Comments

Must-listen list of button box players

Let's make a list

I know (and love) Paddy O'Brien, Sharon Shannon, Joe Derrane, also guys from Danu and Trian I don't know. Box player from Solas is cool also.

Who are your favorites?

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by bboxer

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

To be honest, the reason I'm posting that is that I want to learn more names and get some new music

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by bboxer

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

There may be a few choices at this site, boxer.
http://irishbox.blogspot.com/

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by ʎɹoʇısuɐɹʇ

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Joe Cooley
Jackie Daly

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by fidkid

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

If you admire their music so much, couldn't you at least make the effort to find out their names ?
Benny McCarthy = "Danu". Billy McComiskey = "Trian". John Williams, and later Mick McAuley = "Solas".
There are so many these days, you could end up with a very long list.

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by Kenny

Here's a few.

http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/1617

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by Kenny

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

I will add Tony McMahon, Johnny Connolly, More recently Paudie O'Connor and Phil Cunningham.

And don't forget the box player who brought alot of interest back into ITM in general and the box specifically- Santa Claus aka Joe Burke.

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by zippydw

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Oh Boy...Forgot Johnny O'Leary- one of the best, particularly his Polkas and Slides

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by zippydw

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

I always get exasperated when people list their favourite players and they are all whippersnappers.

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by llig leahcim

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Josephine Marsh for graceful playing and subtle variation that you only hear when you really listen.

Johnny O'Leary and Joe Derrane whippersnappers? How old are you Michael?

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by TomB-R

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

You should stop fighting it and accept exasperation as your natural condition.

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by pavlf

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

too bloody old

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by llig leahcim

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Oh stop, he means that precocious wee Jackie Daly, not Joe Derrane. Llig's only got a year or two on Joe.

Speaking of which, nifty TG4 special on himself:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8983345018520645601

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by SWFL Fiddler

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

With the exception of Joe Burke most of my favourites are 'dead', but if someone twisted my arm I'd pick ....Liam O'Connor...I envy his film star looks and love his Pulsating, Innovative, Traditional, Moving, Inspirational, and Explosive method of being able to play the accordion over his head, and for his ambition to be the Jimmy Hendrick of the accordion... I look forward to seeing him squirting a flammable liquid on his accordion and setting it alight....maybe one day!.

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by Free Reed

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Ilig
What has age got to do with it? I listed a bunch of people older than me, and I am an old fart.....

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by zippydw

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

http://joefago.com/llig

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by fidkid

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Call that old !
What would that make me?

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by Trevor Jennings

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

David Munnelly.
And if anyone is interested in the particular variety that comes from Newfoundland, try Frank Maher on what the irish would call a melodeon. Also Graham Wells and a recent favourite--I think a very tasteful, very young player--Aaron Collis of the Dardanelles.

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by nfldbox

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Paul Brock - get the "Tribute To Joe Cooley" recording with Frankie Gavin.
Mick Mulcahy. Anders Trajberg, Charlie Harris. Anne Conroy-Burke. Dermot Byrne. Mairtin O'Connor. Conor Keane.
And I have a particular liking for the playing of Paul Finn of "Teada".

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by Kenny

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

JOE COOLEY

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by dinn2

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Beside Johnny Connolly, I'd recommend Johnny (Og) Connolly and Johnny B. Connolly. All great but I prefer the eldest on melodeon!

Most of the others mentioned here are among my favorites also. Too many boxers!!

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by curamach

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Not Johnny B. Goode?

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by Ebor_fiddler

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Not in any order:

J.Daley
J.Cooley
J.Derrane
B.McComisky
P.Cunningham
S.Mitchell
J.Whelan

and a host of others, too -
there are many fine players around who impress me.
(in part kuz I kinna squaze a box ta save me life.)

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by Piece

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

A lot of good names on the list already, so rather than repeating, let me add Verena Commins' name. The record she made with Julie Langan a few years ago is really worth tracking down - no flash anywhere on it, but lots of taste.

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by Jon Kiparsky

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Daly Cooley Keegan Byrne O'Connor Hickey Coffey McComisky Burke McCarthy Whelan Derrane Keane Mitchell Mallane Marsh Mulcahy O'Brien O'Brien Connolly Connolly O'Leary Begley Begley Shannon Murphy Kimmell Williams McAuley Munnelly Graham McKee

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by fedorastain

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Sharon Shannon, surely, even if she does surround herself with all manner of grisly bollox on her albums!

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by nicholas

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Finbar Dwyer.

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by fiddleruairi

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Danny O'Mahony, Damien Mullane, Aidan Coffey, Damien O'Reilly, Ned Kelly, Mick McAuley, Paul Finn

# Posted on August 13th 2009 by ohrightisee

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Michael, I got the joke, even if it went over most knee-jerkers' heads.

I've got a lovely photograph of Junior Crehan. Fella must be eighty if he's a day. It makes me smile every time I look at it, and not just for his music.

Eno

# Posted on August 14th 2009 by bc_box_player

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

bboxer,
Search for Geantrai on YouTube. There's some beautiful work by resident box player Mairtin O'Connor on there.

In fact, try entering just about any of the names listed above and you should have enough clips to keep you going till Christmas. :-)

Tony McMahon playing "Ships Are Sailing" is a personal favourite

# Posted on August 14th 2009 by bc_box_player

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

I haven't seen them on the list, but maybe I missed their names (too many b...y box players) : Dermot Byrne and Karen Tweed

# Posted on August 14th 2009 by Nikita Pfister

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Martin Quinn

# Posted on August 14th 2009 by fedorastain

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

I love Charlie Piggott's box playing though he isn't widely known as a box player.

# Posted on August 14th 2009 by slainte

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Thank you guys for the names, now it's time to go find their music

# Posted on August 14th 2009 by bboxer

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

I love box music and I think my faourites have been covered.

I'll confess though that I've only listened to Joe Derrane on "Return to IM" which I didn't like at all. It was technically brilliant, and I can see why he has such a high reputation. But I just didn't care for the style of playing.

I must give some of his earlier work a listen some day, perhaps I'd like that better. or perhaps I'll undergo an epiphany and fall in love when the style suddenly clicks with me. :-)

- Chris

# Posted on August 14th 2009 by ramblingpitchfork

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Its all a matter of taste. I heard Johhny O'Leary in Knocknagree some years ago. I thought he was an awful box player. So there ya go......These are just a few 'button box players that impressed me over the years

Seamus Shannon
Kieran Kelly
Tom Fleming
Kevin O'Loughlin
Martin McMahon
Finbar Dwyer

# Posted on August 14th 2009 by Free Reed

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Andrew MacNamara missing so far...

# Posted on August 15th 2009 by SL*

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

A few more that I haven't seen mentioned (unless some of these were intended in fedorastain's ambiguous surname-only post):
Johnny McCarthy
Conor McCarthy
Mary Rafferty
Damien Connolly
Patty Furlong
Connor Keane
Seamus Bugler
Seamus Henaghan
John Gannon
Colm Gannon
Eoghan O'Sullivan
Dan Herlihy

# Posted on August 15th 2009 by GaryAMartin

Re: Must-listen list of button box players

Joe Cooley
Charlie Piggott
Andrew MacNamara
Charlie Harris
Josephine Marsh
Verena Commins
John Canny

# Posted on August 16th 2009 by Paolcer