Reading about Reg getting the Musicians' Award at the 2009 TG4 Gradam Ceoil got me thinking on the different aspects of trad music he's performed over the years. I first heard of him playing piano on the irish pub recordings from the 1970's and on Jimmy Power's LP, then I enjoyed his tasteful melodeon playing with The Rakes, and was told he still plays for a morris side in Hammersmith(?). Plus he's written scholarly pieces about trad musicians from Michael Gorman to Scan Tester. And his name crops up in discussions about D/G melodeons entering the english music scene in the 1950's, so he's been around for quite a while
He's been in a great position to observe how styles of english and irish traditional music have evolved over the last 50 years or so (especially around London) and I'm looking foward to reading his book when its published.
But I hope we also see a book about the life of this living legend while he's still around to share his experiences! I'd volunteer to help but I live on the other side of the globe. Can anyone point me to any biographical articles about Reg Hall and his musical life?
Reg was always in the background, encouraging Irish musicians in London. I think he played piano for something to do while he was on site, by way of helping out. He never had any pretensions about what he was doing. Some of the classic recordings of Irish musicians made in London came about due to the collaboration of Reg and Bill Leader. Reg was publicly known as leader of The Rakes, who often played with the singer Bob Davenport, and were given top billing in folk clubs and festivals.
You will probably find information about him on Rod Stradling's site http://www.mustrad.org.uk/
Reg is giving a lecture on The History of Irish Traditional Music in London, next Saturday 14th Feb in the Elstree Holiday Inn in London as part of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann in Britain Annual Convention.
Reg's talk should be pretty interesting to CCE officaldom. I just followed a link on the CCE website to the convention and here's an excerpt:
<quote.>
Reg is keen to debunk what he sees as the myths of the Gaelic League, who reinvented Irish tradition, unaware that it was still alive and kicking in the west of Ireland. He believes the mistakes were repeated by Comhaltas, which grew out of the concern of traditional musicians in Dublin and Mullingar that the music was dying, apparently unaware that it was thriving in Sligo and Clare.
Likewise over the water. "The London scene was unbelievable, you could go to Dagenham, Croydon, Brixton, Camberwell and find an Irishman playing an accordion on Saturday night, hundreds of them. Comhaltas in Dublin said 'form a branch in London'. They got hold of someone who genuinely believed that the only Irish music in London was being played by Gasra na Gael. That was Michael Daly who was a great traditional player from rural Roscommon, who became a Mayor of Worthing.
"But that Topic record, Street Songs and Fiddle Tunes (1995) was recorded before that, it was a thriving scene. Comhaltas then started to tune into government money so they have to create an official history that Irish music would be dead if it wasn't for us. I've got sympathy with that but it simply isn't true. I'm not anti-Comhaltas at all but they have created their own mythology."
<unquote>
source: http://www.irishmusicmagazine.com/BckIssue/9608Aug/tracking.htm
Back in the late forties we use to have a 78rpm of trad music by Frank Lee's Tara Ceili Band. I always remember that it was recorded at the Blarney Club in Tottenham Court Road, London. I used to play the box in a pub on a Sunday morning near Holloway Tube Stn in 1958/59.(that's London UK for out of towners) The name of the pub escapes me but the guv was a Donegal man. The Holloway Polytech' now stands on the site of that pub.
Dear Floss, I took John Grover's comment as referring to Reg Hall being important in promoting and playing Irish and English dance music. I hope you'd agree with that - but I don't really have any idea of the personalities of either Reg or Peter Kennedy.
I hope Reg does not get mobbed as he 'debunks the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann myth' in his talk in London in front of the 'mythologists' themselves! As a young session player in Birmingham in the late 1960s I can sympathise with his jaundiced view of the CCE. There was rumoured to be a CCE branch in Brum but it was run by a teetotal pillar of the Birmingham Irish establishment.
The CCE never appeared in the many boozy and scruffy pubs that the Irish sessions were played in; we were beneath their dignity. They were probably unaware of the dynamism and popularity of the local ITM scene and of the many great players from Ireland who passed through on building site jobs. They were not above claiming they were the lynchpin of the Birmingham ITM scene when respectable and officlal 'cultural' functions (possibly with funds attached) were in prospect, though.
Straysider, I was at a fleadh in Birmingham in the late 60s.
I think it was an all Britain fleadh and it was held in a school in a place called Kings Heath. I remember that we all went up from London in a coach.
Tom McCarthy won the concertina competition (which was then classed under "miscellaneous instruments", like the banjo) and Paddy Breen (a townie of Tom´s from Kilmihil) sang and played the whistle.
I suppose it must have been organised by CCE, but many people adjourned to a pub around the corner. It was very crowded and was the only time I´ve seen Kevin Burke play in a pub session, and he had to play standing up !
It´s good to see Reg is still going strong. The last time I saw him was at the All Ireland in Clonmel when he was in the Ceili band competition with the Old Triangle CB.
Reg Hall
Reg Hall
Reading about Reg getting the Musicians' Award at the 2009 TG4 Gradam Ceoil got me thinking on the different aspects of trad music he's performed over the years. I first heard of him playing piano on the irish pub recordings from the 1970's and on Jimmy Power's LP, then I enjoyed his tasteful melodeon playing with The Rakes, and was told he still plays for a morris side in Hammersmith(?). Plus he's written scholarly pieces about trad musicians from Michael Gorman to Scan Tester. And his name crops up in discussions about D/G melodeons entering the english music scene in the 1950's, so he's been around for quite a while
He's been in a great position to observe how styles of english and irish traditional music have evolved over the last 50 years or so (especially around London) and I'm looking foward to reading his book when its published.
