Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 24 Jun 08 - 05:27 AM

"in the wilds of Clare (sorry - can't remember the location from this distance) which included Paddy Murphy."
Possibly Inagh
Jim carroll

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: GUEST,Jack Hare
Date: 23 Jun 08 - 08:29 AM

I took my VW bus to the West of Ireland in the mid 1970s and met Paul Davis by chance. He was playing at a Fleadh Cheoil in Kilmihil, duetting with Brian Vallely (they won their class in the competitions). He needed a lift to visit various clients, and I obliged. My reward was listening in on some superb sessions, including one out in the wilds of Clare (sorry - can't remember the location from this distance) which included Paddy Murphy. I remember the tune of the moment was The Moving Cloud (still a favourite). Now - this is going to tantalize you - I had a tape recorder and recorded many of those sessions. Somewhere, some old and worn out cassettes exist... But I can't put my hands on them!

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: Houston_Diamond
Date: 20 Jun 08 - 01:40 PM

Dick you are such a nice man for sharing this :D I feel really privileged to have heard that after reading this post... Stephen if you find the recordings is there any chance you can share it with us? Such rare greatness should be preserved and remembered.

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: GUEST,Stephen Campbell
Date: 20 Jun 08 - 12:54 PM

Paul and I played concertina and fiddle on many occasions before he had a stroke. He was able to play a little after his stroke and continued dealing in flutes and concerinas etc until his untimely death. I managed to record him on a few occasions and I have the recordings in my archives [somewhere].
Stephen Campbell

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: Tootler
Date: 19 Jun 08 - 08:05 PM

Anthony Dannecker Website here

I've just bought a Dannecker diatonic G harmonica in "Paddy Richter" tuning. Hole three blow D is retuned to an E, so you fill a gap in the first octave in traditional tuning. Great for playing traditional dance tunes, where the E below G is often needed. Anthony sets the harmonicas up beautifully and they are very reasonably priced.

I am very pleased with mine.

Geoff

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: The Sandman
Date: 19 Jun 08 - 06:59 AM

thanks kenny,
on my recording he plays four reels,a jig,two slow airs on flute,three polkas,carnival of venice,teddy bears picnic,Dicks waltz on flute and concertina,cuckoo waltz,and a novelty tune 25 minutes in all,.
a copy will be available at irish traditional music archives,dublin,if the ICA want a copy,They can contact me at www.dickmiles.com

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: GUEST,kenny
Date: 18 Jun 08 - 12:04 PM

Paul Davis was recorded on an LP, now CD, made by the "Armagh Pipers Club" in the late 70s, I think. That may be the "Father Kelly's" track the Captain is referreing to, but he also played one of Paddy Fahy's reels on concertina. Need to listen to that recording again.

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Jun 08 - 03:50 AM

I would like to mention AntonyDannecker,he makes harmonicas,hand made harmonicas,and he will retune the reeds,they cost about sterling120 ,much cheaper than a concertina here is a clip of onehttp://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=dE0nP9F1XF8Paul Davis was asuperb chromatic Harmonica player.
Antony Danneker makes one of these for about1000,youcan play all irish music on it,1000 is a lot cheaper than what you have to pay for a good concertina.however if you are a singer,you cant play and sing simultaneously.
   Jim ,I am sending a copy of my cd to the Irish Traditional music archives,I only wish we[myself and Sue] had recorded more of him.

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: davyr
Date: 18 Jun 08 - 03:49 AM

According to a learned source I was talking to recently, the main reason for the soaring cost of anglo concertinas (which has far outstripped that of English or Duet models)has been the fierce competetiveness of the Irish Fleadh competitions.

As he put it, a good fiddler can get great music out of a (relatively)poor fiddle, but a concertina is a machine - even the best player can't make a poor concertina sound good enough to win a competition.

This ultra-competitiveness, plus the success of the Celtic Tiger economy which meant that a lot more musicians could afford to pay for top quality instruments, could have only one effect on the limited supply - to send it, as you say, through the roof!

Mind you, what is the "real value" of a good instrument? Top quality anglos are still cheaper than most benchmade fiddles, for example.

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 18 Jun 08 - 03:20 AM

Paul Davis was one of the people who helped popularise the concertina in Britain in the early seventies.
Unfortunately, a side-effect of this popularity was to send the cost of the instrument soaring to astronomical heights - far out of proportion to their real value.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: The Sandman
Date: 17 Jun 08 - 04:06 AM

Alan ,if they contact me I will.
his widow Turid and son Magnus are welcome as well,if anyone knows there whereabouts.I put it up on sound lantern because I wanted people to hear Pauls playing,good music should be shared.

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: The Sandman
Date: 17 Jun 08 - 04:02 AM

he was a friend of mine who I met through Stephen Chambers,He had learned from his neighbour Paddy Murphy,[clare concertina player]and also from Fred Kilroy,he recorded those tunes for me when I was beginning,He took a great fancy to a tune I was playing at the time Dicks Waltz,he called it.
yes, he was in Lancaster in the early seventies.
there is a recording of him playing chromatic harmonica, Father Kellys Reel,on vinyl.
the tune the first slow air he plays on the flute,dont wake me I am sleeping,has a bit of a story attached to it.
Stephen Chambers and I shared a house in leyton, east london.Paul was often visiting.We had a very nosey neighbour called Mrs Lemay,who one day complained about Paul playing his trombone,she said it was stopping her from sleeping,so Paul took every opportunity to play the air in the back garden,close to the boundary fence etc,you should have seen the net curtains twitching.,it was hilarious.
as far as I know this is the only recording of him,it was recorded I would say 1978.I just kick myself for not having recorded more of him.Dick Miles

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: Alan Day
Date: 17 Jun 08 - 03:38 AM

Dick after my last posting I found out that you had kindly sent me this recording.Many thanks lovely bit of playing.The ICA should have a copy of this rare archive, Dick please consider it.
Another of many archives that we all have in our collections that get lost forever unless it is published.
Thanks again Dick
Al

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: Alan Day
Date: 17 Jun 08 - 03:11 AM

Paul was a player/dealer in concertinas and flutes,he lived in Worthing Sussex , where I went to visit him. He was a superb player and was one of the few Irish Music Concertina players that played chords.He had a wonderful collection of concertinas,not sure what happened to them.I was unaware Dick that you had a recording of Paul's he would have definitely been included in Anglo International as his style was unlike any other player I have heard.He was a great friend of Stephen Chambers, Concertina Historian,who writes on concertina.net
My computer is blocking the recording which is very annoying.
Thanks for this rare recording Dick which is appreciated and which I shall eventually get.
Al

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 16 Jun 08 - 10:55 PM

Great music, Dick.
Thanks for the link. Any more info on Paul Davis?

Ross

Subject: RE: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: greg stephens
Date: 16 Jun 08 - 07:05 PM

Is this the Paul Davis I would have known in Lancaster early 70's?

Subject: Paul Davis concertina fluteplayer
From: The Sandman
Date: 16 Jun 08 - 07:00 PM

The late great Paul Davis,a rare recording,on anglo concertina and flute sound lanternhttp://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPage.do?ToId=3527&Path=PaulDavis.mp3#Post
recorded by DickMiles and Sue Weir 1979