Dean-O-Craft - Posted - 05/09/2013:  21:17:20

Are there any Tommy Jarrell fans out there? I know I am one. Both his fiddling and his banjo playing are fantastic. It took a while, but I actually enjoy his singing too! On the CD "The Legacy of Tommy Jarrell Volume 1, Sail Away Ladies", he describes how he learned the tune from old man Pet McKinney who was a Confederate veteran. My wife gets a real kick out of the story because Pet plucks the strings of his fiddle to show Tommy the tuning, (standard tuning), and Tommy remarks how he has never heard a fiddle tuned like that before. I believe Pet was actually William Preston McKinney. I could not find any recordings of him, but I believe I have found a picture of his grave...

cemeterycensus.net/nc/surr/cem...1-004.jpg

Anyway, this is a great tune and it is not to be confused with the other version of Sail Away Ladies done as the TOTW on 11/05/10. It's pretty easy the way I play it on the banjo. It's all G and E minor.

I am also a big fan of John Herrmann's banjo playing. He recently released an album with John Engle and Meredith McIntosh called Chicken Train. John Engle, if you are not familiar with him has studied Tommy's fiddling intensely and sounds amazingly similar. I recommend this CD which has a great version of this tune.

Link to Chicken Train CD:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/herrmannengleandmcintnos

VIDEO: Sail Away Ladies, Tommy Jarrell (click to view)

scthompson - Posted - 05/10/2013:  03:18:34

I love Tommy, and I love this song!

Delfield - Posted - 05/10/2013:  04:57:51

Awesome addition to TOTW, Dean!

You and Judy rock it.

mbuk06 - Posted - 05/10/2013:  05:22:08

Love the version of 'Sail Away Ladies' on the 'Chicken Train' cd and hadn't realized it was from Tommy Jarrell 

JanetB - Posted - 05/10/2013:  05:55:29

Wonderful duet, Dean and Judy!  Thanks for this week's TOTW giving me an excellent reason to learn another tune from Mr. Jarrell's recordings.  I like how on Chicken Train the title is sung as a short vocal line.

banjo bill-e - Posted - 05/10/2013:  06:28:34

Great TOTW. Once again we have different tunes with the same title, usually we hear something closer to Sally Ann. I've got to get that Chicken Train release!  Dan Gellert plays and sings a killer version of this on his Waitin' on the Break of Day CD. 

banjoike - Posted - 05/10/2013:  08:18:36

Real nice Dean and Judy! Nice Old Time Sound. Can't beat your playing of the tune!!!

banjoannie - Posted - 05/10/2013:  08:26:37

so cool!I love to play to all the tommys youtubes
youtube.com/watch?v=8fGg2gUgkT...VUISaffpz
can't find sail away ladie's?

blockader - Posted - 05/10/2013:  08:55:00

Also a Tommy lover, and this tune is one of my favorites! I have never played it on banjo but it was one of the first tunes i learned on the fiddle. Still the only E tune i know haha. Now i'll figure it out on the banjo i reckon!

Y'alls version is great, i like it better than Chicken Train's even, though i am a big fan of that record overall.

-Justin

mworden - Posted - 05/10/2013:  09:09:34

banjohangout.org/global/ckedit.../icon.png) center no-repeat #ff0000;cursor:pointer;top:-8px;-webkit-border-radius:2px;border-radius:2px" title="Insert paragraph here">↵Dean, a terrific TOTW choice.  You two sound great.  And some pretty fancy video production, too!

Dean-O-Craft - Posted - 05/10/2013:  09:24:15

quote:

---

Originally posted by banjoannie

 

so cool!I love to play to all the tommys youtubes

youtube.com/watch?v=8fGg2gUgkT...VUISaffpz

can't find sail away ladie's?

Here is your link again. Thanks!

youtube.com/watch?v=8fGg2gUgkT0&list=PLCWVNS0b7a5Byxqok832Ylw6VUISaffpz

mbuk06 - Posted - 05/10/2013:  15:38:47

Here's an MP3 of Tommy Jarrell playing 'Sail Away Ladies'.

Dean-O-Craft - Posted - 05/10/2013:  15:55:29

Thanks for posting that mbuk! That's the stuff right there.

blockader - Posted - 05/10/2013:  17:34:33

I have three to add.

A crazy avante garde (or something haha) version from the Young Fogies album with Brad Leftwich on fiddle:

amazon.com/gp/product/B00129VY...6-7721152

A pretty version by Clelia Stefanini:

youtu.be/6WBz_aY54r4

And my own I just knocked out on fiddle:

VIDEO: Sail Away Ladies TOTW 5/10/13 (click to view)

Chadbanjo - Posted - 05/10/2013:  18:15:33

listened to it early today, cool hypnotic tune...siting around this evening trying to plunk somthing by Tommy Jarrels fiddling..gettn somthing

Jay K - Posted - 05/10/2013:  18:28:50

Great TOTW, thoroughly enjoyed your duet as well as the solo fiddle by blockader!  Thanks!

