OK, so it’s probably not the most liked nor most TRAD of albums . . . but there’s a track on the Chieftain’s Down the Old Plank Road that I really like. It’s the one called “Béla’s Reels,” a set led by banjo-player Béla Fleck.
Anyway, I recognize two of the tunes, the first and the last. I think the first goes by “Ladies Pantalettes,” the third is “First House in Connaught” or “Terry Moylan’s.” It’s the middle one I don’t know.
When I’ve tried to look for the tune, I come up with “Belles of Blackville.” Does that tune go by any other names, that anyone knows of?
And I’m honestly not ashamed to say I kind of enjoy the set.
Stuart, you’re allowed. The Chieftains are good enough to make it sound any way they want. Its up to the listener to decide what they like. I can’t find that tune in any ITM listing, but perhaps its not an ITM tune. It could be bluegrass or Cape Breton, or anything else they’ve dabbled in.
I’m sure Bela Fleck has a website you could look up and send him a message asking about those tunes. I think he’s on tour right now (I saw something in the paper recently about him being somewhere in my area), so you might not get an immediate response, but it’s worth a try.
