drop of the pure: full notes
1. Foggy Dew
A Catholic priest, Canon Charles O’Neill, penned these powerful lyrics in 1917 following the tragic Easter Rising. O’Neill laments and praises the young Irishmen who perished in the Rising against British rule, but also notes the sad irony that thousands more died on the battlefields of the Great War in the service of that very same Empire, under the rationale “that small nations might be free” - a freedom which Britain notoriously continued to withhold from Ireland. We follow this powerful song with an equally rousing tune, “Road to Lisdoonvarna”, played on the uilleann pipes.
Kevin Elam - vocals, guitar
Jesse Ofgang - uilleann pipes
2. Last Tango in Harris / Superfly
If you play Scottish music or bagpipe music, you have doubtless heard the name Roddy MacDonald. Roderick Stewart MacDonald, from Inverness, (whose grandfather bore the fantastically Scottish name “Donald MacDonald”), is a well-known highland piper and composer of modern pipe tunes, including the opening romp on this track, “Last Tango in Harris”. Listen for the meter shift as “Last Tango” gives way to “Superfly”, another modern composition - this time by Kevin O’Neill, a flutist who currently performs with Treacherous Orchestra.
Jesse Ofgang - great Highland pipes
Kevin Elam - guitar (with “octave” bass)
Alex Kuldell - bass drum
3. Ye Jacobites by Name
It would be difficult to name a more influential lyricist in Scottish music than Scotland’s national poet, the so-called “Bard of Ayrshire”, Robert Burns. Ever the forward-thinking humanist, Burns took an anti-Jacobite song - originally a partisan rallying-cry only suitable to its time - and reworked the lyrics, transforming it into a sweeping, powerful condemnation of all frivolous warmongering. Our arrangement is therefore somewhat ironic, as the deep booming drum and great Highland pipe are historically intended to stir, rather than dull, the martial spirit. Still, we hope that these rousing sounds will catch the ear of our listeners, and will draw attention to the singer’s words, which urge the bellicose Jacobites - and militants of future ages - to think twice about taking up arms.
Kevin Elam - vocals, Bb whistle, Eb flute, bodhrán (hand)
Jesse Ofgang - great highland pipes
4. Mrs. Jamieson’s Favorite
Jesse plays the F whistle for this lovely solo. The air is a 19th-century composition by a Scottish fiddler called Charles Grant. Kevin plays the harmonium, a type of portable hand-pumped reed organ that is very popular in Indian music.
Jesse Ofgang - F whistle
Kevin Elam - harmonium
5. Jewels of the Ocean
This lovely waltz, also known as Ló Deló Deló or Seudan A’ Chuain is by the great highland piper Allan MacDonald. Here Kevin and Jesse both play the F whistle, blending unison playing with harmony.
Kevin Elam - F whistle
Jesse Ofgang - F whistle
6. Slip Jigs: An Phis Fhliuch / Na Ceannabháin Bhána / Ryan’s
Perhaps the most distinctive Irish dance tune form is the slip jig, a dance in 9/8 time. Here we have combined three of the most commonly heard session slip jigs: An Phis Fhliuch, known in English by any number of polite euphemistic translations (you’ve been warned - look up the real translation at your own risk); Na Ceannabháin Bhána or the “Fair Cannavans”, an instrumental version of a rather mysterious (lyrical) song from Connemara; and finally a banger of a tune with far too many names, but thankfully at least one that’s short and simple - Ryan’s.
Jesse Ofgang - uilleann pipes
Kevin Elam - guitar
7. Rocky Road to Dublin
This distinctly Irish classic follows the misadventures of a Connachtman who leaves his home town in Galway and travels eastward through Ireland towards Dublin, from there to sail overseas to seek his fortune. The lyrics, written in the mid-19th century by one D.K. Gavan, simultaneously recount the man’s experiences and incidentally offer an enjoyable refresher course on the geography of Ireland. As for the song’s melody, the 1841 edition of The Dublin Magazine (Volume III) includes a tune by the name “Rocky Road”, which bears a very faint but curiously non-negligible resemblance to the later song’s melody. This tune seems to have been massively popular with all ages, and the magazine’s editor notes that every self-respecting nurse in Munster had the tune in her repertoire. We close with a traditional Irish reel, “Man of the House”, that dates at least to O’Neill’s famous 1903 collection Music of Ireland.
