Stan Chapman’s jig

This jig is simply the most charming peice I’ve heard in a long time.

Mary Custy did a recording of this on her ‘After 10.30’ album. It can also be found on a Alasdair Fraiser/Paul Machlis album called “The Road North”.

Definately gives the impression that Willie had a great time in Toronto. It seems to be a new composition, but does anyone know the story behind it? Who wrote it? Anyway, give it a go at your next session!

Most sources I’ve seen for this tune list it as Stan Chapman’s and credit Cape Breton style fiddler Jerry Holland with composing it. Great tune, however you slice it!

Just pulled it out in session yesterday and was educated on that very point. Can’t wait to search my MP3’s to see if I have any other recording of that tune. Thanks Will!

Met Stan Chapman at a square dance in Baddeck, Cape Breton, 4 years ago. He is a soft spoken fiddler, extremely talented. He is credited as being Natalie MacMaster’s teacher, bringing her up to a professional level. He was having some trouble with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (compression of nerves in the hand) when I met him. He played a set of jigs that night, about 6 or 8 in the medley.

the market town follows stan chapman’s very nicely.

I just got the Solas CD and on first hearing the this in a jig set for a second thought it was an arrangement of the Kesh - perhaps it’s a distant cousin?

See Page http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_202_2_fiddle_duet/ for a great rendition of this jig by fiddlers, Antón MacGabhann and his daughter, Bernadette at last year’s Fleadh Nua in Ennis. The one that follows it is also a great jig but is at present nameless!

Just checked this out and the “nameless jig” is in fact Dave Collins’ - a fantastic fiddle tune!

Surely the second tune in the Comhaltas clip is “Comb your hair over and dye it”? 🙂

Lovely playing.

Could the “Willie’s Trip to Toronto” title be a reference to this tune’s similarity to “Willie Coleman’s”? They’re not close enough to be the same tune, but maybe close enough for the quip.

I’m not speaking ill of the composer, by the way. From what I have heard, he would have taken it all in good humor.

Written by the late Jerry Holland for Stan. I heard Stan himself play it with Irishman’s Heart to the Ladies and another tune, possibly The Highlander’s Jig ,at a tutors’ concert at St. Ann’s Gaelic College, Cape Breton. Stan is an outstanding teacher and a true gentleman. and he plays a mean Sheldon McNeil’s Reel…what a tune and what a fiddler…!

Don’t know if this is how Mary Cussty plays this but I doubt it, nobody else seems to. I don’t have the Holland version myself but this is how it’s usually played…


X: 1
T: Stan Chapman’s
C: Jerry Holland
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Amaj
|: F | ~E3 EFA | ~B3 Bce | fea fec | ecA BAF |
~E3 EFA | ~B3 Bce | fea fec | [1 ecA A2 :| [2 ecA A2 ||
|:cd | e3 ece |~f3 fga|edc BAB | cAF Faf|
e3 ece | ~f3 fga | fec BAB | cAA Acd |
e3 ece | ~f3 fga|edc BAB | cAF Faf |
ece ece | ~f3 fga | fec BAB | cAA A2 ||

…Custy…

solas plays the B part slightly differently…
X: 1
T: Stan Chapman’s
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Amaj
~E3 EFA|~B3 Bce|fea fec|ecA BAF|
~E3 EFA|~B3 Bce|fea fec|ecA A3:|
e3 ecA|~f3 fga|fec BAB|cAF F af|
e3 ecA|~f3 fga|fec BAB|1cAA A af:|2cAA A3:|

X: 1
T: Willie’s Trip To Toronto
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K:G Maj
D3 DEG|A3 ABd|edg edB|dBG AGE|
D3 DEG|A3 ABd|edg edB|dBG G3:|
d3 dBd|e3 efg|dBG A3|BGD Dge|
d3 dBd|e3 efg|dBG A3|1BGG Gge:|2BGG G3:||

which sounds like the ‘natural’ setting for pipes and flutes, though I’ve always heard it in A.

