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“All Roots”
(Track listing, additional informational and times)
1. Bosco Stomp (trad arr. R. Barron)
Tomas – vocals, guitar, washboard. Geraldine – accordion. Eileen – fiddles. James – bass guitar. Dave – drums, percussion.
Bosco Stomp is a tune mostly associated with Cajun musician Lawrence Walker. Here we do our version, which is loosely based on the playing of American multi instrumentalist Evo Bluestein.
2. El Cumbanchero. (Rican Rafael Hernandez)
Ray – mandolin. Tomas – acoustic guitar. James – bass guitar. Leon – electric guitar, Geraldine – accordion, Dave – drums. Dick – rhythm and lead acoustic guitars. Peter – trumpet. Ineke – alt saxophone. Wim – tuba. Ruud – trombone
This is a well know popular Latin American tune written by Puerto Rican Rafael Hernandez.
3. One Less Trailer (Here in Pine View Heights) (Ron Bell and Sharon Bell)
Tomas – vocals, acoustic guitar. Ray – mandolin, resonator guitar. Geraldine – accordion. Leon – electric guitars. James – bass guitar, vocals. Dave – drums, percussion.
Bruce Wandmayer, Californian saxophonist and slide guitar player came and visited us a number of years ago. He introduced us to a great band that he plays with called Trailer Park Troubadours. This is one of the tracks from their album Double Wide and Dangerous. In our version Tomas has changed a line to Pine Lodge, a hostelry in the seaside village of Myrtleville, Co. Cork.
4. Hiram Hubbard (trad arr. R. Barron)
Tomas – vocals, acoustic guitar. Ray – mandolin, resonator guitar, indian harmonium. Geraldine – concertina. James – bass guitar. Leon – acoustic guitar. Dave – drums, percussion.
We have a feeling that this song is from the American civil war. Tomas learned it from the second Sweeney’s Men album Tracks of Sweeney.
5. Get Up John (Bill Monroe)
Ray – mandolin. Leon – electric guitars. Tomas – acoustic guitar. Geraldine – accordion. James – bass guitar. Dave – drums.
Bill Monroe learned this tune from his Uncle Pen who called it Sleepy John. It is played in an open D tuning. As in Bill’s version, Ray plays it in open D tuning also.
6. La Valse du Pont DíAmour (Lovebridge Waltz) (Iry LeJeune)
Tomas – vocals, acoustic guitar. Ray – fiddle, bouzouki. Geraldine – concertina. Eileen – fiddle. Rob – pedal steel guitar. James – double bass. Dave – drums, percussion.
This is also known as La Valse Independance. We attempted to record this for our first album From Pana to Louisiana but it didn’t work out for us. This time round we are well pleased with the results.
7. Too Hip, Gotta Go (Brian Setzer)
Tomas – vocals, acoustic guitar. Leon – electric guitars. Ray – mandolin. Geraldine – accordion. Rob – pedal steel guitar. James – bass guitar, vocals. Dave – drums, percussion.
Rob puts a Texan swing feel to this Brian Setzer rockabilly song.
8. Wild Roses (Kimmie Rhodes)
James – vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar. Leon – electric guitar. Ray – mandola. Geraldine – concertina. Dave – drums.
James brought this song to the album. It wass written by Texan songwriter Kimmie Rhodes.
9. Tico Tico (Zequinha de Abreu)
Ray – mandolin. Dick – acoustic, rhythm and lead guitars, percussion. Geraldine – concertina. James – bass guitar. Dave – percussion.
This well known Latin American tune was written in 1917 and popularised in the USA by Walt Disney when he did an animated piece entitled Saludos Amigos.
10. Disco Et Fais Do-Do (Bruce Daigrepont)
Tomas – vocals, acoustic guitar, washboard. Geraldine – accordion. Ray – fiddle, hurdy-gurdy. Leon – electric guitars. James – bass guitar, vocals. Dave – drums, percussion.
A song about a young Cajun living in California missing his crawfish and Saturday night fais do do dances in Louisiana.
11. A Place in the Heart (Bill Crahan)
Geraldine – concertina. Ray – mandolin. Tomas – guitar. Leon – acoustic guitar. James – bass guitar. Dave – drums. Aisling – cello. Oona – violin.
This is one of the most beautiful tunes we have heard in recent years. We got it from a recording of American mandolin player Butch Baldassari from his collection New Classics for Bluegrass Mandolin.
Musicians:
Tomas Dunne – vocals, acoustic guitar, washboard
Geraldine Barron – accordion, concertina
James OíSullivan – bass, double bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
Leon Barron – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Dave Jones – drums, percussion
Ray Barron – mandolin, fiddle, bouzouki, mandola, resonator guitar, hurdy gurdy, indian harmonium
Guest Musicians:
Eileen Healy – fiddle
Dick Farrelly – acoustic guitar, percussion
Rob Stein – pedal steel guitar
Peter Verdijk – trumpet
Ineke Moonen – alt saxophone
Wim van Boekel – tuba
Ruud Muselaers – trombone
Aisling Fitzpatrick – cello
Oona Grady de Flaun – violin
Recorded at:
Ray Barrons Studio, Douglas, Cork
Engineered and mixed by Ray Barron
Assistant engineer Leon Barron
Assistant engineer Andrew Tuite on tracks 2,3,5,7,10
Mastered by Ruairi OíFlaherty.
Produced by Ray Barron
Photograph – Robbie Barron
Disc leaf illustration – Rosita Kingston
Design – www.grahamcooper.net
The brass instruments for El Cumbanchero recorded at Leon’s Farm, Boekend, Holland. Engineered by Leon Bartels. With special thanks to Bart Jan Baartmans, Peter and Marijke Verdijk and all in De Fanfare van de 4e Hoedanigheid, Boxmeer, Holland.