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Eilis Kennedy – Time to Sail
Press Reviews
Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2 presenter 18.9.02
I think this is one of my albums of the year so far, because it’s got some of the finest versions I’ve ever heard of Crazy Man Michael, Lord Franklin and the Nic Jones song, Canadeeio. I want to play now what I think bar Sandy Denny’s version of Who Know Where The Time Goes. I think this is 100% gold.
BBC Radio 2 Folk Web Site
Kerry-born Éilís (say Aylish) Kennedy comes of an Irish family where both music and the Gaelic language were part of everyday life, a happy fact reflected in this debut album. Time To Sail was recorded in her home town of Dingle and features, apart from her own pure, natural voice, a ton of top Irish artists including Máire Breathnach (fiddle, viola), William Coulter (guitar), Virginia McKee (clarinet), Bruce Abraham (slide guitar) and Séamus Begley (vocal).
Subtle and lush arrangements woven around traditional songs in two languages are the order of the day. Most of the ten tracks have been round the block many a time but Kennedy reworks them with a freshness that belies any qualms of pastiche. The Factory Girl, bouncing along on Gregg Sheehan’s funky percussion, dives into two slide guitar and kalimba-drenched barn dances; gorgeous layers of cello and clarinet drive away any echoes of Sandy Denny in Crazy Man Michael and Who Knows Where The Time Goes; Black is the Colour’s characterful phrasing and spooky slide guitar/woodwind soundscape prevents it neatly from stepping on Cara Dillon’s justly acclaimed version. Of the less familiar material, two Gaelic songs in particular tug the heartstrings – Amhrán na Leabhar (The Song Of Books), an 18th century poet’s lament for the loss of a boatload of beloved books to the sea and a song of loves’ tribulations, Tá Mé ‘mo Shuí.
Whatever it is, that indefinable quality that raises one singer above the many in these days of talent glut, Éilís has it. A great debut from a major new talent, Time To Sail is making big waves on both sides of the pond. Let’s hope some UK gigs are in the offing – I hear she’s really stunning live. Mel McClellan – November 2002
Live Ireland Web Site Nov 02
What a discovery Eilis Kennedy is! We have been stunned by her debut album, Time To Sail.
Eilis lives in Dingle, Co. Kerry and runs a music bar with her husband John. Also a high school teacher, Eilis is currently on a career break. We are the lucky ones.
This album showcases a major new voice in Irish traditional music. Some of the country’s best musicians have gathered around to appear on this album. The guest list includes the likes of Maire Breathnach, William Coulter, Seamus Begley, and Bruce Abraham on a great slide guitar.
There are more. Here’s the point. This woman can sing. Really sing! A lot of the female voices currently heard in Irish music are very similar, and they must be listened to closely to hear any difference. The great ones–Triona and Maighread ni Dhomnaill, Cathie Ryan, Maranna Mc Closkey and Fionola o’ Sciochru can be identified by voice in a storm! Different. Clear. Strong.
And, now, we add Eilis Kennedy to that very special list. This is a wonderfully produced album, with a really striking cover. Lovely. Also on offer here is the definitive version of “Franklin”, the song about the 19th century explorer, Lord John Franklin, lost in a polar expedition in 1845. We heard Altan and others do this, but Eilis’ version stopped us dead in our tracks.
A gob- smacking stunner. Great other tunes–uptempo, ballads, airs, a really lovely mix. Get your mitts on this one! and be prepared to listen and fall in love.
This is an incredible new talent on the international scene following recent tours with William Coulter. WOW! Bill Margeson
Pay The Reckoning Web Site Review
A major new talent emerges!
Kennedy’s debut is a thoughtful, intelligent and well-balanced collection of songs (and the odd tune), delivered by a singer whose control, phrasing and ability to communicate are a delight and whose backing musicians provide tasteful and sympathetic arrangements which complement her approach perfectly.
Kennedy evidently has an affection for the material which emanated from the folk revival in England in the 60s and 70s, as four of the tracks on offer attest. Her version of Sandy Denny’s often-covered “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” in our opinion manages to surpass the fragile beauty of the original. Her rendition of “Crazy Man Michael”, another song which will be forever associated with Denny from her performance on Fairport Convention’s “Liege and Lief”, is yet another case in point.
However Denny is not the only troubadour of that era to inspire Kennedy. She manages to knock us for six with a poignant reading of the classic “Canadeeio” (which puts the versions by both Nic Jones and Bob Dylan in the shade). And still she finds time to resurrect, dust down and polish to a high lustre “Lord Franklin” – a song which John Renbourn and Jacqui McShee placed their stamp on many years ago.
Elsewhere you’ll find yourself tapping your foot along to the sparse (but dramatic!) “Factory Girls” – a nod to the song tradition “across the pond”. And you’ll be captivated by the Australian song “Andy’s Gone”.
Her version of “Black Is The Colour” invites comparisons to the recent revival of the song by Cara Dillon. The critics went wild over Dillon’s rendition on its release. However they hadn’t heard Kennedy at that stage and we respectfully suggest that anyone who rates highly Dillon’s reading of the song ought to give Kennedy a listen. Perhaps they’ll agree with us that Kennedy’s version is a much more characterful rendition.
Three songs in Irish complete the set. “Nead na Lachan” is a jaunty jig which serves as a great introduction to the album. “Amhran na Leabhar” and “Ta Me ‘Mo Shui” on the other hand are much more complex and moving numbers which show off Kennedy’s voice to great effect.
