Brian Slattery Photos
The Jovial Crew.
Rick Spencer eyed the growing crowd at Cafe Nine Sunday afternoon after the St. Patrick’s Day parade, a healthy mix of parade-goers, families, and groups of friends, as The Jovial Crew took the purple-lit stage at the club on the corner of State and Crown.
“Good evening,” he said, gesturing toward the band. “I’m Shane MacGowan. This is Dolores O’Riordan, Bono, and Van Morrison.” The references to famous Irish singers drew appreciative laughter from the crowd, and set the tone for the show to follow, as The Jovial Crew turned Cafe Nine into a regular Irish pub, right on time for the holiday.
The Jovial Crew’s history begins in the mid-1980s, when CT folk veteran Cliff Haslam formed it to expand his solo act; the name was taken from the chorus of one of the songs they sang. The personnel of the band has changed over the years, even as the Crew has held down a steady Monday night gig at the Griswold Inn in Essex. On Sunday, The Jovial Crew consisted of Joseph Morneault, Haslam, Rick Spencer, and Michael Hotkowski, playing a variety of instruments among them, from banjo to concertina to guitar to mandolin. But most important, they all sang, deep and full, taking the eager audience through a set of songs focused on Ireland and the sea.
Haslam started off the set sweet and slow, assuring the crowd it was just a warm-up. But it was also the right move to ease people in, as Haslam’s rich baritone connected immediately to Irish songwriting tradition. He sang Tommy Makem’s “Come By The Hills,” with its evocative chorus — “Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free / And stand where the peaks meet the sky and the loughs meet the sea / Where the rivers run clear and the bracken is gold in the sun / And the cares of tomorrow can wait till this day is done” — while also remarking with a sly grin that the last line could be interpreted as suggesting that “when you get a few Guinnesses in you,” suddenly you’re not so concerned about what tomorrow may feel like.
In the first part of of the set, the band ably chose from classics and newer songs, pointing out without needing to hit too hard that Irish traditional music is alive and well; people still play it, and new songs and tunes continue to be written. The band also gave just enough education to keep things interesting, as when Hotkowski explained that “Wild Mountain Thyme,” long associated with Irish folk music, is in fact a Scottish song. He also dispensed some local history with the song “New Haven Green,” that was in fact about an island near Cape Horn that acquired that nickname because so many ships from New Haven came there in the 19th century as part of the trade in seal skins. With this story about clubbing seals for profit, Hotkowski continued, “you can impress your date before she walks out on you.”
“Which she will,” Haslam added.
A fresh influx of people made for a capacity crowd as The Jovial Crew continued. Their four strong voices were more than enough to encourage people to sing and clap along without needing an invitation. Several in the crowd stomped their feet to the songs’ beats. Others sat, taking it in. Further back in the crowd, people danced with babies in their arms. Others greeted each other as though at a reunion. Hotkowski took the chance to connect an Irish fight song — with lyrics to the tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” — to the current war in Ukraine.
“Ireland fought for centuries for independence from an imperial power,” he said, “and in Ukraine they’re doing that right now, so this one’s for them.” It gave the song extra urgency.
But The Jovial Crew never lost sight of why they were performing that day, rolling out familiar songs like “Whiskey in the Jar,” “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” and the seafaring song “South Australia.” More parade-goers were still coming in as people shook hands and smiled, and the people in the front kept singing along. Outside, on Crown Street, another social scene was forming, of people chatting at tables while the music from inside drifted onto the street, an easy reminder of where the day’s parade had come from, and what it continues to be.