Jimmy’s Favorite jig

~ A Canadian fiddler from Manitoba…

Please do the kindness and consideration of commenting and crediting the source and the composer…

Also, this tune seems incomplete. I’ll see if I can pull together the missing bits…

Thanks fo the Heads-up on Andy Dejarlis. I’ve never heard the tune credited to anyone.

K: G Major
|: dd/e/f |
gbg dBd | G2 G GAB | c2 c cBA | E3 E2 g |
f2 f fed | fgf f2 e |1 d^cd ed=c | B3 :|
2 d^cd =cAF | G3 ||
DD/E/F |
G2 G GDB, | GDB, G2 D | G2 G GAB | c3 cBA |
F2 F FED | FED F2 E | DFA cBA | B3 DD/E/F |
G2 G GDB, | GBA GDB, | G2 G GAB | c3 cdg |
f/g/ag fed | f/g/ag f2 e | d^cd =cAF | G3 ||

S’alright McMandolin, I was just surprised you hadn’t commented at all. It has been around since the time of Jarman, an old time publisher of Square Dance tunes and dances, so it has gone through a number of transformations. I should check my copies and see if I have the Jarman one on hand. If I do I’ll add it here. It was popular with musicians playing for New England and modern style contra dances all across North Amerikay. Where did you get your version from?

This version isbased on the way it gets played at my regular session.I’llask the guys where they learned it.

~C Your comment about Jarman sent me looking through a few old boxes and I found "Jim Magill’s Sqare Dance Tunes"
Published by Jarman in the early 50’s. Jim takes composer credit.

Be careful on what you believe with those old publications, they tended to claim rights to everything even if all they did was change a note or two on "Whiskey Before Breakfast"… For some reason the ‘printing’ of a collection gave some folks ‘airs’…

Another source worth checking:

"The Fiddler’s Companion" ~ Andrew Kuntz
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/index.html

"Jimmy’s Favorite Jig"
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/JIG_JM.htm

I’ll see if I can find anything else. But since you have "Jim Magill’s Square Dance Tunes" and it is definitely in that, why not give us a transcript from the book so we can see what it was like in an earlier existence. I quite like the Jarman books, but I don’t trust all their claims… Still, they are a good early source for a number of tunes that have become standards. I look forward to seeing that transcript, I haven’t been as lucky as you in finding a copy… 😉

"Jim Magill" & "Jimmy" do have a correlation…whether or not he was the inspiration or the actual composer…

d|:gbg gdB |G2G GAB|cdc cBA| E3E3|
f2f fed| faf f2e|1ded ded| B3 B3:|2ded def| g3 g3:|
|:G2G GDB,|GDB, GDB,|G2G GAB|c3 c3|
F2F FED|FED FED |FGA cBA| G3 G3:|

give it a try

Thanks for the Jarman transcript from the Magill book, much appreciated… Yes, your above transcript is close to another couple I have, and I had that run of "FED’s" in the second part but tended to play it as I’d given it above.

I’ve just done more of a search on "Jimmy’s Favorite Jig" and found it listed as composed by both fiddlers, but mostly it is Jim Magill who is credited and the Jarman publication seems the earliest source for it. Don Messer and his gang recorded this one and DeJarlis was one of the members, but they performed compositions by both DeJarlis and Magill. Both could be called contemporaries. I found some other interesting transcriptions of the tune as well in the search and will offer up at least one other for interest in how a tune changes as it passes through time and the minds of different musicians…

The following is information on the parties mentione as taken from that excellent online source "The Canadian Encyclopedia":

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/

" Don Messer and His Islanders ~
Old-time music group, the most popular in Canada during the mid-20th century, largely on the basis of its CBC radio and TV series. It was formed in 1939 for CFCY radio in Charlottetown by the fiddler Don (Donald Charles Frederick) Messer (b Tweedside, near Fredericton, 9 May 1909, d Halifax 26 Mar 1973). ~ Besides traditional hornpipes, jigs, and reels, the Islanders played many tunes by Messer, as well as pieces by Al Cherny, Andy DeJarlis, Jim Magill, Graham Townsend, and others. ~ "

