Those chords are the only obvious ones you can use , to match the descending chromatic bass with the rising chromatic tune. "Jazzing-up" hornpipes became quite standard from the 20's on: the similarity of the rhythm of hornpipes to the "swing music" tempos mad the connection painless. The seeds had already been sown in the 19th century by hornpipe writers(particularly in Scotland) who were using more sophisticated chords than you would find in jigs and reels.(The precursor, obviously, bing the College/Sailors hornpipe of the 18th century, with its A7 chord chord in the B music(in the key of G). That sort of change was not the sort of thing you'd find in a traditional reel of the period.
   Personally, I find a little of that sort of thing goes a long way. It always seems a bit redolent of school music teachers jazzing up the classics, or writing pastiche musicals about biblical characters using daring hints of rumba and rock-and-roll.