Hello and welcome to another issue of CGI News, bringing you reviews of newly or recently released Irish CDs.
As usual, if you'd like more information on recordings listed here or other recordings, or if you'd like to order, please contact me using the e-mail address above, or call me at 301-565-0648. If you no longer want to receive this newsletter, please let me know. On the other hand, if you have friends who like Irish traditional music, feel free to pass the newsletter on to them.
--- RECENT RELEASES ---
* NEW * THE BOWHOUSE QUINTET: LIVE IN ENNIS. The Bowhouse Quintet, Ireland's answer to the Breton Archetype, seems to be the brainchild of double bass player and producer Paul O'Driscoll--apparently Liz Doherty has a similar ensemble going now. This quintet brings together traditional players like Tola Custy (fiddle), Liam Lewis (fiddle), and Jesse Smith (viola), with classical string players Clare O'Donoghue (cello) and O'Driscoll. While there is no doubting the musicianship of all involved (especially since this is a live recording), the result is a curious, and not always successful, blend of traditional music and string ensemble textures. I feel it mostly darkens the overall sound and imbues the album with melancholy. The material arranged includes a number of interesting new tunes authored by Custy and Lewis. The track before last brings relief as Custy and Lewis are joined by Tommy and Siobhan Peoples, Michelle O'Brien, and Michael Queally, with only a bass line added, for a heavenly "flock of fiddles." I could have listened to much more of that. Rating: *** [$21.99]
* NEW * MIKE DALY: TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC ON ACCORDION. Old-fashioned, straightforward B/C accordion music by this player from Co. Limerick who learned from Donal de Barra. Mike's father Paddy (harmonica) is featured on two of the 14 tracks. Accompaniments on guitar by Gerry Murphy (who needs to learn a few more chords) and/or Carl Hession on keyboards. Hession comes up with interesting chords here and there, but he also adds somewhat annoying synthesized swells to some of the tracks. Rating: ** [$18.99]
* NEW * MICHAEL McGOLDRICK: FUSED. On his latest solo album, McGoldrick (flutes, uilleann pipes) has joined forces with Donal Shaw, of Capercaillie fame, to produce a very "cool" and seductive album which, while rooted in traditional music, would make the "pure drop" crowd frown. Shaw and the Capercaillie crew (Manus Lunny and Karen Matheson also appear) are known for creating interesting grooves with sometimes unexpected sound combinations and rich percussive arrays. On the opening track, for instance, tablas are first heard, and McGoldrick's flute is doubled (subtly) by a muted trumpet, which to my ear works. And McGoldrick is such a powerful player that the traditional element remains at center stage, and the music keeps focused. Dezi Donnelly (fiddle), Alan Kelly (accordion), and Karan Casey (she sings "Donal Og") contribute. Rating: **** [$22.99]
* NEW * DEIRDRE NI BHUACHALLA: EBBTIDE - IRISH HARP MUSIC. This very young musician, a former student of the late Nancy Calthorpe and the granddaughter of piper Peter Carberry, plays with elegance and agility a selection of standard O'Carolan pieces and some dance tunes, including intricate ones like the hornpipe "The Drunken Sailor" and the reel "Colonel Fraser." Her 12-year old brother Diarmuid contributes the slow air "Sliabh na mBan" on the pipes. Rating: *** [$20.99]
