Who doesn’t like a good hornpipe? Well, probably a lot of people. But here at Reverb Raccoon, we embrace all types of music and musicians, including old time fiddlers like Kelly Jones of the Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association (MSOTFA to the cognescenti).

Now I’ll admit to not knowin’ much about them Yankee fiddlers from Mizzoo. I’m more of a Frazier Moss / Benny Martin man, havin’ growed up in the Upper Cumberland region o’ Tennessee. But, as my grampaw used to say, “Good fiddlin’ is good fiddlin’.” And this here “Cincinnati Hornpipe” is a good’un.

“Cincinnati Hornpipe” is from the album, Authentic Old Time Fiddle Tunes (MSOTFA 005). As you might imagine from the shirt Kelly Jones is wearing on the cover, this album was recorded and released by the MSOTFA way back in ’75. That’s 1975, not 1875. Actually, that shirt looks like it was in Kelly’s closet for at least five years before the picture was made. But, as my grampaw used to say, “A good shirt never goes outta style.” And the “Rare 8.98” sticker that the photographer left on the cover is a nice touch. I assume it refers to the album and not the shirt, but I may be wrong.

Now some of you Millennials is probably wondering what the heck a hornpipe is. Well, it’s a type of folk dance, done in hard shoes, that is often (incorrectly, according to Wikipedia), associated with English sailors. Here we see a group of said British sailors, taking a break from ruling the waves to dance a hornpipe. Looks like a blast.

If you’d like to learn more about old time fiddlin’, you are in luck. The MSOTFA has 39 releases available on Bandcamp, and you can download the whole kit-n-kaboodle for the low low price of only $91.80! That’s a 55% savings! Sorry, Confederate money is not accepted.