Woodchopper's Reel
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"The Woodchopper’s Reel", also known "Wood Chopper's Breakdown", "Woodchopper's<br> Breakdown", “Reel de la soupe aux pois” ("Pea Soup"), "Reel des bûcherons", "Lumberjack",<br> "The Woodchopper", “Woodchopper’s Breakdown" or "Woodchopper's Hornpipe” is a Canadian<br> (originally) and American reel known in New England, Missouri, Canadian Maritimes and<br> Prince Edward Island in D Major. The parts are played AABB.<br> This classic mid-20th century reel is the composition of New Brunswick fiddler Ned Landry,<br> born in St. John in February 1921, who also composed "Little Burnt Potato", "Hillbilly<br> Calypso", "Ontario Swing" and "Bowing the Strings". Landry appeared on Don Messer's radio<br> show Backwoods Breakdown in 1934 as a harmonica player and soon formed his own<br> group, the New Brunswick Lumberjacks, whose recordings begin in 1955.<br> French-Canadian titles for the tune include “Reel de la Soupe aux Pois”<br> (Pea Soup), the title in Montréal, and “Reel des bûcherons” (Lumberjack’s Reel)<br> or "Le Petit Bucheux" (Little Woodchopper). <br> The reel has become popular in the American Mid-West, probably picked up from<br> Canadian radio broadcasts. <br> It was printed in Brody's Fiddler’s Fakebook (1983),<br> R.P. Christeson's Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, vol. 1 (1973),<br> Hinds/Hebert's Grumbling Old Woman (1981),<br> Messer's Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes (1980),<br> Miller & Perron's New England Fiddlers Repertoire (1983),<br> Perlman's The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island (1996),<br> Phillips' Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1 (1994) and<br> Sannella's Balance and Swing. <br> It was recorded by Don Messer on The Best of Don Messer and His Islanders (1960),<br> Tom Doucet on Down East Star (1975),<br> Yankee Ingenuity on Kitchen Junket (1977),<br> Fennigs All Stars on The Hammered Dulcimer Strikes Again,<br> Sharon Shannon on The Best of Sharon Shannon: Spellbound (1999),<br> Louis Beaudoin (1973),<br> Ned Landry (78 RPM) (1950),<br> John Hartford on Hamilton Breakdown (2001) and<br> Joe Pancerzewski on The Fiddling Engineer.<br>
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