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John Kelly playing John Kelly's?!


Dan A

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Hey guys!

 

I was just browsing the Jack Talty and Cormac Begley site, listening to some of the sound clips from their recently-released album. It all sounds great! But I've got a query as to a particular tune. The second track begins with "John Kelly's Concertina Reel", and not the one you usually hear. Go and listen, I'll wait.

 

http://www.jackandcormac.com/#/listen/4553839269

 

Anyway, I did some searching and found that it is related to the hornpipe/fling/thing "Mickey Callaghan's" and has been recorded by Paddy Glackin. But more importantly...is there a recording of John Kelly himself playing it at all? I always hate having a tune named after someone and not knowing how they played it.

 

As an aside, Joe Bane's name has been popping up recently, and I've never heard a recording of him at all. What gives?

 

Thanks again!

--Dan

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Joe Bane was a whistle and fluteplayer from the Feakle area. He sounded like this.

 

If I recall correctly, the one the lads play as 'John Kelly's Concertina Reel' is not the one usually connected with the name, or at least the name as it was first used in Breandan Breatnach's Tacar Port to identify one of Kelly's many nameless tunes.

Edited by Peter Laban
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Thanks Peter! That solves that mystery at least. The question of the John Kelly tune remains, though - it is odd that so specific a title would remain with a tune, especially considering the other, much better-known tune which you referenced.

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I don't know, 'John Kelly's Concertina reel' The one Breandán Breathnach collected and published he probably named that way because he got it from John, playing it on the concertina. It was also on the Topic lp but I am not sure how, if at all, it was named there. The other one likely got it's name the same way. It's a handy enough reference for a tune found without a name. I think Paddy Glacken may have recorded the same one that's on Na Fir Bolg under that name, I am a bit sketchy on that but I have heard it before.

 

Here are the two anyway, not necessarily exact as played on the concertina)

 

 

T:John Kelly's concertina

M:4/4

L:1/8

R:Reel

K:DDor

AddB ABcB|AEGE DEFG|AddB ABcB|AEGE DEFG:|!

AddB cdec|dcAB cAAB|AddB cdec|dcAB c3 B|!

AddB cdec|dcAB cAAe|~f3 d ~e3 d|cAAG d2 :||!

 

 

 

T:John Kelly's Concertina

M:4/4

L:1/8

R:Reel

K:G

D |:G3F GABG |AGEG GABd |d2 gd edBd|d2 ed dBAE |!

G3F GABG |AGEG GABd|d2 gd edBG |1A2 G2 GBAF:|2A2 G2 GABd||!

e3d edBc |d2de dBAB| c2ec B2dB |BAAG AGEG|!

G3F GABG |AGEG GABd|d2 gd edBG|A2 G2 GABd:|!

Edited by Peter Laban
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I don't know, 'John Kelly's Concertina reel' The one Breandán Breathnach collected and published he probably named that way because he got it from John, playing it on the concertina. It was also on the Topic lp but I am not sure how, if at all, it was named there. The other one likely got it's name the same way. It's a handy enough reference for a tune found without a name. I think Paddy Glacken may have recorded the same one that's on Na Fir Bolg under that name, I am a bit sketchy on that but I have heard it before.

 

Here are the two anyway, not necessarily exact as played on the concertina)

 

 

T:John Kelly's concertina

M:4/4

L:1/8

R:Reel

K:DDor

AddB ABcB|AEGE DEFG|AddB ABcB|AEGE DEFG:|!

AddB cdec|dcAB cAAB|AddB cdec|dcAB c3 B|!

AddB cdec|dcAB cAAe|~f3 d ~e3 d|cAAG d2 :||!

 

 

 

T:John Kelly's Concertina

M:4/4

L:1/8

R:Reel

K:G

D |:G3F GABG |AGEG GABd |d2 gd edBd|d2 ed dBAE |!

G3F GABG |AGEG GABd|d2 gd edBG |1A2 G2 GBAF:|2A2 G2 GABd||!

e3d edBc |d2de dBAB| c2ec B2dB |BAAG AGEG|!

G3F GABG |AGEG GABd|d2 gd edBG|A2 G2 GABd:|!

 

 

 

Hello

 

Just a bit unrelated but I have a question. Last night I found a tune book that I printed out. It was at a site for "Traditional Irish" tunes. some of the titles were familiar, but many of the titles just said "Gan Ainm" can any one share some light on this? I think I found it at the CEOLAS Music Archive. Most of the tunes are, at this point are bit advanced but I certainly like a challenge.

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Hello

 

Just a bit unrelated but I have a question. Last night I found a tune book that I printed out. It was at a site for "Traditional Irish" tunes. some of the titles were familiar, but many of the titles just said "Gan Ainm" can any one share some light on this? I think I found it at the CEOLAS Music Archive. Most of the tunes are, at this point are bit advanced but I certainly like a challenge.

 

 

I think that "Gan Ainm" translates from Gaelic as "No Name" but maybe a scollar of the language will give a better translation. So basically a tune without a name.

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As far as I know, "Gan Ainm" simple means without a name. You'll see quite a few tunes credited as such in books and on albums, either because names are forgotten (or there just were none in the first place). You kind of split the difference with something like the tunes above: you could call them "Gan Ainm" because they have no names, or you could call them "John Kelly's Concertina Reels" because you learned them from John Kelly's playing them on the concertina.

 

\edit

Whoops, cross post. Well done, Geoff!

Edited by Dan A
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