Jimmy Neary was a fiddle player from County Mayo who lived in Chicago. Johnny McGreevy, another fiddle player from Chicago and a hero of mine, gave me this tune in 1972 when I was on my first visit to that city, on the first ever Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann concert tour of North America. The tune is played here by my friends Jimmy Noonan from Cleveland, Ohio, who now lives in Boston, and Dan Gurney from New York State, two musicians who do much for traditional Irish music through their teaching and performing. Jimmy is on the faculty of the Boston College Irish Studies Program where he teaches flute and whistle. Dan, who plays the accordion, graduated from Harvard University with a degree in music.
Johnny McGreevy from Chicago played this reel for me in 1972. I have given it this title because it reminds me of 'Tansey's Reel', a tune recorded by the Sligo fiddle player Paddy Killoran. My good friends Jimmy Noonan and Dan Gurney recorded this version at my home in Maine. Thanks, lads. Well done: great swing!
Another tune from the repertoire of fiddle master Johnny McGreevy. It is played on this recording by the talented flute player Shannon Heaton, who at one time lived in Chicago but now resides in Boston. Thanks, Shannon, for taking the time to travel up to Maine to record for this project. Lovely playing.
Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
]]>https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/578A Few Tunes, Now and Then, where she named it in Johnny's honour.]]>2016-10-12T08:09:05-07:00
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Johnny McGreevy had an amazing repertoire of Irish music. He kept so many tunes circulating in his native city, and he was always generous in passing them along. The prolific composer, fiddle player, and pianist Josephine Keegan graciously recorded this tune for the collection, and I was delighted when she also included it on her 2011 recording, A Few Tunes, Now and Then, where she named it in Johnny's honour.
Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
]]>https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/579Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody. Thanks to Johnny McGreevy, who introduced this tune to me, and thanks to one of America's wonderful young musicians, Tina Lech, for playing it for this project.]]>2016-10-12T08:09:05-07:00
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Tom Fitzgerald's
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This tune is also known as 'Tom Fitzgerald's'. A version may also be found in O'Neill's Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody. Thanks to Johnny McGreevy, who introduced this tune to me, and thanks to one of America's wonderful young musicians, Tina Lech, for playing it for this project.
Sean Nugent and his Pride of Erin Céilí Band from County Fermanagh loved to play this jig. So too did Johnny McGreevy from Chicago, who played it for me in 1972 with piano player Eleanor Kane Neary. Jimmy Noonan on flute and Dan Gurney on accordion took the time in 2009 to learn it and record it for this collection. Thanks, boys: beautifully played with that great old swing! For want of a better or more current title, 'Pride of Erin' is fine in my book.
Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
]]>https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/626Ryan's Mammoth Collection and in O'Neill's Music of Ireland. My gratitude to Tina Lech for her interpretation of this fine old reel.]]>2016-10-12T08:09:11-07:00
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This tune was played for me by Johnny McGreevy in 1972 on my first visit to Chicago. It may be found in Ryan's Mammoth Collection and in O'Neill's Music of Ireland. My gratitude to Tina Lech for her interpretation of this fine old reel.
Some of the lovely variations in Shannon Heaton's playing of this reel came from Johnny McGreevy, the Chicago fiddle master. They were given to Shannon by the one and only Liz Carroll, who also comes from that City by the Lake.
Some transcriptions are based on historical source recordings. More info.
]]>https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/661Music at the House and gave it the swing that was so reminiscent of Johnny's playing. Playing the reel on this track, Brendan Bulger gives us that same swing.]]>2016-10-12T08:09:17-07:00
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A happy reel given to me in the early 1970s by Johnny McGreevy. Johnny told me it was the only tune that he composed and that he did not think too much of it. Brendan Bulger from Boston, Marty Fahey from Chicago, and Kathleen Gavin from Balbriggin near Dublin had other ideas. They recorded this tune on their CD Music at the House and gave it the swing that was so reminiscent of Johnny's playing. Playing the reel on this track, Brendan Bulger gives us that same swing.
A fine version of 'Sporting Nell', played here for us by one of my favourite young fiddle players, the talented Tina Lech from Boston. I first heard this reel in Chicago in 1972 played by another of my favourite fiddle players, the great Johnny McGreevy.
Yet another great old tune that was given to me by Chicago fiddle player Johnny McGreevy. The young fiddle player Tina Lech, one of my favourite musicians, plays the tune for us on this track.