A mighty album, then! One which will find its way to your CD player time after time and whose nuances and subtleties will become more revealed on each playing.
Net Rhythms Web Site
I know next to nothing about Éilís, aside from the facts that she hails from Dingle in County Kerry and that Time To Sail is, astonishingly, her début album. It is a very fine collection, mixing traditional and contemporary material in a thoroughly engaging manner and with an equal affinity for either category of song.
Admittedly, the track-list contains some over-familiar titles — Lord Franklin, Black Is The Colour, Canadee-I-O and two associated with Sandy Denny (Who Knows Where The Time Goes?, Crazy Man Michael) — but it’s to Éilís’s credit that her versions of the vast majority of these turn out to be among the finest available (notwithstanding my personal hobby-horse about some spurious words in CMM); and I’d even rate Éilís’s version of Black Is The Colour (which closes the album in fine style) above Cara Dillon’s then-matchless reading of only a year or so ago.
Éilís is an exciting singer, who is clearly inspired by the texts she sings. She has a real flair for communicating expressively but not over-ornately, and possesses an enviable control of phrasing and dynamics. Her degree of accomplishment is uniformly impressive, on slower and faster material alike — her lightness and vocal control on the jig-paced opener Nead Na Lachan and the energetic Factory Girls contrasts well with the emotional impact of the Henry Lawson setting Andy’s GoneA-Droving, forinstance.
All of which makes it all the more surprising that her name was not previously known to me. She manages to be both moving and tasteful in her interpretations, and to this end she is aided considerably by her choice of supporting tone colours and accompanying musicians, which includes Máire Breathnach (fiddle), Virginia McKee (clarinet), William Coulter (guitar), Barry Phillips (cello) and Bruce Abraham (slide guitar).
This is a superb album, with a well-defined character and a stamp of real lasting quality, and a credit to all concerned. David Kidman
Folk Roots Magazine
Eilis Kennedy from Dingle Co Kerry is a quietly growing presence on Irish singing circles. Her debut album Time To Sail unveils a massively underrated vocal talent with a quiet mastery of her craft. Her voice is a thing of gentle sublime beauty, the like for which mothers would be sold and kings ransoms exchanged.. Her sweet, clear, and flowing tones make short work of demanding songs in both English and Gaelic. The material chosen includes some demanding songs from traditional epics Amhrán Na Leabhair and Ta Mé Mo Shuí, Canadee I O and Lord Franklin both hallowed pages from the Nic Jones and Martin Carthy songbook and Sandy Dennys seminal Who Knows where The Time Goes. While some of these approach standard status , Eilis not only handles these songs with care but also infuses them with a fresh buoyancy and relevance. . Two classic examples are Who Knows Where The Time Goes, a hard choice baring in mind the mighty shots Sandy, Judy Collins and Mary Black have had at this simple yet sublime allegory to Trevor Lucas. With William Coulters steel string guitar and Barry Phillips mournful cello, Eilis supple voice exhibits a steely yet reserved emotional strength. Likewise, Ta Mé Mo Shuí is equally minimalist in approach with her vocal performance shining in the quiet majesty of comfortable songs and arrangement. Its not all heavy weather though as Nead Na Lachain skips merrily along on waves of enthusiasm and a feisty percussive treatment of The Factory Girl mixes afro-American idioms with Irish vocal nous. Exhibiting a sense of restraint and care she brings a freshness to her performances suggesting comparisons with Kate Rusby, Bill Jones or closer to home Mary Black or Cara Dillon. Time To Sail is a work of gentle yet firm vocal majesty and adroit choice of material a sweetly beguiling affair the like of which falling in love with is not only just possible but inevitable.
The Irish Times December 2001
Without a lick of paint or a blast of fanfare, Eilis Kennedy ( one time member of the Melting Pot from Baile na nGall) has released a spectacular solo debut. Kennedy, a singer whose vocals need neither searchlight nor scaffolding to bore holes into the soul, belongs to a select company of singers (alongside Karan Casey and Virginia Rodriguez) possessd of the finesse of a seamstress and the precision of a neurosurgeon. Tá Mé ‘Mo Shuí straddles the folk/trad divide effortlessly, Kennedy’s guileless vocals hammocked by Barry Phillips’ perfectly-judged cello. Her re-working of The Factory Girl , funkily imbued with a new-found hip-swivelling optimism, gels startlingly with a pair of barndances that lift and seperate the sentiment and rhythms as though they were genetically engineered for one another. A magnificent collection. “. Siobhán Long, The Irish Times
Irish Music Magazine
Every once in a while, an album comes along which heralds a potentially, major yet underrated vocal talent. My first exposition to Eilis Kennedy and her debut album Time To Sail was through hearing Nead na Lachan sail through the radio waves, her clear sparkling voice and a clever arrangement made me want to checked out this Dingle based native. Now having listened to Time To Sail several times, my thoughts are unchanged Eilis Kennedy is an untapped major vocal talent waiting for the moment to shine. Why? For starters, she has a soft yet lyrical voice, which clearly sails through the albums ten, tracks and is equally at home with traditional and contemporary material. Some of the latter chosen is quite daunting including Sandy Dennys classic Who Knows where the Time Goes, Fairport Conventions Crazy Man Michael and Nic Jones s Canadee -i-o.
