The Adrian Song of The Week
Well, it's St Paddy's day approaching so I had to post a jig.
The Mason's Armpit.
https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=14214843
Back in the mid 1970's, when playing in 'Mr. Grumbold', we often used to finish our gigs by doing a cover version of 'East of Eden's' instrumental 'Jig-a-Jig.'
It was a wonderful piece to demonstrate violinist Paul Wynn's (aka Henri) amazing skills on his instrument of choice. A little different to his usual performances with the Merseyside Youth Orchestra, but versatility was his middle name.
The other band I was playing with back then, 'Pegasus', also played a piece (I think called 'Mount Captain Junga' or some such name) that ended with a frantic A minor jig played on my Roland SH1000. Seeing the way the punters danced like crazy beasts to a bit of Celtic music, was enough inspiration to try my hand at writing something in a similar vein.
I found among the music stored in the piano stool in my childhood home, at 20 Orchard Road, a little volume of Irish reels and jigs that included a piece called 'The Mason's Apron.'
That particular tune has been covered many times, part of the repertoire budding violinists learn https://youtu.be/ZSJ91BxYTYo
... and the 'Dubliner's' do a cracking version https://youtu.be/JALYH61L3VM
So, the basis, in a tweaked form, was laid. I added an introduction, a second section featuring a riff I had written on the bass guitar and a third section that I'd had in my head for a while (but no idea where it came from.) A brief middle 8 (in straight 4/4 time) created a bridge back into the plagiarized apron tune.
I wanted to catch the feel of an inebriated Irish dancer recalling a piece of music, but not getting it right, and doing his best to get his dancing feet in step. With that in mind I originally titled the piece 'The Mason who Confused His Armpits', but after it became a tune performed by aforementioned 'Mr. Grumbold' it became redacted to 'The Masons Armpit.'
It lay forgotten for a while, but the advent of MIDI offered an opportunity to try and recreate a version on my digital keyboard, which back in the eighties had become a Roland D10, linked to an Atari ST 1040 computer running C-Labs Notator. If you are a fan of home recording gear and software history, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about, but if not, then feel free to never read this paragraph again.
After moving stateside my recording set up progressed to owning a Korg D1600 digital recorder with the capacity to not only record to re-writable CD’s but capture actual instruments such as electric guitars! The MIDI file was given a new lease of life as actual lead and bass guitars were added. (My Hayman and Yamaha BB1200 to be exact.)
I still have the Korg, and while it is now viewed as vintage gear, the version of 'The Mason's Armpit' presented for your listening pleasure, emanates from those sessions on that machine... carefully downloaded onto CD... and uploaded, via computer to my music website.
What a complicated path we home recordists must tread! The crazy tune has made quite a journey since being plagiarized from a book of Irish jigs in the piano stool at my parents’ house.
Whatever... enjoy 😊.
And if you can a drink a pint of Guinness while tapping your feet and looking forward to celebrating St. Patrick's Day, then 'Top of the morning to you all."