3/25/07 Wash Sq Pk and Paddy Reilly's in 1 day!!! Part 2

This is a continuation of the previous post. If you want to start from the begining, click here.

So we went in Pete's car and arrived at Paddy Reilly's where the music was playing. Australian Pete bought us 3 guinesses. I stood at the bar drinking my beer, and chatted for a while with AJ (a singer / guitarist who I met in the park last last fall). He says that a group of old time / bluegrass folks will resume meeting up in the park on Friday afternoons as soon as the weather gets a little warmer, and took my email address. Australian Pete wandered over to the "stage" area, and started playing. Yonkers Pete was parking the car.

Soon I went over to the stage too, and started picking along to the bluegrass music. There were about 12 people playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo. Mostly familiar faces including Scott, Tony, Tom. There was one older African-American guy. He was playing a banjo most of the time, but at one point he picked up a guitar and led an excellent sweet-sounding version of "Snowbird".

Since we arrived late, there wasn't time for many songs. The regular professional band came in and started setting up, most of the players went home, a few went to the back room. It was no surprise that Pete stayed on the stage for one more (Willie Nelson's "I'm Gonna Get Drunk"). Aussie Pete and I played along. In the middle of the tune, Tony told us that we better move to the back room after the song was over. Pete didn't like it, but we complied.

Aussie Pete struck up a conversation with the Black banjo player, whose name is Norris. It turns out Norris is a member of an all-Black old time string band called The Ebony Hillbillies. The week before, the New York Pinewoods Folk Society had sponsored a concert by this band with tickets at $20 a pop. I haven't heard them play, but I heard they're very good.

Meanwhile, Scott, Aussie Pete, and a great fiddle player named Rick were playing some bluegrass tunes that sounded terrific. All 3 are great players, and this fiddle player always impressed me. I couldn't resist pulling out my guitar, but it's hard to keep up with these guys. I was happy to be in the same room with a guitar in my hand (and a guiness on the counter). Later Pete started trading tunes with Scott. Pete suggested "Girl From Ipanema" which Scott offered up in the key of Eflat. Pete was able to keep up without the aid of a capo, which is pretty impressive.

A Taste of Spring--Back to the Park (Friday, March 2)!

This weekend it was finally warm enough to get to the park. On Friday, I took the day off from work to pack. But with temperatures in the 50's, and the sun shining, I felt a moral obligation to check out Washington Square Park.

On working days, the park belongs to tourists and NYU students. I watched a young man with guitar and harmonica knocking out a nice blues. That was when I decided that I better go home and get my Martin. When I came back he was gone. I sat in a sunny spot and did a couple of songs on my own:
*Stormy Weather
*Saint Louis Blues
*Whiskey in the Jar

A couple of people stopped to listen, including a gentleman who was very interested in talking about his own musical adventures (he claimed to have written a hit song in 1967, to have introduced Janis Joplin to Judy Garlin, etc.) For all I know he was sincere, and I listened for a while. But he was doing an awful lot of name-dropping, which is something I have little patience for. If you want to impress me, sing a song nice and loud and risk making an ass of yourself.

I walked over and found an old-time group (guitar, vocals, kazoo) who sounded good, in an up-tempo Washington Square Park kind of way. They were collecting a lot of dollars from passers by. They were young--probably students. They gave me a flyer which contained the name "Roots & Ruckus" and a myspace address: myspace.com/rootsnruckus

I also heard a guy playing stand up bass and singing his heart out (unamplified). He was standing behind the statue, facing Washington Place. I could hear him singing up on 5th Avenue and between 8th & 9th street--a good 4 blocks away.

Paddy Reilly Bluegrass Jam 2/18/07

Last Sunday I went to the bluegrass jam at Paddy Reilly's. There were more people than ever, including Scott (guitar virtuoso often in Wash Sq Pk), Pete, Dave (dobro), AJ (a singer with a good strong voice), Steve, Tony, Jen, Arthur, Tom and many more. A lot of mandolin players, a couple of banjo players, stand-up bass, accordian.