In the case of Who Knows where the Time Goes where lesser hands would have made a histrionic meal, Eilis interprets Sandy Dennys wistful allegory to her then lover Trevor Lucas with a quietly impressive authority and Canadee -i-o emerges as a fresh delightful performance. Where Eilis Kennedy scores is in the subtle arrangements framing her sparkling vocal chords and a tasteful choice in material. Time To Sails success is due to taste on all fronts- a gorgeous record no more no less.
Hot Press
Currently on furlough from a teaching career, this fine singer has taken her time in releasing her debut album. It has been quite a while in the planning, but is well worth the wait. An engaging mix of the traditional and comtemporary, it showcases to strong effect a warm voice and also a talent for picking damn good songs. The opening track Nead Na Lachan sets the tone; bouncy and full of movement, it demonstrates an easy relationship to rhythm. The real test of an album such as this
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Fraser Fifield – Honest Water
- Dark Reel
- Softly Spoken
- Misnomer’s
- Lament
- Marjan’s
- Velvet Jig
- S — J’s Polka
- Horo
- Piece of Mind
- Psalm
- Honest Water
- Alone At Last
– all compositions by Fraser Fifield Low whistles, soprano and alto saxophones, small pipes, border pipes, highland pipes, keyboards, acoustic guitar, clarinet and various percussion instruments including, cajon, djembe, congas and bodhran. with Graeme Stephen, electric guitar on tracks 3, 8, 11 and Malcolm Stitt, (The Boys of the Lough) acoustic guitar on track 6.
Honest Water by Fraser Fifield Tanar Records TANCD001
Release Date 27.1.03 – Bar Code 5031200207024 For the past 5 years Copperplate has championed the niche market of Irish traditional music on CD. Last year we strayed into the singer songwriter genre, driven by the high quality of the releases by Tony Reidy, Kate Purcell and Eilis Kennedy. Now in 2003 we are delighted to announce our first release of this year sees us boldly go into Scottish fusion music with this wonderful new release, which heralds the arrival of a major young talent on the scene. The ground breaking Scottish band, Wolfstone, quickly spotted his talents, and he was off on the road, touring Europe and the US. After Wolfstone, Fraser began playing with the North East band, Old Blind Dogs, with whom he recorded the CD, ‘Five’ and spent the next two years touring Europe and the USA. His next musical adventure was with Salsa Celtica, an 11-piece band based in Edinburgh, who fuse Latin rhythms with Scottish instrumentation. Commissioned in 99 by Celtic Connections Festival he composed a suite for saxophone quintet, which reflected the different European folk traditions entitled, ‘Traditions’. Fraser is a highly sought after composer/ arranger/ musician in the radio and TV soundtracks market which along with many session dates keep Fraser busy and in the forefront of music today. We at Copperplate are delighted to have this title on our roster and will be supporting this release with a full-scale promotional campaign to media and retail.
Press Reviews
MOJO Magazine April 2003
“Essential Folk”. Unpredictable, nay even eccentric, sounds from the Salsa Celtica, and ex Blind Dog’s piper, whistle player and saxman. Occasionally meanders into the land of noodles, and the dreaded word, ambient sometimes rears it’s ugly head, but mostly this is a distinctive brand of jazz flavoured Celtic music with a real sense of purpose. At it’s best it’s exhilarating. Colin Irwin. 3 stars
Pete Fyfe’s Review
Straight in with the groove – and what a groove! This is a nicely paced (not too fast) tune titled ‘Dark Reel’ that will hypnotically draw the listener in with its combination of layered sounds. Fraser (for the uninitiated) was the multi-instrumental whiz kid from Scotland’s Old Blind Dogs. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of various pipes including small, border and highland he knows how to utilise them all without indulging himself adding saxophones, keyboards, clarinet, acoustic guitar and even percussion to the musical melting pot. I suppose in a way we’re moving into territory already broken by the likes of Moving Hearts, Nightnoise and more recently Capercaillie and as far as I’m concerned I can’t get enough of it. OK, so maybe I am into what many would say is ‘elevator’ music and if that is the case this one’s surely headed for Heaven but (and I know I’m not in the minority here) that would be seen as detrimental to the artist. You can’t put a label to this kind of music and maybe that’s where Fraser might find it a little daunting as regards his marketing. It’s just that as an ‘art form’ no one seems to know where to pigeonhole this style of music. Crossing several barriers including Jazz, Funk and Folk you can’t quite put your finger on it. Let’s just leave it that this is ultimately a recording of beauty that deserves a far wider audience than it will attain in the ‘folk’ market place. Considering there’s not a traditional track in sight, Fraser is a fine tunesmith and I for one hope he succeeds in achieving his own goals as a musician and if there were any festival organisers out there reading this review this music would be great for a late night session. Go on – take a chance and buy this recording. Pete Fyfe
The Herald:
“The saxophonist, whistle player and piper with Salsa Celtica and formerly of Old Blind Dogs steps out on his own and reveals himself as, for the most part, a one-man band. And it’s some band. Multi-tracking saxophone sections and choruses of whistles as well as keyboards, percussion, various bagpipes, and clarinet alongside tremendously creative solo playing, Fifield comes over as Ormiston’s contemporary answer to Storm-era Moving Hearts and dispels any fears of technological suffocation or overkill. Composed, constructed, and played with skill and ranging from Lament’s deeply felt Highland longing to Horo’s East European gambolling with African hi-life guitar (courtesy of Graeme Stephen), this is music with heart, emotion, and tunes that the “repeat play” button was designed for”.
