In the media yoke this week I have “The Sligo Fiddle Playing of John Frank Vesey: I Would Know it is You.” A two-CD collection of tracks recorded over decades that captures the playing of a great Philadelphia-based fiddler from Sligo at his best, it tells a great story through some truly outstanding music.
Vesey is a fabulously interesting yet sometimes under-recognized fiddle player who was was born into a musical family in Ballincurry, Co. Sligo in 1924. He got his first fiddle when he was 12 and learned from Michael Gorman, a seminal fiddle player who learned from James Gannon, the great Michael Coleman teacher. (Incidentally, in 2020, this album’s producer, Lamond Gillespie, also produced “Michael Gorman: The Great Fiddle Player,” a brilliant reissue of that musician’s work; you can read about it here). The fact that he has a spot in the Coleman lineage should attract some attention.
But Vesey moved to London in the mid-1940s where he became part of the music scene, playing at the Devonshire Arms in Camden Town, said to perhaps have been the first pub session in London. He played with an important group of musicians that included Tommy Healy (flute), Gerry Wimsey (flute), Tony Martin (fiddle), Martin Wynne (fiddle) and Michael Gorman (fiddle) among many others. Then, in 1949, he came to the United States where he settled in Philadelphia. Here, he met and played with Ed Reavy, and eventually many other notable musicians throughout the United States, including Paddy Killoran, Johnny McGreevy, Joe Cooley and Tom Standeven. It’s a remarkable story.
In 1977, Vesey recorded an LP for Shanachie in 1977 called “First Month Of Spring.” Then, in 1998, Standeven assembled “Sligo Fiddler,” an excellent two-CD set of recordings made between 1954 and 1995 that provided a rather intimate look into Vesey’s brilliance. Although both have their merits, their relative obscurity has had limited effect in raising awareness of Vesey’s playing.
This album should help change that. The slant here is in many ways similar to that of the Standeven production. What I love about this album, though, is that it broadens the view of Vesey’s work in general. The sources for these recordings is similarly rare and personal – cassettes from a student of Vesey’s named Katherine Danaher Parks, acetates that seem to have once been in the possession of some of Vesey’s cousins, acetates that had their origins in the family of flute player and friend Mike Flynn and recordings that were passed along by folklorist Robin Hiteshew. Each of these documents are striking in isolation, but together provide a fascinating and fresh portrait of Vesey’s music.
In addition, this album gives some important non-musical context. For example, the tracks that draw from a conversation that took place between Vesey and Martin Wynne are incredibly engrossing because they give great insight into his thoughts on who and what Vesey valued musically. (Unfortunately, these clips are quite short, but the full interview – which runs a whopping four hours – is available on Richie Piggot’s great website, https://www.richiepiggott.com/ under Archive>Recordings>Related Recordings.) The Christmas greeting at the beginning of the jig “Vesey’s Own” sounds like it’s from a reel-to-reel sent home for the holidays and the short conversation we’re given between Vesey and Willie Clancy is incredible. We also get snippets of Vesey on radio programs and clips from Vesey’s friends – elements like these are rare and help us understand Vesey in the community more broadly.
Ultimately, though, it’s the strength of Vesey’s playing that will attract people to this album. I particularly love the tracks that were recorded in 1960, like “St Ruth’s Bush” and “The Broken Pledge,” because he’s in particularly good form – there’s an elegance to what he’s doing that I really enjoy. But I love many of the tracks here. “Maids of Mount Cisco,” with Martin Wynne, Mike Flynn and Tom Standevin, is superb. The 1962 recording with Willie Clancy has an almost iconic feel to it, as does the 1946 (!) recording with S. Reid, Mike & Paddy Flynn, and M. Dolphin. There’s just a lot here to take in a relish.
“I Would Know it is You” is a superb collection. Vesey’s playing is top shelf and his significance should not be understated. There’s a lot going on here and even though there’s much to enjoy on a surface level, I enjoy the details I’m finding because they help develop a more complete story. I think this album should be considered required listening for anyone with an interest in how tradition can thrive when it leaves the friendly confines of Ireland and I hope it inspires folks to discover Vesey’s earlier albums. Special credit should be given to Lamond Gillespie, the album’s producer, who has been painting quite a picture of mid-century Irish music through his reissues of Jimmy Power, Jimmy Power & Josephine Keegan, Máirtín Byrnes and Michael Gorman’s music. It’s all outstanding and I look forward to his next project! If you love traditional music, do yourself a favor and pick up “I Would Know it is You” – it’s definitely one to check out. Learn more and purchase at https://lamondgillespie.co.uk/
