jeffries Duet

[michael sam wild]

I have just got a Jeffries Duet.

 

How many people have one or play one , any info welcome. I only know of Gavin Atkin, Michael Hibbert and Nick Robertshaw RIP.

 

I know a number have been converted to Anglos

[Chris Drinkwater]

I have just got a Jeffries Duet.

 

How many people have one or play one , any info welcome. I only know of Gavin Atkin, Michael Hibbert and Nick Robertshaw RIP.

 

I know a number have been converted to Anglos

 

Where did you get it from, Mike? How many keys? C.net member Wolosp (Paul Woloschuk) plays one and Peter Trimming has one, too, with 50 something keys, and has been learning to play it.

 

Chris

Edited June 13, 2010 by Chris Drinkwater

[michael sam wild]

hi Chris

It's the one that David Levine offered for sale in 2009.. It was previously Nick Robertshaw's ( bignick). I got it last week following the request on Buy and Sell (thanks to the folk who made other offers too).

 

It is a 59 button centred on C and I feel honoured to have it. It will not be converted to a big Anglo. When I asked Chris Algar to look out for one for me he said that's what commonly happens to them, and that John Spiers of Bellowhead had an Anglo from one such..

 

Frank Edgely said in another post that they rarely come out sounding right anyway when rreds are swapped.

 

 

I'm very keen to find out all I can about these big beasts.

 

 

If any one knows what keys Nick could get out of the C tuned JD I'd be interested. He seems to have had several. Which one did he play for Morris? He mentioned in one post having one tuned up to D by Steve Dickinson from below C.

 

 

Does anyone know how many Jeffries Duets were ever made and were they only made by C.Jeffries or Jeffries Bros?

 

If anyone knows where Nick got the 59 button JD I'd be grateful to find some of its history before he had it. Polly Clapp's 1980s article on conc.com says hers was form the 1920s and was a Liverpool Orange Band instrument

Edited June 14, 2010 by michael sam wild

[michael sam wild]

After a lot of trawling I found this discussion initiated by Peter Trimming in October 2006

 

http://www.concertin...topic=4759&st=0

Edited June 13, 2010 by michael sam wild

[michael sam wild]

I've had some nice and encouraging PMs so far , thanks all

[Dan Worrall]

I have just got a Jeffries Duet.

 

How many people have one or play one , any info welcome. I only know of Gavin Atkin, Michael Hibbert and Nick Robertshaw RIP.

 

I know a number have been converted to Anglos

Michael,

 

Gary Coover, who lives in Fayetteville Arkansas, is a very good player of the Jeffries duet...at least, he has mastered much of the repertoire of Michael Hebbert's classic album, plus other tunes of his own. PM me and I can give you his email address.

 

Cheers,

Dan

[michael sam wild]

I'm finding it a bit tricky to dissociate my anglo playing from the JD, row 2 has the 'push' notes and row 3 has 'pull' notes but of course you can get them either way as it's unisonoric ( two similar pitched reeds per button) . I still feel the need to pay push/pull but I think that will pass.

 

it ( push/pull) does give some punch for morris tunnes but will impede the nice smooth playing I got it for. I suppose when Jeffries developed it, in responses to demands for more chromatic instrumenst, based on an Anglo a lot of ear players had the same problem in transition.

 

 

I've worked out the keys on Michael Hebbert's Rampin'Cat ( now a Free Reed CD) using the Anglo and then attempt to play along on the JD. As an ear player that's my normal way of learning tunes and technique. Then comes the harder bit of putting the notes down and working out which fingers are best for each tune.

 

Quiet a difference from AC where I tend to stick to set fingers per button and basic chords.

 

 

MH played on a key C , Jeffries Duet on that record and the tunes and songs seem to be mainly set around C,F, Amin Dmin.. I'm sure he does cover the spectrum!

 

 

I am trying G for familiar Morris tunes and want to explore D and their relative minor keys.

 

It is making me dredge up all sorts of songs and tunes from my early years. these range from parlour ballads song round the piano and heard on radio to songs my Dad sang like Frankie and Johnny, Captain Brown, I'll take You Home Kathleen etc. Then jazz, blues , skiffle and folk . Maybe I'm at an age where these come back easier!

 

Thanks for all the PMs and emails

Edited June 18, 2010 by michael sam wild