"Morrisons"

Morrison's Jig is, in my mind, the very definition of a very plain tune that can be turned into something very exciting with the addition of a modicum of ornamentation. wdm

Per TFC;

AKA and see "Lyons' Favourite," "Maurice Carmody's Favourite," "Paddy Stack's Fancy Jig," "The Stick Across the Hob."

Irish (originally), American; Jig. E Dorian. USA, New England.

Standard tuning.

AAB (Breathnach, Flaherty, Martin & Hughes, Tubridy, Vallely): AABB' (S. Johnson, Mulvihill, Songer): AA'BB' (Harker/Rafferty, Mallinson, Spandaro).

This well-known tune is named after the renowned Sligo-born Irish-American fiddler James Morrison, who recorded in the 1930's, however, Morrison did not compose it but rather had it from a Dromlacht, County Kerry, accordion player (a member of his band) named Tom Carmody who knew it as "The Stick across the Hob" (Taylor, 1992). Carmody learned it from his father, Maurice. Philippe Varlet mentions that the tune (which Morrison was supposed to have learned the night before the recording session, according to Harry Bradshaw) was to be called "Maurice Carmody's Favorite" on Morrison's 1936 Columbia recording, but that the record company's proofreading was not what it should have been and one batch which was labelled "Maurice Comedy's." [Morrison frequently paired the tune with "Richard Brennan's Favorite"].

O'Neill (Waifs and Strays, 1922) prints the tune as "Paddy Stack's Fancy," named for the Kerry musician who made some 78 RPM recordings in the 1920's. The melody is not to be confused with the similarly titled "Morrison's Fancy," however, it is sometimes aurally confused with "Whelan's Jig," which it resembles. See also "The Morning Dew" for a related setting in reel time. In the Northern United States it is often heard as a vehicle for contra dances.

Collected wisdom on "Goes well with"

Played after...":

• "Richard Brennan’s Jig" = "Morrison’s #2", D Major
• Donnybrook Fair
• Out in the Ocean
• Darby the Driver(Ador)
• Dinny Delaney's
• Kesh Jig
• Have a Drink with Me
• Whelan's Jig
• Joy of My Life
• Rambling Pitchfork
• Doctor O'Neill
• Goat in the Green
• Old Hag, You Have Killed Me/Dinny Delaney’s/Morrison’s
• Concertina Reel/Maid Behind the Bar/Dairy Maid/Sligo Maid/Morrison’s
• Kerry Slide/Morrison’s/Rakes of Mallo

Played before...":

• Trip to Sligo
• Kesh Jig
• Templehouse Jig
• Old Joe's
• Joy of My Life
• Butterfly
• Up Ya Boya
• Larry O'Gaff
• Bride's Favourite
• Morrison’s/Brother’s Jig (Emile Benoit)/Humours of Glendart

Per The Session:

This tune is great fun to play in a fast tempo, especially that second part which is more Metallica than Morrison’s. Those Es and Bs at the start are just crying out to be ornamented. You can try EDE and BAB. You can get another variation by playing the notes EBE BEB ad nauseum. Of course, then it’s really going to sound like Metallica. # Posted by Jeremy 18 years ago.

James Morrison was the fiddler that made this tune popular, the story goes that Morrison learned the tune from Carmondy (a friend of Morrison’s in NYC) & Tom did not have a name for it. James Morrison learned it & said that he would record it the next day for a record company & call it "Tom Carmondy’s Favorite" which he did.

# Posted by b.maloney 18 years ago.

From a discussion thread on making up lyrics to tunes so you can remember them, Mark/Ottery came up with this gem, and I felt it simply shouldn’t ever be lost:

  Morrison’s, Morrison’s
  We all play Morrison’s.
  It’s such fun, and what could be finer?
  Morrison’s, Morrison’s
  Let’s not play Morrison’s -
  It’s not fun or clever and it’s in E Minor.


# Posted by Zina Lee 16 years ago.


Bowing problems on Morrison’s (bowing to tne inevitable?)
My problems are bowing the EBE BAB starting the A part, and the BEE FEE AEE in teh B part. 
I’m playing in a group with an accordion player who can really drill out those notes. 
Tactical non-hits (i.e. misses): One stroke/note: feel like I’m cutting wood, and badly. 
Light bouncing in the B part works, down-up-up,, throw in a cut or two, sounds good 
escept can’t get needed speed or volume. Slurring the triples in the A part doesn’t 
work for me at a fast pace unless I dot the first quarter (then can get a nice rock-n-roll burr sometimes).
Maybe just do a dotted quarter E in 1st 2 measures of A and B? Not macho, but better 
than tripping over my own shoes. I know, ask a better player at a seisun. But I just 
had to get this off my shoulders. A little cyber plea.


# Posted by mthornhill 15 years ago.


Bowing Morrison’s
I was taught to bow the EBEB by rotating the wrist in a full circle. It took my about 
a week without the fiddle to do it. I have found that it gives an extra kick to 
reverse the rotation occaisionally.


E3 BEB | is a plausible solution as is Playing a long roll on the E3 then on a B3. 
If there’s a dozen other fiddlers and no guitars, I might play the E diad {EB} 
in unson and then slide off to the open {DA}. Just don’t do it the same way every time.


One thing that keeps this classic alive is that there’s so many different ways to play it.
# Posted by Owell Mabee 14 years ago.

"Richard Brennan’s Jig" = "Morrison’s #2"
Key signature: D Major
Submitted on March 10th 2004 by Mad Baloney.
https://thesession.org/tunes/2632


Comment from Mad Baloney:


"This is the jig that James Morrison usually played after "Morrison’s Jig" ~ Don’t 
know why the first one became so popular while this tune is so rare, but anyway they make a nice pair."


# Posted by ceolachan 14 years ago.


A neat trick with this Jig
So last night I was playing with some friends, and the mando player thought that we 
were starting at the B section, when me and the guitar started at the top.


The result? Pretty darn cool. Other than a quick G in the guitar that sounds a 
little strange, it sounds really amazing, like an incredible counterpoint harmony. 
Try it out, and let me know what you think.


# Posted by JONATHAN2001 14 years ago.


More notes on the origin
Tom Carmody, who played accordion in Morrison’s band, tells this story of its origin:


"Jim was up at my house the night before we were to go to the studio, and I played 
him this jig. Jim asked me where I had got it from and I told him it was my father’s 
jig called ‘The Stick Across the Hob’. Jim asked me to play it again and he wrote it 
down as I played, then he got the fiddle and played it off. "I will put that on record 
tomorrow", he said, and we’ll call it Maurice Carmody’s Favourite".

From "The James Morrison Story"
http://www.morrison.ie/Story.htm


# Posted by Joe Bowbeer 12 years ago.

Morrison’s for DADGAD fingerstyle guitar
Tribute to Bothy Band : "Morrison’s" for DADGAD fingerstyle guitar.
https://youtu.be/zjQm1_tLEyg


# Posted by Jean2 4 years ago.