Chiff and Fipple Forums

A while back I came across a compilation of Kwela music that Bill Ochs had assembled. One of the linked tunes was a lively ensemble version of the Brubeck classic, Take Five. I have a hankering to listen to it again and my Googles are failing me. I did come across a catchy solo version, but the one I am looking for was by a group of several guys. The link is embedded in one of Bill's pages, but I cannot find that either. It is still hard to believe that Bill is no longer with us. To say he is missed would be a profound understatement.

Hi Tom, have you tried older versions of Bill's pages on the waybackmachine? They are probably archived, possibly including the link you're looking for.

I am not aware of the utility/devise/mechanism to which refer. Please chalk that up to Inexorable Luddite Syndrome ("ILS")

The internet archive, through the waybackmachine tries to archive webpages over time. If you look here you can see when they took copies of Bill's site and you should be able to get to older versions of the site (I didn't check). If you remember when the link was up, look at the site around that date and hope you find it. Best of luck.

Thank you for that!!

I hope it works, there's no guarantee but it's the best thing I can think of.

To say he is missed would be a profound understatement.

For him to go that way at that time was so profoundly sad. I had been talking to him about the Micho book for twenty years or so and was really glad he had set aside a year to finish it. He was over to launch the CD and we had a great night in the Russell homeplace with friend and members of the Russell family, playing music, talking, dancing, singing and all that. First he spent a lot of time completely reworking the transcriptions, too meticulous for his own good I thought. In the meantime I was doing a bit of legwork, taking photographs or chasing up old photographs that he wanted to use from local people. Helping out where I could and trying to egg him on a bit. He really had it all planned out and written in his head so I had high hopes he'd finish the project at long last. I did notice over the year he became a bit distracted, didn't immediately respond to emails like he usually would and the replies less focused perhaps but I put that down to the pressure of the work and didn't think much about it. Then I sent something over I had just found and enthused about it in an email, Margaret came back to me and said 'Bill says it's probably time we should tell you..' he was going into hospice care at that point and was gone within a week or two. The sadness and the sheer fecking injustice of it.

Anyhow, Margaret came to visit a few months ago, we talked about it all, including what may be salvaged from the Micho book project. We walked the Cliffs of Moher between showers. That was a good day.

I recall the joy and excitement he felt as he showed me how he tackled a pesky wave form from an old field recording of Micho--a literal recording out in a field, during which a local truck driver tooted his horn as he drove by. Writing the book took Bill into areas he had not yet pondered, ranging from converting and editing old analog source material to 'comparative folk economics'--what was the cost of a pennywhistle relative to that of a pound of tea or a pack of cigarettes in the 1940's? Stuff like that. His continuing joy in the context of new challenges and discoveries was palpable.

It’s exchanges like this that keep me coming back to the C&F after all these years. Thanks to both of you for the remembrances.

I have been away from this site for all too long myself. When I get up the nerve, I will post a link to the stuff I have been playing in the last year or two. It ain't jigs and reels, which is probably much appreciated in the world of jigs and reels. The last "Pure Drop" tune I wanted to work on with Bill is linked below. That did not come to pass. Music like this is what inclined me to knock on Bill's door in early 1999: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYGfujInoJs

I love that YouTube video. That is the first tune learned entirely by ear, but, on a high whistle. I meet with children weekly whistling and that tune, The May Morning Dew, was also their first tune by ear (besides Happy Birthday). Thanks for posting!


Another version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T0O7WPKMtU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVFLQhzBVfY

My hat is off to you for learning that one by ear. I have noodled along with it from time to time on a Colin Goldie F, which Colin gave me as a birthday gift in 2006. I note that Mr. McSherry is playing what I assume is an Overton Low F as well. In my case, I think I would benefit from having the 'dots and lines' as a healthy (i.e., necessary) adjunct to the play along.