television highlights

Subject: television highlights
From: GUEST,alinact
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 11:59 AM

In the last few days I have seen three terrific programmes on the box. The first was a guy called Harry Manx doing the old Van Morrison song "Crazy Love" and playing an instrument called (I think) a Veena which seems like a cross between a guitar and a sitar. Then there was an hour long concert by Roger McGuinn and finally a documentary on the history of the song Danny Boy.

My questions are

can anyone tell me more about Harry Manx and that instrument?

can I have your reminiscences of Roger Mcguinn pre, during and post Byrds?

what is your favourite version of Danny Boy? Mine is by an obscure Irish group of the late seventies/early eighties called Sullivans Gypsey.

Allan

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: kendall
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 12:03 PM

I dont know where you are, but, around here, "Television highlights" is an oxymoron.

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: DonMeixner
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 12:05 PM

My favorite "Danny Boy" was done by Dennis Ryan on the "Tommy Makem and Ryan's Fancy" Television show I used to watch on cable from Canada in the early 70's. I used to wait for that show and then "All Around The Circle". I watched them both for a few years and them my cable company stpped carrying CBC. I'm sure I also saw an early performance by Stan and Garnet Rogers on the Makem show.

Don

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST,Noah Webster
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 12:07 PM

If you're looking for a definition of "Kendall," just remove the "oxy."

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: Midchuck
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 12:20 PM

Hey! Kendall is very bright for a Maine man!

Peter.

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST,alinact
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 12:29 PM

kendall - from Oz actually and without trying to be offensive (truly!), once you cut through the American BS you can find some pretty good stuff.

Allan

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: Nerd
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 12:34 PM

You guys are on the same track; Dennis Ryan was a member of Sullivan's Gypsies, along with Dan Sullivan and Fergus O'Byrne. Dennis and Fergus then joined up with Dermot O'Reilly to become Ryan's Fancy, the Maritimes' most popular Ballad Group for many a year. Now the bys live in Newfoundland, but they don't play as a group anymore.

So anyway, you might have both been hearing the same singer doing Danny Boy, although if your dates are right, Dennis might have left the gypsies by then.

I have one Sullivan's Gypsies LP, but it's undated. And no Danny Boy on it!

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST,alinact
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 01:04 PM

Thanks Nerd. I must admit I was only guessing the date and nationality of Sullivans Gypsey as I bought the record in the early eighties and, as with yours, there is very little info on the sleeve.

DonMeixner - if the way he sings the last line sends shivers up your spine, then we must be listening to the same track.

Allan

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: Art Thieme
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 09:18 PM

Try putting Roger or Jim McGuinn in a forum search and you could find several posts I put in various threads about his early days as a teenager and musician in Chicago etc.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST,hrothgar
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 09:35 PM

"Danny Boy" is on "The Leprechaun" LP by Sulivan's Gipsies. Astor Gold Star series GGS 1201. That might have been produced only in Australia.

Don Sulivan - bass, vocals; Garrett Kavenagh - vocals; Fergus O'Byrne - banjo, harpsichord, organ; Dermot O'Reilly - lead guitar, mandolin, bass.

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: 53
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 10:27 PM

the beatles on ed sullivan on february 7th 1964. nothing else matches, and nothing else will. BOB

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: pattyClink
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 10:59 PM

Arranmore did a version with a sung prologue that sounds like a Civil War soldier returning home from the war too late, if anybody knows where that came from let me know, please?

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: marty D
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 11:32 PM

Bob, did the Beatles sing Danny Boy on their Ed Sullivan debut? I'm not contradicting you, because I know I heard them do 'Til There Was You' one time, but if they sang Danny Boy then I really missed something.

Has anyone ever heard Conway Twitty's rock version of it? I loved it, but I'll bet a lot of people thought it was sacrilege.

marty

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 11:34 PM

Marty - Bob is referring to the Beatles as being the best TV moment - not that they sang Danny Boy.

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: Nerd
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 03:51 AM

Thanks, hrothgar! It's really interesting to know that Dermot and Dennis were both in Sullivan's Gypsies, but not always at the same time. I assume this was all before the Ryan's Fancy days, but don't know for sure. Next time I'm up in NF I'll ask Fergus about it.

It's unlikely they ever did any Australian-only releases, though. As far as I know they were always based in Canada.

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 04:20 AM

Here's some info on Harry Manx, found at www.saltspringmusic.com. I like what I read and will have to give this fellow a listen. There is a link to more about him on the page which lists the following and his new CD:

"Harry Manx was born on the Isle of Man but moved to Canada as a child. In the late 70s he returned to Europe where he worked festivals as a blues lap-slide guitarist and songwriter. Then it was on to Japan, where he lived and performed for 10 years.

