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The Long Grazing Acre

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mp3 samples

1 Jigs: The Lost and found, The Hag at the Churn,
and The Wind Off the Lake 4:16

and

7 Song: Stranger to Himself (Sandy Denny) 3:45
 

 

Paddy Keenan has few peers in the world of traditional Irish music. For over thirty years, he has focused on a simple but rarely attained goal: to present the music in it's purest essence. Transcending the technical challenges of the uillean pipes, flute, and tin whistle, Paddy has consistently mined the rough ore of jigs, reel, and airs, worked and reworked their presentation until we, his audience, get to hear the real pure, life affirming beauty of them.  If the end result is like water from a holy well, Paddy Keenan is surely one of the world's best water witches! "The Long Grazing Acre", his new collaboration with stellar guitarist and vocalist Tommy O'Sullivan, represents a new milestone in that lifelong journey in pursuit of the real music. Tommy’s guitar and songs are one with Paddy's aims, and while the list of supporting players is impressive – James Blennerhassett on bass, Greg Sheehan on percussion, former Bothy Band mate Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill on keyboard, John Fitzgerald on keyboard, Mary Green with harmony vocals, and even Stephen Housden (of the Little River Band) on electric guitar - their parts rightly add only subtle reinforcements and sympathetic colors to the edifice of Paddy's and Tommy's sound.  For the playing stands strongly on it's own, providing all the direction any backing band could ask for. Listen to this CD, you'll get what you came for.         Tim O’Brien

1 Jigs: The Lost and found, The Hag at the Churn, and The Wind Off the Lake 4:16
 

2 Tunes: Eimhin's, Cahir’s Kitchen (Composed P.Keenan) 4:44
 

3 Song: The Maids of Culmore 4:29
 

4 Reels: O’Rourke’s, The Spike Island Lassies and Lord McDonald’s 4:50
 

5 Tune: Jutland (composed T.O’Sullivan) 3:25
 

6 Jigs:  Brother John The Pavee Jig (Composed P.Keenan) 3:38
 

7 Song: Stranger to Himself (Sandy Denny) 3:45
 

8 Jigs:  Sliabh Russell, The Blarney Pilgrim and The Clare Jig 4:48
 

9 Tune: Mary Bravender (Composed P.Keenan) 3:45
 

10 Reels: Antara, The Twirly Haired Girl and The Mountain Road (P.Keenan, Trad.) 4:00
 

11 Song: Killing the Blues (Rolly Salley) 4:12
 

12 Jigs: Kitty O. Shea's The Kerry Jig 4:00

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TRACK ONE:
Jigs: The Lost and found, The Hag at the Churn, and The Wind Off the Lake (Traditional) 4:16

The first and last tunes I got from James Kelly.  They supposedly turned up on an old recording of the great Michael Coleman.  The middle tune is another tune I got from a 78 of Leo Rowsome. - Paddy

 Sample Track in mp3 format

Traditional, arranged by Paddy Keenan and Tommy O’Sullivan

TRACK TWO:
Eimhin's, Cahir’s Kitchen (Composed Paddy Keenan) 4:44

This piece came about in a small town in Maine USA called Bethel back in 1998, when my mind once again wandered back to Ireland and my children. I was recording some tunes in Jay Hardy's studio. I would like to thank Marie and her family for their patience. Marie's cooking was only lovely, fresh from the garden.   I was composing and recording all at the same time. Jay would sit for hours listening to me and working on getting me the best sounds so that I could find and record the piece. Then we would go out on the deck and stare across the moon lit starry-covered mountains of Maine, listening.  Anything would sound good with this beautiful view. This tune is followed by a piece I composed back between 1967 & 71 in a ‘hotel’ they called it - in fact it was nothing more then a squat run by a bunch of welfare money grabbing pirates.  Hippying 'round London.  This was a time in my life when I was looking for something else other then the pipes and trad music - it seemed all so square.  So much so, in fact, that I refused a meeting with the Beatles. A friend wanted me to meet them when they were looking out for new instrumental sounds.  It was sometime before this that I tried pawning the pipes. London was not the place to be trying to hawk Irish Pipes in the 60’s.  “What's that mate?” He said. “These are a set of Crowley pipes with a one off Rowsome chanter, the Crowley part previously owned by the Honorable Garragh DeBrun of the Guinness Family.”  He looked at me curiously. I went as low as two bob. I couldn't believe my ears, when he turned me down. I walked outside and went about throwing the whole lot in a bin.  My friend caught me by the arm, “What are you doing Paddy? Give them to me I'll look after them for you”. I did.  It was many years later I named the tune Cahir's Kitchen after a pub in Corofin, Co. Clare. One could hear the music and Guinness spilling through the walls of the kitchen at all hours of the morning. The pub was then owned by John and Mary Hickson.  Mary liked it, so hence the name. Memories, good and bad. -Paddy