* NEW * MAIRE NI CHEILEACHAIR: GUTH AR FAN / A WANDERING VOICE. Ireland never seems to be short of amazing singers, and Maire Ni Cheileachair is one of them. She has the kind of natural sounding voice which makes it all appear so effortless. Maire Ni Cheileachair is from Co. Cork and sings in Irish and English, mostly unaccompanied, although Jimmy Crowley shows up on bouzouki on one song. A newly composed John Spillane song, with a "wedding combo" (flute/guitar/cello) accompaniment, makes a very strange addition, but one inferior track among 17 is not bad. All the lyrics are printed in the hefty booklet. Rating: ***1/2 [$20.99]
* NEW * JOHN NOLAN: A RAKE OF REELS. Well-known New York B/C accordionist John Nolan has just released an excellent new solo CD, full of rollicking jigs, reels, hornpipes--as well as a waltz and two airs. Nolan's choice of material, combining tunes old and new, and arrangements sustain the listener's interest. The final "Rake of Reels" track, opening with his own "Boogie Reel" and continuing for over 12 minutes, will give competition to Kevin Burke's famous side from "If the Cap Fits." Discrete accompaniments on piano or guitar are sometimes augmented with bass and drums for a ceili band feel. Rating: **** [$15.99]
* NEW * EILEEN O'BRIEN: NEWTOWN BRIDGE. Fiddle player Eileen O'Brien is the daughter of Paddy O'Brien, the famous accordion player from Co. Tipperary whose style on the B/C box revolutionized Irish accordion playing in the mid 1950s. Eileen, an All-Ireland champion, has shown herself to be a worthy heir to this legacy and does so on this delightful CD. Her playing is precise and tidy, yet expressive and rich in all kinds of fiddley tricks. As one might expect, Eileen has chosen to record quite a few of her father's compositions. There are also tunes by Paddy Fahy, Paddy Kelly, Ed Reavy, and even a couple composed by Eileen herself. Excellent piano accompaniments are provided by Deirdre McSherry who also joins O'Brien on flute on a couple of tracks. Eileen O'Brien is also an impressive singer, judging from the two songs included here. And you'll be getting your money's worth, with a total of 20 tracks. Rating: ***1/2 [$20.99]
* NEW * PROVIDENCE: PROVIDENCE. This recently formed band should have a bright future ahead of them if they continue to record albums of this caliber. Providence are Joan McDermott (vocals), Paul Doyle (guitar, bouzouki, vocals), John Wynne (flutes, low whistles), Micheal O'Raghallaigh (concertina, accordion), and Meabh O'Hare (fiddle). Backed with subtlety by Doyle, Wynne, O'Raghallaigh and O'Hare blend beautifully on a great selection of instrumentals. Joan McDermott sings in English and Gaelic. Her performance of the magical song "Ochon Ocho Mo Chailin" is stunning. Rating: **** [$21.99]
--- OTHER CURRENT FAVORITES ---
ALL HANDS AROUND: IRISH MUSIC. Nice recording of Irish music out of New England featuring Roger Burridge (fiddle) and Dave Paton (concertina). Rating: *** 1/2 [$15.99]
BOB ABRAMS: A FOOL'S ADVICE. A delightful album featuring Abrams on box and other New England musicians playing Irish traditional music in most convincing manner. Rating: *** [$15.99]
BEGINISH. High-energy instrumental music and a few songs by Brendan Begley (accordion, vocals), Paul McGrattan (flute), Paul O'Shaughnessy (fiddle),
and Noel O'Grady (bouzouki). Can't wait for the next one. Rating: **** [$19.99]
TURLACH BOYLAN: THE TIDY COTTAGE. Excellent flute playing from this Co. Derry native and now Houston, Texas, resident. Turlach is joined by his sister Sheila (fiddle) and brother Ruari (flute), as well as Gerry O'Beirne on guitars and a few others. Nicely played and a good variety of tunes, not all Irish. Rating: ***1/2 [$16.99]
THE BRIDGE CEILI BAND: SPARKS ON FLAGS. A recent recording by the several-time and current All-Ireland champion, one of the
better recordings in this genre. Rating: *** [$19.99]