The Market Town
https://thesession.org/tunes/3772

has a very similar 2nd part, first long E and that same laid back pace.

Stan told me that he was touring Cape Breton with some young fiddlers and dropped in to see Jerry Holland. Jerry played him a jig and Stan liked it so much he asked if he could have the dots so he could teach it to his students. He toured/played/taught for the next year or so and then met a fiddler who played him the same tune. When Stan identified it by the name he’d been given (Willie’s Trip to Toronto?), the fiddler looked at him funny and told him it was called Stan Chapman’s… that was the first time he found out it had been renamed in his honour! I’m pretty sure Stan still has the handwritten copy with the original title somewhere.

Just been given this tune to learn, but like Edgar (12y ago!) was struck by the resemblance of the first half of the tune to The Kesh jig, albeit different keys. Nice tune anyway.

I learned it from Kevin Burke’s Celtic Fiddle Festival album, Play On. And as on that particular CD, I like to follow it with Arthur Darley’s/The Swedish/The Bruckless Shore, or whatever other name it goes by.

Yes, Stan taught Natalie, and Ashley,and a lot of others. For a number of years he has taught a course on Cape Breton composers for the traditional music program at Cape Breton University, though my daughter may have been in his last class, as he may be retiring. She had to write a tune for the class; I suggested she call it ‘Stan Chapman’s Ice Cream’ (Chapman’s is a Canadian brand of ice cream). He usually hosts an open session at CBU during Celtic Colours; one year co-hosted by Phil Cunningham, last year Rachel Davis. He’s a gentleman, with a ton of stories.

Here’s a nice audio/video example.
https://youtu.be/8dada0Cu7kE

play video

Well, check out the LP from Eugene Laderoute (Manitoba) with the tune Stan’s Jig. There is a You Tube of Ivan Hicks playing this tune and crediting Eugene as the composer. This is all searchable on the internet. Eugene was born at Forget, SK 1928 and died at Killarney, MB 1981 Eugene recorded two LPs in the (probably 1980s) so it seems totally possible that he is the composer and there are others who falsely claim its composition.

ron wood, Stan’s Jig is a different tune to Stan Chapman’s - the only things they have in common are that they have “Stan” in the name, are in A and are jigs, though Stan’s Jig is more what I would call a two-step.
Hear Stan’s Jig here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAiB4IOKAvk

play video

and Stan Chapman’s here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpePRxSpLDg

play video

DonaldK, I agree the two tunes you placed here are indeed different, But check out cut 13 (Stan’s Jig) from the Rounder CD 7015 from 1997, Fiddlers of Eastern Prince Edward Island, and note it is credited to Stan Chapman. It sounds exactly the same as the Stan’s Jig being played by Ivan Hicks where Mr. Hicks credits it to Eugene Laderoute, and which is exactly the same as the first tune you placed here. Just trying to give credit where credit is due. I can imagine tune composition credit (especially on the really old tunes) can be a never ending task.

Ron, very true on your last sentence.

My guess would that the Fiddlers of East Prince Edward Island made a mistake in their attribution. Maybe they learnt it from Stan Chapman (who used to do a fair bit of teaching) and assumed that he had written it, because of the name, or maybe they took the title to mean it was written by some called Stan and Stan Chapman was the only fiddling Stan they knew.

Back in 1997 the amount of information on the Internet was nowhere near as extensive as it is now and incorrect attributions (and incorrect titles) were much more likely to occur than they do now.

Hello! I recorded this tune & would like to distribute it on an album. I thought it was traditional until I researched it today. So then I tried to buy a license for it & was told that it was not published in the USA, so I could not get a regular license. Does anyone know what the protocol is for legally distributing a tune by a known composer in this genre of music? Obviously there is no way to ask Jerry Holland’s permission. :(

Thank you!

https://youtu.be/5a65hxRY2ZI?t=101

play video