Frankie Kennedy and Matt Molloy playing styles.

[phcook]

Nice story!

[claudine]

that is a nice and easy tune, the first one that they play. I downloaded it to my PC here at work and played along to it very quietly on my flute that I keep concealed in a drawer of my desk.

[Craig Stuntz]

He was older than her so they carried on their friendship (by writing to each other) until Mairéad had left school. He took up the whistle to surprise her and to play with her in sessions.

From Blooming Meadows by Fintan Vallely and Charlie Piggott:

Mairéad and Frankie met when she was fifteen. 'He was about eighteen and didn't play a note.' He was spending the summer in Donegal before he went to Queen's and just came into the session. Mutual attraction blossomed. Frankie wrote to her 'and between the summer and Hallowe'en at Andersonstown sessions he had met friends who told him, "If you're going to be going out with Mairéad Mooney, you'd better start playing whistle or something!" So he got a whistle and taught himself.'

[lesl]

I listened to those first Tommy Peoples' reels Chas referred to as example from Ceol Aduaidh (and was surprised to find I had the first tune!) - there's just the faintest pause at the first note and away they went. No ramping up to speed - boom, just as Chas and John Kerr said.

But also, - and this is not an accurate comparison, but in my limited experience - it reminded me of John Skelton's power of attack. Starting 'head on' very strongly and maintaining that feeling of urgency. What do you think Cat? I bet you will have disagreements here!, being so familiar with JS's style. I can't find the Harvest Storm, it must be hiding in Bill's car, that one will be next.

I was also wondering about their pitch as Cat mentioned. Some of the tracks seemed the same as my flute but others I could not find on the instrument, were the recordings sharpened up?

Btw on their website the "Altan" cd is not linked, but there are many copies on Amazon's "used and new" section and I just ordered one (as well as the new cd for my husband.)

I love John Moran's and the Blooming Meadows anecdotes from Craig!

As for my own anecdote, the fueling of my sudden mania, what did it for me was an odd coincidence. My husband Bill had been trying to find someone to play a particular set of reels with, from the Horse with a Heart album. Meanwhile, my teacher has a tape which I had unwittingly put into the car this past Friday. It turned out to be a 1989 concert in Staten Island NY which included Altan. - from when that same album first came out. I definitely took this as "A Sign".. (and I was very taken by the 3 Scones of Boxty last night, from that set).

Since this discussion, it also came flooding back that it was Island Angel and then the earlier Ceol Aduaidh recording which were both given to me on tape in the mid 90's, before I learned to play. It was directly after that I quit the "Celtic Music" and started to learn the pure drop in earnest. I'd completely forgotten.

A ps about Ambrose Moloney's on Brad's clip - unlike what I'd thought, that 2nd part is rather different between Mike Raff and Frankie K, isn't it! (It seems I wasn't actually given this tune but osmosed it - except for that 2nd part - ha!)

I definitely have MM and Frankie Kennedy separated now, but would love to hear more about Frankie and his flute playing. I'm ready to go for slowdown and study how he played. (Well, first getting through today's business of course..)

Carry on!

[johnkerr]

Please chaps more stories about Frankie Kennedy.

Since you asked, Lesl, I'll put in a few of my reminiscences of Frankie here, since I was lucky enough to know him a bit at the end of his life. Back in the late 1980s-mid 1990s, I was one of the organizers of an Irish trad music festival we used to have here in Washington DC. We grew the festival from small beginnings in 1986, and by 1992 (a year that I happened to be the festival director) we had it to the point where we could actually think about bringing a band over from Ireland to play the festival. We considered it a major coup that we were able to book Altan. Of course we dealt with their booking agent in setting up the gig, but once the band was in town Frankie was their acknowledged leader so he was the one we worked with in setting up sound requirements, performance logistics, etc. A more gracious man could not be found. Huge performer egos are thankfully rare in the Irish trad world, but even given that Frankie was unique in giving us the feeling that we were doing him a favor by hosting the band for the weekend, when really we were the ones who were grateful for their presence at our humble little festival.

It was actually at that festival that the first inklings of Frankie's cancer were felt. Altan had been in town several months before for a Paddy's Day gig, and at that time Frankie was having some shoulder pain. When they came back for the festival he was still in pain, so Frank Claudy (a fine flute player known to some of you, who also happens to be a doctor) prescribed some painkillers for him and also suggested that he get an MRI when he got back to Ireland. It was that MRI that uncovered the tumor.

