Taplas
Johnny Og is Johnny's senior's son and plays the slightly larger two-row button accordion with a beautiful fluent, light touch. The great Joe Burke was one of his early influences. Virtuoso banjo player Brian McGrath, one of the founders of Four Men and A Dog, currently plays in Sean Keane's Band and At The Racket. He and Johnny Og have played together for years; there's both tightness and an easy give and take in their duo playing. Distinguished accompanists here too, James Blennerhasset on cello and double bass, Eugene Kelly and Peter O'Hanlon on guitars and McGrath on piano. The title is apt. Several of the tunes are recent compositions by, among others, Charlie Lennon and Johnny Og himself, whose fine, intricate tunes include the lovely set of jigs Poirt Inis Bearachain(also featured on his father's CD) and named after the now uninhabited Island off the Connemara coast, where Johnny Connolly Snr was born John Neilson
The Living Tradition
All are played with gusto and the box and banjo keep each other company with microsecond-precise timing, producing an overall sound that positively throbs with vitality.
The Irish Voice
The full maturity of Irish banjo and box playing has never been demonstrated better.
Dirty Linen
Johnny plays with a fine sense of rhythm, but also very melodically with smooth execution, a light touch and nice ornamentation.
The Examiner
Good honest playing of the highest order. Johnny Og's strong, yet sensitive, accordion style combines perfectly with Brian's crisp banjo picking
City Tribune
An album which mixes freshness and spontaneity with professionalism that is their second nature.
The Living Tradition
Johnny Connolly's debut album An tOile n Aerach received fulsome plaudits in the pages of this magazine, which rated it one of the musical highlights of its year of release, 1991. This pair of welcome new offerings from Cl¢ Iar-Chonnachta are ample indication that the phenomenon which caused so much excitement back then was no flash in the pan, and that, indeed, what we're dealing with here is ... well, a living tradition. Dreaming Up the Tunes is as fine an example as you'd hope to meet of a son following in an illustrious father's footsteps. But to deal with the dad first: Johnny senior - known as Sean-Johnny ("Old Johnny") to distinguish him from his talented offspring - has presented us here with another virtuoso display of eclecticism and swing on the melodeon and accordion. The tunes come from all over the place - Johnny obviously has a soft spot for Kerry music, and slides and polkas are well represented here, played with a naturalness and surety of touch rare among non-Kerry musicians, unobtrusive accompaniment from the ubiquitous Steve Cooney perhaps helping the case. As might be expected, music from Johnny's homeplace in Cois Fharraige is also well to the fore, song airs from Connemara providing the basis for dance tunes in a couple of cases, as in his slip-jig version of P id¡n O Raifeartaigh, which brings to mind Willie Clancy's setting of the same tune. The great County Clare piper comes to mind frequently when listening to Sean-Johnny, not merely because the latter plays several tunes more usually associated with pipers, but also because, like Willie, he has a fine propensity for taking tunes from disparate sources and turning them into something quite new; distinctive but thoroughly authentic in feel. (Before the matter of Connemara songs is forgotten, it should be remarked that, when Johnny takes a break from playing to give us an unaccompanied rendition of the sean-n¢s song Johnny Seoighe, it is one of the highlights of the record, showing that he has the d£chas in full measure. Seemingly it's only on the disc at the insistence of Steve Cooney - a job well done there, Steve.) In addition to all the above, we have a bumper crop of tunes composed by living musicians, first but not least Poirt Inis Bearach in, a pair of pretty jigs composed by Johnny Og and named after the birthplace of his father, who gives them a fine moderato treatment here (they also crop up on young Johnny's record). Then there's two reels by the great Liz Carroll, and learnt by Johnny in Barbados (where else!) from Co. Meath fiddler N¢ir¡n N¡ Ghr daigh, who joins him in the playing of them; and the Cois Fharraige reels, composed by Sean-Johnny himself. Musicians around the length and breadth of this narrow world, though, will drool most at the prospect of new tunes by Charlie Lennon, whose presence makes itself well felt on the record - he accompanies in his inimitable style on eight of the tracks, and doubles on fiddle on five of them. The new tunes, jigs entitled The Friendly Robin and The Dawn Chorus, are intended to evoke the atmosphere of a really good session (presumably, judging from the titles, the latter end of it in particular) and certainly succeed in so doing. They, and the