Scotland on Sunday :
“There are pipes of all sizes and a kitchen sink full of percussion on this solo instrumental CD. Fifield also handles keyboard and acoustic guitar, but if even if the album is home-made (in his own studio) it’s leagues ahead of most Scots pro studio recordings. The quality of the playing, wide musical references, and the intensity of focus make it much more Garbarek than Gaberlunzie”.
The Scotsman :
“Fraser Fifield’s debut album confirms that he is one the most exciting talents to emerge in Scottish Folk in recent times, as well as one the most eclectic. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing pipes, saxophones, clarinet, whistles, keyboards, guitar, and ethnic percussion instruments on this almost-solo album (Graeme Stephen or Malcolm Stitt contribute additional guitar on four tracks). His ingenious fusion of Celtic, ethnic, jazz and other idioms is contemporary rather than traditional in feel, and includes a couple of excerpts from his “new voices” commission for Celtic Connections in 2001″.
Inverness Courier :
“Multi-talented Fifield covers most of the musical families on this self-produced album; pipes, keyboards, saxophones, clarinet, whistles and guitar along with various examples of European and African percussion. Fifield has more of an acoustic bent than the likes of Martin Bennet, but his diverse influences and writing skills provide a broad canvas. A touch of jazz here, pibroch and the precenting tradition of the Highland kirk there, and the Balkan sounds of ‘Horo’ all demonstrate the extant of his musical palette, making him sound like a one-man Moving Hearts”
The Sunday Herald :
“To call Fraser Fifield a multi-instrumentalist risks giving altogether too modest an impression. On his debut solo recording the 26-year-old — formerly of Old Blind Dogs, currently with Salsa Celtica — juggles more than a dozen different instruments including three varieties of bagpipes, soprano and alto saxes, whistles, guitar, clarinet, keyboards and an array of percussion implements, with just four tracks featuring guest accompaniment on guitar. This bedroom-produced, one-man-band methodology recalls Martyn Bennett’s first two albums. Its ambition is matched by Fifield’s choice of self-penned material. Honest Water’s adventurous, sophisticated fusion of traditional and contemporary idioms from Scotland and eastern Europe mixes well with religious, jazz, ambient and dance music influences. Its organic, unregimented feel, belying the level of technological wizardry involved, is similar to Bennett’s. Pipes, whistles and sax are Fifield’s main tools, the sax supplying a distinctive element in the mix, alternately in contrast and luminous harmony with the rest of the melody frontline. Repeated spins are required to appreciate the intricacies of these 12 soundscapes, some of which need a clearer sense of direction or overall structure. At its best, however, as in the opening, Arabic-tinged Dark Reel , the effervescent Horo and the brilliantly kaleidoscopic title tune, the album resoundingly endorses his fast- growing reputation as a brilliantly skilled and excitingly original talent. ”
The Herald :
(‘Traditions’, for saxophone quintet, commissioned by Celtic Connections Festival) “conceived in five parts, ‘Traditions’ described a journey through the Celtic lands of Galicia, Asturia, Brittany and into the tricky time signatures of Bulgarian dance before capturing the gospelly righteousness of Gaelic psalm singing. With the former Old Blind Dog and current Salsa Celtica player’s curved soprano set against and interacting with two tenor, a baritone, and alto saxophones, it featured some brilliantly observed writing, striking effective chords and drones, and a liveness of execution by all five players that brought to mind New York’s 29th Street Saxophone Quartet gone native. The Scandinavian finale, with its drones, foot stamps, and Fifield’s ducking, diving and dancing lines, brought to a hugely satisfying conclusion a commission from a writer whose onstage reticence hides an astute compositional sense and the ability to transfer private musical thoughts into a multicultural blast for the listener”.
The Scotsman
“a unique talent”
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Garry Walsh – Uncovered
Press Reviews
Folk World Web Site
Of Cork and Louth parentage, fluter Garry Walsh learnt his music from the Irish exiles around Manchester. He’s now returned to Ireland with a store of tunes which have been forgotten by the auld sod. Names such as Narrow West Street and Under the Tholsel refer to Drogheda landmarks, while Back to Skibbereen and Around Lough Ine are from the other end of the country. All the material here is played in a fine style which manages to be both fluid and rhythmic.
Among the jigs and reels, Garry has slid in a couple of hornpipes and an enchanting slow air. There are also three Walsh family compositions here. Garry’s grandfather wrote Eileen Fahy’s Reel, a lovely flowing tune. Garry himself wrote The Travelling Lamp, and his daughter wrote Ciara’s Reel. There are so many new tunes here that it’s hard to absorb them all, but my current favourites are Casey’s Jig, deep and meaningful on the Bb flute, and Robbie’s Welcome on the high whistle.
Garry’s flutes and whistles are joined by Dave Hennessy on button box, Clare Fitzpatrick on fiddle, Johnny Neville on guitars, Colm Murphy on bodhrán, and Ilsa De Ziah on cello. The overall sound is rich and varied, complementing the powerful earthy tones and high floating sweetness from Garry. Uncovered may be a little short on quantity, but its quality is never in doubt. An excellent debut, with more to come I’d say.
Alex Monaghan
TAPLAS, The Welsh Folk Magazine Aug / Sept.05 Adolygiadau / Reviews.
