By Jill Draper
Irish music always seems especially apt this time of year as the landscape begins to turn green and Midwest temperatures kick up and down in a lively stepdance.
You can listen to this type of music for free at Conroy’s Public House in Leawood, where traditional jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas and slow airs are played by the KC Irish Sessions group.
Every other Saturday from 6-8 pm there’s an open jam where musicians gather at a long table in a corner of the restaurant to entertain both the diners and themselves. They enjoy the camaraderie, the challenge of the intricate tunes and the variety of instruments.
Dave Agee, one of the sessions leaders, has played many kinds of music in various bands for decades. He likes it all, but felt a special pull when he discovered Irish music.
“There’s something about it that just grabbed me. It’s popular all over the world. There are great Irish musicians in Japan and other countries.”
While the majority of the sessions players are 50 years and older, their age range varies from late 20s to mid-70s. Anyone is welcome, but those new to Irish music are advised to begin by sitting and listening. Agee suggests practicing at home with a computer app that slows down the music.
Sabrina Hubert, who plays fiddle and banjo, says she first taped some of the music and practiced until she could keep up with the group’s pace. She and her husband, who plays guitar and mandolin, also run a nonprofit called Celtic in the Heartland that organizes the annual Celtic Roots Festival in Lawrence, Kan., and puts on workshops throughout the year.
“We have a strong desire to teach young people about Irish music,” she says. “It’s kind of a passion.”
At Conroy’s the musicians start gathering in late afternoon around 5:30, often with a mug of beer and a bowl of soup or appetizer, courtesy of the pub. Anyone can start a tune at any time, but there’s a session etiquette to follow. Music is played in sets and the signal to change is communicated by a sound somewhat like “hup.” There’s no sheet music—everything is memorized.
“I like it because it challenges my brain,” says Hubert, who picked up her childhood violin to accompany her mother on the mountain dulcimer until she lost interest during the late stages of Alzheimer’s. Even then, her mother loved listening to the tunes, Hubert says. “I know the musical part of your brain is the last thing to go, and it helped keep her a little busy.”
Instruments at the drop-in sessions might include a drum called a bodhran (rhymes with moron), fiddle, banjo, concertina, accordion, uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes), mandolin, tin whistle, cittern (a string instrument) and bones (two polished beef ribs clacked together for percussion). Sometimes there’s an oboe, and sometimes a bouzouki (a Greek lute).
“We’re open to any kind of instrument people can play,” says Agee, who was apprehensive once when a trombone player showed up. But it turned out fine.
He says one goal of the group is to learn variations on a tune, “not like jazz where players improvise, but little different ways to play.” Hubert echoes this thought. “There’s a lot of commonality and repetition, but until you actually put your fingers on a guitar or fiddle, you don’t realize how different everything really is.”
The other goal is to enjoy playing what’s been described as “an open and free musical conversation” with other session members. “Like a breath of fresh air,” says one enthusiast.
The group puts out a jar for tips, but some nights they forget to bring it. Doesn’t matter, they say. “It’s just fun.”
In addition to Conroy’s at 12924 State Line Road, they also play at Conroy’s in Overland Park and Westwood, and at Brady & Fox in Brookside. See facebook.com/groups/KCIrishSessions for more information.
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