PHIL CALLERY: FROM THE EDGE OF MEMORY. "Solo" album by this member of The Voice Squad, the trio whose gorgeous harmonies were a revelation a few years ago. Although some of the accompaniments are not to my taste, Callery's singing is superb. The supporting cast includes Niall O'Callanain (bouzouki), Dermot Byrne (accordion), Gay McKeon (uilleann pipes), and a host of singers who contribute lovely vocal harmonies. Rating: ***1/2 [$19.99]
THE CEILI BANDITS: HANGIN' AT THE CROSSROADS. Nice Clare music by Yvonne Casey (fiddle) and guest Kevin Griffin (banjo), with Eoin O'Neill (bouzouki) and Quentin Cooper (mandolin, guitar). My kind of hangin'... Rating: ***1/2 [$21.99]
CIAN: THREE SHOUTS FROM A HILL. High-powered playing on concertina and flute, with guitar and bodhran accompaniment. Rating: **** [$21.99]
CRAN: LOVER'S GHOST. Another wonderful recording by this great trio, Sean Corcoran, Ronan Browne, and Desi Wilkinson, with the participation of Kevin Glackin and Triona Ni Dhomhnaill (keyboards). Rating: **** [$21.99]
SEAMUS CREAGH & AIDAN COFFEY. Seamus Creagh, of Daly and Creagh (1977) fame, has found another worthy accomplice in Aidan Coffey,
previously the box player with De Dannan. Lovely stuff. Rating: ***1/2 [$21.99]
ELIZABETH CROTTY: CONCERTINA MUSIC FROM WEST CLARE. "Pure drop" traditional music by one of its most famous exponents. RTE field recordings made by Ciaran Mac Mathuna in the late 1950s. Rating: **** [$23.99]
DERVISH: MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT. Not the best Dervish album out there, but not a disaster by any means, these guys are too good. A
transitional album by one of the best Irish bands today, still well worth a listen. Rating: *** [$21.99]
LIZ DOHERTY: LAST ORDERS. Impressive fiddling, foot-stomping music, and lots of obscure tunes for the repertoire hungry from the young fiddle player from Buncrana, Co. Donegal, and founding member of the group Nomos who now performs with the all-woman band the Bumblebees. Rating: *** [$21.99]
DEZI DONNELLY: FAMILIAR FOOTSTEPS. A terrific fiddle recording, which I would recommend to anyone who is interested in Irish fiddle
playing. In my mind, it ranks up there with Paddy Glackin fabled first LP. Rating: **** [$21.99]
ERRISLANNAN: ALL ABOUT TIME. Strong fiddle and box duets by Mick Conneely and Brendan Boyle, with Adrian Burns (guitar, vocals), and Svend Kjeldsen (bodhran). Definitely worth a listen. Rating: *** [$22.99]
MICK FLYNN: A SINGER'S DOZEN. Songs in English by this West Clare singer whose unique vocal style--which has been compared to the sound of the uilleann pipes--and strong delivery have the unmistakable sound of sean-nos singing. Rating: ***1/2 [$19.99]
PATTY FURLONG: TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC ON BUTTON ACCORDION. A nice debut CD by this New York box player who was one of the original 1985 "Cherish the Ladies." She is joined by no less than Benedict Koehler (pipes), Brendan Dolan (flute, piano), Fiona Doherty (fiddle), etc.
Rating: ***1/2 [$15.99]
SEAMUS GLACKIN & AL.: CROSSROADS CEILI. You'll have to look hard for the names of the performers: Seamus Glackin (fiddle), Brendan Begley (accordion), Michael O'Brien (flute), Mary Corcoran (piano), and Mick Gaynor (drums). No wonder it sounds so good, somewhere between the Templehouse Ceili Band (without banjo) and Beginish. Nice sets of tunes too. Rating: ***1/2 [$21.99]
GRAINNE HAMBLY: BETWEEN THE SHOWERS. Grainne, a former student of the Janet Harbison (Belfast Harp Orchestra), is an excellent harp player who has been touring in the US not too long ago. Grainne plays a few O'Carolan tunes here, but mostly dance tunes and slow airs, nicely arranged for harp solo. Rating: ***1/2 [$16.99]
