what year did joe cooley win the all ireland and were finbarr furey and tony mcmahon on the same team? what did they eat for breakfast that morning and what was the final score ? did bobby casey and mairtin byrnes win the double that year in underarm flatulence mimicing ?
Joe Cooleys accordion right now is as numerous as Coleman"s fiddle. There is one of them in every spoofers house including the one that he left to his friend and neighbour in Peterswell Co Galway.
There's Cooleys Box in Kerry,
There's Cooley's Box in Clare
There's Cooley's box in Leitrim
There's another one in Kildare
There's Cooleys Box in Boston
There's another one in Bangkok
Where ever you go in this wide wide world
You'll find Joe Cooley's Box.
(With apologies to 'The Blarney Stone)
The San Francisco box was given by Joe to a fellow that played with him (on banjo) there for years. I see and hear it played by the same chap in a session near Seattle regularly. I have no reason to doubt the truth of this.
I'll confirm that.. Jeremy is a good friend of mine and he indeed has the box in question. Jeremy is better known for playing with Kevin Keegan and he has many of Keegans tune settings. If you're interested in meeting Jeremy, seeing the box and learning Keegan's tune settings I highly recommend attending Lark in the Morning where Jeremy conducts daily workshops in Keegan and old time Irish tune settings. He'd also be happy to discuss his time with Cooley as well I'm sure.
Since we're on the subject of Jeremy, I'd like to say a few more things. He's a lovely guy and amazingly generous with his music. He is responsible for introducing the hippy bluegrass/old-time musicians of the San Francisco Bay Area to Irish trad. In the 60s he lived in London and worked in a music shop repairing instruments. He discovered Irish trad being played in the pubs there and befriended Tony McMahon who told him of a box player named Joe Cooley living out in SF. When Jeremy returned to SF he searched for Cooley and found him doing a regular gig at Harrington's Pub. He was thrilled when he heard him and contacted all of his hippy bluegrass/old-time musician pals, and brought them there to see Joe. The rest is history for the part San Francisco played in the Irish trad revival that swept the world.
At the time I was living in the mid-west of California in the Central Valley. I stumbled onto a radio program featuring Irish trad (Cat in the Corner) in 1975 that was produced and hosted by one of the aforementioned bluegrass/old-time musicians, and it eventually overtook my musical journey. By the mid 80s I was playing trad exclusively and moved to SF to join the trad community there.
I've known Jeremy for 10 odd years now. Really odd years. ;) Met him through Keith Livingstone, a marvelous piano accordion player (sic...). Jeremy's great on the accord although he favors the violin more. He told me he first heard Irish music when he chanced into an auditorium in Chicago (Illinois?) and there was Kevin Henry playing the pipes. This was ca. 1964. In a similar manner he happened to stumble across Cape Breton music around the same time, met a MacDonald sister at a party or something, sibling to one of the 5 MacDonald fiddlers, if I have that right. Probably not.
Indeed he has some very interesting settings of tunes. One that always comes to mind is the Monaghan Jig, Cooley only played 3 parts so that's it for Jeremy too. I gave him recordings of Séamus Ennis - 3 parts - and Michael Coleman - 4 parts, thus proving this setting has some history. Later I was given a dub of a cylinder with Patsy Touhey playing all 4 as well, damn near the same setting as Coleman too, making me think MC picked it up from him, including the bolts of lightning tempo.
Jeremy has some great tapes of Cooley when he was in SF, with occasional banjo backing from Jeremy. For years he's talked of turning this into a commercial release, and a little while ago his friends at Voyager Records (Old Time music) dubbed them professionally for him, so perhaps this will some day soon be in stores. Knock on wood.
Free Reed:
>There's Cooleys Box in Kerry,
There's Cooley's Box in Clare
There's Cooley's box in Leitrim
There's another one in Kildare
There's Cooleys Box in Boston
There's another one in Bangkok
Where ever you go in this wide wide world
You'll find Joe Cooley's Box.<
Wjether you were joking or not, I rather like than. And if we consider cooleys box not to be a mere physical object then I liek to think it is true.
