On
Common Ground
Cillian Vallely & Kevin Crawford
with
Donal Clancy & Paul Meehan
On
Common Ground
Cillian Vallely & Kevin Crawford
with
Donal Clancy & Paul Meehan
|
Track
Listing
|
We are delighted to announce our release of this fine
CD.
On
Common Ground
Cillian Vallely & Kevin Crawford
with
Donal Clancy & Paul Meehan
Two of the most well-known musicians on the Irish music circuit, flute player
Kevin Crawford and uilleann piper Cillian Vallely, announce the release of their
exciting new album, ‘On Common Ground’. A couple of years of researching
tunes in between a heavy schedule of band commitments has directly led to this
recording from Lúnasa’s powerhouse melody makers.
Joining Lúnasa in 1997 and 1999 respectively, Crawford and Vallely have become key components of a group which has become one of the most acclaimed and influential bands in the recent history of Irish music. Having released seven band albums and worked on numerous solo projects, the duo decided to combine their individual talents and create something different. An album with the distinctive sound of “flat-pitched” flute and pipes duets has emerged.
‘Tasty tunes and terrific playing make "On
Common Ground" one of the recording triumphs of this still young year.
It is a pinnacle performance from Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford, two uncommonly
gifted Irish traditional musicians.’ Earle Hitchner, The
Wall Street Journal and Irish Echo, NY.
BIOGS.
Cillian Vallely.
Starting at age 7, Cillian Vallely learned the whistle and pipes from his parents
Brian and Eithne at the Armagh Pipers Club, a group that for over 3 decades
has fostered the revival of traditional music in the north of Ireland. Since
leaving college, he has played professionally and has toured all over North
America and Europe in addition to Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.
Since 1999, he has been a member of the band “Lunasa”, with whom he has recorded 5 albums and played at many major festivals including Womad, Edmonton Folk Festival and The Hollywood Bowl. He has also performed and toured with “Riverdance”, Tim O Brien’s “The Crossing”, New York-based “Whirligig”, and the “Celtic Jazz Collective”. He has recorded on over 40 albums including “Callanbridge” with his brother Niall, and various guest spots with Natalie Merchant, Alan Simon’s “Excalibur” project with Fairport Convention and Moody Blues, “GAIA” with the Prague Philharmonic and Karan Casey. He has recently recorded on two movie soundtracks, “Irish Jam” and “Chatham” and played pipes on the BBC’s “Flight of the Earls” soundtrack.
Kevin Crawford
Born in Birmingham, England, Kevin Crawford’s early life was one long
journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, to where he eventually moved while in
his 20’s.
He was a member of Moving Cloud, the Clare-based band who recorded such critically-acclaimed albums as Moving Cloud and Foxglove, and he also recorded with Grianán, Raise The Rafters, Joe Derrane and Sean Tyrrell and appears on the 1994 recording The Sanctuary Sessions.
Kevin now tours
the world with Ireland’s cutting edge traditional band, Lúnasa,
called by some the “Bothy Band of the 21st Century,” with six ground
breaking albums to their credit; Lúnasa, Otherworld, The Merry Sisters
of Fate, Redwood, The Kinnitty Sessions and Sé. A virtuoso flute player,
Kevin has also recorded two solo albums, D’Flute Album and the more recent
In Good Company.
Press
Reviews
2010
TIR AWARDS in The Chicago Irish Newspaper
Instrumental CD of the Year: On Common Ground
There are those who would argue that Kevin Crawford of Lunasa
is the best trad flute player in the business. That is a sustainable point.
He and his musical partner, Cillian Vallely, uillean piper supremo, (also of
Lunasa) released a gorgeous, perfect gem of a thing this year, entitled, On
Common Ground. Incredible. If you love real
Irish music, and you DO---(elsewise how did you get this far in the article?)---this
is a must have album. We don’t have space here for it all. There are 12
cuts on the album, covering a bunch of tunes. It is brilliant. THEY are brilliant.
YOU will feel brilliant when you hear it. Go get it. Hear it. It IS Irish music.
At its best.
This is a classic. Big time. Bill Margeson
2009 TOP 10 Trad
Releases in CEOL Column in The Irish Echo, New York City Newspaper
#3. "On
Common Ground" by Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford (self-issued; BallyO
Records BOR 001).
Two members of Lunasa, still the best all-instrumental band in Irish trad today,
venture out for a duet recording, and it's a dazzler. Born in Birmingham but
a resident of Clare since 1989, flute, low whistle, and bodhran player Kevin
Crawford and Armagh-born, Woodside, N.Y., resident Cillian Vallely on uilleann
pipes and low whistle perform music that's fluid and full-blooded, with a trace
of sharpness to avoid any simpering sweetness. Their initial twin low whistle
playing on the jigs "The Ivory Flute
/ Straddle the Donkey / Visit to Ireland" incorporates subtle variations
and flourishes to keep the musical pot simmering, and the eventual entry of
Vallely's pipes adds to the track's piquancy. The duo maintain a tempo that's
dynamic without being too fast or too slow, allowing ample opportunity for embellishment
and spontaneity in the service of melody. "On Common Ground" is a
pinnacle performance from Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford, two uncommonly
gifted Irish traditional musicians.
