Comment by Rob MacKillop on December 8, 2011 at 16:07

Well done, Mike. Not easy. Good pace throughout.

Comment by Mike Moss on December 8, 2011 at 16:12

Thank you. I discarded quite a few takes in which the timing was not right... as you pointed out, one good thing about this solo is that it keeps a very steady beat which makes it work well without an accompaniment.

Comment by Mike Moss on December 9, 2011 at 9:35

Thanks, Mike... you can listen to it played by Divus Gulielmus Pila (known as William Ball before his apotheosis) who sits in banjoheaven at the right hand of Iosephus Morlii here:

(BTW, does anyone else suspect that Freckles was the name of a horse?)

Comment by Richard William Ineson on December 10, 2011 at 12:34

Well played, terrific tone, not an easy solo. Joe did like the horses, someone should go through the great thoroughbreds of his day and see how many he turned into banjo tunes.

Comment by Mike Moss on December 10, 2011 at 12:45

Thank you, Richard, I'm glad it has your stamp of approval!

According to this database, there was a thoroughbred named Freckles in the UK, born in 1916: http://www.pedigreequery.com/freckles3

A very Morleyish date...

Comment by Mike Moss on December 10, 2011 at 13:05

More Morley horses (I do love useless research like this):

Clematis (of Clematis Waltz fame): Probably this mare, born in 1932 http://www.pedigreequery.com/clematis2

Dora (from Dora Breakdown): Horse born 1927 http://www.pedigreequery.com/dora5

Dimples (from Dimples): Either this one http://www.pedigreequery.com/dimples4 or this one http://www.pedigreequery.com/dimples5

Felicita (from Felicita): b. 1927 http://www.pedigreequery.com/felicita

Mazeppa (from Mazeppa): b. 1920 http://www.pedigreequery.com/mazeppa4 (Unless it's the poem by Lord Byron, or the Ukrainian national hero)

Patricia (from Patricia): b. 1917 http://www.pedigreequery.com/patricia9

These are the ones I've found... they're all British horses from around Morley's time, so it's highly likely that he simply turned them into tunes!

That's 7 so far... I'm sure there's more.

Comment by Mike Moss on December 10, 2011 at 13:23

More:

Pompadour (Pompadour Gavotte): b. 1918 http://www.pedigreequery.com/pompadour

Corn Cob (Corn Cob): b. 1892 http://www.pedigreequery.com/corn+cob

Diana (Diana): b. 1935 http://www.pedigreequery.com/diana26

Firefly (Firefly Polka): b. 1921 http://www.pedigreequery.com/firefly7

Pimpernel (Pimpernel Mazurka): b. 1926 http://www.pedigreequery.com/pimpernel5

Popcorn (Popcorn): b. 1912 http://www.pedigreequery.com/popcorn10

Rose Leaves (Rose Leaves Gavotte): b. 1916 http://www.pedigreequery.com/rose+leaves (unsure, marked as an American horse but his mother was British)

Peach Blossom (Peach Blossom): b. 1917 http://www.pedigreequery.com/peach+blossom4

14 so far...

Comment by Jody Stecher on December 10, 2011 at 17:03

....and Zarana.....

Comment by Mike Moss on December 10, 2011 at 17:09

Indeed, thanks Jody... C. A. Keeler mentioned this in an article in "Pickings", Nov. 1944:

I could never ascertain, why Joe named his famous solo Zarana, but bearing in mind that Joe was “fond of the gee-gees” and also bearing in mind that there was at one time a racehorse named “Zarane,” it strongly suggests itself to me that here we have a clue, as the name “Zarane” was probably pronounced by the initiated as Zaraner.

Comment by marc dalmasso on December 10, 2011 at 18:38

très bien , Mike bravo ; good choice & great playing & tone

 

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