Road Work
me and Matt Mancuso
Road Work
I hope you enjoy this collection of songs and tunes . Matt and I recorded this on a summer day in New Jersey with the intent of capturing something of what we enjoy doing most, namely sitting down and playing tunes for the sake of it . We hope you enjoy it. My commentary here will deal with the songs - the tunes are things that Matt can speak of with more authority, and his comments can be found at www. mattmancusofiddle.com.
2: The Rocky Road to Dublin
....is a popular traditional ballad in the Irish canon. I first heard it from the singing of Luke Kelly, and it was his raucous delivery of the song that I was first intrigued by.
The chord structure is an effort to approach the song from a different angle.
4: The Grey Funnel Line
Honestly I have no idea where I heard this song first, but i have always liked the drama and pathos of sea-faring songs and shanties. i believe the "Grey Funnel" is an indication that our protagonist is on a British Naval Vessel.
is another stalwart of the Irish tradition, and can be heard in irish music sessions across the globe. The chordal accompaniment is an attempt to treat a melancholy love song from a jazz perspective , as if it were a "ballad" in the jazz sense.
8: I know My Love
Although written by Scottish born Ewan Mc Coll, this is a song synonymous with Cork City due to it's prominence in Cork Native JImmy Crowley's repetoire. Although I've sang it in many forms over the years, this particular arrangement was born on Pete Mancuso's 1965 Gibson Hummingbird, which was lying around in Matt's house . It's sweet, ethereal tone, became such a strong launching point for the song that I almost feel like i should give the guitar an arrangement credit. As long as it doesn't demand royalties, we're ok.
9: Madam I'm a Darlin'
I first heard this on a record by Frank Harte. . Great lyric, and I especially like Frank's phrasing. This arrangement was not a conscious decision that I'm aware of, but however it happened, I decided to roll with it.