Earle Hitchner
Irish
Music Magazine
Two of the most
well-known musicians on the Irish music circuit, flute player Kevin Crawford
and uilleann piper Cillian Vallely, announce the release of their exciting new
album, ‘On Common Ground’. A couple of years of researching tunes
in between a heavy schedule of band commitments has directly led to this recording
from Lúnasa’s powerhouse melody makers.
Born in Birmingham, England, Kevin Crawford’s early life was one long journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, where he eventually moved while in his 20’s. He quickly became one of the most sought-after and respected traditional musicians in Ireland and played in various groups including Moving Cloud, Grianan and Raise the Rafters.
Starting at age 7, Cillian Vallely learned the whistle and pipes from his parents, Brian and Eithne, at the Armagh Pipers Club. A childhood of travelling and playing with his family led to a career as a full-time musician which he has pursued for the last 15 years, recording on more than 40 albums and touring worldwide with such names as Riverdance, Tim O’Brien and Mary Chapin-Carpenter.
Joining Lúnasa in 1997 and 1999 respectively, Crawford and Vallely have become key components of a group which has become one of the most acclaimed and influential bands in the recent history of Irish music. Having released seven band albums and worked on numerous solo projects, the duo decided to combine their individual talents and create something different. An album with the distinctive sound of “flat-pitched” flute and pipes duets has emerged.
The combination
of uilleann pipes and flute is rare in duet recordings of traditional music
and the duo have utilised the unique tonal qualities of these flat-pitched ‘C’
instruments to record their music. The tunes have been sourced from various
manuscripts, archives and field recordings but there are also a number of new,
self-composed pieces. In addition, Kevin and Cillian play a variety of low whistles
and are accompanied on guitar by two of Ireland’s most recognised and respected
guitarists; Donal Clancy and Paul Meehan.
“Tasty tunes
and terrific playing make "On Common Ground" one of the recording
triumphs of this still young year” Irish Echo
“Vallely, whose family has played a seminal role in piping and Irish music in the north of Ireland for years, shows why he is one of the most respected pipers playing today” Irish Voice
“This is an album that features two guys at the
top of their game offering up a stunner, slowly aged to perfection after years
together. We love it. Done. Dusted.” Chicago Irish-American News
Irish Echo
“...With
Armagh-born Cillian Vallely playing uilleann pipes, Crawford tackles that reel
again on flute in "On Common Ground," an outstanding new duet debut
by these Lunasa bandmates. Pipes and flute are heard without backing at the
onset of "Teampall an Ghleantain / Fr. Newman's / The Periwig," then
are joined by the guitar of fellow Lunasa colleague Paul Meehan in a medley
bristling with energy and expertise, capped by that last reel's inexhaustible
appeal.
On the album
the music of Vallely and Crawford is fluid and full-blooded, with a trace of
sharpness to avoid any simpering sweetness. Even their initial twin low whistle
playing on the jigs "The Ivory Flute / Straddle the Donkey / Visit to Ireland"
incorporates subtle variations and flourishes to keep the musical pot simmering,
and the eventual entry of Vallely's pipes adds to the track's piquancy.Both
musicians maintain a tempo that's dynamic without being too fast or too slow,
allowing ample opportunity for embellishment and spontaneity in the service
of melody. Vallely on pipes and Meehan on guitar start off the jigs "John
Feehilly's / Ned Coleman's / Dominic's Farewell to Cashel," and then Crawford
injects flute sustains that extend the regulator action of Vallely until pipes,
flute, guitar, and bodhran mesh fully. The deceptively well-conceived architecture
of this medley is easy on the ear.
The jigs
"Helvic Head / Bill Harte's" feature another talented guitarist, Donal
Clancy, who lays down a sturdy, flexible rhythm on which Crawford's flute and
Vallely's pipes can confidently rely. Close listening reveals some passages
of symmetrical, four-beat regulator work from Vallely to boost variety as he
and Crawford skillfully drive the melody along."Days
Around Lahinch / The Man From Moyasta" are slow reels written by Crawford
and played by him and Vallely on low whistles, with Crawford adroitly tucking
in accents and ornaments to pique interest.With
Meehan backing him, Crawford takes a captivating flute solo on "The Leading
Role / Little Man with the Brown Shoes / Bill Hoare's," all reels linked
to button accordionist Billy McComiskey through his solo debut, "Makin'
the Rounds," or the two albums made by Trian, a trio comprising McComiskey,
Liz Carroll, and Daithi Sproule. Crawford has told me of his admiration for
tunes written by McComiskey, especially on "Outside the Box," the
Irish Echo's top traditional recording for 2008, and also for tunes by Carroll.
