Blarney in Concert

Von Karman Vortex Street

BLARNEY IN CONCERT

CONCERT CANCELLED

DUE TO ILLNESS
NEW DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED.

When a fluid such as air or water flows past a small obstruction, the flow oscillates up and down at a particular frequency, each deflection forming a circular vortex in the fluid. This chain of alternating vortices is called a Von Karman vortex street after Theodore von Karman, the Hungarian-born physicist who first characterized this particularly beautiful and common natural phenomenon which takes place, for instance, when water waves move past an island or air moves across an airplane wing. The oscillation of air as it moves past a small obstruction also forms the basis of certain wind instruments such as the flute and the whistle.

Nick producing Van Karman streets using a black aluminum "Guinness" whistle

By attaching a resonant tube to the fluid obstruction and manipulating its length, the frequency of the von Karman street can be coaxed into the audible range and a certain sort of music produced which some find enjoyable. This music can be experienced solo but is considerably enhanced by the presence of other instruments producing sound by other physical means.

On Sunday, Feb 19,  the Santa Cruz Art League (located at 526 Broadway) is hosting a concert (5 to 7 PM) of Irish music by the band Blarney featuring two vortex street musicians, Kim Fulton-Bennett on the Irish wooden flute and Nick Herbert on the Irish penny whistle. Their von-Karman-based melodies will be augmented by Matt Johnson on banjo and gittern and August O'Connor on bodhran (Irish frame drum) and guitar. Wine and snacks served at intermission and an open gallery featuring various imaginative representations of the human body (The Figure Contemporary) will add to your enjoyment. Details available at the Santa Cruz Art League website. More about Blarney here.

Blarney on Broadway: Matt, August, Kim and Nick

Blarney on Broadway

Blarney rehearsing on the Broadway stage.

One of the brightest stars of Irish music in America was Francis O'Neill (1848--1936). Born in Tralibane, County Cork, he immigrated to Chicago where he worked as a police officer and soon rose to become Chief of the Chicago police force. He played the flute, fiddle and pipes, loved Irish music and was inclined to hire Irish cops who played instruments. But what made Francis famous was his zeal in collecting and publishing tunes that he and his buddies heard played by their fellow Irish immigrants. O'Neill's Music of Ireland (1903), his magnum opus, contains 1,850 pieces of music, which even today forms the backbone of traditional Irish music performances.

Chief O'Neill, prodigious Irish tune collector

By the 1950s Irish traditional music was rarely heard, even in Ireland itself, being considered outdated and old-fashioned, and supplanted by modern pop music and rock and roll. But in the 1960s, Irish composer and radio personality Sean O'Riada, was determined to bring this traditional music back into Irish consciousness through his Gaelic-inspired theater music, his radio broadcasts and his support of various music groups, most prominently The Chieftains. Through the efforts of O'Riada and others, Irish traditional music has spread throughout the world and one can now find Irish bands and music sessions everywhere from Croatia to surf city Santa Cruz.

Following in the footsteps of Chief O'Neill, Santa Cruz's own Mike Long collected 1006 Irish tunes he heard played at Santa Cruz sessions in King Street Sessions Tunebook (more tunes than are good for you) (2000) which Mike has generously made available on the Internet.

Sunday, Nov 8, from 2 - 4 pm, at the Santa Cruz Art League theater (located at 526 Broadway Ave), a group of four musicians calling themselves Blarney will be playing an assortment of tunes in the Irish tradition. Some of the tunes are new; most of the tunes are not. And many of the tunes appear in Chief O'Neill's collection (and Mike's as well). It would be almost impossible for anyone to play Irish music today without including more than a few tunes published by this scholarly Irish-American police chief.

In the gallery adjacent the theater, the Art League will be hosting Beasts on Broadway, an exhibit by artists from all over America representing in many media animals both real and imagined. The gallery opens at noon on Sunday.

Come early for the concert and enjoy the art beforehand.

Blarney performance info (click for larger image)