Welcome to the Gumboot Bloggeroo! You won't get many hits from the Top 40 here - more like misses from the Back 40. Proudly behind the times, I perform traditional and not-so-traditional music from the East Coast of Canada - songs and tunes, with harmonica, fiddle, guitar, piano, and whatever else is on hand. Check out the samples, the pictures, the information, the misinformation, the free advice, the second-hand opinions, and whatever else I end up dumping here ....

Listen to the Music: East Coast Songs, Harmonica, etc.

Here are some samples (click on title; when new window opens, click on 'play') :

'Pub songs'

 Short samples:
 
1) Rocky Road to Dublin;  2)  Sonny's Dream (Ron Hynes); 3) Haul Away, Joe; 4) All For Me Grog;  5) Barrett's Privateers (Stan Rogers); 6) Farewell to Nova Scotia  - recorded by Jimmy Whiffen, Edmonton



                                 















Harmonica instrumentals

1) Merrily Kissed the Quaker/Behind the Haystack; 2) Cape Breton bagpipe tunes: Reel of Tulloch/Farewell to Whiskey/Caber Feidh/Miss MacLeod's Reels; 3) Kesh Jig medley  - all accompanied by Kevin Roach on guitar; recorded by Bob Connon, Dogface Records, Wolfeville, NS

For more of this kind of thing, go to the "CDs" page and follow the links.




Campfire Harmonica
1) Red River Valley; 2) Home on the Range; 3) Down in the Valley; 4) Little Old Sod Shanty; 5) Shenandoah; 6) Clementine; 7) Little Brown Jug; 8) Red River Valley 2.






10 comments:

  1. Bob11 May 2012 at 20:43

    James, thanks for e-mailing me the link to your new blog. The tunes we put together in February sounds great. However, I have more practicing to do and I know how to do it. À la prochaine.

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  2. James12 May 2012 at 08:13

    Looking forward to more, Bob - salut!

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  3. Ranald15 May 2012 at 13:56

    Enjoying the site, James. Lots of good music. But when are the Plastic Paddies going on tour?

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  4. Anonymous15 May 2012 at 14:10

    Yeah, I don't know ... seems these young fellas just can't keep up with the ol' man ....

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  5. Anonymous24 May 2012 at 17:37

    A very versatile player! JJ

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  6. Ranald1 October 2012 at 14:49

    Enjoyed your original tunes very much, especially after returning from Gabarus Lake and Wallace.

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  7. Anonymous5 February 2014 at 18:54

    Just curious what's the story behind the hornpipes Ricketts/ Staten island song On fiddle set one song 6?

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    Replies
    1. Mr Sketchy5 February 2014 at 20:21

      Those are tunes from the 'old-time' fiddle-tune repertoire, well-known in eastern Canada - and beyond, I would imagine. I believe Rickett was a professional entertainer in the early- to mid-1800s, based in the eastern US, and he is credited with composing the hornpipe bearing his name. While 'Staten Island' is sometimes called 'Staten Island Ferry', the tune seems to pre-date the boat. It has been traced back, under various names, to the early 1800s; from there it fades into a mist of Irish, Scottish & Northumbrian tunes that share some of its musical phrases .... The last tune in the medley - 'Old French Hornpipe' - I don't know anything about - other than it seems more widespread in western Canada than do the other two, under names like 'Irishman's Rambles', 'The Rambler's Hornpipe', etc. As far as I recall, I first heard these tunes played by the late Jarvis Benoit, of Halifax. I don't remember if he put them into a medley.

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  8. Anonymous11 February 2014 at 07:16

    There is an extended discussion of the origin(s) of Staten Island Hornpipe here: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=7666&messages=39.

    jt

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  9. RT19 April 2014 at 10:30

    Good stuff Thurgood!

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