THIS interesting, if rather brief, album of tunes from Co. Cork and Co. Louth is well worth a listen. The unfamiliar material is the main source of interest as, excepting three (one by Walsh’s maternal grandfather, one by himself and one by his daughter), all the tunes are traditional and have been handed down from both sides of his family, seemingly preserved because of the family’s emigration to Manchester, as they appear not to have survived in their region of origin! They certainly deserve to survive and Walsh’s persuasive renditions of them will assure this.
Brought up in Manchester, but now living in Cork, Walsh is a fine player of flutes and whistles. His playing is assertive, without being strident or flashy, and his approach is well-judged; brisk and rhythmic enough for drive and excitement. But it’s unhurried and retains a sense of leisure and pleasure in the melodies, particularly in the jigs.
He is ably, and tastefully, supported by Clare Fitzpatrick on fiddle and Dave Hennessy on melodeon and restrained use of bodhran and cello, in addition to solid guitar backing from John Neville.
My sole reservation about this album is its short duration. Otherwise, highly recommended. Jem Hammond
www.netrhythms.com.07.05
Perhaps the biggest clue to the principal intended selling-point of this release lies in its title – the uncovering of a number of tunes which have either never been recorded before or are rare or almost forgotten (many previously existing only within the confines of Garry’s own family). The “old music from Counties Cork and Louth”, learnt from Garry’s parents over the years, indeed. The only exceptions to this are three individual tunes composed by family members, including one by Garry himself. But then again, Garry himself is only just being “uncovered” – ie discovered – as a musician, for this is his debut release.
Manchester-born but with strong family roots in Counties Louth and Cork, Garry plays flute – and superbly too. But as well as the D flute, he also plays the B-flat and E-flat instruments which are less often heard in the tune repertoire. His playing style is at once fluid and highly rhythmic, and sometimes possesses a wonderful quality of lonesomeness in tone that is often remarked as associated with parts of Counties Clare and Galway.
Garry’s excellent playing is complemented on this release by some equally excellent musicianship courtesy of Clare Fitzpatrick (fiddle), Dave Hennessy (melodeon), former De Dannan-ite Colm Murphy (bodhrán) and Johnny Neville (guitar). These extra musicians are used variously and sparingly, and each track has a different instrumental complement, making for a stimulating variety of texture and atmosphere.
Highlights for me were the set of reels (track 8) which team Garry’s D-whistle with Colm’s bodhrán, the hornpipes (track 7) on which Garry’s accompanied by Clare and Dave, and the sets on which Garry plays the B-flat flute (notably the jigs on track 11), where the eerie deep quality of the flute itself is given a beautifully mellow counterpoint by Ilsa De Ziah’s guest cello contribution.
The final set brings the whole ensemble together on stage for a relaxed pair of reels. It’s great to be able to hear so many new tunes on an album for a change. My only criticism of this fine CD is its criminally short playing time (37 minutes); why oh why?
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Gerry Diver – Diversions
Press Reviews
Live Ireland Web Site
THIS is a young fiddler!!! Wow! Joined by a myriad of guest stars, this Manchester-based fiddler is overwhelming! All the energy, all the drive, all the talent!!
This may well be our favourite album out of all these, and he is a serious contender for Newcomer Of The Year, or Musician of the Year! Now, go find this album. Get on it, and you will be rewarded.
All the influences, Mc Goldrick, Carty, Mairin Fahy, this boy has done his homework, practiced and practiced and come up with his own deal! We are blown away. (God help us, he also plays a great banjo and a passable bass!!) Lots of diversity. Let’s repeat. Wow!! Bill Margeson
Net Rhythms Music Web Site
Donegal-born, Manchester-based fiddle player Gerry presents a very eclectic mix of tunes indeed on this his debut album.
Opening with a stirring set of reels, followed by a Grappelli-style Hooley (mm, that tasty jazzy shuffle!), a fairly laid-back version of Bonnie At Morn (with vocal by Lisa Knapp, who also sings The Blacksmith later on), then a set of Roumanian Hora. Get the picture?
Sure, Gerry excels himself instrumentally as you’d expect (principally on fiddle, but with occasional excursions onto banjo, guitar or bouzouki), always the musical virtuoso but without being over-flashy, and sometimes he’s multi-tracked.
Variously, he enjoys instrumental support from Ed Boyd, Tim Edey, Ollie Blanchflower, Gino Lupari, James O’Grady and Richard Pryce (to name but a few), and there’s even a Pete Townsend credited on double bass on one track!
Taken individually, each track is a gem; Gerry has the knack of pulling together disparate musical strands into a seamless whole, at any rate within the compass of each of the individual tracks; the drawback is that in the final analysis I can’t help feeling that the very Diver-sity of styles and material weakens rather than strengthens the album’s overall identity – but you may well disagree. David Kidman
Froots October 2003.
Belfast fiddler Gerry Diver’s debut album lives up to it’s name, with everything from Jazz, Western swing and homegrown traditions. While his approach is cheeky and competent, it struggles as times to make a definitive personal statement.
However, its victories outnumber its defeats; potentially a major border crosser in embryonic form.
