Review by John O’Brien, Jr, Publisher, iIrish
Brian Conway’s New CD, Wallace Avenue Tom Kaschalk’s Cleveland’s Neighborhood Taverns, A Pub Crawl Through History
Reviews by John O’Brien, Jr, Publisher, iIrish
Brian Conway’s New CD, Wallace Avenue
Brian Conway, one of New York City’s most celebrated proponents of the Sligo style of Irish fiddle playing, the tastefully ornamented presentation made famous by the late Michael Coleman, released his third solo album Wallace Avenue last month.
There is not a review that I could write that would do any of Brian’s work justice; I have listened to him play on many CDs and watched him play in person at festivals. Now I have added another embodiment of the music to the iIrish masters of music collection I curate and share when someone asks, what is this style of music? Who performs at the highest levels, and who passes on the skill and the support to newcomers, whenever they come by?
All-Ireland Champion
| Brian is an instrumentalist without par, a master proudly continuing the tradition of the greats before him, all the while skillfully passing on the intricacies to students studying with him. The winner of two All- Ireland junior titles in 1973 and 1974 and the All-Ireland senior championship in 1986, Brian’s early studies were with his father Jim of Plumbridge, County Tyrone, and with Limerick born fiddler/teacher Martin Mulvihill. With a heavy concentration of Sligo-born or Sligo-style fiddlers in or near New York City, Brian’s own development within that style led to his rapid ascension as a virtuoso, earning him multiple All-Ireland titles and later a spot in the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Mid-Atlantic Region Hall of Fame. To date, Brian has featured on nearly 20 albums and recently published an instructional book titled, “The Brian Conway Fiddle Method.” However, it was the legendary fiddler and composer Martin Wynne who taught him the real secrets of the County Sligo style. Later, Brian met and befriended the great Andy McGann of New York, a direct student of Michael Coleman, who further shaped his precision, passion and skill on the instrument. On Wallace Avenue, Brian pays homage to the street he grew up on in the Bronx where he first encountered this distinct musical style, in a home he describes as, “a place filled with cherished memories, particularly our weekly Friday night music sessions.” The front-cover art for the album depicts Brian’s parents, Jim and Rose, both from County Tyrone, standing side by side on the front porch of their home in the Bronx. One of five children, Brian received his first informal fiddle instruction from his father. On Friday evenings the Conway home on Wallace Avenue became a hub for Irish traditional musicians young and old as they congregated in the kitchen, dining room, and living room to learn and swap tunes. “The New York-Sligo style of fiddling captures the bounce, swing, and energy of Donegal music while also blending the soulfulness associated with the regional styles to the south of Sligo, namely, Clare and Galway,” Brian said. “Andy McGann’s contribution to this natural evolution reflects the rigor and discipline imposed on his music by Lad O’Beirne, as well as Andy’s own classical training. The link from Michael Coleman to Andy McGann, to me, and then to my fiddle students is strongly felt. I view my new album as my attempt to protect the legacy I inherited.” Accompanied by long-time collaborator Brendan Dolan on piano, adding to the album’s nostalgia, Brian’s family are also featured, including Flanagan family members Maeve (Brian’s niece) on fiddle, Rose (Brian’s sister) on fiddle, and Kieran (Brian’s nephew) on piano. A respected pedagogue, Brian features over 20 of his top former and present students on the final track, showcasing Brian’s prowess as one of the greatest instructors teaching Irish music today. For most of those students, the track marks their album debut, while others, such as past students Dylan Foley, Joanna Clare, Patrick Mangan, Haley Richardson, and Brian’s niece Maeve Flanagan (with the band Girsa), have gone on to release albums of their own, building successful musical careers as featured fiddle players in Riverdance and other internationally touring bands. |
Wallace Avenue
16 Tracks, 62 minutes
1. Reels: Good Morning to Your Night Cap / Tailor’s Thimble / Kitty Sheerins [4:23]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
2. Jigs: Frog in the Well / Tell Her I Am / Pet of the Piper [3:37]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
3. Hornpipes: The Castle / Slievenamon / Showman’s Fancy [4:24]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
4. Slow Air: Dear Irish Boy [4:02]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
5. O’Carolan: Loftus Jones [3:30]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
6. Jigs: The Galway Jig / Both Meat and Drink / Rambles of Kitty [3:45]
Feat. Kieran Flanagan (piano), Rose Flanagan (fiddle)
