Which Are Your Favourite Concertina Cds?

[Guest]

Oh it's way too early Sunday morning, but I was just wondering, which are your favourite concertina CDs?

 

I admit to being a bit of compulsive CD collector when it comes to the insturments I am playing [how the hell did I manage to collect over 40 different harp CDs, and over 50 cello??? ], and I currently have approximately a dozen concertina CDs (with two more on the way).

 

My favourites do tend to change from time to time, but right now I am listening to Terry Bingham's "Traditional Music from Doolin Co. Clare", Kitty Hayes "A Touch of Clare" and Noel Hill's recording with Tony Linnane.

 

Comments/feedback/caffine anyone?

 

Morgana

[Frank Edgley]

If anyone e-mails me a request, I will send you the page from my tutor with a fairly complete discography of concertina CDs and CDs where the concertina figures prominently.

Personally, my favourites are Jacqueline McCarthy's, Chris Droney's (Fertile Rock), Mary MacNamara's (both), Michael OhRahilly's (Nervous Man) and Gearoid OhAllmuirhain's (Music from Clare & Beyond).

[AlexCJones]

Boxing Clever: A Concertina Compilation

Milestones 9904, no date given; circa 1999

John Kirkpatrick, Tim Laycock, Dick Miles, Harry Scurfield: concertinas; with Pauline Abbott (vocals) and John Wren (harmonica)

Review by Ken Coles, June 2001 on Concertina.net

 

Strike the Bell by Tom and Chris Kastle. The concertina is not really the main featured insturment on this recording of maritime songs, but Tom plays it on many of them. Okay, I am a little biased, since I am an alum of Tom's concertina class, and every year I take their Sea Shanties class. Never heard of them? Here: Tom and Chris Kastle

 

Also, (of course!) Bridges by Frank C. & Frank J. Edgley (with Brian & Leon Taheny).

 

The only ones I have ever heard are those I just mentioned, others by the Kastles, Steam by John Williams, a compilation of Welsh squeezebox music called Megin, and I think that is about it. Well, my favorite band, the Oyster Band often have concertina in their songs.

Edited November 9, 2003 by AlexCJones

[bellowbelle]

I haven't listened to a wide variety yet, but....I've picked up a few CDs.

 

I really enjoy John Roberts' and Tony Barrand's 'Dark Ships In The Forest. http://www.sover.net/~barrand/rgh/darkships.html

 

Of course, this is because I attended a workshop in Portsmouth, NH in Sept. 2002 and John Roberts was present at the workshop, which was taught by Roy Clinging, a really great singer and EC player from England (I love his 'Honest Working Man' CD, too!).

 

I really love John's voice and his style. I think he played a wheatstone EC at the workshop but I don't really recall....I know that he is originally an Anglo player...which did make his style on the English very interesting, I thought. There was just something about his overall style that I really liked.

 

Later the next day I heard him performing with his partner Tony Barrand, and they were great.

 

They've got several other recordings, but, I've only heard that one, so far.

 

(Edit added: Um, much of this CD is a cappella and there's fiddle and guitar, button accordion...I think there's only concertina on 2 tracks, tracks 6 and 12...oops...sorry, I just was thinking of it as a 'concertina' CD anyway!)

 

I do really admire the fantastic playing of Simon Thoumire and David Milligan on 'The Big Day In,' too...but, I'm more apt to put on a CD of a singer/player.

Edited November 9, 2003 by bellowbelle

[JimLucas]

I really enjoy John Roberts' and Tony Barrand's Dark Ships In The Forest.

I would also very much recommend their A Present From the Gentlemen.

I know that [John] is originally an Anglo player...which did make his style on the English very interesting, I thought.

I believe that on the concertina he is originallyan English player. Certainly I recall him playing English for several years before I ever saw him with an anglo. But for a long time now (25 years?) he has played mainly anglo.

[David Barnert]

I know that [John] is originally an Anglo player...which did make his style on the English very interesting, I thought.

I believe that on the concertina he is originallyan English player. Certainly I recall him playing English for several years before I ever saw him with an anglo. But for a long time now (25 years?) he has played mainly anglo.

I can confirm this. John led a workshop (Ashokan, 1999) on using EC to accompany singing and told me at that time that he played EC before Anglo.

[martyn]

Hi Morgana,

 

One of my own personal favourites is Brian Peters whos albums include: Squeezing Out Sparks, Beast In The Box, Sharper Than The Thorn and Lines.

There is some first class anglo playing on these, mainly in an English style,with some equally good melodeon .Try www.harbourtown.com/peters.html

 

Also Geckoes are well worth a listen with some fine anglo playing from Andy Turner. Their albums include: Gecko Blaster, Art Gecco & The Red Horse. these are mainly a mixture of English & French tunes.

 

All the best,

 

Martyn.

[bellowbelle]

I know that [John] is originally an Anglo player...which did make his style on the English very interesting, I thought.

I believe that on the concertina he is originallyan English player. Certainly I recall him playing English for several years before I ever saw him with an anglo. But for a long time now (25 years?) he has played mainly anglo.

I can confirm this. John led a workshop (Ashokan, 1999) on using EC to accompany singing and told me at that time that he played EC before Anglo.

Oops..okay...anyway, for sure, he was excellent on the English. He probably said that he'd been playing MOSTLY Anglo for a while.

 

During the ending performance of the festival, I took note of the way he moved the bellows (on English) and, to me (a novice, especially then) it looked like he moved it more like it was an anglo. (I'd been comparing players' styles throughout the day, on all types.)