Hot Press. Sept 2003
This is a grand jolly debut CD. No slouch on the fiddle and banjo, Donegal’s Diver also plays guitar, bazouki, bodhran, bass, shaker and is a dab hand at writing new tunes, several of which feature on the album notably, Hot Summer Hooley, a bouncy tribute to the swing jazz style of Stephane Grappelli. A pair of Rumanian horas and two Peter Ostroushko tracks add an international element to the mix and Lisa Knapp sings a Northumbrian lullaby called Bonnie at Morn as well as an interesting waltz tempo version of the classic The Blacksmith. Sarah McQuaid
Pay The Reckoning. Music Web Site September 2003
Diver (fiddle, banjo, guitar, percussion, bass) is a major talent. No two ways about it. You don’t even need to listen to the album to know that he’s in the first division. Simply check out the list of people who’ve gone out of their way to guest with Manchester’s maestro. Lisa Knapp (vocals, fiddle), Tim Edey (guitar, accordion), Lucy Randall (bodhran, bones), Gino Lupari (bodhran, bones), Ed Boyd (guitar, bouzouki), Ollie Blanchflower (double bass), Jo May (djembe), James O’Grady (pipes), Ben Clark (drums), Edel Sullivan (fiddle), Pete Townsend (bass), Johnny Hennessy-Brown (cello), Les Hill (pedal steel) and Richard Pryce (double bass) contribute their various and varied talents to a smorgasbord of an album.
Diver’s tastes are diverse. Eastern European influences feature at various points on the album, as does a Western Swing/country jazz aesthetic on the epic “Hot Summer Hooley”.
However Irish traditional tunes form the album’s bedrock. Some quality sets here, grounded in the “pure drop” approach, but accommodating more than a little experimentation. “Ferny Hill/Rakish Paddy/Christmas Eve” is a real corker and leads into the compelling “The Orthodox Priest/Charlie Lennon’s/The Sailor’s Bonnet”.
“Henry’s Jig/Calliope House/The Munster Buttermilk” gets our vote for the highlight of the album. The first jig was composed by Diver himself as a tribute to his dad. The closing jig is the first tune he ever learned. There’s a very real sense of the forces that drive Diver in this set; that, despite his love of exotic musical forms from other places, his roots are very much in the Irish tradition. A modern classic. Utterly contemporary and yet solidly traditional.
Folking.com Music Web Site
Gerry Diver brings to mind a young Kevin Burke from the opening track ‘The Shepherd’s Bush Reel/Goldhawk Road/
The Procrastination Reel’ and it’s bound to set the listener in mind of The Bothy Band on heat (!) with its driving rhythm
and soaring fiddle.
The only problem I have with it is that all of the musicians seem to have a problem in keeping up and unfortunately nobody seems to have a chance to draw breath such is the unrelenting speed. There are quite a few clipped notes in order to attain
the speed which is a shame really as Gerry is without doubt a fine musician.
The second track, a more evenly paced Grappelli style jazz infused number called ‘The Hot Summer Hooley’ really swings
and collaborator Tim Edey’s “Django” guitar is the ideal compliment but why, oh why the inclusion of the pedal steel guitar – more than a bit jarring for my tastes I’m afraid.
No, I must admit that although I know the album is supposed to focus on the instrumental talents of Gerry it is on the songs
that I am most impressed. The simplistic approach taken on bouzouki backing the delicate (but delicious) vocals of Lisa Knapp is a real coup.
‘Bonny At Morn’ has long been a favourite of mine and Lisa gives it depth without making it insipid. It has to be said that when he’s not going for gold in the speed stakes this talented multi-instrumentalist proves his worth either leading the field or accompanying.
For me, Gerry has a lot of potential but it appears at the moment it’s a case of trying a bit too hard although hopefully by
that all important second album he’ll achieve his ultimate goal. Pete Fyfe
The Irish Post 19.7.03
You’re unlikely ever to find yourself thinking: now, what I’d really like to listen to is some Irish traditional music mixed in with a bit of Stefan Grappelli/ Northumbrian/ Rumanian/ English/ Ukraine music. But should that mood ever descend upon you, I have the very album.
Diversions contains all the above — plus a few self penned numbers as well.
Of these, The Shepherd’s Bush Reel and The Procrastination Reel put me in mind of the old joke: How do you tell one Irish tune from another? Answer: by their names.
The thing is there’s about 6,000 pieces in the Irish national store of traditional music stretching back these last 300 years or so.
Now we’re talking here about a very precious music, the best in the world as far as I’m concerned, and I seldom listen to anything else.
But one would have to say that being a fairly rudimentary music, as all folk music is, 6.000 pieces is really all we need.
Everything you can do with the ‘ould music’ has more or less been done — and there’s nothing about any of the self-penned music on this CD to persuade me otherwise.
Let me say here and now: there’s some absolutely terrific musicians on this album, not the least Gerry Diver on fiddle himself.
There’s some exceptional accordion playing from Tim Edey, and of course, you can’t really improve on Gino Lupari on the bodhran.
But by the end of the album you feel with all that musical firepower as his disposal, Gerry might have been better visiting just one or two places in the world and confining his musical style accordingly. Malcolm Rogers
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Gerry O’Connor – No Place like Home
Press Reviews
On this aptly titled “No Place Like Home.” his third solo album (“Time to Time” in 1991 was his first, and “Myriad” in 1998 was his second).
Gerry honours the music of his home county on successive tracks, The first is “Thomond Bridge/The Cuckoo’s First Call,” with the latter tune coming from the great Newtown fiddler-composer Sean Ryan.
