came Sky King (not the one headed by the Brubeck brothers), which featured Peter Stenshoel ..boards, Mark Freeman (who went on to Red House, and NNB) on guitar,Steve Almaas (who went on to Suicide Commandos and Beat Rodeo) on bass, and Jim Wilson on drums.

In 1976 I formed a band with fiddler Mike "Razz" Russell, guitarist/singer Frank Boyle, guitarist/singer Al Butler, bassist/singer John Hanson, steel guitarist Jay Braastad, and drummer Ron Hanson. We called ourselves the Radio Rangers, a name which had been used several times before and has also been used since we used it. We played Western Swing in the tradition of Bob Wills and Spade Cooley. We played locally and also on western tours of Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado. Later we added Marya Hart on piano, carrying an actual upright piano on the road with us in an old schoolbus painted red and black.

More info at my Yahoo Group .See photos at Flickr .

On April 5 and 6, 2008, I was honored to play withSumunar Gamelan and Dance Ensembleat F.K. Weyerhauser Aunditorium in Landmark Center, St Paul Minnesota. I played two pieces with the Gamelan, Ladrang Turunsih (below) and Ketawang Sari (In David's Video's under my Photo above). I retuned my violin to match the tuning of the gamelan. Turunsih means "descendant of love" and is based on the azan the call to prayer by the muezzin, familiar in Muslim countries. The vocalist is Joko Sutrisno, the musical director of Sumunar Gamelan.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 3/18/2006
Band Website: groups.yahoo.com/group/davidstenshoel
Band Members: The David Stenshoel Pantemporal Ensemble includes Gordy Abel, Serge Akou, Farid Ali, Steve Almaas, Robin Anders, John Anderson, Eric Anderson, Marc Anderson, Christine Anerson, Jane Anfinson, Jim Anton, Joel Arpin, Yawo Attivor, Kory Badertscher, Brian Barnes, Kevin Barnes, Philip Belknap, Robert Bell, Maury Bernstein, Mark Black, David Blees, Brain Boma, Kevin Bowe, Frank Boyle, Linda Breitag, Holle Brian, Craig Broers, Jerome Broughton, Steven Brust, Pam Bublitz, Emma Bull, Dave Burk, Sarah Burk, Bill Burton, Maggie Burton, Allen Butler, Laura Caviani, Jim Chenowith, Don Cherry, Lars Christensen, Tom Church, Matt Cook, Anthony Cox, Dan Dahlin, Paul Dahlin, Zahru I Cise Darmaan, Jane Dauphin, Randall Davidson, Lionel Davis, Peggy Davis, Patrice Delemos, John Devine, Lowel Dickenson, Dan Donkers, Matthew DuRoche, Marty Dworkin, Nigel Eccleston, Tony Ernst, Connie Evingson, Joe Fahy, Salah Abdel Fattah, Dan Fergeson, Johnny Fields, Angus Foster, Brian Fox, Mark Freeman, Angela Frucci, Camille Gage, Dehl Gallagher, Jim Goodrich, Drew Gordon, Adam Granger, Dean Granrose, Jim Greeney, Habib, Bob Hale, Adam Han-Gorski, Dan Hansen, Bruce Hanson, John Hanson, Laura Harada, Patrick Harison, Todd Harper, Dean Harrington, David Harris, Marya Hart, Sakher Hattar, Tim Hennesee, Robb Henry, Rachel Hest, Phil Hey, Victor Hilo, Neal Hines, Bill Hinkley, Kristen Hirt, Eileen Ho, Linda James, Joe Holley, Clint Hoover, Kyle Huggins, Dakota Dave Hull, David Hupp, Mike Hurley, Tarek Ibrahim, Alden Ikeda, Prudence Johnson, Kip Jones, Callie Kalogerson, Chris Kalogerson, Abtew Kebede, Joe Kessler, Joe Khoury, Sven Kibira, Ben Kimmel, Steve Kimmel, Rex King, Michelle Kinney, Kevin Kling, Papa John Kolstad, Jeff Krawczyk, Mark Kreitzer, Rass Kwame, Mick Labriola, Andy LaCasse, Mike Lagua, Julie Lee, Tom Lewis, Eric Lillestol, LeAnn Lindgren, Linda Littrell, Doug Lohman, Khalil and Mohammed Lulu, Laura MacKenzie, Jocko MacNelly, Dean Magraw, Markiss, Damon Mathews, Stuart Mathews, Stephen May, Doug Maynard, Michael McElrath, Michael McCoy, Bruce Menier Bell, Sowah Mensah, Todd Menton, Drew Miller, Stefanie Miller, Sam Miltich, Kathy Mitchell, Eric Mohring, Tiny Moore, Johnna Morrow, Gubari Mpambara, Tom Mrozinsky, Willie Murphy, Clarence Murell, Dan Newton, Kristy Northrup, Tommy Numbala, Kay Nygaard, Stan O'Daffer, Rick O'Dell, Peter O'Gorman, Pat O'Keefe, Tim O'Keefe, Andy Olson, Rose Oyamot, Russell Packard, Cheryl Paschke, Tom Patterson, Cyril Paul, Tony Paul, Rob Pearson, Karen Peters, Jay Peterson, Jim Phillips, Jim Plattes, Carl Posz, Louis Pragasam, Jim Price, Tarloh Quiwonkpa, Qynares, Russ Rayfield, Jan Reimer, Flauren Ricketts, Francine Roche, Kim Rose, Ed Rosenbaum, Jennifer Rubin, Mike "Razz" Russell, Lojo Russo, Jim Ruiz, Robert Rumbolz, John Runge, Nick St. Nicholas, Kim Salsbury, Arlene Samsel, Steve Sandberg, Tom Schaefer, Marlene Schoenberg, Gary Schulte, Marilyn Sellars, Najib Shaeen, Simon Shaheen, Yusef Shalita, Eldon Shamblin, Mary Shamrock, Cassandra Shore, Peter Shu, Tracy Silverman, Steve Sklar, Cliff Sloan, Betsy Smith, Bill Smith, Susannah Smith, Steve Spaise, Joe Steinger, Adam Stemple, Eric Stenshoel, Eunice Stenshoel, Myles Stenshoel, Peter Stenshoel, Mark Stillman, Harry Strobel, Michael Sullivan, John Sunde, Joko Sutrisno, Max Swanson, Steve Swenson, Steve Tibbetts, Wendy Ultan, Michael Valentiner, Brian van Stavern, Anna Vasquez, Alexis Vaubel, Shura Volovets, Pop Wagner, Jimmy Wallace, Wally Walstead, Bruce Walters, Ella Waltz, Wanaku the Tribal Monk, Donald Washington, Faye Washington, Bill E. Webb, Randy Webb, Steve Wenzel, Ira Wertheim, Steve Westby, Vince Wharton, Leo Whitebird, Deane Wirtschafter, Joshua Wirtschafter, Herbie Woodruff, Scott Yoho, Maryam Yusefzadeh, Moez Zakroui, Bob Zander, Gbassy Zinnah, and Vera Zjalic.
Influences: Albert Ayler, J.S. Bach, Back Door, Bela Bartok, Captain Beefheart, The Beatles, Maury Bernstein, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Brand X, Dave Brubeck, The Byrds, Ornette Coleman, John & Alice Coltrane, Cream, Charles Darwin, Miles Davis, Devo, Eric Dolphy, John Dowland, Buckminster Fuller, Johnny Gimble, Gong, Amy Goodman, Stephane Grappelli, Grateful Dead, Wardell Gray, Alex Grey, Sugarcane Harris, Jimi Hendrix, Douglas Hofstadter, Jefferson Airplane, James Joyce, Ray Kurzweill, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Jean Luc Ponty, Iggy Pop, Sergei Prokoviev, Sun Ra, Lou Reed, Pharoah Sanders, Stuff Smith, Planxty, Monty Python, Firesign Theater, Martin Luther King, The Kinks, Martin Luther, Vandana Shiva, , Spirit, Mothers of Invention, Richard & Linda Thompson, Hank Williams, Howlin' Wolf, Mississippi John Hurt, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Laurie Anderson, Edward Horack, The Young Tradition, Gentle Giant, Hatfield and the North, The Soft Machine, John Weilgart, Ralph Stanley,Joni Mitchell, Loading Zone, Johnny Gimble, Tiny Moore, Fela Kuti, Abdullah Ibrahim, Meredith Monk, George Jones, X, Steve Hillage, Rachid Taha, Muzikas, Simon Shaheen, Thomas Mapfumo,
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Azoth of the Philosophers

