CHRIS DRONEY: DOWN FROM BELL HARBOUR
Chris Droney: concertina
Jacinta McEvoy: piano
Eleven years have past since the release of "The Fertile Rock," Clare concertina player Chris Droney's previous album, and yet it sounds like it could all have been recorded at the same session. The piano accompanist is different, but the presentation and the style of the music are the same. Which is not a bad thing at all, quite the opposite. Droney, now in his 80s, is one of the great treasure of Irish traditional music, and Clare music in particular, and this consistency, while not necessarily surprising since Droney has been playing now for 73 years, is a testament to the musician's skills and integrity. Droney's music, with it straightforward simplicity and its dance-bound rhythmic vitality, is a great example of "the real thing," the product of a long family tradition as well as of an equally long dedication to playing for dancers. So here's another lovely and generously long selection of tunes from Chris Droney, not to be missed. (11/2006)
Rating: *** 1/2
Price: $24.99
Contents:
1. Reels: The Tinker's Daughter / The Coalminer / The Master's Return
2. Jigs: Apples in Winter / The Maid on the Green
3. Reels: The Reel of Mullinavat / The Whistling Postman / The Chattering Magpie
4. Hornpipes: Cooley's / Cronin's
5. Reels: Traver's / The Jolly Tinker / The Woman of the House
6. Waltz: Bell Harbour Hills
7. Jigs: The Knights of St. Patrick / The Killimor
8. Reels: The Bell Harbour Reel / The Pullet / The Boys of Portaferry
9. Air: Peaceful Corcomroe
10. Hornpipes: Sliabh na mBan / The Home Ruler
11. Reels: The Parcel of Land / The Kilfenora Reel
12. Jigs: Katie's Fancy / The Boys of the Town
13. Reels: The Maid Behind the Bar / The Holy Land / The Rainy Day
14. Waltz: The Green Hills of Clare
15. Jigs: The Clogher Rose / The Bride's Favourite
16. Reels: The Congress Reel / Come West Along the Road / The Dawn
