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Galway based Nábac have recently released their debut cd Siar Anoir. I have had the good fortune of hearing the band live on several occasions and have been waiting for this cd. I must say I’m not at all disappointed – in fact this is a great cd.
From the first track, which consists of two Scandinavian tunes to the last track, which consists of proper Irish reels, it’s a pure pleasure to listen to.
The very first tune is Femspring, a tune made famous (in my universe, at least) by the Danish/Irish trad./folk/jazz band ULC. I would have sworn Nabác had their version from them, but according to the sleeve notes, it must have made at least one detour through the hands and strings of Paul Kelly. Still it’s a great tune and a brave way of starting off an Irish cd.
Nábac is no doubt an “Irish” band, but they range wider than just pure Irish traditional music. On the cd we also find music from the Philippines, Cape Breton, America and a couple of own compositions, which all sound wonderful in the skilled hands and instruments of the five young musicians.
Normally it takes a lot from a singer for me to praise her/him, so here’s kudos to Noriana Kennedy, whose singing really does something for me, whether she sings in English, Filipino or Hungarian (sic!).
I’m so much of a purist that I think the only percussive instrument in Irish music should be the bodhrán, but admittedly Paddy Kennedy’s use of the cajon actually suits their music. Other instruments include flute, whistles, uilleann pipes, fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandola etc.
It is hard to believe that these musicians are not all playing full-time and I can see a problem in the future, when the band gets as “big” as it deserves, and some band members will have to choose between playing full-time and pursuing their scientific careers. Meanwhile I’ll just lean back and enjoy the brilliant music of Nabác.
RRCD 001 (February 2008)
www.nabacmusic.com
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Recently I was given Tim Edey Band’s latest cd Farrago. I’m glad I got it as a private person and not in the library where I work. In libraries we like to categorize things. I wouldn’t know how to categorize this cd. Is it trad? Is it jazz? Is it blues? It’s neither and then again it’s a combination of it all and then some.
In the library we don’t have a category called “Great”, but that is where I have placed it in my own cd collection.
The musicianship on the cd is something else. I have previously been raving about Tim Edey’s skills on the box and the guitar, so when he is joined by two other outstanding musicians it just can’t go wrong. Harmonica player Brendan Powers from New Zealand is no stranger to Irish music (he is of Irish extraction), where he has been playing and recording trad music on the harmonica for years. He is widely regarded as the finest “Irish” harmonica player there is. Lucy Randall is a rock drummer who turned traditional and is now a brilliant bodhrán player. She also plays the tambourine and the Latin percussion box the cajon, all of which can be heard on Farrago.
This is not a cd for the purist brigade. Tunes like “Dawning of the Day Samba”, “Jazz Trad” and “The Reel Blues Reel” will not go down well in certain circles. As the titles indicate they are cross-genre fusion pieces and it works very well for the three courageous musicians here.
So, is there no trad music to be found on the cd? Indeed there is, but not trad trad - if you know what I mean. Nothing that comes out of the capable hands of the three comes out as pure trad - there’s always a twist. The closest we come to pure trad is “The Congress Set” and even that wouldn’t be heard in an average session on the West Coast of Ireland - maybe occasionally in the South West :-)
Admittedly, I am a bit of a purist myself, but I liked this cd from the word go. Good musicianship overrules looking down one’s nose at mixing genres. If I have offended anybody by this statement, let the Trad Police come and get me - as long as I can take Farrago with me. I could listen to Edey’s guitar and box playing every day and spiced up with Powers’ harmonica and Randall’s percussion it just doesn’t come any better.
Gnatbite Records 04 (March 2007)
www.timedey.com
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Who needs big orchestrations and numerous instruments when you can make beautiful music with just a mandolin and a guitar (plus a very occasional keyboard)? Mandolin virtuoso Fiontán Ó Meachair has teamed up with guitarist Jim Murray and Tony O'Flaherty on keyboards to make the wonderful CD Irish Traditional Mandoline - Ó Life Go Laoi.
There are not many mandolin players within Irish Trad. Music these days and one can only wonder why. It's such a great instrument – when played by the right person. Fiontán Ó Meachair (or Macker – as he is known to his friends) is such a person. I have the good fortune of having known Macker for many many years and I have always loved his playing. I was thrilled to hear he had released a solo CD and I was not disappointed when I put it on. Macker has chosen some great old session tunes (The Gold Ring – Salamanca – Banish Misfortune etc.) and mixed them with classical and Italian tunes. As if this wasn't enough, he has also composed a good few tunes (which I'm sure are already being played in sessions all over) and he proves himself to be a brilliant singer with the two songs on the CD.
I have played the CD constantly since I got it and it's just getting better and better. I thoroughly enjoy Macker's playing and I hear new little subtleties on every listen to it. He is truly a great ambassador for the mandolin and one can only hope he will inspire more people to take it up, because it's an instrument which suits Irish music very well. The mandolin is a relatively small instrument, but Macker's sound is huge and combined with the guitar it's almost like listening to a “full” band.