Kevin, I think I may have a copy of those tapes, though mines on cd. There are about 39 tracks and starts out with the song "My Little thatched Cabin"( possible by Seamus Cooley?). Could you confirm if this is the same cd?
Joe Cooley and Kevin Keegan loved being in San Francisco and left a trail of good humour and good music where ever they went. Can anybody tell me where I could find Kevin Keegans cd.
We played for an Irish gentleman's 75th birthday party who I found out at the party was Cooley's roommate here in SF. He said the recording that Charlie Lennon and Joe Burke produced was taken from a cassette tape player he set in the middle of the table and switched on at a party they were having at the house in honor of someone's niece or sister visiting from Ireland.
Just last month I was asked by a great friend, Mick Flanagan, to help play some of Joe’s tunes for the Windjam Festival out here in Tasmania, where Mick was doing a presentation on Joe Cooley and his music.
I should explain that Mick’s mother was Joe’s sister, Joe therefore being Mick’s uncle.
It was a fascinating insight into the life and music from this wonderful family.
Mick himself is a fine box player and traditional singer and to top it all, a lovely bloke, and we’ve had some fantastic times together.
Maybe if you wanted any more information you could try to contact Mick through the Folk Federation of Tasmania.
Joe Cooleys accordion.
Joe Cooleys accordion.
Where is Joe Cooleys accordion.
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by Lord Gordan
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
You hum it we will all join in
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by bazouki dave
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
I'm nearly sure Tony macmahon has it
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by colmh
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
The other one is in San Francisco.
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by fedorastain
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
MacMahon sold it recently to a collector that doesn't even play box so I'd say it wont see a tune for a long long time..what a shame
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by csparpd
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
what year did joe cooley win the all ireland and were finbarr furey and tony mcmahon on the same team? what did they eat for breakfast that morning and what was the final score ? did bobby casey and mairtin byrnes win the double that year in underarm flatulence mimicing ?
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by Red Robin
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
Joe Cooleys accordion right now is as numerous as Coleman"s fiddle. There is one of them in every spoofers house including the one that he left to his friend and neighbour in Peterswell Co Galway.
# Posted on November 16th 2009 by Lord Gordan
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
There's Cooleys Box in Kerry,
There's Cooley's Box in Clare
There's Cooley's box in Leitrim
There's another one in Kildare
There's Cooleys Box in Boston
There's another one in Bangkok
Where ever you go in this wide wide world
You'll find Joe Cooley's Box.
(With apologies to 'The Blarney Stone)
# Posted on November 17th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
The San Francisco JC Box moved to the PNW some time ago.
Guy on Chiff + Fipple has John McKenna's flute. Chap in Galway has Patsy Touhey's pipes - the Fureys had a set they claimed was PT's as well.
But feck that - I own a chanter that was owned by, drumroll please...the Von Trapp Family.
"Edelweiss..."
# Posted on November 17th 2009 by KLR
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
The San Francisco box was given by Joe to a fellow that played with him (on banjo) there for years. I see and hear it played by the same chap in a session near Seattle regularly. I have no reason to doubt the truth of this.
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by will morgan
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
He is my neighbour Jermy and that is Joe Coolys box.
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by Lord Gordan
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
I'll confirm that.. Jeremy is a good friend of mine and he indeed has the box in question. Jeremy is better known for playing with Kevin Keegan and he has many of Keegans tune settings. If you're interested in meeting Jeremy, seeing the box and learning Keegan's tune settings I highly recommend attending Lark in the Morning where Jeremy conducts daily workshops in Keegan and old time Irish tune settings. He'd also be happy to discuss his time with Cooley as well I'm sure.
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by Phantom Button
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
Oh... he also knows a fair amount of Cooley's setting as well.
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by Phantom Button
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
I have Joe Cooley's iPod.
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by GaryAMartin
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
Since we're on the subject of Jeremy, I'd like to say a few more things. He's a lovely guy and amazingly generous with his music. He is responsible for introducing the hippy bluegrass/old-time musicians of the San Francisco Bay Area to Irish trad. In the 60s he lived in London and worked in a music shop repairing instruments. He discovered Irish trad being played in the pubs there and befriended Tony McMahon who told him of a box player named Joe Cooley living out in SF. When Jeremy returned to SF he searched for Cooley and found him doing a regular gig at Harrington's Pub. He was thrilled when he heard him and contacted all of his hippy bluegrass/old-time musician pals, and brought them there to see Joe. The rest is history for the part San Francisco played in the Irish trad revival that swept the world.
