The
Barefield Ceili Band
Between the Sets
Tig na Coille Records TNCD 002
The
Barefield Ceili Band
Between the Sets
Tig na Coille Records TNCD 002
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Track Listing
The Caledonian Set
The Plain Set Just click on underlined titles to hear MP3 sound samples |
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We
are delighted to announce the release of
Between the Sets
The Barefield Ceili Band
Tig
na Coille Records - TNCCD 002
Barefield
is a little village just outside the County Clare town of Ennis. This is the
heartland of Irish traditional music and dancing.
The band was thrown together at the age of eight, their teacher, Denis Liddy
started them off on tin whistles for a Christmas concert, and things took off
from there. They started entering competitions and won the ceili band 12 All
Ireland title in Ballina in 1998. Since then that interest has grown into a
serious commitment. In 1999 they recorded their first CD, Iolar and that brought
them a trip to perform in Toronto and Connecticut. In 2003 they recorded their
second CD, Flowers of the Burren and launched it at a festival in Spain in front
of 6.000 people.
They have played very successful concerts and ceili's in Cois na Habhna and
Glor in Ennis and the Town Hall Theatre in Galway. IN August 2002 they played
in Los Angeles, San Francisco and at the prestigious Milwaukee Irish Fest.
It was decided to record this CD in a way that would highlight the enthusiasm
these young musicians possess. The presence of some "young" dancers in the studio
invigorated the band and gave them renewed confidence, which brought the band
to a new level of performance.
This is the real sound that you will experience when exposed to this band.
On this recording this 20-piece ceili band are playing an invigorating selection
of dance tunes, arranged for the two most popular sets in County Clare; The
Plain Set and the Caledonian.
Copperplate
is very proud to have this title on our roster and to help it achieve its full
potential will be supporting this release with a full-scale promotional mail
out to media and retail. Feedback always welcome.
Press Reaction
FolkWorld
CD Reviews
Let's céilí again! It's been a long way from the first one
held in London in 1897 by the Gaelic League and today's music for set dancing.
In the 1930's came the céilí band revolution when public dances
in village and parish halls replaced the traditional crossroads dancing. The
acoustic situation created the modern dance band, including a large troupe of
musicians, piano and drums, sometimes even saxophones.
Despite the ups
and downs of traditional Irish music there has been and still is always fresh
supply to cater for the dancers. Denis Liddy (see above) formed the Barefield
Céilí Band at Barefield National school, a little village outside
Ennis in Co Clare, the heartland of Irish traditional music and set dancing.
The group was formed when most of the pupils have been at the age of only eight,
in 1998 they won the All-Ireland Fleadh in the category Ceili Ceili Band under
12. "Between the Sets" features 12 tracks, the "Caledonian Set"
and the "Plain Set" in 5 figures,
respectively, recorded by Michel Sikiotakis. Featured are 5 fiddles, 5 flutes,
2 uillean pipes, 2 accordions, 4 concertinas, 1 banjo, piano and drums. And
dancers. It is straight set dancing music, the tunes handed down to us over
generations of house dances and sessions. So let's dance! Walkin' T:-)M
The Irish World Newspaper16.1.04
THE BAREFIELD Ceili Band is a group of young musicians from an area just north
of Ennis in County Clare called Cort loman or Barefield, named so because
of it's bleak fields. The musicians involved in the band have all won several
All-Ireland titles and have travelled all over the world from Galway to San
Francisco and even played at the renowned Milwaukee Irish Festival.
This is their 3rd album in fairly quick succession after lolar and Flowers of the Burren. This was treated more like a live album however, which you can hear on the recording. One of the ways in which they achieved this was by having a group of dancers performing while the band were recording the album, thus invigorating the band.
On this album the tracks are arranged into the two most popular sets in County Clare with tracks 1-6 being the Caledonian Set and tracks 7-12 being the Plain set.
This is a vibrant
traditional music album that would be perfect for any ceili. There is energy
and skilful playing that sounds well beyond the band's collective
ages. Inspiringly, this successful band will carry on spreading County Clare's
excellence in traditional music and keep many a crowd dancing. Tara McWeeney
The Irish Post
10.1.04
THIS is the Barefield Ceili Band's third CD, and it would be fair to say, if
this is the sort of thing which turns your crank, butters your muffin or rosins
you bow, then waste no further time reading this: get the boots on and head
for town.
That the 20-piece Barefield Ceili Band are accomplished musicians you can take as read — but then again they've had a head start in musical life. First of all they come from Clare, surely the most intensely musical 1,000 square miles or so in Europe.
On top of that they have the redoubtable fiddler Dennis Liddy, as teacher — so you can begin to see why this collection of two pipers, five flute players, five fiddlers, two accordionists, one banjo, one Joanna, are soon going to be household names.
Now I know that ceili bands aren't everybody's cup of tea, but they are the very backbone of our music. If all of the rest of the Irish music hadn't evolved — if the Chieftains, Planxty, the Dubliners, Horslips had remained minor acts instead of international superstars, it wouldn't have affected ceili bands one whit — the likes of the Barefields would still be dotting their crotchets in jigs such as The Wandering Minstrel, stuttering their triplets in towering reels like Jackie Coleman’s, or resting their quavers in hornpipes such as The Stack of Wheat.
And in the process, producing the purest music this side of the Pearly Gates.If you don't believe me, let me know —
and you'll get a threatening letter by return of post. Malcolm Rogers.
Taplas
Dec/Jan 2004 Welsh Music Folk Magazine Adolygiadau • Reviews
The Barefield Ceili Band are former pupils of teacher and fiddler Dennis Liddy
and this is their third CD. Barefield is close to Ennis and, this being Clare,
the band includes four concertina players, as well as two pipers, five flute
players, five fiddlers, two accordions, as well as banjo and the obligatory
piano and drums. Although you won't recognize the names of individual performers,
it won't be long before you do.
Pay
The Reckoning Web Site Oct 2003
The combination of dancers and musicians is a feature of the Barefield Ceili
Band's "Between The Sets" and the energy and passion which feed back between
the band and the people on the floor is practically tangible.
The Barefield Ceili Band - of which Liddy is the musical director - are All-Ireland Champions (2002). This album demonstrates why. All too often ceili bands can - despite their own best efforts - sound just that wee bit cacophonous. The demands of playing in the ceili band setting are too much for many players; the temptation to individualise, to play ahead of, around or in front of the rhythm becomes too much.
But each of the musicians in the Barefield is disciplined and maintains the degree of tightness necessary to ensure that the sound remains coherent throughout.
There are some classic sets on the album, as you'd expect. Pure timeless combinations - "Merry Blacksmith/The Limestone Rock", "Limerick Lassies/Craig's Pipes", "The Stack Of Wheat/The Derry Hornpipe", "Jackie Coleman's/The Hare's Paw", to select just a few. All delivered with great vigour and zip and all - as you can hear - with the ability to stir the feet into action!
It's interesting
to compare "Between The Sets" with the Barefield's earlier outing "Flowers Of
The Burren". Yet this band is developing at such a rapid pace that the follow-up
of only one year later sees the band grow in confidence and poise; solid, steady,
skilful players one and all. www.paythereckoning.com