Steve told me that he will be out next week because he is getting treatment for a slipped disc--I hope it goes well for him.

Some of the songs that others did were:

• Little Birdie
• Angel Wings
• All the World is Lonely Now
• Sing Me Back Home
• Working on a Building (one of Tom's regular songs)
• All the Good Times Are Past and Gone

Pete did "Act Naturally". Pete is learning to play slide guitar (i.e. dobro), which is probably a good move for this group as bluegrass pickers and strummers are a dime a dozen here.

Jen did a version of "Worried Man Blues" ("Carter family version") where the opening line of each verse is repeated twice instead of 3 times. As she says, "It keeps people on their toes".

As for me, I laid low today and tried to work on my timing. I was thinking of attempting Jimmy Martin's "You Don't Know My Mind", but one of the mandolin players beat me to it. There's always next week.

Bluegrass Jam Paddy Reilly's 1/28/07

The turnout was a little better than last time. There were a couple of banjo players, Dave the dobro guy, a guy came with an accordian towards the end. The usual fiddler players (one good one, one novice who just did fills), guitarists, mandolin players. No harmonica this time.

I am getting to know a couple of the regulars--Steve is a very nice guy who bought me a pint of guiness last week. A good, versatile mandolin player. Tony, a soft-spoken guitarist (also mandolin and bass and decent singer), looks a bit like Jerry Garcia, plays very well. Arthur, a guitarist / mandolin player. Tom, who knows a lot of great songs and sings and picks equally well. Then I met another Tom, a younger guy, who is an excellent picker and a good strong singer. He was giving out some old CDs he no longer needed, and gave me a 1995 recording of David Grier and Tony Trishka (as he puts it "the best guitar player on the planet playing with the best banjo player on the planet")

I only did one song: the old Jack Elliot / Woody Guthrie 3 chord version of "House of the Rising Sun". I thought it sounded great with backing instruments and solos, though I didn't know how to end it, and it just sort of died on the vine at the end.

Afterwards, Arthur showed me the A minor Animals version of the song (as if I wasn't already aware of this big hit version).

I'm happy to be getting to know some excellent musicians and nice people at this jam. On the other hand, the "cast of thousands" can be a little daunting (there must have been 20 people there tonight). I am looking forward to playing in the park this Spring.

Some other songs that we did:
I Know What it Means to be Lonesome
I'll Fly Away
Crazy Arms
Blue Eyes Cryig
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms

If you are interested in this jam, it is every Sunday from 5-8 at Paddy Reilly's bar at 2nd Ave and 29th Street.

Bluegrass Jam 1/21/06

I am just getting back from the bluegrass jam which takes place every Sunday evening at 5pm-8pm at Paddy Reilly's bar on 2nd Ave and 29th St.

This is the 2nd time I've gone to this jam. The first time I just strummed along and didn't do any songs. I also didn't take any solos because I don't know how to. This time, I led (sang) three songs:
My Bucket's Got a Hole in it (Hank Williams)
Worried Man Blues
Lost Highway (Hank Williams)
I also did Cabin in Caroline with a couple of guys before the jam started.

There were some excellent musicians at this jam: a couple of great guitarists, fiddlers, mandolin players. There was also a guy playing stand-up bass. This time there were no banjo players or harmonica players (last time there were a couple of good banjo players, a harmonica player, a guy playing slide guitar and an accordian player).

I heard a bunch of songs that I didn't know. I am able to follow along with most of them. I wish I knew how to do solos, though.

Some of the songs that I didn't know were:
Red Wing
Banks of the Ohio
Your Love is Like a Flower
Deep Water
Memories of Mother and Dad
Another Day (Del McCray)
Take Your Shoes Off Moses
Whisky for Breakfast

A couple of the songs I like the best were done by a singer-guitarist named Tom.

A few of the songs I did know were:
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
I Saw the Light (Hank Williams)

I have seen Scott at this jam a couple of times, but he was not there last night.