"While there, Manx came across a recording of an Indian slide-guitarist named V.M Bhatt. He contacted Bhatt and made arrangements to join him in India. For the next five years, Manx studied under Bhatt and travelled and performed with him.

"Manx moved to Salt Spring Island in the spring of 2000 and in the summer recorded Dog My Cat, 14 tracks of Manx doing his one-man-band sound on the lap slide guitar, a sitar-guitar cross called a Mohan Veena, blues harp and vocals.

"His songs are short stories that use the essence of blues and the depth of Indian ragas to draw you in. Manx captivates his audience wherever he performs, not only because he is an accomplished and skilled musician, but because he has a disarming stage presence and a self-deprecating sense of humour and quickly establishes a rapport with his listeners."

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST,frankie
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 04:43 AM

Hi alinact, I'm fortunate enough to have a version of Danny Boy on a tape by Richard Thompson that a Mudcat member very kindly sent me and that's my current favorite version of that tune. It's based on the rocking Conway Twitty version mentioned above. There actually was a Public Broadcasting System TV show that was dedicated to that song that featured various artists performing it and talking about it which was pretty interesting and culminated with Eric Clapton doing an instrumental version.
Re McGuinn, were you aware that he has a website called the Folk Den which features him and various guests perfoming old folk chestnuts. At least I think it's still up and running. f

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: kendall
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 09:39 AM

Guest alinact, what do you mean by "American BS"? Got any specifics?

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST,alinact
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 11:37 AM

kendall

I hope your tongue is firmly planted ..... if not I'm worried.

We have three commercial channels in Oz. Tonights prime time (i.e. 8.30) viewing consists of the 1986 movie Heartbreak Ridge, The Practice, Buffy and The Secret Life Of Us. This is pretty typical of week night viewing.

We also have a government station and a "multicultural" station, which is where we find the interesting stuff.

Allan

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST,alinact
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 11:49 AM

frankie

Yes, that was the show I watched - Clapton playing the tune so simply but so effectivly.

I regularly visit the Folk Den; its just that because I've read such interesting stories on this site when people recall their personal memories, it was that sort of thing I was interested in regarding Mr McGuinn.

Allan

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: kendall
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 02:19 PM

True, we do produce some pretty lame crap. I'd have to say "The Civil War" by Ken Burns was top drawer, and, I really liked "Lonesome Dove" with Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall. The only series I watch are 60 Minutes, (when it's not pre empted by that silly ball kicking foolishness) and NYPD Blue.

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 02:30 AM

It's a few year's on but I've just seen the doco/concert recorded by Harry Manx at the Basement, presumably the same show that started this thread. I came here to find out more about his Indian style guitar and its original proponent. Thanks to Kat for the info.

I saw Harry live at the Woodford festival last year and very much hope to catch him in Melbourne on 13 March 2003.

Many thanks, John

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: michaelr
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 09:20 PM

Regarding the mohan vina: Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, a Hindustani musician trained in classical Indian music, adapted the traditional Indian instrument, the vichitra vina, to be used in the manner of a slide (lap steel) guitar.

From the liner notes to "A Meeting by the River" by Ry Cooder and V. M. Bhatt (Water Lily Acoustics, 1993):

"(The Mohan vina) is evolved from the slide guitar and resembles the hollow-bodied, carved-top jazz guitars (with) F-shaped sound holes... (Its neck) has a wooden extension on the top side, adjacent to the fingerboard, onto which are fixed the tuning pegs for the twelve sympathetic strings. These run under, and are parallel to, the three melody and five drone strings... Inspiring Bhatt's effort was a North Indian instrument known as the Vichitra vina, which has a wide, unfretted neck, two large resonating gourds, six main strings, and twelve sympathetic strings. It is played with plectra fixed to the fingers of one hand and stopped with a glass ball held in the other.

The Indian tradition is the only classical music in the world having plucked instruments that are stopped with an object rather than the fingertips... The technique of using a "slide" on the guitar... could perhaps be an Indian influence."

"A Meeting by the River" is an amazing document of two masters of their respective instruments in an unrehearsed session at Christ the King Chapel in a Franciscan monastery in Santa Barbara, recorded and mastered without any noise reduction, equalization, compression or limiting. It is truly a thing of beauty.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: michaelr
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 09:21 PM

jeez -- how's that for thread creep?

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 09:32 PM

kewl, very kewl!

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: GUEST,jaze
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 09:39 PM

The late Eva Cassidy does a beautiful and understated acoustic live version of "Danny Boy" on "Imagine". The best version I've heard so far. Seems this song is reviled by a lot of people here. I can listen to her version over and over.

Subject: RE: television highlights
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Feb 03 - 12:49 AM

Just heard some Harry Manx on our local community radio station. Wow!! Great stuff!