Kevin Elam - vocals, guitar, octave mandolin, low D whistle
Jesse Ofgang - alto A whistle, high D whistle, bodhrán
8. Muirghael’s Waltz
Jesse showcases both “indoor” pipes on this gentle piece he composed for his niece, a sweet little gal who is now all of 6 years old and loves music.
Jesse Ofgang - uilleann pipes, smallpipes
Kevin - harmonium, octave mandolin
9. March, Strathspey, and Reel (feat. Seán Heely)
In the fascinating and highly formalized world of competition piping, a typical “light music” medley might consist of a march, a strathspey and a reel. These three tune types played together offer a nice progression in style and rhythm, and enable the player or band to show off their versatility and ornamentation. In this case we are joined by our good friend and bandmate Sean Heely on fiddle for a more relaxed, session-style take on this classic medley. The opening tune is a lovely march called Balchraggan, composed by piano-accordionist John Somerville, who lives in Glasgow. Next is a strathspey called _____, and to close the set is a well-known reel by Donald McKinnon called “Sound of Sleat”. This tune’s name references a narrow sea channel or sound off the western coast of Scotland, and has nothing to do with auditory sounds of any sort, despite the frequent misunderstanding of Scottish music enjoyers everywhere.
Jesse Ofgang - Scottish smallpipes
Kevin Elam - A whistle, guitar
Sean Heely - fiddle
10. Old Churchyard
We are honored to have our friend Eva Holbrook (Lady Moon) as guest vocalist for this haunting American hymn. This song is of unknown antiquity, although it is attested in American hymnals at least as far back as 1852. The tune bears a vague similarity to Celtic airs such as that of “Parting Glass”, and so we thought it deserved a Celtic treatment, complete with whistles and the blended sounds of both “indoor” pipes. Old Churchyard entered the modern folk tradition by way of Arkansas singer Almeda Riddle (who, charmingly, insisted that folks simply call her “Granny”), who taught the song in 1976 to legendary English folk duo Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson.
Lady Moon (Eva Trout) - vocals
Kevin Elam - vocals, octave-strung bouzouki, harmonium
Jesse Ofgang - Scottish smallpipes, uilleann pipes, low D whistle
11. Cronin’s Hornpipe / Palmer’s Gate / Singing Stream
Fans of Irish traditional music are sometimes shocked to learn that chordal accompaniment is a relatively recent phenomenon in the Irish tradition. Prior to the 20th century, the music was almost always played strictly as melodies - often simply by a soloist, but sometimes by duos or trios. On this track we use an iconic pairing - that of the flute and uilleann pipes - to recreate this traditional sound. The opening hornpipe, known by multiple names, is associated with a number of iconic Kerry fiddlers: Paddy Cronin, Denis Murphy, and Denis’ sister Julia Clifford, as well as Padraig O’Keeffe, considered to have been the last of the great traveling fiddle-masters of Munster. The final tune in the set, Singing Stream, comes from another iconic Irish music family, but this time from the opposite end of Ireland - Armagh natives Niall and Cillian Vallely, from the brothers’ 2003 album Callan Bridge. The middle tune, Palmer’s Gate, is a composition by Leitrim fiddler Joe Liddy.
Jesse Ofgang - uilleann pipes
Kevin Elam - Irish flute
12. The King’s Shilling
Although it has the feel and sound of an old traditional song, this piece was actually composed in the 1970’s by fiddler and songwriter Iain Sinclair, from the Scottish folk group Mirk. Sinclair’s verses and memorable refrain take a cynical look at the centuries-old practice of young men who would leave their wives and families, accepting the government’s money to fight - and often die - in far-off wars. Since Mirk’s debut version, the song has become a favorite in folk circles, being recorded by such luminaries as James Taylor, Karan Casey, Jean Redpath and Frank Harte. Joined on this track by our supremely talented snare-drumming comrade Alex Kuldell, we follow the song with a traditional march, “Highland Laddie”, that was undoubtedly heard in the very scenarios the song so poignantly describes.
Kevin Elam - vocals, guitar, harmony arrangement
Jesse Ofgang - uilleann pipes, Scottish smallpipes
Alex Kuldell - rope-tension snare drum