But I hope we also see a book about the life of this living legend while he's still around to share his experiences! I'd volunteer to help but I live on the other side of the globe. Can anyone point me to any biographical articles about Reg Hall and his musical life?
cheers
# Posted on February 6th 2009 by dogbox
Re: Reg Hall
Reg was always in the background, encouraging Irish musicians in London. I think he played piano for something to do while he was on site, by way of helping out. He never had any pretensions about what he was doing. Some of the classic recordings of Irish musicians made in London came about due to the collaboration of Reg and Bill Leader. Reg was publicly known as leader of The Rakes, who often played with the singer Bob Davenport, and were given top billing in folk clubs and festivals.
You will probably find information about him on Rod Stradling's site
http://www.mustrad.org.uk/
# Posted on February 6th 2009 by oldstrings
Re: Reg Hall
Reg is giving a lecture on The History of Irish Traditional Music in London, next Saturday 14th Feb in the Elstree Holiday Inn in London as part of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann in Britain Annual Convention.
# Posted on February 7th 2009 by fleadhman
Re: Reg Hall
I don't think I'll be able to cover the 17,000kms in time to hear his lecture, but if you hear it's available online please give me the heads up!
thanks
# Posted on February 7th 2009 by dogbox
Re: Reg Hall
Reg's talk should be pretty interesting to CCE officaldom. I just followed a link on the CCE website to the convention and here's an excerpt:
<quote.>
Reg is keen to debunk what he sees as the myths of the Gaelic League, who reinvented Irish tradition, unaware that it was still alive and kicking in the west of Ireland. He believes the mistakes were repeated by Comhaltas, which grew out of the concern of traditional musicians in Dublin and Mullingar that the music was dying, apparently unaware that it was thriving in Sligo and Clare.
Likewise over the water. "The London scene was unbelievable, you could go to Dagenham, Croydon, Brixton, Camberwell and find an Irishman playing an accordion on Saturday night, hundreds of them. Comhaltas in Dublin said 'form a branch in London'. They got hold of someone who genuinely believed that the only Irish music in London was being played by Gasra na Gael. That was Michael Daly who was a great traditional player from rural Roscommon, who became a Mayor of Worthing.
"But that Topic record, Street Songs and Fiddle Tunes (1995) was recorded before that, it was a thriving scene. Comhaltas then started to tune into government money so they have to create an official history that Irish music would be dead if it wasn't for us. I've got sympathy with that but it simply isn't true. I'm not anti-Comhaltas at all but they have created their own mythology."
<unquote>
source: http://www.irishmusicmagazine.com/BckIssue/9608Aug/tracking.htm
# Posted on February 7th 2009 by dogbox
Re: Reg Hall
Back in the late forties we use to have a 78rpm of trad music by Frank Lee's Tara Ceili Band. I always remember that it was recorded at the Blarney Club in Tottenham Court Road, London. I used to play the box in a pub on a Sunday morning near Holloway Tube Stn in 1958/59.(that's London UK for out of towners) The name of the pub escapes me but the guv was a Donegal man. The Holloway Polytech' now stands on the site of that pub.
# Posted on February 7th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: Reg Hall
Re. Peter Kennedy - ''he has been important in promoting and playing Irish and English dance music .'
Yes, and exploiting every poor sod he persuaded to record for him!
# Posted on February 8th 2009 by MacCruiskeen
Re: Reg Hall
Dear Floss, I took John Grover's comment as referring to Reg Hall being important in promoting and playing Irish and English dance music. I hope you'd agree with that - but I don't really have any idea of the personalities of either Reg or Peter Kennedy.
# Posted on February 9th 2009 by dogbox
Re: Reg Hall
Yep, Dogbox, you're probably right, though JG's posting isn't exactly clear.
Knowing Reg, I don' t think he'd be too happy about being referred to as a 'living legend' either! He's far too modest.
# Posted on February 9th 2009 by MacCruiskeen
Re: Reg Hall
I hope Reg does not get mobbed as he 'debunks the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann myth' in his talk in London in front of the 'mythologists' themselves! As a young session player in Birmingham in the late 1960s I can sympathise with his jaundiced view of the CCE. There was rumoured to be a CCE branch in Brum but it was run by a teetotal pillar of the Birmingham Irish establishment.
The CCE never appeared in the many boozy and scruffy pubs that the Irish sessions were played in; we were beneath their dignity. They were probably unaware of the dynamism and popularity of the local ITM scene and of the many great players from Ireland who passed through on building site jobs. They were not above claiming they were the lynchpin of the Birmingham ITM scene when respectable and officlal 'cultural' functions (possibly with funds attached) were in prospect, though.
So fair play to Reg Hall and long may he debunk!
# Posted on February 9th 2009 by straysider
Re: Reg Hall
there's another interesting discussion of Reg and his musical life at
http://www.concertina.net/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t8904.html
# Posted on February 20th 2009 by dogbox
Re: Reg Hall
Straysider, I was at a fleadh in Birmingham in the late 60s.
I think it was an all Britain fleadh and it was held in a school in a place called Kings Heath. I remember that we all went up from London in a coach.
Tom McCarthy won the concertina competition (which was then classed under "miscellaneous instruments", like the banjo) and Paddy Breen (a townie of Tom´s from Kilmihil) sang and played the whistle.
I suppose it must have been organised by CCE, but many people adjourned to a pub around the corner. It was very crowded and was the only time I´ve seen Kevin Burke play in a pub session, and he had to play standing up !
It´s good to see Reg is still going strong. The last time I saw him was at the All Ireland in Clonmel when he was in the Ceili band competition with the Old Triangle CB.
# Posted on February 20th 2009 by murfbox