A Rabbi, a Priest, and a Minister Walk Into an Irish Session

Okay, so it was only a priest and a minister, but what a great Saturday night session it was.

We've been playing in the living room lately - a great space now that it's painted and furnished - and with the screen door propped open, the music blasting out into the street, and the Irish colors flying, passersby - the cool ones, anyway - are likely to wander in. It's quite fun, actually.

Along with the above-mentioned men of the cloth (Susie's husband and FOCUS' Woody Bowman, and Fr. Augustine, one of our summer priests at the island's RC parish - a fan of Irish music due to his having taught for a few years in Dublin), I was vaguely aware of a scattering of folks who had wandered in and out on Saturday night, but the most memorable visitors had to have been the ladies who came in and step-danced across the living room floor.

The session resumed on Sunday afternoon, on the porch. I don't see all of what's going on around me - busy thinking about what note comes next and whether it's the second or third time around - but what I do see, I like. I am occasionally aware that a crowd has gathered on the sidewalk and that people have cameras out, but what I am mostly aware of is that people are smiling. Even people who have their serious "I'm on vacation but I'm stuck in nasty Edgartown traffic" faces on, when they see - and hear - a group of musicians playing happy Irish music on a porch, they break into smiles. I love it.

We played well into the evening on Sunday - right up until Emily, Dirk, Adrienne, and Eric had to hop onto VTA bus #1 to catch the last boat from Vineyard Haven. Several people stopped by, including Ann Tucker, from Co. Clare, who spends every summer in Edgartown; also Anita and Don - here from Chicago for a wedding. Anita graced our evening with stories of her folk years in Cambridge - with the obligatory "Do you know so-and-so?" game, and by singing - beautifully - an Irish song she had written. Just lovely.

I gotta say, I just love bringing people from various musical pockets together - from the Boston and Massachusetts area - and beyond; a true joy.

Thanks, everyone, for filling my home - and Upper Main Street - with music and life!



Welcome!


Elias, Adrienne, and Dirk.


Emily, Susie, and Alex.


Emily, Susie, and Alex.


Elias


Adrienne, Dirk, Emily.


Adrienne, Dirk, Emily, Alex.


Adrienne





Eric


Don and Anita, from Chicago.


Don, Anita, and Eric.


Adrienne

Hoolie, August 18

Every session is like a surprise party, in a way. I knew that Arnie and Emily were coming over from the Cape, Mike was already here, and I knew that Susie would be coming, but beyond that, anything could happen - and often does - and that's the fun of a session, especially on the Vineyard in the summer.

Because of the extreme humidity lately, and because I've begun repairing and painting the porch, we've been playing in the living room - a great space, as it turns out. The combination of the music blasting out of the house and the front door being left wide open - oh yeah, along with the Irish colors flying from the porch (next to the American flag, of course) - has the effect of inviting the occasional passerby in off of Main Street (the exact effect I'm after).

The first to wander in on Saturday night was a young man named Colin who said he lives nearby and has heard us playing other nights, likes Irish music, saw that the door was open and decided to come in and check it out. After a while someone said, "Do you play?" "Well," he demurred, "I play a little guitar, but not this style." After a little coaxing, Colin ran home and fetched his instrument - a beauty - and gave us a little sample of his playing: a gorgeous, gypsy-jazz style, a style he's been studying with a teacher named Stefane Wrembel. Colin also sat in and backed us on a few tunes, and not too shabbily, I might add.

Our next visitor was a young man from Poland named Pawel (I think, and pronounced Pavel), who sat and listened for a while and after some begging on our part, sang to us in Polish. We also begged him not to leave us what seemed to be the entire contents of his pocket - $28, as it turned out - but there was no convincing him.

But the prize of the night goes to the young men who - it had become the wee hours at this point - popped their heads in the door and asked, "If you were going to bail out a friend who had been arrested, where would you go?" Apparently these lads were looking for the county jail, two blocks up the street (housed in a facility that does not look dissimilar to an ordinary New England-style house). Well, what kind of clientele would you expect at 1am, two blocks from the Gray Bar Hotel?

Anyway, we had a blast - great music, with a wonderful combination of tunes, songs, and mystery guests - and any session that goes on until 2:30am (with energy to spare) is a good one as far as I'm concerned.

On Sunday afternoon, Arnie and Emily had an opportunity to experience playing tunes on the porch - an experience that I have often described as being not quite busking and not quite playing in a pub, with the steady stream of nearby passersby - on foot, bicycle, and in cars - providing a fleeting yet largely appreciative audience.

A great couple of days - thanks, everyone.



Emily, Mike, and Arnie.


Mike, Arnie, and Susie.


Colin





Sara, by Mike


Arnie, by Mike


by Mike


by Mike














A future Irish musician?

Penultimate Porch Party

Our second-to-last porch session for this season was wonderful - one of the best of the summer, I think. Between the brilliant musicians who have found their way to the porch - not the easiest session to get to, mind you, between busy summer schedules, buses, traffic, and ferries - so kudos and many thanks to all who bothered to venture this way, and many thanks as well as to the people who have stopped by to listen and/or to play with us; and thank you especially to the loyal regulars - Bob, David, Susie, and Karen. These sessions have truly made my summer, and I hope the music has brought a little joy to Main Street, as well (and judging by the smiles and the dancing on the sidewalk, that would be answered in the affirmative). A clipping that is in my possession -  from the Vineyard Gazette in 1948 (related post, link) - documents the moving of this house, by a team of oxen in 1848 to its present location, culminating with a party that included a feast and fiddlers, and my childhood in this house included many a kitchen hootenanny - with family and friends and neighbors gathered around the table - so it is only fitting, and deeply meaningful to me, that this house is becoming once again a gathering place and filled with music, in the tradition of Irish and folk music the world over. Thanks, everyone. To be continued.





Saturday Night Porch Session, August 20, 2011 from Sara Piazza on Vimeo.
Our regular Saturday night session, greatly enhanced this week by the addition of Emily, concertina and whistle; Adrienne, fiddle; and Dirk, guitar - all three from the North Shore of Boston; and Mando Mike, from Boston. Great stuff, everyone!


























































The morning after.
For the photo-tech geeks: video was shot with the G12,  BWs with the 5D (amazing quality for ISO 6400 and very low light, I think).

The Littlest Bar, February 26, 2011

I was happy to make it down to the Littlest again last night. The session was in the very capable hands of the talented and affable Mike Reynolds, and also featured his lady friend, Diane (Diane knows every word to every song, and obviously loves the music), another box player named Kevin, a couple of my session-mates from Tommy's, Levi and Chris; and I was especially happy to see old friends from our Paddy Barry days (and oh, what days they were), Arnie and his daughter Emily. All in all, it was a great night, a privilege and an honor to have been in such fine company.

I'm still struggling with the darkness of these venues, and still working out the best format in which to save the files. My favorite of these is the last one, of Arnie and Emily - very precious to hear father and daughter making music together (and if you know me, you'll know why). Emily is seventeen and has been playing since she was seven.