The American Chamber Ensemble

The fiddle tradition of the United States combined with Scandanavian music tradition through the music of the American Cafe Orchestra. Their sole album, Egyptian Dominoes, included rearranged fiddle tunes from Greece, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the United States. The idea for the American Cafe Orchestra was sparked when Boston-based fiddler Ruthie Dornfeld met Copenhagen-based guitarist Morten Alfred at a bluegrass festival in Denmark in 1985. Despite the distances between their homes, the two musicians continued to periodically perform together when each visited the other's country. Joined by American musicians including two-time national mandolin champion John McGann, tenor, banjo and fiddle player Danny Noveck and bassist Bill Morrison, the group recorded their only album in Newton, Massachusetts in April 1991.
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