Since we don’t have a “Scottish Traditional Music Forum” I figured I would hazard a post here. Posted in the Pub as well. I picked up this CD (Peter & Wendy) at the Johnny Cunningham tribute Friday night and noted some sets of reels on a couple of tracks. I recognised a couple of them but until a short while ago couldn’t put a name to either. One of them is Lexy McAskill. It is the third reel played in the medly simply called “The Flight” ( track 8 ). This is followed by a cut called “The Landing” which is the strathspey version of the Scottish air “Tha mi sGith”. The next set of reels is track 18 “The Duel”. I know I’ve heard that second reel somewhere but no name comes to mind. Unfortunately the album is labeled as “original music written and arranged by Johnny Cunningham”. I’ve already raised some hackles on the Rovers list by suggesting that that isn’t entirely correct :roll: . Figured I might get better result posing the question to musicians rather than fans as to what the trad tunes on this recording are. Anyone?
Cheers & thanks,
David
P.S. Okay…the second reel on track 18 is Toss the Feathers! Now for the other 4 reels. Any help is appreciated.
I got this CD while passing through Singapore last year, shortly after Johnny died. I’ve never seen it for sale anywhere in Scotland, and given the circumstances, I just had to buy it. There’s some beautiful music on it, but as you correctly say, not all of it was written by Johnny. You’re spot on with “Tha Mi Sgith” and “Lexy McAskill” [ composed by the late Dr. John McAskill, for his wife, Alexandra, or “Lexy” for short.] I think I’m right in saying that Johnny had previously recorded the tunes in the sets you mentioned, on “Fair Warning”, if my memory serves. Certainly one of the reels is “Blair Atholl”, and possibly “The Cairdin’ O’t”. I’ll check this for you tonight unless someone else sets the record straight before then.
I wish I could have benn there for one of those concerts. Johnny is much missed.
Last August, I was teaching flute and whistle at the “Splore” school of traditional music in Aberdeen as part of the Aberdeen Youth Festival.
Because I and some of the other tutors had known Johnny, we got the 20 students to put together a set of Johnny’s tunes from this CD, - “Two Is The Beginning”, “Nana’s Walkabout”, “Darling’s Waltz” along with “Lexy” and “Blair Atholl” which they performed at the end of the week to an audience of some 500 people in the Aberdeen Music Hall.
Hi, david - Track 18 is not “Toss The Feathers”, it’s “The Ale Is Dear”. I don’t know the 1st tune, which is then played again after “The Ale is Dear”.
The 2 reels before “Lexy” are as I thought, “Blair Atholl” and “The Cairdin’ O’t”. Johnny “recycled” the whole set of 3 from “Fair Warning”.
Apart from the unidentified tune, and possibly “Lexy”, which we know he didn’t compose, as a traditional Scottish musician, I can guarantee all those other tunes are much older than Johnny Cunningham. Anyone who tells you otherwise is plain wrong!
Best wishes. kenny