record as a whole, are heartily commended to the listener. That Charlie Lennon is the foremost living composer of tunes in the traditional idiom is an opinion widely shared. He is also much respected for the encouragement that he gives to other musicians, and both these elements play a role in the striking new release by Johnny Og and Brian McGrath, Dreaming Up the Tunes. Four of the tunes in question are newly dreamt up by Lennon, including a most intriguing pair entitled Christmas in Spiddle and Twelve to the Bar, which have no generic designation other than '12/8 tunes', but which exercise all the mesmeric fascination of a good slip-jig or hornpipe. Charlie has also contributed a most moving and eloquent dedication to the record, which is well worth the reading. Several of the numbers on the record are the progeny of Johnny Og himself, or of his banjo wizard collaborationist from Co. Fermanagh, and there are also compositions by Frankie Gavin, M irt¡n O Connor and Tony Sullivan to be found. Like his father, young Johnny delights in variation and adaptation, and does (for example) an excellent jig version of the well-known Connemara song Bean Ph id¡n. Whatever the source of the original tunes, all are played with great gusto (though never at excessive speed), and the box and banjo keep each other company with microsecond-precise timing, producing an overall sound that positively throbs with vitality. Both this record and Sean-Johnny's capture the exuberance and swing of a good session in a way that is too often lacking in studio-made records. Both Johnnys are, it seems, regularly to be found at Tigh Hughes, an Spid‚al - obviously the spot to visit, always assuming that you can get in through the massed hordes of Connollyites! Christy MacHale
Musical Traditions Web Magazine
'Connolly and Son Ltd. Box players to the Connemara Gaeltacht'
Well, that's probably the way they started out, but now their horizons, like a lot of the musicians from the west of Ireland, are a lot wider.
The other album gives us the rare opportunity to directly compare father and son as traditional musicians, even playing the same tunes; The Inis Bearacháin Jigs were written by the son for the father and appear on both albums. The differences are ones that one would easily predict. Johnny Óg was a boy in the 1970's by which time the significance, importance and potential attached to being a traditional musician in the West of Ireland had radically altered. The incentive for practice must have been vast compared with a generation before. Johnny Óg started at ten; by twelve he was winning the All-Ireland title at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
He has gone on to become a professional musician and he shares his album with hisfellow-member of the Sean Keane Band.
Brian McGrath grew up in a pub in Brookeborough, Co. Fermanagh that was the major centre for traditional music in that area. He tried various instruments before
settling for the banjo in his mid-teens. He quickly became accomplished musician and has been featured in a number of leading Irish traditional bands including Dervish, Four Men & A Dog, Moving Cloud.
All this means that this second album ought to be viewed in a different light. Let's ask a couple of questions. Is this an album whose primary aim seems to be to further the career of two professional musicians come what may? Does this sound as though the musicians are trying to share their enthusiasm for their tradition? Well, the answers seem to be 'no' and 'yes' in that order, but don't just take my word for it. Have a listen to Michael Coleman's Barn Dance and make your own minds up. Banjo and accordion make a fine combination - forceful modern playing, though never lacking in subtlety. They are at their most interesting and melodic on slower rhythms such as barn dances and hornpipes. Quite a number of the selections show the seamless pairing of a traditional tune with a modern one written in
the traditional style, and here the name of Charlie Lennon again crops up with several of his tunes, including an unusual sounding pair in 12/8 time with the pair playing against a cello; the only time on the album that they sound as though they are straying outside the tradition.
The Connollys are both fine musicians but it is the father's CD which is likely to make the largest impact for the fine way that the playing of the one-row box is demonstrated and for the overall more convincing nature of his playing.Vic Smith.
One of my top fifty favorite trad albums, easily! Nice box/banjo combination with an old-fashioned but not outdated sound.
The tune The Happy Hornpipe (track 4) is in the database here: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/7370
(The details link takes you to a different tune entirely.)
Traditional music on the accordion (Johnny Og Connolly)and banjo(Brian McGrath). Recorded in 1998.
