Frank Lee's Tara Ceilidhe Band: The Cork Hornpipe

This week's 78rpm disc features a go at the well-known hornpipe, The Cork (aka the Harvest Home) by Frank Lee's Tara Ceilidhe Band. The tune's setting here has a lovely turn of phrase in the seventh measure of each section, and the arrangement takes time to feature solo vibraphone and saxophone. Hold on to the end to hear a flourish of vibraphone to close out the recording.

In "Irish Dance Music," Reg Hall provides the following information about London-born Frank Lee:

"Having played at Gaelic League, United Irish League, Irish-Self Determination League, Sinn Fein and Gaelic Athletic Association ceilidthe all over London during the 1920s and 1920s, he was by the early 1930s playing weekend ceilidh bookings for the Tara Football Club in Hammersmith. He took his band in Dublin in 1932 to compete at Aonach Tailteann, a week-long Gaelic festival, where it came second, narrowly missing first prize allegedly playing too fast. On the strength of that success, the band recorded for Zonophone and Frank embarked on a semi-professional career in recording, dance-band work and Irish dance-hall promotion in London."

Recorded in 1939 and released on the Regal Zonophone label (IZ 1043). From the Ted McGraw Collection, McGraw 78 00-666.