New York Area Bluegrass and Old Time music scene
Spotlight
on New York Metro Area Resident
Gene Lowinger
Bluegrass Boy, 1965
Gene, Bill, Lamar, Peter and James Monroe
Gene began playing bluegrass banjo while studying for his BA at Rutgers University. The first recording of the music he ever heard was Foggy Mountain Banjo recorded by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. But soon after that, thru his association with David Grisman, was exposed to the music of Bill Monroe and he decided the fiddle was the instrument for him. He traveled with Grisman to Washington DC to listen to and work with Red Allen and Frank Wakefield. He along with Grisman became the core of a bluegrass band The New York Ramblers. After the band won the Union Grove, NC World Band Championship in 1964 they were invited to play at the Newport Folk Festival. While still studying at Rutgers, Gene became friendly with Tex Logan who was at the time living in NJ and working at Bell Labs. In 1965, when Ralph Rinzler was managing Bill and Doc Watson, Monroe was booked to play a number of concerts in the Northeast. At the time Monroe did not have a regular touring band, so Rinzler asked Bill Keith, Peter Rowan and Tex Logan to play with Bill. At Texs suggestion Ralph asked Gene to play twin fiddle with him and Gene then filled in as fiddler for Monroe when Tex was unavailable. Monroe invited Gene to come to Nashville to play in the Bluegrass Boys. When he graduated later that Spring, he hitched a ride from Sunset Park in Pennsylvania to Nashville with Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and the next weekend showed up at the Opry (then still in the old Ryman Auditorium) with his fiddle ready to play. Monroe brought him on stage, introduced him as a new fiddler trying out for his band, and announced that he was a Jewish fiddler from NYC and that if the folks liked his playing hed give him the job. What followed for Gene was a year of what Gene describes as profound character building and musical instruction in the hands of an American musical icon. The band at the time consisted of Peter Rowan on guitar, James Monroe on bass, and Don Lineberger on banjo. In this configuration, Gene sang baritone on trios. But Don was soon replaced with Lamar Grier. In the first rehearsal with Lamar, Monroe asked him if he could sing baritone. When Lamar responded affirmatively, Monroe turned to Gene and said You just play the fiddle!. After playing with Monroe, Gene returned to the New York area to study classical violin at Mannes College of Music, and Manhattan School of Music with the World famous pedagogue Raphael Bronstein. Gene became Bronsteins protégé, helping him write his treatise on violin technique. After receiving his Master of Music degree, he worked as a freelance musician in the NY/NJ area doing Broadway shows, symphony, opera and ballet jobs. He suffered a serious neck and back injury while playing a performance of the Nutcracker Ballet and had to quit playing. After a career as a systems analyst Gene became a freelance photojournalist which led him back to Monroe. He began travelling with Bill to documenty in pictures the last performing years of Bills life. In his last visit to the Monroe farm in Goodletsville TN, while taking a walk in he fields Bill stopped and asked why Gene left the band when he did, and why he stopped playing music altogether. After a long conversation Bill made him promise that he would take up the fiddle again. So after a twenty year hiatus Gene began practicing, and played with Monroe whenever he appeared in the Northeast. Gene formed a local band, Avalanche, to play bluegrass jobs in the New York City area, he gives fiddle workshops at bluegrass festivals, and teaches at his home in New Jersey, and also over the internet. He has written two books on bluegrass fiddle (Oak Publications, G. Schirmer Music) and one on jazz violin (G. Schirmer). He work as a photojournalist has appeared in national magazines.
fiddlergene@mac.com 973-379-3049
Gene with George Shuffler(obscured), Monroe, Carter and Ralph Stanley, c. 1965
Back
to the New York City Area Bluegrass Music Scene