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Current Issue | Home | Back Issues | Other Mel Bay Sites | Purchase Banjo Products Michael Keyes - An Interview With Mick Moloney Janet Davis – Backup Banjo: Commonly Used G, C, & D Chord Patterns Alan Munde - Year of Jubilo | |
An Interview With Mick Moloney
One of Mick's contributions that a lot of us are unaware of is on the history of the banjo in Irish music. In the early part of the 19th century American Minstrel shows came to Ireland and Mick states that all of the musicians who were able to do so came to see these shows and were aware of the use of the banjo. ("That was a big deal in those times and there was a lot of publicity. You can bet every musician who was noteworthy would have turned up at those shows") But it wasn't until the 1920s when the banjo became part of the Irish American dance scene in the hands of such musicians as Mike Flanagan of the Flanagan Brothers band. Mick was able to interview Mike Flanagan as part of his job as a folklorist and produced one of the re-issues of the Flanagan Brothers music. "Luckily I got to talk with the great players or with their families and learn about this part of history. I was able to pick up a lot of information about the early use of the banjo in Irish music that others may not have gotten. I was very lucky to meet these men." But playing the banjo is his first love and he has very specific ideas about it. "With all the players out there now there are many styles of playing the banjo. I suppose there will never be a regional style (the way there is with fiddles) but having said all that I suppose there is a London banjo style which is very traditional and very low key with players such as John Carty and I like that style. My own personal preference is for the more traditional styles." Meeting Mick Moloney was a pleasant surprise for me. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the banjo and its history and is willing to pass that knowledge on. He is an important influence on all of us even if we have never heard his name before and he is still an important figure in the field. He has graciously allowed me to show some video of this interview. It is in two parts, both a little long so please be patient. The videos are available at BanjoSessions.com. Resources
Editor's Note: The next issue of BanjoSessions® will feature an article on triplets by Mike Keyes. The article will include a lesson from Mick Maloney on the subject that is very illuminating. About the Author Mike Keyes, a native of Franklin, Tennessee, has played tenor banjo since 1957 and over the years has learned to play five string banjo, mandolin, and guitar. He earned his way through college and medical school playing in bluegrass and dixieland bands and currently plays in the Irish band “Good Luck.” He is an expert in sports performance and has written and book and over 200 articles on the subject. His interest in Irish music started a number of years ago when effort to learn more about his musical roots led him to the discovery of session playing. Since then he has been to Ireland to learn more about the music and has taken classes and interviewed such banjo greats as John Carty, Charlie Piggot, and Gerry O’Connor. His medical practice is in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin where he practices Psychiatry. |
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When I asked him if he was interested in learning some of the newer ways of playing the banjo, he told me that he still finds the traditional ways a challenge and that "For me I am happy to play the traditional ways of music. There are still a lot of tunes to learn and I try to keep myself up to standard with the music. It's such a wonderful world of music these days and we are all so lucky to be involved in Irish music these days."
You can learn a lot more about Mick Moloney on the net. Here are a few websites to start you out.
Mick's website is at www.mickmoloney.com and it has a lot of information that you might want to know about him and his activities. You can buy his books and CDs there too.