FRANK HARTE: 1798 - THE FIRST YEAR OF LIBERTY. A moving collection of songs relating to the 1798 rebellion, by the acclaimed Dublin singer, with tasteful accompaniment by Donal Lunny. Rating: **** [$22.99]
CATHAL HAYDEN. Second solo album by former Four-Men-and-a-Dog fiddle and banjo player Cathal Hayden, with Arty McGlynn (guitar) and Brian McGrath (keyboards). Good strong album. Rating: **** [$23.99]
P.J. HERNON. Yes, P.J.'s famous 1978 LP has been reissued on CD! This is a classic, folks. P.J. plays melodeon and B/C box and is joined by brother Marcus on flute. No accompaniment. As good now as it was then. Rating: **** [$18.99]
JACQUELINE McCARTHY: THE HIDDEN NOTE. A family affair featuring Jacqueline (concertina), Tommy Sr. (concertina), Tommy Jr. (fiddle), and sisters Marion (pipes) and Bernadette (fiddle, piano), with Alec Finn accompanying. Excellent "pure drop" music. Rating: **** [$16.99]
ANDREW MACNAMARA: DAWN. A lovely album by the accordion player from Tulla, Co. Clare, formerly a member of the Tulla Ceili Band, then of Skylark. MacNamara has a nice way with the tunes, finding lots of nice twists without falling into gimmickry. Rating: *** [$19.99]
THE McNAMARA FAMILY: LEITRIM'S HIDDEN TREASURE. From this very talented family of flute, pipes, fiddle, and concertina players, a
brilliant album featuring the rarely heard but stunning local repertoire of Co. Leitrim. Rating: ***** [$23.99]
COLIN NEA: THE PURE BOX. B/C accordion playing at its best by this native of Co. Westmeath with two All-Ireland Senior titles to his credit (1993-4). Nea cites the late Paddy O'Brien of Co. Tipperary as a major influence, and you'll hear it too. Rating: **** [$19.99]
JIMMY NOONAN & FRIENDS: THE CLARE CONNECTION. Lovely playing on flute and whistle, with help from his friends from the Boston Irish music scene. Nice selection of familiar and not-so-familiar tunes, and a few good songs too. Rating: *** [$16.99]
NORTH CREGG: ... AND THEY DANCED ALL NIGHT. This band plays some very energetic dance music, mixed in with contemporary songs which sound a bit out of place. Still, these guys can make tunes move. Rating: ***1/2 [$21.99]
COLM O'DONNELL: FAREWELL TO EVENING DANCES. A beautiful recording by this Co. Sligo flute/whistle player, singer and lilter. And a generously long CD with 18 tracks. What a treat! Rating: **** [$17.99]
DANNY O'DONNELL: ON TSEAN - AM ANALL. The legendary Donegal fiddle player captured 22 years ago on field recordings. A must-have for Donegal music fans." Rating: *** 1/2 [$23.99]
GEAROID O'HALLMHURAIN & PATRICK OURCEAU: TRACIN'. A superb CD, definitely one of the best 1999, by Clare concertina
player Gearoid O'hAllmhurain and French-born fiddler Patrick Ourceau. Let them "trace" for you. Rating: ***** [$17.99]
JOHN O'HALLORAN: BUT WHY JOHNNY?. One of the most "fun" albums I have heard lately. John O'Halloran plays the one-row melodeon with great lift and humor. With Tommy McCarthy (fiddle), Louise Costello (banjo), Brendan Larrissey (fiddle), Dermot Byrne (accordion), Alec Finn (bouzouki), Martin Murray (banjo, mandolin, viola), and Jimmy Higgins (piano, bodhran). Rating: **** 1/2 [$21.99]
PAUL O'SHAUGHNESSY: STAY ANOTHER WHILE. Masterful fiddle playing in the Donegal style. Fans of energetic Irish fiddle playing and Donegal music should enjoy this thoroughly. Rating: **** [$19.99]
FINOLA O'SIOCHRU: SEARC MO CHLEIBH - LOVE OF MY HEART . One of the most impressive vocal albums (sean-nos singing in Gaelic) of the past year. Five of the 10 tracks have instrumental accompaniment (Steve Cooney, Maire Breatnach, Brendan Begley), quite successful for the most part. O'Siochru's voice deserves to be heard. Full Gaelic texts are included. Rating: **** [$24.99]