Stephen Housden – Electric Guitar

I learned this version from Neil Stanford, a singer and great guitar player living in Copenhagen.  It is a haunting variation of the recording made in the 70’s featuring Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill on vocals.  I’ve been singing this for years and have probably changed it a little along the way.  So, if you’re listening Neil, I hope you like it! - Tommy

James Blennerhassett – Double Bass

TRACK FOUR:
Reels: O’Rourke’s, The Spike Island Lassies and Lord McDonald’s (Traditional) 4:50

O’Rourke's Reel comes from my Dad, Johnny Keenan. It was a favorite of his and so it was played a lot at, as our neighbors called it, Radio 116 Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot. The music played on as the milkman delivered. The middle reel came to mind while doing a sound check with Junji Shirota in Vancouver.  The third, Lord McDonald's is an old reel I got from the playing of Leo Rowsome back in the fifties/sixties. I would like to dedicate these reels to Joy McDonald of Ayer's Cliff, Quebec. - Paddy

Greg Sheehan - Percussion

John Fitzgerald – Keyboard

TRACK SIX:
Jigs:  Brother John The Pavee Jig (Composed Paddy Keenan) 3:38

The first tune was composed for my late brother John (October 1947-March 2000). He used to play the banjo to me when I was two years old.  He taught me to play my first tune on an old Clarks whistle when I was seven.  Back when the fiddle was his main instrument, at age seventeen, he was offered a classical music scholarship to France on violin. Johnny was a very talented, gifted musician.  His favorite instruments being the banjo and the fiddle.  He never was all that interested in the commercial world, which helped in keeping his very own pure style.  He had expression with control.  You could give him an instrument he'd never seen before and within an hour Johnny would be playing the same instrument as if he'd known it all of his life.  Johnny quietly passed away after listening to the air ‘Stor Mo Chroi’ played by myself on a low whistle similar in tone to the one he used to teach me with and Sean Garvey sang him one of his favorite songs (thanks, Sean). I would like to remember my little big brother as the musical genius of the family, and the greatest living exponent of the tenor banjo. Good-bye Johnny and may your soul be at peace.

The second tune is one I put together very quickly for the movie ‘Traveller’. Pavee is the Traveller's own tribal clan title (not Knacker, Gypo, Sham or whatever small mindedness would allow one to degrade the Pavee with).  It might be time to look in and give back just a little of the enormous amount of land taken from some of the original landowners of the 17th & 18th century. - Paddy

James Blennerhassett – Double Bass

Written by the great Sandy Denny.  I have changed the arrangement and overall feel of this to suit my own style. - Tommy

 

Sound Sample in mp3 format

Tommy O’Sullivan – Vocals/Guitar

Mary Green – Harmony Vocals

Stephen Housden – Electric Guitar

TRACK NINE:
Tune: Mary Bravender (Composed Paddy Keenan) 3:45

I hope you like this modest piece Mum! Thanks for being there for us all when life wasn’t at all easy and at times could have been impossible. - Paddy

 

Composed up at Jay & Marie's New Solution Studios, Bethel, Maine.