 

This seemed interesting, so, I tried it, and even arranged a song and deliberately put this kind of movement into it. I don't know if you'd call it a 'very slow shake,' or what...

 

Of course, I'm still pretty new to what various players say about moving the bellows. But, I suppose that as you get to know a particular song, you'll adjust the movement accordingly, so the instrument 'breathes' correctly.

[bellowbelle]

This seemed interesting, so, I tried it, and even arranged a song and deliberately put this kind of movement into it.  I don't know if you'd call it a 'very slow shake,' or what...

The song I arranged with the deliberate bellows movement is 'Stand By Me,' though I don't really sound like Elvis Presley did when he recorded it...different tempo, too...

 

If you have the Noteworthy Player Plug-In, you can see/hear it from this link:

 

http://bellowbelle.com/PPoemsPDFs/Other/StandByMe.nwc

 

(For the record....I am a 'folk,' not a pro!! edit....And, I don't usually arrange with separate staffs per hand, but, this one, I did.)

Edited November 9, 2003 by bellowbelle

[BruceB]

The English Connection & Just A Little Jazz, both by John Nixon. Lots of great EC playing by John, even lots of fun stuff with bass & baritone concertinas. John is a wonderful EC player, very subtle and just excellent at shaping notes. These are essential recordings for english concertina players. Both run more to jazz than traditional Irish or other folk traditions. The Shadow Of Your Smile (English Connection, track 10) is my current favorite.

 

There is also some excellent PA playing by Harry Hussey & Frank Marocco. I love when they trade off with John, Shadow Of Your Smile is a good example of this. So far I slightly prefer The English Connection over Just A Little Jazz. You can't go wrong with either one.

bruce boysen

[geoffwright]

For any budding anglo players who like irish, Mary Macnamaras two cds are the best - slow and steady, no ornaments and in sensible keys. I learnt a lot about playing across the rows by working through her tunes - they just automatically fit under the fingers! Quite a lot of her tunes are on the Tunatron.

I have the ABC to nearly all of them, and also the list of concertinas she played the Blackberry Blossom tunes on.

I listen to Noel Hills as well, but his dishearten you if you listen too close and try and analyse what he is doing.

[Steven Hollander]

My choices: First of all, I was going to list a few Irish ones, but Frank Edgely beat me to some of them--here's a few more--Noel Hill and Tony MacMahon- "Knock Na Gre (spelling?), Jackie Daly-Music of Sliabh Luchara, and JAckie Daly with Seamus Creagh (Jackie plays most accordian,but also plays tunes on Anglo). My favorite English Concertina recording is from Alistair Anderson-I think it's called "trad. tunes (?)---Steven

[Frank Edgley]

I do believe that Alex C Jones is one of my favourite contributors to this forum. ---A man of discerning musical tastes, and no doubt a gifted individual! Seriously, thanks, Alex!

Yes, I had forgotten about Jackie Daly---great music there, too!

[Henk van Aalten]

For any budding anglo players who like irish, Mary Macnamaras two cds are the best - slow and steady, no ornaments and in sensible keys. I learnt a lot about playing across the rows by working through her tunes - they just automatically fit under the fingers! Quite a lot of her tunes are on the Tunatron.

I have the ABC to nearly all of them, and also the list of concertinas she played the Blackberry Blossom tunes on.

I listen to Noel Hills as well, but his dishearten you if you listen too close and try and analyse what he is doing.

I fully agree with Geoff! At this moment Blackberry Blossom is my real favourite. Mary McNamara's playing is really encouraging me to go to a next level of concertina playing.

I invite Geoff to communicate about the "the list of concertina's" she is playing at this CD.

 

Henk

Edited November 10, 2003 by Henk van Aalten

[scott fineran]

G'Day Moragna,

 

My favorite Concertina CD is by an Aussie. His name is Dave De Hugard and the CD is "On the Wallaby Track". While he is talented enough to play most of the instruments on his CD, the concertina features in most of his tunes. He sings some great old Australian bush songs but also has some great old collected Australian dance tunes. Its really worth a listen if you would like to listen to something different to Irish tunes all the time and he is from down your way. He has made a few other Cd's in the past which are hard to get hold of but are very nice. A little more relaxed than your usual Irish music.

 

Scott

[Chris Timson]

Harry Scurfield has recently brought out a new CD called "Anglo in the Dark", and it is brilliant! An absolute eye-opener to what you can do with the anglo. I must write a review very soon and spread the word a bit, but for me this has got to be anglo album of the year.

 

Chris

[Christopher Quinn]

I only have 3 concertina CDs so far.

 

The best is Noel Hill's "The Irish Concertina" but it is a bit serious - I enjoyed seeing and hearing him play in person far more.

 

However my favourite is Mick Bramich's "The Irish Concertina" which was recorded to accompany his tutor of the same name.

 

I recently bought Mary MacNamara's "The Blackberry Blossom" and it has some nice tunes on it but some of the tracks are definitely low points on what is a fairly dull recording. That said the tunes are useful to learn from.

Edited November 11, 2003 by Christopher Quinn

[Peter Dyson]

To tilt the balance back towards the English concertina a bit:

 

Anything by Dave Townsend (Concertina Landscape)

 

Sarah Graves (Black Boxes)

 

Anything by Simon Thoumire (Big Day In, Solo1, March Strathspey Surreal, Keep it Up)

 

and absolutely any recording by Alistair Anderson, from Concertina Workshop, through Dooking for Apples and Corby Crag, to The Grand Chain, Syncopace, and On Cheviot Hills which he recorded with The Lindsays, a string quartet.

 

Peter Dyson

Bellingham, WA