Tommy Potts
Encyclopedia
Tommy Potts was a improvisational Irish
fiddle
player and composer from Dublin who gained iconic status in traditional Irish music circles for his virtuoso musicianship. He has influences in jazz and classical music, making his music a highly individualistic take on the Irish music tradition. Only one commercial recording of his playing was ever made.
Although Potts never received formal training, he was was able to read and write music, giving his works structure and purposeful variation, rather than simply inventing them as he went along. One of the most notable aspect of Potts' style is the treatment of traditional Irish music as a creative art form rather than as music for dancing. This is particularly evident in Potts' version of the hop jig "Top it Off", in which he deliberately adds occasional extra beats and slight pauses between phrases, taking away the flow needed for dance. The addition of odd, extra beats is reminiscent of Donegal fiddle traditions, personified by John Doherty
.
, Danú
, Frankie Gavin, and Paddy Glackin
. Potts was the subject of a 2009 TG4
documentary, "Cérbh É? Tommy Potts", in which a series of major figures in contemporary traditional music trace his life and pay homage to Potts and his mastery of their craft.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
player and composer from Dublin who gained iconic status in traditional Irish music circles for his virtuoso musicianship. He has influences in jazz and classical music, making his music a highly individualistic take on the Irish music tradition. Only one commercial recording of his playing was ever made.
Although Potts never received formal training, he was was able to read and write music, giving his works structure and purposeful variation, rather than simply inventing them as he went along. One of the most notable aspect of Potts' style is the treatment of traditional Irish music as a creative art form rather than as music for dancing. This is particularly evident in Potts' version of the hop jig "Top it Off", in which he deliberately adds occasional extra beats and slight pauses between phrases, taking away the flow needed for dance. The addition of odd, extra beats is reminiscent of Donegal fiddle traditions, personified by John Doherty
John Doherty (musician)
John Doherty was an Irish folk fiddler.John Doherty was born in Ardara, County Donegal. He was born in 1900 and came from a famous clan of Irish Travellers who worked as a tinsmiths and horse traders...
.
Legacy
Despite his controversial approach, Potts is today acknowledged as a figure of vital importance to the evolution of folk music. Many classical and folk music performers acknowledge him as an influence on their music, including Martin HayesMartin Hayes (musician)
Martin Hayes is a fiddler, born in Maghera in East County Clare, Ireland, and now living in West Hartford, Connecticut. He has been the All Ireland Fiddle Champion six times, and has won a National Entertainment Award, and the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2000 award for Instrumentalist of the Year...
, Danú
Danú
Danú is an Irish traditional music band.The members of Danú met in Waterford in Southeastern Ireland in 1994. After performing in the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in 2005, the then thrown-together group decided to consolidate as a band....
, Frankie Gavin, and Paddy Glackin
Paddy Glackin
Paddy Glackin is an Irish fiddler from Clontarf, Dublin. His father Tom Glackin was from Donegal and Paddy's fiddle style reflects his family's Donegal roots. Glackin is considered one of the leading Irish fiddlers in the late 20th/early 21st centuries. He became fiddle champion at the All-Ireland...
. Potts was the subject of a 2009 TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
documentary, "Cérbh É? Tommy Potts", in which a series of major figures in contemporary traditional music trace his life and pay homage to Potts and his mastery of their craft.