John J. Kimmel
John J. Kimmel
"John J. Kimmel (1866 - 1942) is worthy of attention for a number of reasons. Not only was he a lively and entertaining exponent of the melodeon or old-fashioned accordion, but he was the first musician to record Irish traditional music commercially, and as the first in the field he demonstrated the sales potential for records among the Irish communities in America. He seems to have possessed original qualities in his playing and he is known to have influenced later musicians. His repertoire includes unusual settings of well-known Irish tunes, obscure, but faintly familiar pieces and many reels, jigs and hornpipes current at the beginning of the century. His original discs and cylinders are now rare, but out of something like 150 known recordings, 100 or so were available for selection for this compact disc, whcih covers the bulk of his recorded Irish repertoire. The recordings selected range from 1907 - 1929."
from liner notes to CD reissue of John J. Kimmel: Early Recordings of Irish Traditional Dance Music, originally released 1977 by Leader Records, edited and with booklet notes by Reg Hall.
Recordings
- Internet Archive - cylinder recordings
- Internet Archive - cylinder recordings under the name John J. Kimmble