Jim Gunter
New Orleans, LA

The New Orleans Strathspey & Reel Society

Jim Gunter has been playing and studying traditional music since his teenage years. At age 16 he began studying the Great Highland Bagpipe. At the same time, he was influenced and informed by recordings of the Child Ballads, The Five MacDonnald Fiddlers, the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem and later the Chieftans. Over the years he has come to play the tin whistle, bodhran, flute, & fiddle. A student of the tunes and their histories as well as the history surrounding the development of the instruments, he has collected a number of interesting anecdotes and stories. This research has led to the debunking of some prevalent popular myths that surround the music. The questions of the origins of tunes and their development, rise or fall in popularity and the influence of dance on the tunes and tunes on the dance are all questions that he is continually exploring.

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