Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on November 11th 2006 by Kenny.
This tune has been added to 7 tunebooks.
X: 1
T: Paddy In Japan
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
DGG BGE | =FGG FED | DGG BAB | cBc dBG |
DGG BGE | =FGG FED | (3Bcd B cAF |1 DFA GFE :|2 DFA G (3Bcd ||
B2 G dBG | A2 B cBA | B2 G dBG | AGF EFG |
B2 G dBG | A2 B cBA | d (3Bcd gdB |1 cBA Gdc:|2 cBA GFE ||
Paddy In Japan
Here’s a little-known jig for “slainte”, and the many musicians in Japan who have a love of Irish music, to whom the title might be of interest. This is a composition by the great Belfast flute-player Davy Maguire. I met Davy at the Lorient Festival in Brittany in 1983, and soon after, he very kindly sent me a tape of him playing tunes in his kitchen. This transcription comes from that tape.
By a coincidence,I also know who the “Paddy” in question is. Paddy Burns is a great character and bodhran player, who lived in Aberdeen for a few years in the 1980s. I believe that he won some competition, and the prize was a trip to Japan, so Davy named this jig after that particular event.
This jig was recorded by the McSherry family, as the group “Tamalin”, on a German Tour compilation CD.
# Posted on November 11th 2006 by Kenny
Great fluter!
Kenny, what else is on that tape? Davy is indeed a mighty flute player -- one of a number of great fluters who emerged from Belfast in the late 70s. I was very fortunate to get to know quite a few of them and have spent the past 30 years playing, learning and trying to catch up with them.
# Posted on November 12th 2006 by LongNote
Thanks, Kenny. Hope he had a good time in this country.
# Posted on November 12th 2006 by slainte
Paddy In Japan
Quite a lot on that tape, Longnote. I'll be in touch. By the way, Mich's got photos up on his website of this year's Copenhagen Irish Festival. Sure you'll recognise some faces.
slainte - from what I remember of the stories he told, Paddy did indeed have a great time in Japan.
# Posted on November 13th 2006 by Kenny
Paddy in Japan
I've got an email from Paddy. He writes: "I didn't win a competition but went there to work, I was drilling geo-thermal wells down in Kyushu," which is a big island located in Southwest Japan. It's in fact famous for active volcanoes: http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/region.cfm?rnum=0802
# Posted on July 8th 2007 by slainte
Thanks,slainte
Thanks for the correction, slainte. I was sure that it was Paddy Burns himself who told me about winning a competition - my mistake. I hope he is well.
# Posted on July 15th 2007 by Kenny