The second is a medley of reels, “Iniscealtra/Town Teine/Ormond Sound,” all written by Paddy O’Brien. In addition. Gerry pays homage to his father’s native county by performing “Trip to Killarney” and “Tom Billy’s.” named after the blind Sliabh Luachra fiddler Tom Billy Murphy.
Those tunes and others such as “The Bag of Spuds/The Copper Plate.” two peels he learned in sessions at the Barge Inn in Garrykennedy. peppesent both musical milestones and biogpaphical touchstones for Gerry. They summon up memories of places and people that shaped his approach to the music heard here. “I tried to
play within myself and focus on tempo.” he explained. “I hope listeners will discover more atmosphere than technique on this album.”
Even in full service to that atmosphere. his technique is formidable
especially on four-string banjo, which he plays with unsurpassed brilliance. Gerry took informal banjo lessons from Limerick’s Larry Ryan who used the same tuning he did C-G-D-A. He also absorbed some of the style and music, including “Colonel Fraser” off Clare tenor banjoist Kieran Hanrahan. Another early influence on Gerry’s banjo playing came courtesy of American television: the soundtrack to “The Beverly Hillbillies” series broadcast in Ireland during the
1970s. “That music really captivated me.” he said, citing Earl Scruggs’s “zippy, high, cross-picking” prowess on five-string banjo.
Some of that American bluegrass flavor certainly seeps into Gerry’s tenor banjo picking on “Billy in the Lowground/The Temperance Reel.”
He learned me first tune off the Kentucky Colonels’ classic bluegrass album of 1964. “Appalachian Swing.” featuring the innovative guitar playing of Clarence White, while the second tune. a bluegrass and old-timey standard, is better known in the Irish music tradition as “The Teetotaler.”
Over the years the skill and soulfulness of Gerry’s playing have distinguished several bands: Tipsy Sailor, Wild Geese, Arcady, and Four Men and a Dog (1993-present). He’s also worked with the Waterboys. Luka Bloom, Chris Rea, Bonnie Tyler, Moya Brennan, and THE Band’s Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson.
This superb solo album, which includes a beautiful banjo solo on the lullaby-like “Ruby’s Birthday.” one of three melodies he wrote, will only add luster to Gerry O’Connor’s growing global reputation. It proves there’s no place like home-and no talent quite like his. Earle Hitchner, The Wall Street Journal & Irish Echo
The Stillwater Times Reviews Star Rating: ****
This is another traditional Folk album from Ireland that once again showcases the depth of talent that exists in the Emerald Isle. Gerry O’Connor is a master craftsman when it comes to playing the banjo, his music is highly infectious and with the assistance of Brendan O’Regan, Tommy Hayes & Damien Evans, “No Place like Home” has fast become an instant classic of the genre
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Goitse – Tall Tales and Misadventures
“Holy smokes!!! – I thought the whole bunch of us was going to jump out of our seats when Goitse played our Showcase at the World Music Centre at the University of Limerick. Surely, we’ll see you in the U.S. and in Milwaukee.’ – Ed Ward, Executive Director and Founder of Milwaukee Irish Festival
‘Goitse are band that were conceived and developed here at the University of Limerick over the four years. The band has developed in that time into one of the more individual and exception voices in folk and traditional music.?Individually the members of the ensemble are leaders in their field. Áine Mc Geeney is one of the leading young traditional fiddlers in a northern style whose vocals is a marriage of contemporary and traditional technique. Colm Phelan is one of Ireland’s leading young percussionists, and an exceptional bodhran player, providing new dimensions to the voice instrument. Conal O’Kane brings new complexity to guitar accompaniment through his adoption of contemporary themes and styling. James Harvey is simply the best young tenor banjo player about at the moment and Tadhg O Meachair is one of the busiest and individual musicians in Europe today.?Goitse produce a new sound, and are leading exponents in their field individually. They have managed to help reinvigorate a tradition looking for new directions in ensemble and contribute to this practice in a unique and startling way.?I recommend Goitse whole-heartedly.”? – Niall Keegan, Course Director, ? BA Irish Music and Dance
“Goitse impressed me with their tangential take on the tradition, yes they can play it straight but they have the musical imagination and the dexterity in their fingertips to move, groove and syncopate with the best of them.?Alumni of the University of Limerick’s prestigious Irish World Music Academy they are glowing examples of the potential-energy we all know is locked inside traditional music.?The difference with Goitse? Bravery. They have the spark to make it (trad) explode.”? – Sean Laffey, Editor Irish Music Magazine
‘Grab hold of them while you can!”? – Michael O Suilleabhain, Head Of World Academy of Irish Traditional Music and Dance, UL.
www.liveireland.com 2015 Livie’s Awards
TRAD GROUP OF THE YEAR: Goitse
Goitse has established itself as a massively popular band among trad fans the world over. Rightly so. This wonderful quintet released Tall Tales & Misadventures to worldwide recognition in 2015. Rightly so. This talented group is highly respected and still young enough to have all their best years in front of them. They are wonderful. Their music is unequalled for energy, ability, and intelligence. So young to be so good. Wow!
Press Reviews
SONGLINES Feb 2015
* * * * Let these rascals spin you a yarn
Album number three from the Irish ?ve-piece Goitse (the name is an informal Irish greeting, meaning (‘come here’) follows 2012’s splendid Transformed with more than agreeable panache.
Tall Tales & Misadventures reins in much of the excess energy and impetuosity that characterises the band in performance and which spilled across their ?rst two outings on disc.