At the time I was living in the mid-west of California in the Central Valley. I stumbled onto a radio program featuring Irish trad (Cat in the Corner) in 1975 that was produced and hosted by one of the aforementioned bluegrass/old-time musicians, and it eventually overtook my musical journey. By the mid 80s I was playing trad exclusively and moved to SF to join the trad community there.
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by Phantom Button
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
I've known Jeremy for 10 odd years now. Really odd years. ;) Met him through Keith Livingstone, a marvelous piano accordion player (sic...). Jeremy's great on the accord although he favors the violin more. He told me he first heard Irish music when he chanced into an auditorium in Chicago (Illinois?) and there was Kevin Henry playing the pipes. This was ca. 1964. In a similar manner he happened to stumble across Cape Breton music around the same time, met a MacDonald sister at a party or something, sibling to one of the 5 MacDonald fiddlers, if I have that right. Probably not.
Indeed he has some very interesting settings of tunes. One that always comes to mind is the Monaghan Jig, Cooley only played 3 parts so that's it for Jeremy too. I gave him recordings of Séamus Ennis - 3 parts - and Michael Coleman - 4 parts, thus proving this setting has some history. Later I was given a dub of a cylinder with Patsy Touhey playing all 4 as well, damn near the same setting as Coleman too, making me think MC picked it up from him, including the bolts of lightning tempo.
Jeremy has some great tapes of Cooley when he was in SF, with occasional banjo backing from Jeremy. For years he's talked of turning this into a commercial release, and a little while ago his friends at Voyager Records (Old Time music) dubbed them professionally for him, so perhaps this will some day soon be in stores. Knock on wood.
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by KLR
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
Yeah he played those tapes for me as well... we'll see. There's a lot of details that have to be sorted first.
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by Phantom Button
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
Free Reed:
>There's Cooleys Box in Kerry,
There's Cooley's Box in Clare
There's Cooley's box in Leitrim
There's another one in Kildare
There's Cooleys Box in Boston
There's another one in Bangkok
Where ever you go in this wide wide world
You'll find Joe Cooley's Box.<
Wjether you were joking or not, I rather like than. And if we consider cooleys box not to be a mere physical object then I liek to think it is true.
- chris
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
Interesting stuff phantom & kevin - chris
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
Kevin, I think I may have a copy of those tapes, though mines on cd. There are about 39 tracks and starts out with the song "My Little thatched Cabin"( possible by Seamus Cooley?). Could you confirm if this is the same cd?
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by dinn2
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
so perhaps this will some day soon be in stores. Knock on wood.
Knock on wood indeed
# Posted on November 18th 2009 by dinn2
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
Joe Cooley and Kevin Keegan loved being in San Francisco and left a trail of good humour and good music where ever they went. Can anybody tell me where I could find Kevin Keegans cd.
# Posted on November 19th 2009 by Lord Gordan
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
We played for an Irish gentleman's 75th birthday party who I found out at the party was Cooley's roommate here in SF. He said the recording that Charlie Lennon and Joe Burke produced was taken from a cassette tape player he set in the middle of the table and switched on at a party they were having at the house in honor of someone's niece or sister visiting from Ireland.
# Posted on November 19th 2009 by Phantom Button
Re: Joe Cooleys accordion.
How interesting!
Just last month I was asked by a great friend, Mick Flanagan, to help play some of Joe’s tunes for the Windjam Festival out here in Tasmania, where Mick was doing a presentation on Joe Cooley and his music.
I should explain that Mick’s mother was Joe’s sister, Joe therefore being Mick’s uncle.
It was a fascinating insight into the life and music from this wonderful family.
Mick himself is a fine box player and traditional singer and to top it all, a lovely bloke, and we’ve had some fantastic times together.
Maybe if you wanted any more information you could try to contact Mick through the Folk Federation of Tasmania.
Good luck
Brian x
# Posted on November 21st 2009 by briantheflute