The flutist nimbly fleshes out the track with his bodhran playing on the last
two reels.
Vallely's solo
is a medley of the slow air "Uirchill a' Chreagain," which he plays
without accompaniment, followed by the reels "Gorman's" and "Ta
an Saol ar Fad i nGra Liom," where Clancy joins on guitar. His piping is
assured, crisp, and altogether impressive. Also on the album are a hornpipe-fling
pairing of "The Birds / Jim Ward's," featuring flute, pipes, low whistle,
and the guitar of Clancy, and other tracks of jigs and reels strengthening the
allure of the duo's music made on flat-pitched instruments.
Tasty tunes and terrific playing make "On Common Ground" one of the
recording triumphs of this still young year. It is a pinnacle performance from
Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford, two uncommonly gifted Irish traditional
musicians.”
Irish Voice
“ Owing to the successful mating of these talented musicians, a new
CD aptly named "On Common Ground" has emerged as an independent project
on Bally O Records funded by both the Arts Council of Ireland and the Arts Council
of Northern Ireland (Crawford lives in Clare while Vallely comes from Armagh).
Twelve tracks grace this new effort, and it is very clear that these boyos enjoy
playing with one another and share a high regard for their fellow musicians
who inspired them and with whom they have shared many a stage in their own extensive
careers before they teamed up together when Vallely joined Lunasa a decade ago.
Carefully selected tunes with good liner notes flow fluidly throughout the album,
reflecting many of the musical influences that formed them as individual artists
who have much in common these days.
Crawford shines
on his own in his solo track starting with a Carroll tune, “The Leading
Role,” followed by McComiskey’s “Little Man with the Brown Shoes”
and also “Bill Hoare’s Reel” from McComiskey’s 1981 jewel
"Making the Rounds." Vallely, whose family has played a seminal role
in piping and Irish music in the north of Ireland for years, shows why he is
one of the most respected pipers playing today and in great demand for workshops.
His solo spot begins with the air “Uirchil a Chreagain,” which was
the first one he learned from his parents Brian and Eithne Vallely at the Armagh
Pipers Club before tearing into reels.
Guitar accompaniment is handled by their stellar Lunasa mate Paul Meehan, and
Donal Clancy appears on five tracks with equal aplomb. Thirty-three tunes are
played in lively and enjoyable fashion on the flute, pipes, low whistles in
a style that won’t have you thinking it’s Lunasa lite, but rather
two masters sharing an awful lot of common ground.”
Chicago Irish-American News
“The
first time we ever heard Paul Crawford play the flute was many, many years ago
with the best all-instrumental group in the history of Irish music, Moving Cloud.
The group’s two albums on Green Linnet still stand as the gold standard
for musicians who love traditional music the world round. No question. Done.
Dusted. Paul also did a lovely solo cd for Green Linnet, entitled, The Dflat
Flute. Still superb, lo’ these many years later. The videotape fast forwards,
and I am seeing Paul again after all these years at The Old Town School of Folk
Music, where I am about to introduce his group, Lunasa. The lads are celebrating
their 10 years together on the scene. There can be no band in Irish music who
has, for a decade, had a fuller, more hectic, more successful worldwide schedule
than this group. A few days before the concert, one of the 500 or so albums
we receive annually had arrived. It is entitled, On Common Ground. And, right
there on the cover are Lunasa’s piper, the wonderful Cillian Vallely, and….Kevin
Crawford! Duo album, all instrumental. Self-produced (Trevor Hutchison involved
here) and released. Let’s discuss firther.
There are 12 selections, covering---if we counted correctly---34 tunes. Straight ahead playing here, perfectly performed. Lovely---all jigs, reels, slow airs and one fling! These two have played together for so long and traveled so far together, their playing is as much instinct as thought. The pipes and wooden flute are just about our favorite Irish instruments. An album fronting only two musicians, all instrumental and playing a very limited number of instruments---think some different low whistles here, and Kevin on a tasty bodhran---can only be pulled off by two master musicians. Both of these lads are masters. About 80% of the albums we receive annually get pitched over the shoulder following a brief listen. We review about 10% of the albums we receive every year. Then, there are albums we receive that we listen to over and over and over again. This is one. Tasteful guitar accompaniment on the tracks by Donal Clancy and Paul Meehan give the entire thing a wonderful feel. What has happened is that Vallely and Crawford are wonderful musicians---with a massive difference. All this time together on the road with Lunasa, the literally thousands of tunes played together over the years have taught each all there is to know musically about the other. This is no album thrown together by musicians who admire each other’s work and decide to sit down and record an album. This is an album that features two guys at the top of their game offering up a stunner, slowly aged to perfection after years together. We love it. Done. Dusted. Rating: Four Harps”