Subscribe to our Newsletter

Tunes from Lemmie Brazil

Back to browse page
Performer: Brazil, Lemmie
Place Collected: Sandhurst

Gipsy melodeon player, Lementina “Lemmie” Brazil, was born near Southampton and spent 26 years of her youth in Ireland, before her family returned to England to settle in Gloucester. She described some of her tunes as “Irish” and used to play for step-dance competitions. Peter Shepheard recorded her in the 1960’s and early 70’s and Gwilym Davies recorded her twice, in October 1977 and April 1981, when she was living on a caravan site near Gloucester. She was also recorded by Rod and Rhona Smith. She played a one-row melodeon in C. We have transcribed her music in D or G.

The youngest of her siblings, Danny Brazil, like many of the family, was able to play a few vigorous dance tunes on the mouth organ. Denny Smith was an uncle of the well-known singer Wiggy Smith. (See MustradCD, MTCD307, Wiggy Smith, Band of Gold). Peter Shepheard recorded him playing the Manchester Hornpipe . He played it twice, once alone and then for Danny Brazil to step to. The second time, he played in a more dotted rhythm than the first. On the same occasion he played the Cliff Hornpipe, but unfortunately the first 2 1⁄2 bars were not recorded. A triple CD of the family’s music and songs can be obtained from Musical Traditions, MT CD 339-40, www.mustrad.org.uk.

notes by Paul Burgess and Charles Menteith

Index of Tunes

Title ABC no. pdf page Musician
Boys of Wexford, The 28 12 Lemmie Brazil
Campbells Are Coming, The 2 1 Lemmie Brazil
Cliff Hornpipe 32 14 Denny Smith
Cock of the North 4 2 Danny Brazil
Cock of the North 3 1 Lemmie Brazil
Easy and Free 11 5 Lemmie Brazil
God Killed the Devil Oh! 19 8 Lemmie Brazil
Good Luck to the Irishman 6 3 Lemmie Brazil
Harvest Home 20 9 Lemmie Brazil
Hornpipe 1 13 6 Lemmie Brazil
Hornpipe 2 14 6 Lemmie Brazil
Hornpipe 3 15 7 Lemmie Brazil
Hornpipe 4 16 7 Lemmie Brazil
Hornpipe 5 17 8 Lemmie Brazil
Hornpipe 6 18 8 Lemmie Brazil
Hornpipe 8 32 14 Denny Smith
I Wish my Baby was Born 10 4 Lemmie Brazil
I’m Walking behind You 8 4 Lemmie Brazil
Irish Clouds Reel 22 10 Lemmie Brazil
Irish Hornpipe 13 6 Lemmie Brazil
Irish Jig 1 1 Lemmie Brazil
Irish Jig 2 2 1 Lemmie Brazil
Keel Row, The 16 7 Lemmie Brazil
Little Hot Jig 23 10 Lemmie Brazil
Manchester Hornpipe 30 13 Danny Brazil
Manchester Hornpipe 31 13 Denny Smith
Manchester Hornpipe 15 7 Lemmie Brazil
Merry Widow’s Waltz, The 9 4 Lemmie Brazil
Miss McLeod’s Reel 22 10 Lemmie Brazil
No Luck about the House 25 11 Lemmie Brazil
Oh Susanna! 24 11 Lemmie Brazil
Roaming (Rambling) Irishman, The 7 3 Lemmie Brazil
Sailor’s Hornpipe 21 9 Lemmie Brazil
Singer was Irish 12 5 Lemmie Brazil
Soldier’s Joy 21 9 Lemmie Brazil
Take me to my Kind Old Mother 29 12 Lemmie Brazil
Tap Dance 14 6 Lemmie Brazil
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp the Boys are Marching 27 12 Lemmie Brazil
Untitled Jig 5 2 Danny Brazil
Wearing of the Green 26 11 Lemmie Brazil