Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

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Kevin L. Rietmann
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Kevin L. Rietmann »

:really:

Cripes, you're right. I've been listening to that for almost 20 years and never realized what he was playing! Thanks so much for that.

Does this look about right?

| (3ABc |:d2Bd c2Ac | BGAD G2GF | GABc dcdf | e^def gdBD | ABce d2Bd | c2Ac BGAF | GABc dgfg | ecAD GABc :|
|: dgfg edBc | dgfg edBc | dgfg edge | (3ded BD ABce | d2Bd c2Ac | (3BAG AD GABc | dgfg ecAF |1 G2GF G2 Bc :|2 G2GF G2 |

Truthfully the off beat accents really throw me off, like John McKenna's version of Kennedy's reel, which he called the Corry Boys, where the phrasing makes it sound like a tune with a bar missing, but when you write it out you see it's 8 or 16 after all. Grey Larson pointed that out in his flute/whistle book.

I still have to work to hear a slip jig in Touhey's recording of the Rocky Road too. For years it sounded to me like he was playing something along the lines of a samba! :party:
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

The Wexford hornpipe, as it is in the Rowsome tutor, isn't really the most inspiring tune and it's a credit to his playing that Reck manages to play around with it here and add a few touches that make you think it's not such a bad tune after all.

As i said above, I collaborated with Rob van Dijk transcribing a few of his tunes for an Piobaire, I remember Bonnie Kate, Harvest Home, Irish Washerwoman and perhaps the Scholar. I have a MS here for his playing of The Swallow's Tail here, I suppose that may have gone in as well. In all those tunes there are lovely touches melodically and different kinds of variation. Really a piper's music.

One thing he did with the second part of the Swallow's Tail was going the first time round:

eaag aged|~e3 f ~g3 e|dG ~G2 DG ~G2 | (3Bcd ef gdB--etc

but when playing the repeat he goes:

~A2 eA ~A2 ed|~e3 f ~g3 e|d2 BG DG ~G2 | (3Bcd ef gdB--etc

that drop to the lower octave and the shift of the emphasis is one of these little things that breaths life into the most simplest or most wellknown of tunes. One of those things that makes you think 'ah, lovely' when it comes along.



The number of downloads of the sound files has gone down to only a few now so I'lll assume that all who wanted them, got them. They've eaten a good chunk out of my bandwith allowance. I'll take them down on Sunday morning.

[edit:] Image I have now zapped the files.
Last edited by Mr.Gumby on Sun Mar 13, 2016 6:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Kevin L. Rietmann
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Kevin L. Rietmann »

Oh, the Wexford's a great old tune, redundant in spots of course but if you're not up for some repetitiousness it's puzzling to me why you'd be playing this stuff in the first place. :lol:

The tunes I have a problem with are "new" ones that are just rehashes of oldies. The other day a flute player played this Frankentune that was a mashup of Miss Thornton, Limestone Rock, one or two others, it was so ridiculously unimaginative I started laughing.

Of course there are also a lot of tunes, new and old, that are just dull.

I set the transcription you and Robert did of Tommy's version of The Scholar into ABC, too, gave proper credit as well of course. I was the #3 most prolific contributor of settings to thesession.org in 2014, the first two guys didn't really contribute much of value, too, just slight modifications, or changing tunes from straight eighths to d>BG>B etc. A lot of what I put up there was from pipers, Felix Doran playing Drowsie Maggie, or Touhey playing Ride a Mile, for instance. Both of those qualify as breaths of fresh air too, if you want to hear something novel.
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by An Draighean »

Kevin L. Rietmann wrote:I was the #3 most prolific contributor of settings to thesession.org in 2014 ... A lot of what I put up there was from pipers, Felix Doran playing Drowsie Maggie, or Touhey playing Ride a Mile, for instance. Both of those qualify as breaths of fresh air too, if you want to hear something novel.
And I for one, thank you for your contributions there Kevin. You're one of only three posters on The Session that I will always look at when you post, because the tunes are usually good and almost always nice pipe settings.
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by An Draighean »

Mr.Gumby wrote:The Gael Linn ones, or at least some are on this one (which is all good stuff anyway):

Image

And thanks again Peter for recommending this gem also - just received my copy from Gael Linn in yesterday's post, and it is all great stuff. Really good recording quality too; I wasn't sure since it was all taken from 78 rpm records, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have bought lots of music from them but had no idea this was in their catalogue.
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Bellows »

This has been a great read and great to listen to some of the old recordings. Thanks for the interesting posts provided. Unfortunately I missed some of the downloads. Would anyone be able to repost for me?
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Paul Patrick »

Bellows - I've sent you a PM.
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

Paul, I sorted that yesterday.
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Bellows »

Cheers again to both of you! Great listening.
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by ennischanter »

Hmmmmm, as an "isolated piper" I would say that Tommy Reck was a significant influence to me.





But what does an amateur like me know? :tomato:
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Eoin_Maguire7 »

[Thread revival. - Mod]

Mr. Gumby, would it be possible that you could re-upload any of the Tommy Reck material which you have digitized for a day or two. I would be very keen to listen to it.

Kind regards,
Eoin
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Podge »

I missed the original thread as well and would also be very keen to have a listen.
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john
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by john »

I've thought the same thing, i.e. that he doesn't seem to have the same status as clancy and ennis. I love the picture of mick o'brien as a young boy looking on when he's playing.
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

Mr. Gumby, would it be possible that you could re-upload any of the Tommy Reck material which you have digitized for a day or two. I would be very keen to listen to it.

Kind regards,
Eoin
Eoin, I sent you a PM with links yesterday, only to realise later you're a new member and not able to receive it. Best contact the moderator to get authenticated and receive full member privileges.
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Podge
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Re: Is the influence of Tommy Reck underestimated?

Post by Podge »

Mr.Gumby wrote: And there's the classic and highly influential Peter O'Loughlin home recording that is widely distributed among pipers and other tapes floating about as well.
I've never heard of the Peter O'Loughlin tape. What are the other ones?

Thanks for your pm yesterday, really enjoyed the recordings.
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