TOMMY PEOPLES: THE QUIET GLEN. Much awaited new (1998) album by the master fiddle player from Donegal. His playing is as crisp and mesmerizing as ever. Includes several of Tommy's compositions. Rating: **** [$23.99]
MIKE & MARY RAFFERTY: THE OLD FIRESIDE MUSIC. A most enjoyable recording of traditional music from East Co. Galway, by two of its best
contemporary representatives. Rating: **** [$16.99]
JOHN REGAN: LET DOWN THE BLADE. Sligo B/C box player John Regan plays at a leisurely pace and is joined by fiddle player Paddy Glackin on 5 of the 19 tracks. Many classic tunes, and quite a few lesser known ones that one always rediscovers with pleasure. Rating: **** [$21.99]
BRIAN ROONEY: THE GODFATHER. I love Rooney's playing, which sounds a bit like Tommy Peoples' at times. Despite somewhat intrusive accompaniments, well worth a listen. Rating: *** 1/2 [$19.99]
KEVIN ROWSOME: THE ROWSOME TRADITION. Grandson of Leo (the King of the Pipers) and son of Leon, Kevin Rowsome is a past Oireachtas
winner (1991) and a masterful piper in his own right. There are 12 tracks by Kevin followed by 6 additional tracks of archive recordings by Leo and Liam. Kevin Rowsome plays pipes pitched in C, C#, and D, and is joined by Lorraine Hickey (fiddle), Pat Marsh (bouzouki), and others. Rating: **** [$23.99]
DEIRDRE SCANLON: SPEAK SOFTLY. Traditional and self-penned songs in English and Irish by this fine singer, originally from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary--and now a member of Solas. Even with songs heard many times like "The Parting Glass," Scanlon's voice will make you pay attention.
Rating: *** 1/2 [$21.99]
SIONA: LAUNCHING THE BOAT. Brilliant ensemble playing by a young quartet, featuring in particular the wonderful flute player June Ni Chormaic.
Rating: ***1/2 [$21.99]
SLIABH NOTES: GLEANNTAN. Matt Cranitch (fiddle), Donal Murphy (accordion), and Tommy O'Sullivan (vocals, guitar) have produced a great
recording. Highly recommended. Rating: **** [$21.99]
MICHAEL TUBRIDY: THE EAGLE'S WHISTLE. Classic "pure drop" 1978 album by the Clare flute, whistle, and concertina player, recently reissued on CD. Rating: ***1/2 [$19.99]
VARIOUS: THE COUNTY BOUNDS. A nice new collection of live recordings made at the 1998 Sean O'Riada Conference, University College, Cork, and featuring music and song from the Cork-Kerry border. The instrumentalists include no less than Matt Cranitch, Jackie Daly, Maire O'Keeffe, Maurice O'Keeffe, Johnny O'Leary, Connie O'Connell, and quite a few more. There are also some fine sean-nos vocal contributions. Rating: *** 1/2 [$22.99]
VARIOUS: THE MOUNTAIN ROAD - TUNES POPULAR IN SOUTH SLIGO. A great new production from the Coleman Heritage Center in Gurteen, Co. Sligo. Pure drop music by such renowned "Coleman Country" players as Peter Horan, Philip Duffy, P.J. Hernon, Deirdre Collis, Paddy Ryan, Seamus Quinn, Colm O'Donnell (see also his solo album), and many more. Thirty tracks of great Sligo music, with occasional piano accompaniments. A companion book is also available and I will be selling either the CD or the book & CD set. Rating: **** [CD $19.99, book + CD $38.95]
VARIOUS: A NEW DAWN - UILLEANN PIPING, ANOTHER GENERATION. A collection of recordings by brilliant young pipers, including Baltimore sensation Eliot Grasso. The playing, unaccompanied throughout, is of the highest caliber, and the diversity of styles and timbres is sure to keep the listener's attention. An outstanding new CD for lovers of Irish piping. Rating: **** [$21.99]
JOHN VESEY: SLIGO FIDDLER. A treasure of a 2-CD set, compiled from private recordings of the great Ballincurry fiddle player who lived in Philadelphia
and made an LP for Shanachie in the 1970s. Rating: ***1/2 [$26.99]
Copyright Philippe Varlet 2002
