New Album to Showcase Musical Maestro’s Hidden Works

(Newswire.net — November 3, 2016) Franklin, TN — Traditional Irish music is an aural tradition passed on from generation to generation by listening, learning by ear and without formally writing the tunes on paper. This is a practice that is still encouraged today and students of traditional Irish music are urged to pick up tunes they hear from others or to learn as they listen. 

There are instances were the music notes can be made available for students and sheet-music for traditional Irish tunes have been printed.

One such book to be printed and made available in 2017 is the compositions of Eddie Kelly, a renowned fiddle-player, button accordion-player and music composer who hails from the Eyrecourt region of East Galway in Ireland.

Kelly was was born in 1993, in a small village called Meelick which is a few miles outside of Eyrecourt and near the well-known town of Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. It quickly became known that Eddie had a special touch on the fiddle and “box” (a colloquial term for the button accordion) and few could match his adroitness and skill on both the fiddle and button accordion. Much of his early 20’s was spent playing music in and around Eyrecourt particularly with the legendary fiddle-player and composer Paddy Fahey. There are many stories about the sweet and bewitching music played by these two virtuosos, seisiúns that are still talked about today.

In 1958 Eddie accepted a position as stockroom manager in the psychiatric hospital located in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon and he moved from his beloved Eyrecourt and the music of the East Galway region. He continued to play and perform throughout Ireland and was invited to be part of the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann US tour in 1985. He became heavily involved in the Roscommon / Sligo music scene and performed regularly, always the music from his native East Galway, particularly the compositions of his musical hero Paddy Fahey.

In the early 1990’s Kelly suffered an accident which rendered him unable to play either of his instruments from that time onwards. 

“It was such fun learning music from Eddie” says Éilís Crean, former pupil of Eddie Kelly. 

“He could take a familiar tune and add in the these simple nuances and motifs and transform it into something unique and original. I was always fascinated at how he could do that” continues Crean.

In the few years before his accident Kelly was a prolific composer. Yet this mild-mannered and self-deprecating musical genius rarely showcased his own compositions. He always showed deference and respect to the older musicians such as Paddy Fahey, Paddy Kelly, Paddy O’Brien (Co. Tipperary) or Seán Ryan (Co. Tipperary) by playing their music. It is because of this that out of his twenty-three or so compositions only three or four of them are widely played in traditional Irish music circles today.

And all of that is about to change.

“Back in 2009, a year before my dad passed away, I spent an extended period of time at home in Ireland. During that time, I reconnected with some of the local musical maestros, Patsy Hanly, Frank Kelly (RIP), John Carlos and Vincent Pierce to name just a few. In my childhood years, we used to have Rambling House seisiúns in my home where all of these musicians and many others would come to play music, sing, dance and tell stories. These occasions were some of the highlights of my childhood, having a front-row seat to listen to the these incredibly talented musicians playing tune after tune, set after set. It was magical”.

Crean goes on to explain that after reconnecting with these local artists one night at a jamming session that John Carlos remembered that Eddie taught her for many years because he could hear Kelly’s style in her music. Carlos’ son was also at the seisiún and it came to light that his generation had often heard of the legendary Eddie Kelly. However, no-one had ever heard him play; he had never made a formal recording. 

Later that week, Eddie made a surprise visit to another seisiún to reconnect with his long-lost student. It was a poignant reunion because now the roles had been reversed.

“I came to hear you play” were the first words he said to her when he appeared at the door to a dumbstruck Crean.

“It was the strangest thing, it was just like I was back there in his sitting room playing music and trying to get the notes right. And I could see it was the same for him”

Kelly still brought the fiddle with him and sat in as all the musicians quietly and reverently made room for him and furnished his needs. 

The veneration and respect for this master was palpable in the room that evening. It alighted on the music and conversation like a soft veil. And so did the Love.

“Looking back on it, I see now that I used to always challenge Eddie during those lessons, quizzing him about why he did this or how do you play that note. And he loved it! And I fell right back into that synergy again. I chastised him that he never taught me any of his compositions and that I only became aware of his compositions years later when I became an adult. I urged him to listen to my version of a tune and to confirm if I had the correct version. That was the defining theme of my lessons and learning with Eddie. I had to learn the correct version of the tune. That was paramount, more important that anything else. Pay your respects to the composer by taking the time to get the tune right” 

Crean goes on to describe a magical few moments where after a lapse of almost twenty years, Kelly picks up the fiddle and plays a few bars of his most well-known composition “The Lonesome Fiddler” more commonly known as Eddie Kelly’s reel. 

“That note is a B natural not a B flat” He said emphatically.

“It has been recorded wrong all these years. And thats the note that makes the tune. And I want you to play it correctly” He finished in a determined voice.

Crean had received her orders and she took them seriously.

Two days later, a package arrived in the mail addressed to Éilís Crean. When she opened it, she discovered that it contained all the sheet-music for the remainder of Kelly’s compositions. It had been sent by Eddie himself, twenty-three compositions in all.

“Since Eddie sent me the manuscripts, I have been mulling over how best to record them to make sure that I accurately represent what Eddie is saying through these compositions. On New Years Eve 2015 I made a resolution to begin the work to record these tunes”

Crean is scheduled to hit the studio in early January 2017 with John Doyle and Kenny Malone, both of whom were collaborators on her first album The Lonesome Fiddler.

This time she will also be joined by the renowned button-accordion player Charlie Pigott. Pigott is best known as a founding member of the much acclaimed Irish super-group De Dannan. He has toured extensively in Europe, Canada, and the US and has revived many rare traditional melodies and has a reputation for performing them in accordance with the ethos of older players who have passed along the music.

When asked if he would join Crean on the album, having first reached out to her many years ago when he first heard of the Kelly compositions, he said simply:

“I would be honored and delighted”

The album will be supplemented with a book with Eddie’s compositions, photographs and stories which will be available later in 2017.

For more information about Eddie Kelly and Éilís Crean’s upcoming album of his compositions send an email to eiliscrean@gmail.com. 

Click here for more information about Éilís Crean