# Posted on June 12th 2003 by Celtic1234
Help
need the notes for homage to rooney badly
# Posted on June 14th 2003 by ryaners1
brillant cd without a doubt its one of the best
# Posted on June 14th 2003 by ryaners1
Press Reviews
Taplas
Johnny Og is Johnny's senior's son and plays the slightly larger two-row button accordion with a beautiful fluent, light touch. The great Joe Burke was one of his early influences. Virtuoso banjo player Brian McGrath, one of the founders of Four Men and A Dog, currently plays in Sean Keane's Band and At The Racket. He and Johnny Og have played together for years; there's both tightness and an easy give and take in their duo playing. Distinguished accompanists here too, James Blennerhasset on cello and double bass, Eugene Kelly and Peter O'Hanlon on guitars and McGrath on piano. The title is apt. Several of the tunes are recent compositions by, among others, Charlie Lennon and Johnny Og himself, whose fine, intricate tunes include the lovely set of jigs Poirt Inis Bearachain(also featured on his father's CD) and named after the now uninhabited Island off the Connemara coast, where Johnny Connolly Snr was born John Neilson
The Living Tradition
All are played with gusto and the box and banjo keep each other company with microsecond-precise timing, producing an overall sound that positively throbs with vitality.
The Irish Voice
The full maturity of Irish banjo and box playing has never been demonstrated better.
Dirty Linen
Johnny plays with a fine sense of rhythm, but also very melodically with smooth execution, a light touch and nice ornamentation.
The Examiner
Good honest playing of the highest order. Johnny Og's strong, yet sensitive, accordion style combines perfectly with Brian's crisp banjo picking
City Tribune
An album which mixes freshness and spontaneity with professionalism that is their second nature.
The Living Tradition
Johnny Connolly's debut album An tOile n Aerach received fulsome plaudits in the pages of this magazine, which rated it one of the musical highlights of its year of release, 1991. This pair of welcome new offerings from Cl¢ Iar-Chonnachta are ample indication that the phenomenon which caused so much excitement back then was no flash in the pan, and that, indeed, what we're dealing with here is ... well, a living tradition. Dreaming Up the Tunes is as fine an example as you'd hope to meet of a son following in an illustrious father's footsteps. But to deal with the dad first: Johnny senior - known as Sean-Johnny ("Old Johnny") to distinguish him from his talented offspring - has presented us here with another virtuoso display of eclecticism and swing on the melodeon and accordion. The tunes come from all over the place - Johnny obviously has a soft spot for Kerry music, and slides and polkas are well represented here, played with a naturalness and surety of touch rare among non-Kerry musicians, unobtrusive accompaniment from the ubiquitous Steve Cooney perhaps helping the case. As might be expected, music from Johnny's homeplace in Cois Fharraige is also well to the fore, song airs from Connemara providing the basis for dance tunes in a couple of cases, as in his slip-jig version of P id¡n O Raifeartaigh, which brings to mind Willie Clancy's setting of the same tune. The great County Clare piper comes to mind frequently when listening to Sean-Johnny, not merely because the latter plays several tunes more usually associated with pipers, but also because, like Willie, he has a fine propensity for taking tunes from disparate sources and turning them into something quite new; distinctive but thoroughly authentic in feel. (Before the matter of Connemara songs is forgotten, it should be remarked that, when Johnny takes a break from playing to give us an unaccompanied rendition of the sean-n¢s song Johnny Seoighe, it is one of the highlights of the record, showing that he has the d£chas in full measure. Seemingly it's only on the disc at the insistence of Steve Cooney - a job well done there, Steve.) In addition to all the above, we have a bumper crop of tunes composed by living musicians, first but not least Poirt Inis Bearach in, a pair of pretty jigs composed by Johnny Og and named after the birthplace of his father, who gives them a fine moderato treatment here (they also crop up on young Johnny's record). Then there's two reels by the great Liz Carroll, and learnt by Johnny in Barbados (where else!) from Co. Meath fiddler N¢ir¡n N¡ Ghr daigh, who joins him in the playing of them; and the Cois Fharraige reels, composed by Sean-Johnny himself. Musicians around the length and breadth of this narrow world, though, will drool most at the prospect of new tunes by Charlie Lennon, whose presence makes itself well felt on the record - he accompanies in his inimitable style on eight of the tracks, and doubles on fiddle on five of them. The new tunes, jigs entitled The Friendly Robin and The Dawn Chorus, are intended to evoke the atmosphere of a really good session (presumably, judging from the titles, the latter end of it in particular) and certainly succeed in so doing. They, and the record as a whole, are heartily commended to the listener. That Charlie