The Azoth illustrates the alchemical process hidden in the septagram on the Boiled in Lead disc "Silver"
Posted by David Stenshoel on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:03:00 PST

Shonen Knife at Triple Rock

Anne and Ella and I spent a snowy Saturday cleaning house and shoveling, and then rewarded ourselves by going to see Shonen Knife at the Triple Rock. They were simply charming. Ella got a T-shirt, and...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:00:00 PST

Wall of Zurnas

Last Monday I went through my various zurna reeds, looking for one that would work, so I could look into playing it on Robin's tune, "Berber", which we recorded a few weeks ago when we were doing basi...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Sat, 24 Nov 2007 11:40:00 PST

Kinsmen, Ralph Stanley, and M.I.A.

Three great shows at the Walker Art Center, Cedar Cultural Center, and First Avenue. Kinsmen put two saxophonists together, one jazz, the other Carnatic, for an interesting combination of South Indian...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Fri, 23 Nov 2007 12:54:00 PST

Festival of Lies

My family and I went to the Cedar Cultural Center last night to see Faustin Linyekula and Les Studios Kabako in "Festival of Lies". It was billed as a "Soukous party and contemporary dance performance...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 05:23:00 PST

Fun at the Times with Mark and Francine

Last Friday I played with accordianist Mark Stillman and singer Francine Roche at the Times Bar and Restaurant. Over the years I've gotten to know a large part of Mark's repertoire, and it was fun pla...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:40:00 PST

BiL Recording Session

Drew, Robin, Todd, Dean and I went into John Wright's studio on Sunday, October 21, and laid down the basic tracks for "Silver Carp", "The Sunset", "The Rushes Green", "Corner House Set", "Apple Tree ...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:40:00 PST

Nordic Roots 2007

I went with my wife and daughter to see JPP on Saturday night, and Den Fule and Harv on Sunday night. Also my daughter and I went to the fiddle workshop hosted by JPP, learned three tun...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:50:00 PST

Back in Minneapolis

We're back home, and tomorrow we go back to work. It was a great month in Malaysia, catching up with friends and family and seeing some new sights. We'll be adding more photos to our Flickr account as...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Sun, 21 Jan 2007 05:02:00 PST

Leaving Malaysia Tomorrow

We leave Malaysia tomorrow at 10:45 pm. We fly to Singapore, wait 6 hours, fly to Tokyo, then leave Tokyo at 3 pm Thursday, and arrive in Minneapolis at 10:55 am Thursday. We've started packing alread...
Posted by David Stenshoel on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:59:00 PST