Usefully so. It should do much to raise the pro?le of this energetic, but tightly knit ensemble, formed while still students at Limerick University’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.
There’s a vivid and vital sense of an out?t reaching its maturity; this is playing of considerable ?nesse, ?exibility and ?air. Taking centre stage is Aine McGeeney, whose feisty ?ddle and silky vocals are beautifully evocative on the plaintive ‘Ye Lovers All’. James Harvey’s characterful banjo is delicate and delightfully brittle on ‘ Changing Lanes’ , while the dextrous piano accordion of Tadhg O Meachair is gleefully virtuosic on’ Misadventures ‘, a particular highlight.
There’s tremendous subtlety on display,too. courtesy of bodhran champion, Colm Phelan and Conal O’Kane’s eleganty expressive guitar. In all, it’s a big forward for a band with a promising future ahead of them. Michael Quinn
R2 Magazine Nov/Dec 14 ***
Everyone else does it so l should join in – it’s pronounced “Gwi-cha”, which only goes to prove my theory that Gaelic was invented just to piss off the rest of us.
Tall Tales & Misadventures is the third album from this young quintet from Limerick. Goitse play Irish music with a light touch.
There are no guest appearances except for Martin Brunsden’s double bass on four of the eleven tracks and Kieran Munnelly’s backing vocals on ‘Carrick-A-Rede’. For the most part, the band could play the album live. The opening set is the ‘Tall Tales’ of the title. The note relates how banjo player James Harvey mailed himself across the border into the USA because his visa was late and he learned the last tune in the set from the delivery van radio. The fiction is maintained for ‘Trip To Dixie’. The misadventures involve an over-enthusiastic sprinkler system, a golf cart and a ‘Salmon Coloured Ticket’, all related in tune.
The album mixes the fun with moments of beauty such as Tadhg O Meachair’s tune ‘A Decent Lunch’, which opens the ‘Kansas City Knockout’ set, and ‘Ye Lovers All’. The up-tempo Gaelic song ‘Ta Sé ‘Na La’ is something they should do more of. Dai Jeffries
Froots Mag 11.14
Originally formed in Limerick University this Irish quintet delivers an authoritative third album. Sprightly instrumentals with exciting and unexpected twists topped off with winsome vocals. The rough edges have been honed into an exciting energetic package with requisite bulls eyes hit.
www.liveireland.com
We KNOW we have previously reviewed Tall Tales and Misadventures by Goitse. But, it was a case of too little, too early. This is their best album yet. What is not to love about Goitse? On Imeda Bhroga’s and my LiveIreland,com show, based out of Dublin, Ireland every Sunday at noon, Chicago time, there are few more-requested groups than Goitse. As with Socks in the Frying Pan, Goitse has benefitted tremendously from the attention and support received worldwide from LiveIreland.com. If you’re Goitse, you want to be supported in Chicago by Maryann Keifer and Erik Carlson and Mary Caraway. If you want to break worldwide, the only game in town is LiveIreland.com Goitse deserves every bit of popularity and support they are receiving, no matter the source. There are no more talented young groups in the music right now than Goitse and Sock in the Frying Pan. Tall Tales and Misadventures will show you why. This is a stunning bit of business. Bill Margeson
Folkwords.com
‘Tall Tales and Misadventures’ from Goitse – an effervescent flow of expression (September 01, 2014)
There’s something incredibly infectious about Irish music. Whoever you are, part of you cannot help but pick up on the energy and passion that pervades. The wealth of this music appears increasingly in the hands of young Irish bands who are committed to explore their tradition and equally happy to innovate and create. This time the band in question is Goitse and their latest album ‘Tall Tales and Misadventures’. A product of Limerick University’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, the band is well-recognised and appreciated, and rightly so.
Mixing their own compositions with traditional tunes they create sets with a figure-hugging intensity and invisible seams. The flow of expression and that permeates this music is so effervescent you fully expect it to carry you away – sprightly tune or emotive ballad the depth of Goitse’s music invites you to join the party. The album opens with ‘Tall Tales’ and closes with ‘Misadventures’ to relate the trials and tribulations experienced by a travelling band. Along the way, the band also created the special magic of ‘Trip To Dixie’ and ‘Changing Lanes’ — both scintillating sets. Songs like ‘Ye Lovers All’ and Tá Sé ‘Na Lá are made for Áine McGeeney’s softly expressive voice.
Goitse are Áine McGeeney (fiddle, vocals) Colm Phelan (bodhran, percussion) Conal O’Kane (guitars) James Harvey (banjo, mandolin) and Tadhg Ó Meachair (piano accordion, piano). For those of us with a touch of Erin’s blood flowing in our veins that wish we were close enough to our own personal roots to master the Gaeilge, ‘Goitse’ is an informal greeting meaning ‘come here’ — and when ‘Tall Tales and Misadventures’ comes your way, that’s exactly what you should do. Reviewer: Tim Carroll
“This act is now so polished and professional it is no wonder that they are one of the most popular acts on the international festival circuit” – Chicago Irish American News
‘Music that’s brimming with energy and creative zeal’ Irish Music Magazine
“With Tall Tales and Misadventures, Goitse have taken their expressive landscape of sound to a whole new level” – Eileen Mc Cabe
“This mix of gentle grace and gloves-off grit is becoming a hallmark of Goitse’s recordings” – Living Tradition
“The new album is a stunner.” – Live Ireland
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