"Magill, Jim (James Creighton). Fiddler, composer, born Northern Ireland 1902, died Toronto 28 Jan 1954. He moved to Toronto in the early 1930s and worked in the CNR’s telegraph department for 20 years. A skilful and admired oldtime fiddler, Magill performed with his band, ‘The Northern Ramblers’, for square dances in Toronto and was heard 1946-54 on radio station CFRB. He made many 78s for London. His most popular pieces were ‘Saskatoon Breakdown’ and ‘The Crooked Stovepipe’. A folio of his square dance tunes was published by Harry Jarman in 1952" ~ "Jim Magill’s Square Dance Tunes" ~ in which "Jimmy’s Favorite" is printed and credited as composed by Jim Magill…

"DeJarlis, Andy (Métis fiddler) ~ (born Joseph Patrice Ephreme Desjarlais, legally amended in 1971 to Andrew Joseph Patrick Ephreme DeJarlis). Fiddler, composer, born near Woodridge, near Winnipeg, 29 Sep 1914, died St. Boniface, Manitoba, 18 Sep 1975. A Métis, he was taught by his grandfather and later (1938) in Winnipeg by W. George Rutherford. DeJarlis, who won his first fiddling contest in 1935, was one of the most popular entertainers on the Prairies, performing 1935-43 on Winnipeg’s CJRC radio and touring 1937-43 in northern Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. His band, was known initially as the ‘Red River Mates’ and later as ‘The Early Settlers’. ~ DeJarlis began recording in 1956 for Quality Records and in 1959 for the London label - the latter released some 25 LPs featuring many of his more than 175 songs, fiddle tunes, and dance pieces. Most of his compositions, like his various ‘Red River’ pieces and his ‘Manitoba Waltz’ (1967), are named for specific locations. ~ In the Winnipeg Free Press (25 Jun 1966) Don Messer was reported to have called DeJarlis ‘one of the greatest exponents of old time music in Canada’. ~ " ~ written by Richard Green

This tune found popular play all over North America, Canada and the U.S.A., and including the Maritimes ~ Newfoundland, Cape Breton & Prince Edward Island for starters. An early recording of it was made in the 50’s:

"Newfoundland Old Time Fiddle Music" ~ The Shamrocks
Banff RBS 1055, LP

Out of all the references I’d found regarding this tune it came to about 50 / 50 as to whether they mentioned Jim Magill or Andy DeJarlis as the composer. My guess is that it was Don Messer and Andy’s fiddling that made the tune popular, but that the publication makes it makes it most likely that it is a Magill composition… Here are two of the DeJarlis references:

"The Fiddler’s Companion" ~ Andrew Kuntz
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/index.html
"Jimmy’s Favorite Jig"
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/JIG_JM.htm

Voyager Repertoire Builder Series:
http://www.voyagerrecords.com/ws.htm
Repertoire Builder 106 Written Materials and Tune Notes
http://www.voyagerrecords.com/LN106.htm

24. Jimmy’s Favorite ~ "Andy deJarlis wrote this tune, which makes a good change tune with "Billy the Barber" for a "Lady of the Lake" medley."

Jim Magill & his "Northern Ramblers" ~ with square dance calls
On the London Label #16040
~ probably late 40’s early 50’s?

"The Northern Junket" ~ a journal
Editor in cheif ~ Ralph Page, dance caller and historian
Volume 8, Number 1, February 1964
Page 30 ~ "Jimmy’s Jig" by Ron Linnell
A square dance figure composed for the tune "Jimmy’s Favorite Jig":

K: G Major
|: d |
gbg gdB | G2 G GAB | cdc B2 A | E3-E2 g |
f2 f fed | fgf f2 e |1 ded ded | B3 B2 :|
2 ded def g3 g3 ||
|: G2 G GDB, | GDB, GDB, | G2 G GAB | c3- cBA |
F2 F FED | FED F2 E | DFA cBA |1 G3 G3 :|
2 G3 G2 ||

K: G Major
|: d |
g3 gdB | G3 GAB | c2 c B2 A | E3-E3 |
f2 f fed | fed f2 e |1 d2 d e2 d | B3 B2 :|
2 d2 d e2 f | g3 g2 D ||
|: G2 G GAB | GAB GAB | G2 G A2 B | c3 cBA |
F2 F FED | FED F2 E |1 D2 D E2 D | B,3 B,2 D :|
2 D2 D E2 F | G3 G2 ||

Having found an odd dulcimer transcription of this online with the A & B parts reversed and the whole thing barred a beat out as well, I was curious enough to try and make sense of it. The above is a reworking of that transcript into the usual order of this tune ~ as another way with the melody…

