The Cowboy jig

Another tune first heard at the Dora Keogh in Toronto, with an especially nice, slightly bittersweet B section. Mind, I’ve never heard the B section the same way from any two different sources, so I picked what I thought was the prettiest one. I’d welcome a correction if anyone knows something authoritative.

—-Michael B.

…it’s very similar indeed to Out in the Ocean, which I understand is considerably older.

—-Michael B.

Great tune - I’ve heard this played by Alasdair Fraser and fell in love with it - Cheers!!

Alasdair Fraser play this tune in Amaj

Seems related to O’Sullivan’s March: https://thesession.org/tunes/2204

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 25th 2001 by Jeremy.
https://thesession.org/tunes/108

The B-part in particular, copied from Jeremy’s transcription:

|: Bd |
e2 e edB | ege edB | d2B def | gfe dBA |
G2 A B2 d | ege d2 B | AGE G2 A | BGE G :|

I have heard this tune a couple of places, including Alasdair Fraser on the Road North, in A, and it’s in G in the Portland Collection. I like it in a set with Calliope House. But does anyone know where it comes from, or what it’s history is?

FM

As "Charlie the Prayermaster" played by Addie Hsrper, Scottish fiddler:

X:322
T:Charley the Prayermaster
T:Cowboy Jig
D:Wick S.C.D., The Sound of the North (1970)
Z:Nigel Gatherer
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:A
B |AFE A2 B | cff ecB | AFE ABc | dcB AFE |
AFE A2 B | cff ecB | AFE A2 B | 1cAA A2 :| 2cAA Ace ||
f2 e f2 e | faf fec | e2 c e2 c | eaf ece |
f2 e f2 g | agf ecB |AFE A2 B | 1cAA Ace :| 2cAA A2 |]

only the 2nd part of this jig sounds like Out On the Ocean but it also sounds (bars 5 and 6) like O’Sullivan’s March https://thesession.org/tunes/2204

Not sure where I learned this or first heard it, but it’s always been a big earworm for me. And in my head, it always plays in A and begins with "aef" instead of "afe."

It’s in Cole’s 1001 Fiddle tunes, so, can we assume it’s
Scottish? it seems not particularly Irish….

I first heard this on Alasdair’s Cd also; as a very nice G tune after Calliope. In the Portland Collection it’s in A, not G as full measure wrote above, but I wonder if it was indeed in the other key in the first 8 printings! It’s a nice tune in both keys. I’m playing around with doing it in G after Calliope then once through in A.

Simplified version based on the similarities in a few versions I’ve heard, such as the version by "Trip To Nelson" on the album "The Winding Road".

I just discovered this jig in an album by the English band 422, who play lots of folk songs outside of the usual Northeast English tunes. I actually thought at first, being from the US and having spent lots of time in the South, that this tune might be American, especially because in the set from 422 the other tunes have that very Southern style.