Round Window Radio August 2017
The Clay Set: Gillian’s / Lucy Farr’s / Z for Zinnia
For years I have wanted to create a suite of traditional Irish fiddle tunes named after my amazing wife Gillian and beautiful daughters Lucia and Zinnia (they share the same middle name “Clay”).
There are quite a few tunes out there with the name “Gillian,” and much more with “Lucy” in the title, I found this waltz titled “Gillian’s” which strikes a gorgeous balance of melancholy and joy. I am a longtime fan of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill’s work, and their version of “Lucy Farr’s” is sublime (link below). We tried to take some of their best moments and weave them into our rendition. I pored over the incredible resource at
www.thesession.org for hours looking for Zinnia-named or -themed tunes and found nothing. Therefore I decided to write one of my own. “Z for Zinnia” popped out as a bouncy tune in the key of F, which is very fun to play. It is chock full of Irish fiddle tune phrasing, yet I tried to make a few decisions that suit the banjo as well.
I have known Adam Agee and Jon Sousa for years around the Boulder musical scene, and we reconnected last year at the Alasdair Fraser’s incredible Valley of the Moon fiddle camp (I’ve been fortunate to bring my daughter Lucia to his camps the last couple summers). Making music with these two gentlemen is a real treat. They are kind, generous, and open musicians, and have extraordinary musical chemistry between them. We tried dozens of things in rehearsals, and even more in the studio. I am particularly proud of how “The Clay Set” came together, and there is more to come from this fantastic day of recording and came together.
Adam and Jon’s recent album “Suantraí” is gorgeous and worth a listen. Scratch that, many listens.
adamageejonsousa.com
Enjoy the music and please let your friends know about Round Window Radio. Word of mouth is and always has been the best publicity.
Martin Hayes playing Lucy Farr’s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZzTGWcLavI