IRISH SESSION TUNES IN SETS - THE ORANGE BOOK & THE BLUE BOOK
Two book/CD sets based on the premise that presenting tunes in groups as they might be played in an actual session could be beneficial to some and an advantage over regular tunebooks. Whether one subscribes to that premise, the sets are indeed well matched--some are well-know classics, like the Michael Coleman "Tarbolton" set--and the settings of the tunes are good. There's a lot of variety in the repertoire, which strays further afield than the typical "essential 100 tunes," and includes some polkas and slides from the southwest. I also like the fact that companion CDs are available for each, so that the tunes can be heard played, relatively slowly and very nicely in traditional style by Sheila Garry (fiddle) with piano accompaniments by Brid Cranitch. Garry plays each tune only once (except twice for single reels), but introduces some variations the second time through each part. All in all, a helpful resource, even if you don't need to be told which tunes to put together, and a good source for beginning/intermediate players to build their repertoire.
Rating: *** 1/2
Books $19.95 each, CDs $20.99 each