For your own curiosity, here’s that link:

http://www.dulcimers.com/
http://www.dulcimers.com/tunes/jimmysjig.html

Ptarmigan should be interested in that… 😉

K: G Major
|: d |
gbg gdB | G2 G GAB | cdc cBA | E3- E2 A |
f2 f fed | faf f2 e |1 d2 d ded | B3- B2 :|
2 ded def | g3- g2 D ||
|: G2 G GDB, | GDB, GDB, | G2 G GAB | c3- c2 A |
F2 F FED | FED FED | FGA cBA |1 B3- B2 D :|
2 G3- G2 ||

Some possible chord options:
| G ~ | Em ~ | C ~ | Am ~ |
| D7 ~ | ~ ~ | D7 ~ | G ~ :|
| G ~ | ~ ~ | G7 ~ | Am ~ |
| D7 ~ | ~ ~ | ~ ~ | G ~ :|

And Magill is from Northern Ireland.

Great ain’t it…

Aye, a Jimmy McGill fiddler from Manitoba, that is interesting alright. I have a little bit about a Jim McGill, fiddler of North Antrim, on my website:
http://www.causewaymusic.co.uk/localheros.html
& I know some of his family now live in Canada, but I have no idea if he could be connected to this composer.
I shall ask some of his family who still live here & get back to you.

All these versions of this tune sound very Scottish to my ears.

Canada, as you probably know, has a strong Scottish influence in its Celtic roots and old time music ~ equally Irish. The cross between the two was very evident in the Maritimes, playing each others music and taking on each others ways with the music ~ and the dance… Also not to be undervalued in these exchanges, the French Accadian and Quebecois influences and the Native American involvement ~ such as Andy DeJarlis, Métis fiddler and Lee Cremo, Mi’kmaq fiddler…

I also have "Jim Magill’s Square Dance Tunes" by Jarman Publications which contains this tune. Regarding the comments about Andy DeJarlis, I do know that Andy put out an LP on London Records titled "Tribute to Jim Magill" which contains a number of Magill’s tunes including "Jimmy’s Favorite". This would rule out Andy as the composer.

Thanks Kong, that is as we had expected after chasing up as much as we could….

Here is alink to Alf Warnock’s abc files of Jim Magill tunes
http://www.alfwarnock.info/alfs/abc.php

This is an odd one… I’ll give it as it is, unchanged, for comparison, and as I suspect might make more sense, as 32 bars:

X: 11
T: Jimmy’s Favorite Jig
C: Jim Magill
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
Z: abc by Bruce Osborne - bosborne@kos.net
K: G
|: d |
gbg gdB | G2 G GAB | cdc cBA | E3 E2 A |
f2 f fed | faf f2 e | ded ded | B3 B2 d |
gbg gdB | G2 G GAB | cdc cBA | E3 E2 A |
f2 f fed | faf f2 e | ded def |g3 g2 :|
|: D |
G2G GDB, | GDB, GDB, | G2 G GAB | c3 c2 A |
F2 F FED | FED FED | FGA cBA | G3 G2 :|

X: 1134
T: Jimmy’s Favorite Jig
C: Jim Magill
Z: abc by Bruce Osborne, edited by ‘c’
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: G Major
|: d |
gbg gdB | G2 G GAB | cdc cBA | E3 E2 A |
f2 f fed | faf f2 e |[1 ded ded | B3 B2 :|[2 ded def |g3 g2 :|
|: D |
G2G GDB, | GDB, GDB, | G2 G GAB | c3 c2 A |
F2 F FED | FED FED | FGA cBA | G3 G2 :|

Jim Magill is my grandfather. Alot of you are wrong for sure. He is not from Manitoba he was born in Ireland and lived in Toronto and dies when my father was 15. Give credit where credit is due and don’t just guess things just to make a post.

No doubt there is more than one Jim Magill in the world, but it is And Dejarlis that is listed above as from Manitoba, and further on, from "The Canadian Encyclopedia" ~ it ‘clearly says’:

"Magill, Jim (James Creighton). Fiddler, composer, born Northern Ireland 1902, died Toronto 28 Jan 1954. He moved to Toronto in the early 1930s and worked in the CNR’s telegraph department for 20 years. ~"

There is only one confusion of origins above, Ptarmigan’s… So your rant "A lot of you are wrong", doesn’t hold. One person only was confused…

But please, be constructive and add some useful comment about your grandfather. That would be highly valued and do him better credit than having not read things clearly above. I’d be ‘very’ interested to hear tales about Jim Magill and his music…