Lennon is the foremost living composer of tunes in the traditional idiom is an opinion widely shared. He is also much respected for the encouragement that he gives to other musicians, and both these elements play a role in the striking new release by Johnny Og and Brian McGrath, Dreaming Up the Tunes. Four of the tunes in question are newly dreamt up by Lennon, including a most intriguing pair entitled Christmas in Spiddle and Twelve to the Bar, which have no generic designation other than '12/8 tunes', but which exercise all the mesmeric fascination of a good slip-jig or hornpipe. Charlie has also contributed a most moving and eloquent dedication to the record, which is well worth the reading. Several of the numbers on the record are the progeny of Johnny Og himself, or of his banjo wizard collaborationist from Co. Fermanagh, and there are also compositions by Frankie Gavin, M irt¡n O Connor and Tony Sullivan to be found. Like his father, young Johnny delights in variation and adaptation, and does (for example) an excellent jig version of the well-known Connemara song Bean Ph id¡n. Whatever the source of the original tunes, all are played with great gusto (though never at excessive speed), and the box and banjo keep each other company with microsecond-precise timing, producing an overall sound that positively throbs with vitality. Both this record and Sean-Johnny's capture the exuberance and swing of a good session in a way that is too often lacking in studio-made records. Both Johnnys are, it seems, regularly to be found at Tigh Hughes, an Spid‚al - obviously the spot to visit, always assuming that you can get in through the massed hordes of Connollyites! Christy MacHale
Musical Traditions Web Magazine
'Connolly and Son Ltd. Box players to the Connemara Gaeltacht'
Well, that's probably the way they started out, but now their horizons, like a lot of the musicians from the west of Ireland, are a lot wider.
The other album gives us the rare opportunity to directly compare father and son as traditional musicians, even playing the same tunes; The Inis Bearacháin Jigs were written by the son for the father and appear on both albums. The differences are ones that one would easily predict. Johnny Óg was a boy in the 1970's by which time the significance, importance and potential attached to being a traditional musician in the West of Ireland had radically altered. The incentive for practice must have been vast compared with a generation before. Johnny Óg started at ten; by twelve he was winning the All-Ireland title at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
He has gone on to become a professional musician and he shares his album with hisfellow-member of the Sean Keane Band.
Brian McGrath grew up in a pub in Brookeborough, Co. Fermanagh that was the major centre for traditional music in that area. He tried various instruments before
settling for the banjo in his mid-teens. He quickly became accomplished musician and has been featured in a number of leading Irish traditional bands including Dervish, Four Men & A Dog, Moving Cloud.
All this means that this second album ought to be viewed in a different light. Let's ask a couple of questions. Is this an album whose primary aim seems to be to further the career of two professional musicians come what may? Does this sound as though the musicians are trying to share their enthusiasm for their tradition? Well, the answers seem to be 'no' and 'yes' in that order, but don't just take my word for it. Have a listen to Michael Coleman's Barn Dance and make your own minds up. Banjo and accordion make a fine combination - forceful modern playing, though never lacking in subtlety. They are at their most interesting and melodic on slower rhythms such as barn dances and hornpipes. Quite a number of the selections show the seamless pairing of a traditional tune with a modern one written in
the traditional style, and here the name of Charlie Lennon again crops up with several of his tunes, including an unusual sounding pair in 12/8 time with the pair playing against a cello; the only time on the album that they sound as though they are straying outside the tradition.
The Connollys are both fine musicians but it is the father's CD which is likely to make the largest impact for the fine way that the playing of the one-row box is demonstrated and for the overall more convincing nature of his playing.Vic Smith.
# Posted on May 11th 2004 by gian marco
It's a lovely album to listen to. Both musicians play very well together and there is a nice selection of tunes too.
# Posted on December 5th 2006 by PaddyCmusic
The Happy Hornpipe
One of my top fifty favorite trad albums, easily! Nice box/banjo combination with an old-fashioned but not outdated sound.
The tune The Happy Hornpipe (track 4) is in the database here:
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/7370
(The details link takes you to a different tune entirely.)
# Posted on June 18th 2007 by patrick cavanagh
Mountain Dew
The 2 reels on track 9 are compositions of Charlie Lennon. Neither have been posted here yet, despite a link coming up for "Mountain Dew".
# Posted on February 19th 2008 by Kenny