Pearse Dunne - Chimes

TRACK TEN:
Reels: Antara, The Twirly Haired Girl and The Mountain Road (Paddy Keenan, Traditional) 4:00

The "Antara" and "The Twirly haired Girl" Reels composed on location for the movie, "Traveller" Instead they end up filling space on this here disc. Finishing with the "Mountain Road" another old favorite of my dads. - Paddy

Greg Sheehan - Percussion

TRACK ELEVEN:

John Fitzgerald – Keyboard (Organ)

TRACK TWELVE:
Jigs: Kitty O. Shea's The Kerry Jig (Traditional) 4:00

Every time I play something will change. Be different no matter how subtle. These two never really got to where I was wanting to take them.  But they do have a purpose. You will hear the transition from happy go lucky to a delivery of mood swings from happy to sad and serious. - Paddy

John Fitzgerald – Keyboard (Organ)

Recorded in Ireland at: Scrag Hill Studio, Dingle, Co. Kerry and additional recording and mixing at Jail Road Recording Studio, Clonakilty, Co. Cork.

 

Produced by:  Paddy Keenan, Tommy O’Sullivan, and Pearse Dunne

Engineered by: Pearse Dunne

Mixed by: Pearse Dunne

Mastered by: Robin Robyns at Mid Atlantic Digital

 

Sleeve Notes by: Tim O’Brien, Paddy Keenan, Tommy O’Sullivan

Graphic Design: Annie Evans

Photographs: Pavee and Travellers photos courtesy of Gypsy Collections at the University of Liverpool (Gypsy Lore Society Archive and Scott Macfie Gypsy Collection), Loreen Hurley (Cover) John Minihan (Paddy) and Christian Lebon Ó Christian Lebon  www.i-voir.com (Tommy)

 

Notes on the uilleann pipes played on this CD:  Thanks very much to Dave Williams for my new pipes, which are well worthy of playing and very close in sound to my original Crowley set as I asked for.  While I am still playing my old Rowsome chanter on this CD, the chanter Dave built for me is very close to and lives up to everything I could have expected. - Paddy

 

 

I dedicate this CD to my late brother Johnny (R.I.P.) – Paddy Keenan

I dedicate this CD to my mother, Mary – Tommy O’Sullivan

 

Thanks to: Cillian O’Briain (Dingle, Co. Kerry) for use of the workshop to make my reeds on location for this album and for the low whistles; Michael Grinter of Melbourne, Australia for the low whistle; Ted Anderson for the cane and chanter staple; Jay and Marie Hardy and family; Siobhan Fitzgerald; Michelle Flannery; Junji and Taeko Shirota for the music and hospitalityCarol Soule & Bruce Dawson; Seamus Connelly; John Gomes; Charlie Clarke and Mary Lou Philbin (www.ossianusa.com) for the charming hospitality and true friendship; bil, my webcaretaker for all his work and efforts over the years; and Annie Evans for everything. Also: John Fitzgerald, Phil Crosby, Stephen Housden, Mary Green, James Blennerhassett, Greg Sheehan, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, Steve Coulter, Rob McNeill, John Browne, Derek Hickey, Loreen Hurley, John and Hammond Minihan; Oh and Don Meade (for stopping the presses).

 

And very special thanks to my Mum, Mary Bravender Keenan.

 

All traditional tunes arranged Paddy Keenan and/or Tommy O’Sullivan, as noted.

Eimhin’s Cahir’s Kitchen (P.Keenan) registered Imro, Ireland and MCPS

Jutland (T. O’Sullivan) registered Imro, MCPS Ireland

Brother John Pavee Jig (P.Keenan) registered Imro, Ireland and MCPS

Mary Bravender (P. Keenan) registered Imro, Ireland and MCPS

Antara, The Twirly Haired Girl (P.Keenan) registered Imro, Ireland and MCPS

Stranger to Himself (Sandy Denny) © Jardiniere Music Co.

Killing the Blues (Rolly Salley) © Rolly Salley

 

www.paddykeenan.com

Contact for booking information: Folklore Productions (310) 451-0767 www.folkloreproductions.com.

 

Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

® MCPS

 

HoT Conya Records 2001 © (P) HCR 09 01 All Rights Reserved

 

 

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