Ateliers Concert & Jam à Angers
Starring Janie Rothfield, Allan Carr & Felix Masson.
A musical performance focused on Bluegrass & Old Time music, with educational and festive aims, as part of the events “OFF”" of Herbe Bleue is offered by the association Courtyard of Cork and the Mel Hammer Sessions
When ?
April 25, 2026
Or ?
Marine Trading Post – Angers – 44 rue des Carmes
What ?
THE WORKSHOPS
13:00 to 15:00
- fiddle violin hosted by Janie Rothfield
- Mandolin : hosted by Félix Masson
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
- Oldtime Banjo hosted by Janie Rothfield
- Guitar hosted by Allan Carr
Participation fee: €20-25 per person per workshop
Indoors or on the terrace, depending on the weather. Customers present at Comptoir de la Marine will be able to listen to the workshop but not participate.
THE CONCERT
18:30 >> 20:00
- 👉JANIE ROTHFIELD of the collective DOLLY & THE DEVIL and Allan Carr
- Free entry
THE JAM
21:00 >> …
- The Mel Hammers Sessions & their acoustic jam
- For all levels and all acoustic instruments: Bluegrass / Old Time
- Free entry
Workshop details
- Old Time Violin with Janie Rothfield – For intermediate/advanced violinists
Janie will show you the techniques and approaches she uses to add power, energy, rhythm, and groove to her violin playing, with a particular emphasis on the’bow She will teach several of her favorite tunes, drawn from the repertoire of Uncle Norm Edmond and Jake Phelps (as well as one or two of her own original compositions), to energize your playing and take you to the next level!
- Banjo Clawhammer with Janie Rothfield – For intermediate/advanced players
This course will focus on adding more rhythm and energy to your clawhammer banjo playing. Janie will introduce you to her own right-hand techniques, which combine melody and syncopation to better harmonize with the fiddler and bring more depth and interest to the pieces! Janie will teach several tunes, depending on the time available, in different keys such as G, D, A, and C.
- Old Time Accompaniment Guitar with Allan Carr – For Intermediate/Advanced Guitarists
Allan will reveal his tips for enhancing the groove and power of your guitar accompaniment. With punchy bass lines and richer chords, you'll add a new dimension to your playing. He'll also guide you in better supporting a violinist: deciphering pieces, mastering chord progressions, and active listening for a smooth and inspired collaboration.
- Mandolin with Félix Masson – Open to beginners as well as advanced instrumentalists.
This workshop will strive to reconcile the two musical styles by addressing basic mandolin techniques and offering tools to work on during and after the workshop session.
Tunes will be played "on the fly" to learn techniques and tips for jamming and accompaniment. This will also allow everyone to focus on their own specific challenges (not everyone has the same skill level, but everyone can play together!).
Finally, improvisation and accompaniment techniques belonging to more modern Bluegrass and New Grass styles will be seen with the work of one or two specific pieces.
Participants will of course be invited to ask questions and share their practices, equipment and references!
Materials needed : a mandolin, or in contacting me In advance: alto mandola, octave mandola, mandocello or cittern. A plectrum (at least 1mm thick recommended). A smartphone or recorder.
Who ?
Felix Masson is a multi-instrumentalist mandolinist on the North American music scene in France.
Practicing both Bluegrass and Old-Time music, he plays in groups such as Calico Drive, Pig Society and The Doblo Mountain Boys.
Felix composes and organizes sessions in Eastern Brittany. Having been trained in jazz, his mandolin style is rather modern but increasingly open to older techniques such as the Monroe style.
Janie Rothfield Janie is an outstanding American fiddler, clawhammer banjo player, and guitarist, as well as a singer renowned for her blend of traditional and inventive styles, relentless rhythm, playful groove, and award-winning original compositions. She performs in concerts, workshops, festivals, and dances worldwide and online. Janie performs, records, and teaches music rooted in American and Celtic traditions, having begun playing alongside older generation musicians from New England, North Carolina, and Quebec. With over 15 recordings to her credit, she has toured the globe sharing her reimagined traditional music.
Janie is also the founder and director (as well as instructor) of Janie's Jumpstart Home-Based Weekend Music Camps, musical workshops organized around the world.
Currently, Janie performs solo as well as in a duo with Scottish singer and guitarist Allan Carr (her husband), with The Idumea Quartet (an innovative old-time string quartet), with the Philadelphia group Coracree of contra dance and folk music, and with the Janie and Allan quartet, the JAES!
Allan Carr He was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, a region renowned for its rich traditional musical heritage. He began singing traditional songs during his teenage years, learning from great performers such as Jeannie Robertson, Lizzie Higgins, Jimmy McBeath, and Stanley Robertson. He has performed regularly at Aberdeen Folk Club and has won numerous traditional singing competitions across Scotland.
In the 1980s, Allan teamed up with American violinist Janie Rothfield. Her old-time guitar accompaniment, firmly rooted in the early style, also reflects her creativity, sense of rhythm, and energy for old-time music. Her interpretations of Scottish and Appalachian songs and ballads remain true to tradition, and with her expressive and melodious voice, she weaves musical narratives from both sides of the Atlantic.
In addition to touring with Janie, Allan also performs solo, with the band Coracree, and with their new supergroup, the JAES !
The 👉Mel Hammer is a collective of musicians offering a monthly acoustic bluegrass music event in Angers at the COMPTOIR DE LA MARINE. Join them with your folk guitar, mandolin, banjo, double bass, fiddle/violin, harmonica, or dobro in a traditional American atmosphere to experience the country sounds of the Appalachians. All levels are welcome.
THE Mel Hammer collaborate with 👉Herbe Bleue, annual festival of traditional North American music (August 6-9, 2026 in Baugé-en-Anjou – 49150) also organizing events ‘''OFF''’ taking the form of concerts, jams, workshops, dances, conferences, residencies, etc…
Discounted price for attending 2 workshops
Limited number of places
An OFF event presented by Herbe Bleue in collaboration with Mel Hammer