Words don't justify this CD – you have to listen to it yourself and I can only agree with Arty McGlynn who wrote the sleeve notes: Buy it, borrow it or steal it, but get it and enjoy it!
www.myspace.com/fiontanomeachairmandoline
FOM 1001 (September 2009)
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When I look up Mórga in my Irish – English dictionary it says: Great, exalted and majestic. I can't think of a more apt description of this CD. If there is a risk of wearing out a CD, this is definitely in danger. It has been in my player constantly since I got it and when I don't listen to the CD, I have the mp3 version in my mp3-player.
Mórga is a “new” band on the scene, consisting of four great musicians. Despite their young age they are all very experienced and master their instruments to perfection.
One would think these four musicians have been playing together for years and have released several CDs, but no. They started playing together in 2007 when they decided to revive the sound of the great Irish bands of the seventies. Here is where the Greek bouzouki comes into the picture. In the seventies there was no such thing as an “Irish bouzouki”, so of course Jonas Fromseier plays the Greek bouzouki when he is not handling a banjo. The box, fiddle and bodhrán are still the same and I think they have obtained what they set out to do: Create a sound that might as well have been taken out of the seventies.
Energy is the key word! They play with the confidence of older and far more experienced musicians. It's hard to believe this is a debut CD.
Yes, they play very fast, but contrary to many other fast bands, Mórga has the ability to play fast and well at the same time. The music is just so lively that one can hardly sit still and listen.
I'm really impressed with the tightness between box player Barry Brady and fiddle player Danny Diamond and they are perfectly backed up by the greek bouzouki and Dominic Keogh's bodhrán playing.
I like the fact Mórga haven't fallen into the trap of including a singer, because “you have to”. Their music is instrumental and it's no problem listening to a CD full of just tunes (12 sets), when they are played so well.
I will highly recommend this CD and to Mórga I will say, “Well done boys!”
PUG Records (July 2009)
www.morga.ie www.myspace.com/morgamusic
You can hear Mórga live at this year's Tønder Festival
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A song about World War One - 1917 (The French Prostitute) - is the opening song on Niamh Parsons CD The Old Simplicity and (pardon the pun) you have to surrender straight away. It's a brilliant song which suits Parsons voice - or is it the other way round?
I am mainly into instrumental music, but I can listen to her singing over and over again. She has the ability to almost make you cry only to cheer you up two minutes after with a joyous song. Having said that, there are not many joyous songs on this CD. If there's a theme, it is the injustices of the world in general and war in particular.
Another sad song about the First World War is "John Condon" about the youngest Allied soldier killed in the war. It is amazing how moving a story can be, when it is turned into a song by Parsons.
She sings some very intense and beautiful unaccompanied songs, but some songs "require" accompaniment and this is where Graham Dunne comes into the picture. He has worked with Parsons for many years and the synergy between them is outstanding. Dunne is a great guitarist and also a great composer, which he proves on his solo track Cumha an Ghrá.
Graham is not the only musician on the CD. Another who has left his mark here is Dennis Cahill who contributes with both playing (mandolin, bouzouki, bass and guitars) and arrangements. Larry Grey plays a very subdued, but lovely bass on several tracks.
Kat Eggleston is the choice when it comes to harmony vocal and that is a very good choice. The two voices complement each other very well.
This is not one of your thirteen a dozen superficial CDs that there are so many of these days. This is a CD you should sit down and listen to both for the lyrics and for the beauty of Parsons singing.
Green Linnet GLCD 1232 (April 2007)
www.niamhparsons.com
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Yes, I am definitely biased because I gave the launching speech when The Great Danes (Anders Trabjerg and Jonas Fromseier) released In Galway at the recent Copenhagen Irish Festival. Of course I wouldn’t have accepted the honour if I wasn’t sure they would be up to standard. I have known them for years and always enjoyed their music whether at a session in Galway or at a concert in Copenhagen.
In Ireland is a truly great cd and it has not been off my player for long since I got it. From the word go one feels taken way back in time. All the way to the 1920’s and 30’s. Another banjo/accordion duo springs to mind: The Flannagan Brothers. According to themselves Trabjerg and Fromseier have been hugely influenced by the Flannagans. It is interesting to hear a cd today with a “sound” from back then and very courageous of them to make it.
They have a number of brilliant guest musicians with them: Malene Beck (piano), Yirdy Machar (bones), Steffan S. Sørensen (double bass), Niall McQuaid (tambourine) and Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh (bodhrán). All excellent musicians who fit in very well with the banjo and the box. Well, up to a point – the addition of the tambourine does not work here in my opinion. That’s a very small fly in the ointment, because overall the cd is nothing less than brilliant. The musicianship and innovative playing is something else. You would have to go a long way to find better musicians than Trabjerg on the box and Fromseier on the banjo. They play with humour as well: The way they take it in turn to each play a few bars of “The Independence Hornpipe” is very rarely heard and they keep it up pushing things as far as they can on “The Irish Boy” without it being corny. There’s a very fine line, but they never cross it. They follow it up on the next track “Famous Ballymoate”. Wonderful music.
I could keep mentioning tracks because this is a ‘value for money cd’, with 16 superb tracks on it.
If you are only buying one cd this year – this should be it! Highly recommended!