Davidprat - Posted - 05/11/2013:  01:26:01

Great Tune!! I love it but never learned it so it's time to work on it... Which tuning for the banjo? gDGBD?

Dean-O-Craft - Posted - 05/11/2013:  07:33:19

The banjo tuning is gDGBD.

Jay K - Posted - 05/11/2013:  10:08:31

Went digging through my music after reading this post.  I'd forgotten about this version of Sail Away Lady by Uncle Bunt Stephens on the Harry Smith Anthology.

Edited by - Jay K on 05/11/2013 10:09:31

Sail Away Lady

atleson - Posted - 05/11/2013:  13:49:24

wonderful playing Dean and Judy.  Fiddle and banjo---doesn't get any better.

jim

mbuk06 - Posted - 05/12/2013:  03:05:58

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jay K

 

Went digging through my music after reading this post.  I'd forgotten about this version of Sail Away Lady by Uncle Bunt Stephens on the Harry Smith Anthology.

 

 

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That's beautiful. Thanks for posting Jay.

camcumberland - Posted - 05/12/2013:  08:37:39

Great tune this week. Here's a little arrangement I picked out this morning. For all the ladies celebrating Mothers Day!

VIDEO: Tommy Jarrell's Sail Away Ladies (click to view)

Brooklynbanjoboy - Posted - 05/12/2013:  14:08:06

Here’s my contribution to the war effort:

youtube.com/watch?v=_KF5ms_a6W8

I took my cues from Clelia Stefanini's great fiddle version, mentioned above and available at:

youtube.com/watch?v=6WBz_aY54r...=youtu.be

but didn't quite keep up with her fine youtube rendition.

Great playing from the start of this TOTW thread.  Dean and Judy Robinson’s version was a real treat.   Must be nice for a banjo player to have an “on call fiddler”.  “Blockader’s” fiddling is spot on.  Cam Cumberland’s arrangement brings a lot of his unique, accomplished playing to this tune.  A lot to study here.  Excuse me, but I gotta get back to the woodshed.

Play hard,

Lew

JanetB - Posted - 05/12/2013:  18:13:39

I've enjoyed hearing all of BHO members as we learn this tune.  I've had the CD for years but never paid attention to the title tune.  I re-tuned the 5th string down to an E note after listening to Tommy Jarrell, Chicken Train, and Dean and Judy.  Thanks again, Dean, for a good TOTW.

Sail Away Ladies

Tommy Jarrell's Sail Away Ladies tab

djvarnell - Posted - 05/12/2013:  18:42:59

Good job Dean, you and Judy are two of my favorite Old timers.

Sail Away ladies has numerous iterations in Old time this one is quite unique

banjoannie - Posted - 05/12/2013:  19:50:28

I think I have it!!

Chadbanjo - Posted - 05/13/2013:  04:51:12

Thats a dead on banjo version of his playing, I came up with somthing listing to his fiddle, but not this close. The low e drone adds a lot, thanks for posting a tab, i'll have to have a look

quote:

---

Originally posted by JanetB

 

I've enjoyed hearing all of BHO members as we learn this tune.  I've had the CD for years but never paid attention to the title tune.  I re-tuned the 5th string down to an E note after listening to Tommy Jarrell, Chicken Train, and Dean and Judy.  Thanks again, Dean, for a good TOTW.

                                 

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banjoannie - Posted - 05/13/2013:  08:39:39

VIDEO: Sail away laidies Tommy Jarrell TOTW (click to view)

richmberman - Posted - 05/15/2013:  04:08:49

Thanks Dean for a great TOTW and an inspiring video. And thanks JanetB for the tuned down 5th string.

csbdr - Posted - 05/15/2013:  09:16:53

quote:

---

Originally posted by JanetB

 

I've enjoyed hearing all of BHO members as we learn this tune.  I've had the CD for years but never paid attention to the title tune.  I re-tuned the 5th string down to an E note after listening to Tommy Jarrell, Chicken Train, and Dean and Judy.  Thanks again, Dean, for a good TOTW.

                                 

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nice version Janet and great tune of the week!  As an aside I wanted to thank you for so regularly being willing to put up a tab for the TOTW. I know there are strong +/- feelings about tab but I always like being able to get one. It's a useful tool for me, at this point in my learning. Thanks again!