Altan came back to our festival the next two years (1993 and 1994) and also did one or two other gigs here each of those years, so we got to see Frankie during the course of his battle with the cancer. At first there was hope as it seemed to be in remission, but by the time they got here in May 1994 for the festival things were not looking good. Frankie was undergoing chemo and was obviously weak and wearing a multi-colored skullcap since he'd lost his hair. But despite that he was his usual ebullient self. Offstage, he'd handed the reins of the band over to Ciaran Tourish, but onstage he was still in charge. Altan did one set on a tent stage in the afternoon, and headlined the big evening concert in an outdoor theater in front of thousands. Except for the skullcap, you would not have known Frankie was ill. But just a few months later, in September 1994, he was gone. Somewhere I think I still have a recording of their set at the festival - I should try to find that.

It was Frankie's desire that the band keep going without him, so they were back on the road not long after his death and are still there a dozen years later, going strong. I know he'd be very proud of that as his legacy.

Frankie's father actually died just a few months before him, and of a cancer that was very similar to the one that felled Frankie. Belfast being an industrial city, I've often wondered if maybe there was something in the environment there that contributed to that.

I wish I could tell you about some flute bonding that I had with Frankie, but I can't. I was only just starting to play back then, in fact it was at that same 1992 festival that I got my Olwell flute, since Patrick was always a crafts artist at our festival. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was at one of our festivals that Patrick and Frankie made the connection that resulted in Frankie getting the Olwell flute he was playing when he died.

[johnkerr]

I was also wondering about their pitch as Cat mentioned. Some of the tracks seemed the same as my flute but others I could not find on the instrument, were the recordings sharpened up?

AFAIK Altan plays in concert pitch and doesn't tune up to Eb like some other bands do (e.g. Dervish and DeDannan). But a lot of those Donegal tunes are in A, and some may even be in Bb. That's one of the things that makes them not so flute-friendly.

Btw on their website the "Altan" cd is not linked, but there are many copies on Amazon's "used and new" section and I just ordered one (as well as the new cd for my husband.)

Unfortunately I think all the Altan recordings from Frankie's era were when the band was on Green Linnet, so given that label's current troubles they may be hard to find now. But they're well worth seeking out by whatever means are available. (I know I for one don't feel the least twinge of guilt bootlegging Green Linnet products...)

[chas]

I was also wondering about their pitch as Cat mentioned. Some of the tracks seemed the same as my flute but others I could not find on the instrument, were the recordings sharpened up?

AFAIK Altan plays in concert pitch and doesn't tune up to Eb like some other bands do (e.g. Dervish and DeDannan). But a lot of those Donegal tunes are in A, and some may even be in Bb. That's one of the things that makes them not so flute-friendly.

It took me a few tries playing a coupleof their tunes to figure out that Frankie plays an A flute on a lot of them. That (and a few Chris Norman tunes) is why I have an A on order.

[bradhurley]

It took me a few tries playing a coupleof their tunes to figure out that Frankie plays an A flute on a lot of them. That (and a few Chris Norman tunes) is why I have an A on order.

I don't think that's true -- if it were a high A flute (tiny, like a little fife) it wouldn't sound like a flute, and if it were a low A flute (bigger than a big Bb) you'd be able to tell instantly by the tone.

I think he was just playing a D flute in the key of A. And a lot of those tunes are in fact quite tricky on the D flute...once you start trying to play them you realize how accomplished he was. There was one air followed by a reel, "Dobbins Flowery Vale, on one of the Altan albums, that he played on a Bb flute; everything else as far as I know was played on a D flute.

[chas]

It took me a few tries playing a coupleof their tunes to figure out that Frankie plays an A flute on a lot of them. That (and a few Chris Norman tunes) is why I have an A on order.

I don't think that's true -- if it were a high A flute (tiny, like a little fife) it wouldn't sound like a flute, and if it were a low A flute (bigger than a big Bb) you'd be able to tell instantly by the tone.