TGDCD001 The Great Danes on MySpace (November 2008)
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Ailie Robertson’s aim with First Things First was to put the harp in a contemporary sounding “band” setting and I think she has succeeded with that. I didn’t know what to expect when I first put the cd on, but from the word go I was captured. Not only is she a great player, but she also shows all the potential of the harp. From mellow and subtle slow airs to almost rock like tracks, her playing is spot on. Yes, the harp is indeed a very delicate instrument, but in the skilled hands of Robertson it can also be transformed into an instrument as potent as an electric lead guitar.
Alongside the harp the cd features guitar, bass, piano/harmonium and cajon/percussion - all played by very competent musicians. There’s no doubt, though, that this is a solo album for the harp. The other instruments are along to make up the band setting.
There’s a good mix of tunes on the cd, ranging from traditional Scottish and Irish tunes to newly composed tunes. Several of which are Robertson’s own compositions, proving she is not only a gifted and original musician, but also a gifted composer. Beautiful slow airs almost leave you in a trance from which you are catapulted the next moment by fast and heavy rhythms.
Three tracks, which epitomize the cd, are Ho “Ro Mo Bhobag An Dram (The Favourite Dram)” followed by “Donald, Willie and His Dog” and “Spirits” - They have it all: The impeccable and delicate harp playing followed by the wake up call of rough and fast harp picking and rhythmic drums and hand claps and back into a slow air when its best.
Ailie Robertson set out to prove a point and this she has done: This beautiful cd works!
LORRCD1 (August 2008)
www.ailierobertson.com
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Can a CD be overdue? I think, yes, and a very good example is "SEANCHAIRDE old friends" by Tara Bingham, Dermy Diamond and Dáithi Sproule. Husband and wife Dermy and Tara have played together for so long that it is incredible they haven't released a CD ages ago. I have had the good fortune to hear them numerous times in sessions both in Ireland and here in Copenhagen and I have always enjoyed their music. Now they have teamed up with guitarist Dáithi Sproule (of Altan fame) and finally released a CD. It was well worth the wait! They have all played on a number of albums, but this is the first time they play together on a CD (to the best of my knowledge).
Tara is a fantastic flute player with a very mellow sound and Dermy is simply a brilliant fiddler. The combination of their talents and the fact that they have been playing together for years make this a wonderful CD. What I particularly like is the speed they play with – or rather lack of speed. These days many young musicians think speed equals great musicianship, but that is far from the truth. Great musicianship is when you can actually hear what's being played as is the case with SEANCHAIRDE. You have the time to enjoy the music and great arrangements.
They have chosen a number of great tunes for the album, mostly reels, but a good few jigs and other tunes are to be found among the 15 tracks. One of my first favourite Irish tunes “The Boy in the Gap” is played after The Boy in the Boat and that is my favourite set of the album.
Dermy plays a lovely solo air “The Parting Glass” and Tara has a couple of beautiful solo tracks too.
The sleeve notes are very comprehensive and I wonder if their son Danny, who works for the Traditional Music Archives, has a hand in this.
I can thoroughly recommend this CD.
3-Scones-2008-001 (April 2009)
www.3scones.com
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BoneZone is a newish band on the “Irish/Scottish” scene in Denmark. Their music is a mixture of instrumentals and songs. The songs are sung by Scotsman Yirdy “MacBones” Machar, who is also a brilliant bones and spoons player. Yirdy is the 2002 world champion bones player and also a very skilful singer. The other musicians on “In Session” are Galway-based Jonas Fromseier on banjo and mandolin, Christopher Davis Maack on fiddle, Rasmus Zeeberg on guitars and mandolin and Steffan Sørensen on double-bass and piano. All very talented and experienced musicians.
I don’t know if it’s a first ever, but I have never heard a bones solo on a cd before. Yirdy has a 2:40 long solo where he proves why he won the world championship. I’m amazed at the way he can make such (a) simple instrument(s) swing.
I have always been a fan of Yirdy’s singing and the songs on this cd are great exponents of his vocal capacities. Most of his songs have a humorous twist to them and the ones chosen here are no exceptions.
Banjo player extraordinaire Jonas Fromseier just gets better and better. Ever since he moved to Ireland his playing has improved to the stage where he, in my opinion, is up there with best banjo players in Ireland. Just listen to his playing on “McFadden’s Favourite” – it just doesn’t get any better than this.
Fiddle player Christopher Davis Maack is also an accomplished and well-known figure on the scene and for very good reasons. Rasmus Zeeberg has established himself as one of the best traditional guitarists in Denmark. Add to this, the bass and piano playing of Steffan Sørensen and you come up with a winner: BoneZone.
I quite like the addition of the bass and the piano to the otherwise strictly traditional instruments.
The five met at various sessions in Copenhagen and, although, each of them already played in other constellations they decided to get together and form, in their own words, the musical playground we now know as BoneZone. For this we should be very happy.
“In Session” is full of good musicianship and has a good mix of tunes, Irish and Scottish, and songs – in fact the right recipe for a good cd.
GO0907 (November 2007)
www.bonezone.dk
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