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                                     Testimonials

 "Jake Krack is the finest young fiddler I know. Even at a young age he has already surpassed the talent and skill of many fiddlers who have played for a lifetime."

-Bobby Taylor, Coordinator, Appalachian String Band Festival (1996) (How Bout' That CD)

 "One of the finest albums of old-time music this year came from Jake Krack, which is amazing considering that Jake was 11 years old when he recorded it. A protégé of Brad Leftwich and Melvin Wine, Jake's an astonishing player for someone so young. He's not just copying his teachers, either -- he feels the music. I can only imagine what the coming years will bring.

-Gumbo Music Pages (1997)

“Folk culture is a lot like water. Where it comes from and where it goes is a matter of endless mystery and fascination to me. In this sense, Jake Krack is carrying a lot of water. Jake’s intuitive feel for the flow and subtleties of traditional fiddling is remarkable. His sense of rhythm and timing is rich and fluid. And his playful intensity is uplifting and refreshing. Still a young man, Jake is well beyond his years musically. He continues to learn directly from older musicians, particularly from West Virginia master fiddler Melvin Wine, and honors them each time he breaks out his fiddle. Traditions survive one generation at a time. So it does my heart good to realize that somewhere out there --- in Indiana or West Virginia or somewhere in between --- is young Jake Krack, carrying water.”
                                                                                                                                                                                -John Lilly, Editor of Goldenseal Magazine. (1997) (One More Time CD)

"Jake and Doug are carrying on well the traditional music of their West Virginia mentors and all the older fiddlers who have influenced them. We're proud that they connected in part through Augusta. This recording breathes youthful drive and energy into a wonderful variety of tunes, from haunting obscure crooked tunes to dance tunes that make your toes tap"

-Margo Blevin, Director Augusta Heritage Center (1999) (Two far Gone CD)

 "It is always a pleasure to have young talent among us, and a double pleasure when the young turn to the old ways. That closes the circle and validates our heritage. Thankfully, the best of our established musicians take a generous interest in the talented young, as Danny Arthur and John Blisard do in this recording. Together they make some fine mountain music."

-Ken Sullivan, West Virginia Humanities Council (2000) (Home at Last CD)

"This is a dynamite old-time band with lots of drive, spirit and technique. It would be hard to find a band based on a firmer foundation. It is historical and timeless, and will be treasured now and years to come, by old-time music enthusiasts."

-Bobby Taylor, Coordinator, Appalachian String Band Festival (2005) (Git er Done CD)

  "He brings an uncanny knowledge and experience with him. He knows which version of a particular tune is better than another. He helps to identify tunes I may not know. Jake is contributing a great deal to making our Kentucky traditional music available to a wider audience."

-Harry Rice, Special Collections Berea College (2005) (Berea Magazine)

  "The oral tradition and the passing on of a song and story is a centuries-old custom of preserving some of our old time ways. This tradition consists of handing down the songs and stories by word of mouth or by the playing or singing of songs--by demonstration rather than by written word. By continuing the oral tradition, we preserve particular nuances such as bowing techniques in a fiddle tune, or the inflection of the voice in a song or story, that otherwise may be lost through the written word or written description of a performance of a tune, or singing of a song, or of a story tellers whose haunting story relies , in part, on the inflection of one’s voice. These are fragile treasures that should be cherished and held onto and, if possible, carried on by our youth. We should appreciate the young souls like Jake that have taken this to heart and are willing to pass it on. And maybe, just maybe, your grandchildren or great grandchildren will someday hear a story or a song of long-lost loved ones, never to be forgotten, sung or played by a child who never knew them but by some haunting consciousness feels a connection to them."

-Leo Hickman, Fiddler Magazine (2006)

 “Over the years I have had the pleasure of having many young fiddle students in various workshops, but Jake Krack is the only apprentice I have had in which to pass on all my styles of fiddling. Until Jake, I thought I would take to my grave all the techniques I had picked up from the legendary fiddler such as Clark Kessinger, Mike Humphreys, Ed Haley and countless other fiddlers. These are technical styles, and just recently, young students are mastering these styles and carrying them on to future generations. I can not fully express how very proud I am of Jake, for all his accomplishments. Now graduated from Berea College, many CD projects completed, winning most all regional fiddle contest, and currently teaching fiddle, he is truly a West Virginia state treasure. He holds in his hands more than 100 years of West Virginia traditional fiddle styles, and it’s wonderful to see him passing these on to his students. He has accomplished a lifetime of achievements, and is still under the age of 25. He started teaching in June and has more than 30 students, which is a great statement for the respect he has earned for his ability. He constantly is getting better, the sky seems to be the limit for his future success. I know I, along with all Jake’s other teachers, rest more easily these days knowing our legacy Jake has already established for himself through is personal style.

-Bobby Taylor, Coordinator, Appalachian String Band Festival (2007)