The Silver Spire

I actually sneaked the last two tunes on the end of track 18, as I didn’t want to type the whole thing again but all the tunes are listed now.

John

This CD, along with the ‘drops of springwater’ CD, goes with Karen’s Tweed’s tune book, one of many great Irish tune books by Dave Mallinson Publications. I got the book with the original cassettes, which I wore out ages ago. I think the book is one of the best of all Irish tune books for its great variety of better known and more obscure tunes and tunes at all levels of difficulty. Karen’s playing is some of the best piano accordian playing you will hear anywhere and good to learn from as it is never flashy or too fast.

Straysider

I’ve made a few corrections here. The “Gan Ainm” polka beginning Track 7 was recorded by “Bakerswell”, and identified here as one of several attributed to “Din Tarrant”. 1st reel on Track 10 wasn’t linking to anything, but Frankie Kennedy and Mairead ni Mhaonaigh recorded it as “The Humours Of Tullyknockbrine”. 1st jig on Track 14 is most commonly known as “Australian Waters”. Track 16, 1st track is on the insert as “Ailbe Grace’s”, but I’m fairly sure that’s a misprint, as I have heard of a musician called “Albie Grace”. The tune is probably here already, but under a different name.
2 links [ at least ], are wrong. “Tommy Peoples” on Track 8 is a 3-part jig, not a reel. “Connie O’Connell’s” is a jig, but is linking to his reel “The Torn Jacket”.
The “Untitled” slide on Track 2 was recorded as “Jacky Daly’s” on Jimmy Crowley’s “Camphouse Ballads” recording.
Finally - if you want to play Irish music on piano-accordion, I can’t think of any better examples of how to do it than on this recording and its’ companion, “Drops Of Spring Water”.