What's this "pure drop" stuff all about?

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Sun May 02, 2004 5:48 pm

Pardon my ignorance, but can someone please define "pure drop" for me? Whatever it is, I have a nasty suspicion that, as a harmonica player, I won't be able to partake of it

Steve Shaw.

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun May 02, 2004 10:16 pm

Steve, I don't see anyone else rising to the bait, so I'll have a bit of a go. As I understand it, the "Pure Drop" is a euphemism representing ITM the way it was played by just plain folks in its natural settings before it became the pervue of the modern professional music industry. This can be whatever one wants it to mean, or as much as one thinks they know about it, I suppose. I think this is supposed to mean people playing at home, or for/with the neighbours, passing the music on from generation to generation. Unfortunately, things get a bit muddled, because those who learned it at home were also the ones who became today's modern professional musicians.

At best, it can harken back to some Golden Age, where the instruments were whatever you could get your hands on or make, including harmonicas, or you could just lilt the music if you didn't have anything else. But definitely there was a simplicity of style of playing the music, without heavy overproduction, symphony orchestras, synthesizers, heirarchies of leading and backing instruments, etc. Also, there was a definite sense of rhythm to the music, which was not jazz or modern folkrock or new age mood music or whatever else. It was definitely played as ITM without any foreign influences. People go on about the speed sometimes, but I think that is immaterial compared to getting the feel of the music.

By the way, I seem to recall a big deal being made many years ago about a family from the south of Ireland that were amazingly good on harmonicas, but I can't remember their name, now. Perhaps someone else here remembers them, and if they ever recorded.

Cheers,

djm

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Mon May 03, 2004 4:58 am

Thank you djm - I can see what it means now from your very clear explanation, especially the contrast with some of the more modern "slick" interpretations of the music. I suppose there's room on the planet for everything but I know which style I prefer.... I'm also heartened to see that you don't consider the harmonica to be excluded!

It would be the Murphys of Wexford that you're thinking of. They made one album (to my knowledge) called Trip to Cullenstown. The father died some years ago, leaving two brothers (I think) who are still active. Two other currently-active traditional harmonica players are Mick Kinsella (modern, jazzy-bluesy style) and Noel Battle (much more traditional). There are some in N. America too, notably James Conway of Chicago who has a CD of Irish tunes called Mouth Box.

Thanks for that!

Cheers

Steve

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Mon May 03, 2004 8:00 am

And in Canada there's Don Kavanagh, whose album is A Dubliner and His Harmonica.

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon May 03, 2004 9:11 am

SteveShaw wrote:It would be the Murphys of Wexford that you're thinking of.

Yes. That sounds right.

colomom wrote:And in Canada there's Don Kavanagh

Never heard of him, but more power to him.

djm

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Mon May 03, 2004 10:00 am

How about Brendan Power?

Yikes! what happened to the URL? Fixing it...

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Mon May 03, 2004 11:26 am

I didn't mean to leave out Brendan Power - that was inexcusable - sorry! He has done a huge amount to promote the harmonica in Irish music, and he also makes and customises harmonicas for "Irish" needs.

Steve.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Mon May 03, 2004 12:26 pm

I wouldn't forget about Eddie Clark, gorgeous harmonica playing and pure-drop by my book. He is on the Sailing Into Walpole's Marsh LP/Cassette with Maeve Donelly and Sean Corcoran, and other places, too, I'm sure.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Mon May 03, 2004 1:14 pm

Bloomfield wrote:I wouldn't forget about Eddie Clark, gorgeous harmonica playing and pure-drop by my book. He is on the Sailing Into Walpole's Marsh LP/Cassette with Maeve Donelly and Sean Corcoran, and other places, too, I'm sure.

Including an album with Joe Ryan on fiddle and yes, I'd say pure drop. I have that on LP and it's probably hard to get unless it's been reissued on CD. I don't find it listed on the Green Linnet site though. The LP is Green Linnet SIF 1030. The harmonica is not that easy to hear clearly on the recording because it's overshadowed by the fiddle. Still nice stuff though.

Steve

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon May 03, 2004 1:48 pm

SteveShaw wrote:
It would be the Murphys of Wexford that you're thinking of. They made one album (to my knowledge) called Trip to Cullenstown. The father died some years ago, leaving two brothers (I think) who are still active.

As far as I know, that's their only solo (ie, family) album. But they also appear on Kevin Burke's Up Close.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon May 03, 2004 1:52 pm

A couple of older players worth mentioning would be the Cape Breton player Tommy Basker (Tin Sandwich) and also Noel Pepper.

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:06 pm

Tommy Basker, Eddie Clarke - yes, I was very remiss in not mentioning them too! Just shows what depth of knowledge there is on the list if only you can goad people by asking the right question!

Talking of Kevin Burke (cheers Wombat) reminded me of the absolutely stunning harmonica playing of Mark Graham on the Open House albums (I'm particularly fond of the first one). Among lots of other things he plays a brilliant version of Mullingar Races. I know that a lot of modern recordings, what with their high "production values," are probably migrating away from "pure drop" but some of them are d**ned good none-the-less!

And while I'm unashamedly promoting harmonica players, what about just any recording featuring said instrument that Andy Irvine made....

Cheers!

Steve

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:08 pm

djm wrote:Never heard of him, but more power to him.

I should have checked for a website before mentioning him:
http://www.thewhistleshop.com/catalog/t ... vanagh.htm
They have sound samples. There is some accompaniment, so it's not purely pure drop, but but he's a good old-fashioned Irish musician. (Albeit with a bit of a French-Canadian influence these days.)

He's a fine player, a lot of fun to play tunes with, and a great guy.

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:23 pm

......so, if there's accompaniment, it isn't "pure drop" then?

Cheers!

Steve

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Mon May 03, 2004 4:02 pm

SteveShaw wrote:......so, if there's accompaniment, it isn't "pure drop" then?

Cheers!

Steve

That's putting it a bit bluntly, and it depends what kind of accompaniment, but basically: yes. The music is originally unaccomanied (or unison) music (also called "single-line" music: no harmony, no counterpoint).