7. Reels: Lord MacDonald’s / Jolly Tinker [2:43]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
8. Slow Air: Red Rose Proud Rose [3:50]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano), Cate Sandstrom (fiddle)
9. Reels: Martin Wynne’s No. 5 / Achonry Lasses / High Road to Glin [3:35]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano), Rose Flanagan (fiddle), Maeve Flanagan
(fiddle)
10. Strathspeys / Reel: The Miller of Hirn / Sterling Castle / Duncan Davidson /
The Laird O’Drumblair / The Contradiction [5:10]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
11. Waltzes: Ned of the Hill / The Diamond [5:05]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
12. Barn Dances: Mrs. Kenny / Peach Blossom [4:17]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
13. Jigs: Jack Farrell’s / Rakes of Cashel [4:17]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
14. Reels: Irish American / Sean Maguire’s / Glen Road to Carrick [5:04]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
15. O’Carolan: Lord Inchiquin [2:55]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano)
16. Reels: My Love Is in America / Lads of Laois / McFadden’s Handsome Daughter [5:27]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) with Haley Richardson, Pat Mangan, Maeve Flanagan, Cate Sandstrom, Alice Bradley, Brian Lindsey, Colin Lindsey, Dylan Foley, Eugene Bender, Ty Kelliher, Aiden Keeney, Hazel Keeney, Iris Keeney, Joanna Clare, Lindsey Céitinn, Andrew Caden, Arjun Ramachandran, Jessica Zito, Liam Jaehnigen, and Cadyn O’Halloran. (fiddles).
Artists:
Brian Conway, fiddle; Brendan Dolan, piano; Kieran Flanagan, piano; Rose Flanagan, fiddle; Maeve Flanagan, fiddle; Cate Sandstrom, fiddle.
Wallace Avenue is highly recommended, and a recording that belongs on your top shelf for music that sets the standard. It provides, live and in color, a virtuoso collection of the best Sligo style fiddle and what makes it so admired. There are many lessons to be learned; the many successful and celebrated students under Brian’s tutelage are testament to the impact and legacy of a man whose footprint is already long been inspiration to students, who capture the essence of the style and strive to emulate the 50 years of ripples Brian himself has created, and continues to create today. Wallace Avenue is A Top Shelf Selection.
Tom Kaschalk’s Cleveland’s Neighborhood Taverns, A Pub Crawl Through History
Review by John O’Brien, Jr, Publisher, iIrish
I met Tom a year or three ago at the Cuyahoga County Archives. Kaschalk is a proud Cleveland man, born and raised in the Union-Miles neighborhood and later Slavic Village.
I love Tom’s Irish and not stories from our hood, by an author whose own story would make a fascinating book itself.
As Tom explains, “Cleveland neighborhood taverns are more than just places to grab a drink – they’re snapshots of the city’s history, rich with tales of community, celebration and even scandal. Built by hardworking immigrants chasing the American Dream, these taverns were where workers cashed their paychecks, swapped stories, celebrated victories and sometimes witnessed late-night crimes. Family- run bars were often passed down through generations, becoming intertwined with the ever-changing face of the city. Although many did not survive the 1960s and ‘70s, their memory lives on. Native Clevelander and founder of My Cleveland History Tom Kaschalk honors the legendary watering holes that shaped Cleveland’s communities, hosted vibrant music scenes and served as the backdrop to both good times and life-changing events.”
Some of those life-changing events Tom delves into that might be lesser known or forgotten to readers: the waves of Irish immigration to Cleveland as a result of the Great Famine (An Gorta Mo – the Great Hunger); the Italian immigration starting in 1870; and the Black population more than quadrupling by 1920. Cleveland population explosions that raised the city to the 6th largest in the U.S. circa 1950 and made Cleveland into “a major hub of industry and innovation.”
Other illuminations include excellent pictures throughout, Prohibition, population and pub number swings, neighborhood evolution, Otto Moser, Elliot Ness, Shondor Burns … the intentional omission is, of course, the names of the pubs and their proprietors – no less famous, but way too many to list. Yes, your favorites from the past right into the present are also illuminated – I just couldn’t list them all in this limited space.
Get Tom’s engrossing, frequently startling, and yes, illuminating book to learn who and what stories he has investigated and presented in Cleveland’s Neighborhood Taverns. So delighted to share another chapter of Cleveland’s fascinating past with you – one that lives on in the neighborhood taverns that once defined, and still influence, our communities. This is a Top Shelf Selection, highly recommended, and very personal to each of us.
