Annotation:Morrison's Jig (1)

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MORRISON'S JIG [1] (Port Uí Mhuirgheasa). AKA and see "Lyons' Favourite," "Maurice Carmody's Favourite," "Paddy Stack's Fancy Jig," "Stick Across the Hob (The)." Irish (originally), American; Jig. E Dorian. USA, New England. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (Breathnach, Flaherty, Martin & Hughes, Tubridy, Vallely): AABB' (S. Johnson, Mulvihill, Songer): AA'BB' (Harker/Rafferty, Mallinson, Spadaro). This well-known tune is named after the renowned Sligo-born Irish-American fiddler James "The Professor" Morrison (), who recorded in the 1930's. Morrison did not compose the jig but rather obtained it from a Dromlacht, County Kerry, accordion player (a member of his band) named Tom Carmody who knew it as "Stick across the Hob (The)" (Taylor, 1992). Carmody in turn had learned it from his father, Maurice. Harry Bradshaw relates the story that the tune was supposed to have learned by Morrison the night before the recording session, and was to be called "Maurice Carmody's Favourite" on Morrison's 1936 Columbia recording, but that the record company's proofreading was not what it should have been and one batch which was labelled "Maurice Comedy's." [Morrison frequently paired the jig in a medley with "Richard Brennan's Favorite"]. O'Neill (Waifs and Strays, 1922) prints the melody as "Paddy Stack's Fancy Jig," named for the Chicago fiddler (originally from County Kerry) who made some 78 RPM recordings in the 1920's. "Morrison's Jig (1)" is not to be confused with the similarly-titled "Morrison's Fancy," however, it is sometimes aurally confused with "Whelan's Jig," which it resembles. See also "Morning Dew (1)" for a related setting of the melody in reel time.

The tune was picked up by 'revival' musicians in the 1979's, and in the Northern United States it has since been a popular vehicle for contra dances.

Source for notated version: accordionist Sonny Brogan (County Sligo/Dublin, Ireland) [Breathnach]; fiddler Johnny Henry (b. 1922, Cloonlairn, Doocastle, County Sligo) [Flaherty]; Brendan Mulvihill (Baltimore, Md.) [Mulvihill]; New Jersey flute player Mike Rafferty, born in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, in 1926 [Harker]; The Long Island contra dance band Raw Bits via Mark Bautista (Portland, Oregon) [Songer].

Printed sources: Breathnach (CRE I), 1963; No. 50, p. 20. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; p. 143. Harker (300 Tunes from Mike Rafferty), 2005; No. 195, p. 60. S. Johnson (The Kitchen Musician No. 5: Jigs), 1982 (revised 1989, 2001); p. 9. Mallinson (100 Essential), 1995; No. 92, p. 40. Martin & Hughes (Ho-ro-gheallaidh), 1990; pg. 47. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 102, p. 86. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; p. 140. Spadaro (10 Cents a Dance), 1980; p. 22. Taylor (Through the Half-Door), 1992; No. 52, p. 37. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, Book Two), 1999; p. 37. Vallely (Learn to Play the Fiddle with Armagh Pipers Club), 197?; No. 37, p. 35.

Recorded sources: Avoca AV 121, P.J. Maloney - "Traditional Music of Ireland, vol. 1" (c. 1960). Green Linnet SIF 3005, The Bothy Band - "Old Hag You Have Killed Me" (1981. A reissue of the 1976 Mulligan LP). June Appal 014, John McCutcheon - "The Wind That Shakes the Barley." MKM 7590, Mike McHale - "The Schoolmaster's House" (2000. Learned from the playing of Joe Dowd and Paddy Carty). Rooster Records 130, Swallowtail - "Flights of Fancy" (1984). Shaskeen - "Joys of Life." Rounder 3067, Alan Stivell - "Renaissance of the Celtic Harp" (1982). Rounder Select 82161-0476-2, "The Wind That Shakes the Barley: Hammered Dulcimer Music" (reissues, orig. released 1977). Topic 12TS368, John Doonan - "At the Feis." James Keane - "Roll Away the Reel World."

Sources for notated versions: See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]

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