I think he was just playing a D flute in the key of A. And a lot of those tunes are in fact quite tricky on the D flute...once you start trying to play them you realize how accomplished he was. There was one air followed by a reel, "Dobbins Flowery Vale, on one of the Altan albums, that he played on a Bb flute; everything else as far as I know was played on a D flute.

There's a set of mazurkas (I think one of them is shoe the donkey); the second one is in A, and he sure seems to be playing down to the low B. If he's not, I'd be interested in what he's doing -- it could be that he plays an E when the fiddle's playing a B and they blend so well that I can't tell what he's playing.

[bradhurley]

There's a set of mazurkas (I think one of them is shoe the donkey); the second one is in A, and he sure seems to be playing down to the low B. If he's not, I'd be interested in what he's doing -- it could be that he plays an E when the fiddle's playing a B and they blend so well that I can't tell what he's playing.

It's probably the "aural illusion" that happens when a flute and fiddle are playing together -- when the fiddle drops below D, if the flute player plays the same note quietly an octave above, you could swear that the flute is playing below D as well. It's very convincing; I think there's some sort of blending of the overtones between fiddle and flute that creates this illusion. You can hear it in a few places on Kevin Crawford's In Good Company album as well, particularly in The Long Drop (second reel on the first track if I remember right) where a number of people have been tricked into thinking he was playing a flat-pitched flute or one with a B foot.

[brendan]

Hello all,

That is a lovely slow air, and is popular with the muscians in Glenavy. Frankie had relations that lived there and he picked up that tune from a local guy called Robert Cinnamon which is mentioned on one of the sleeve notes on that particular cd. I stuck it down one time myself for the crack being from the village on all that. Frankie's playing of that tune is one of my favourite bits of flute playing, I think his playing of it is one of the best slow airs you could listen to.

SLAN

[Cathy Wilde]

I'd always assumed he played a D flute in A; it just has that "D" tonal quality (except for Dobbin's, which screamed Bb flute to me -- again, it's a timbre thing).

Lesl, you're dead right as far as John's general playing style (at least as far as I perceive/understand it). He can play the more flowing, ornamented style no problem (oh yes, the chops are there), but anymore he generally seems to prefer the deceptively simple route. He's told me he used to play differently but the longer he's been at it the more interested he is in stripping things down.

He always says it's no sin to keep stuff plain, as long as it's got lift and is all about the tune, not the playing .... so I guess that's why Frankie's playing appeals to me, too; i.e, it's the philosophy I've been living with the last 3 years and now completely buy into.

So no, no argument here! (sorry! ) .... while I think I've always tended to prefer the unfussy, rhythmic, "It's got a good beat and I can dance to it, Dick!" style of playing, after a few years of lessons with Himself I'm pretty much a hard-core believer. (in fact, Larry's and my running joke is 'WWJSD"?)

Now if I could only play that way. But somehow it seems like 'simple' gets harder every day!

[Cathy Wilde]

BTW, thank you John Moran and johnkerr and brendan, too! The stories really do bring him to life for those of us who missed him the first go-round.

Bless the man.

BTW, there's a fair amount of Altan stuff on iTunes .... don't know if there's any on other sites, but if you're in a hurry or want to cherry-pick tunes that might be a way to go.

Thanks again, y'all!

[johnkerr]

It's probably the "aural illusion" that happens when a flute and fiddle are playing together -- when the fiddle drops below D, if the flute player plays the same note quietly an octave above, you could swear that the flute is playing below D as well. It's very convincing; I think there's some sort of blending of the overtones between fiddle and flute that creates this illusion. You can hear it in a few places on Kevin Crawford's In Good Company album as well, particularly in The Long Drop (second reel on the first track if I remember right) where a number of people have been tricked into thinking he was playing a flat-pitched flute or one with a B foot.

Indeed this "aural illusion" is why tunes that spend a lot of time hanging out below the low D, such as Maudabawn Chapel to name just one, can sound so nice in a fiddle/flute duet whereas on flute alone...not so much.

[Craig Stuntz]

I combined stuff I've read, biographies online, and material from this thread into a Wikipedia entry for Frankie Kennedy; I'd appreciate it if folks in the know count fact check it and mention (or add yourself!) anything I've left out.

I think the "style" section needs to be fleshed out more, but it's hard to do that in objective, non-opinionated terms.

Thanks!