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  Le Cheile – Out of the West

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  Le Cheile – Out of the West

  Le Chéile was formed from musicians who played regularly in The White Hart, Fulham Broadway in the early 1970’s. The 1960s and ’70s were golden years for traditional Irish music in London when musicians played before packed audiences and sparked the revival which went on to spread back home and around the globe. Le Chéile were the cult trad Irish group of 1970s London, producing some of the most memorable recordings of the time. The 1970s album Lord Mayo, was reissued on CD in 2006. To coincide with that release the surviving original band members — master fiddler Danny Meehan, Liam Farrell (banjo), John Roe (piano) and Kevin Boyle (guitar) — reformed alongside new recruits, flautist Paul Gallagher and Andy Martyn (box).

  So now they’re back, adding powerful momentum to the revivalist movement within Irish music today with their exciting new big band mix of back to basics traditional Irish music from Donegal and Galway.

  In March 2008 the boys began recording their long awaited third album which has now arrived.

  This is the first new ‘Le Cheile’ album since 1977. A CD re-release in 2007 by Limerick University of a compilation of albums made in 1974 and 1977 reignited the band and with new members, Andy Martyn and Paul Gallagher, we returned to the studio in 2008 to put together recently developed selections of music. Though once entirely instrumental, we now incorporate songs into our repertoire.

  We would like to thank our producer and engineer Gerry Diver for his great skill and remarkable patience during the recording of this album. Also, thanks to all of those who have supported and given endless encouragement to Le Cheile and the ‘Scene’ over the years. Particular thanks to the Cartys (Maureen, James & John), Annette Roland, Alan O’Leary, Austin Dawe, Bill Walsh, Lisa Knapp, Steve Dent, Karen Ryan and Noel & Mary at the ‘Kilkenny’ South Wimbledon. A particular thank you to Brendan Mulkere who is largely responsible for getting the band back together after all these years and to Niall and Sean Keegan of Limerick University for their work in releasing our 2006 CD ‘Lord Mayo’.

  Also to our families and friends whose inspiration and encouragement helped us capture our music in this album.

  Also available from Copperplate

  Danny Meehan: The Navvy on the Shore

  Kevin Boyle: Palestine Grove

  Gerry Diver: Diversions

  Press Reviews

  Chicago Irish News

  This group is a London-based quintet sent to us by Alan O’Leary at Copperplate Distribution and Promotions. Copperplate is the best and only handles the best. Le Cheile is wonderful. These guys make you feel that they are right there with you in an incredible session. They have a ball, and just play it ahead. Lay it out, and “Bob’s ‘yer uncle”. This is the stuff we all love. The vocals are not to be believed. Every now and then we hear an album and smile through the whole thing. This is one of those. Terrific, wonderful music. Bill Margeson

  SKU: 773 Categories: Accordion, Banjo, Fiddle, Groups, Guitar, Piano, Vocals Male

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  Joe Derrane, Seamus Connolly John McGann: The Boston Edge

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  Joe Derrane, Seamus Connolly John McGann: The Boston Edge

  Press Reviews

  The Wall Street Journal

  The wearing of the green is upon us, a time to dye for, St. Patrick’s Day. Beer, beef, beans, bread and broth suddenly take on the hue of the

  Emerald Isle, and too often the Irish music heard on March 17 is not much more appetizing or genuine.

  The following albums are an exception. Consider them a three-leaf shamrock of music rooted mainly in the turf of centuries-old tradition.

  This is blarney-free music, the kind that stays green without trying, all year round.

  “The Boston Edge” is a triumph of equal impact. Released late last year by Mapleshade Records, a small, independent label in Maryland, the album is perfectly titled for the razor-sharp music of Boston-area trio Joe Derrane on button accordion, Séamus Connolly on fiddle, and John McGann on guitar and mandolin.

  Derrane, who celebrated his 75th birthday yesterday, is the most talented Irish-style button accordionist America has ever produced. Born of Irish immigrant parents in Boston, he initially recorded from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s, then took a nearly 40-year hiatus from playing the button accordion in public. His performance on May 29, 1994, at an Irish folk festival in Vienna, Va.’s Wolf Trap launched what many regard as the greatest comeback in the history of Irish music, culminating for him in a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004.

  Renowned for his triplets (three notes played in the time normally taken by two notes) and hornpipes (dance tunes usually in 4/4 time), Derrane sparkles in this inspired collaboration with Connolly, a 10-time All-Ireland fiddle champion, and McGann, a much-in-demand accompanist.

  Never letting virtuosity or velocity overwhelm a melody, they play within the structure of a tune while infusing it with fresh, interpretive gusto.

  It is in the details where this recording soars. The trio’s deftly ornamented playing of such reels as “The Curragh Races/The Skylark/The

  Reconciliation” and “Patsy Touhey’s/The Gooseberry Bush/Reilly’s” represents Irish traditional instrumental music at its most propulsive and soulful. For taste and touch, it’s hard to top “The Boston Edge,” Earle Hitchner

  Irish Music Magazine March 2005

  It’s about time that two of the most respected and masterful traditional musicians in the Boston area got together to record a CD. Seamus Connolly, fiddle, and Joe Derrane, button accordion, share a number of remarkable attributes: both were lauded in their early careers as prodigies of their respective instruments, both are accomplished tunesmiths, whose compositions have passed into the traditional repertoire, and both are centres of the Boston area traditional music community and heroes to a younger generation of musicians and enthusiasts.

  Their musical styles, however, are quite distinct: Seamus Connolly is known for his gorgeous tone and fluid, inventive phrasings; and Joe Derrane’s playing is all clear, crisp precision and brilliant ornamentation. What is perhaps most striking about The Boston Edge is the fact that these two very different approaches are meshed seamlessly, with John McGann’s able and versatile guitar and mandolin accompaniment, into a whole that reflects the respect these musicians have for each other, the love of their music, and the fun they must have had recording these tunes. The tracks include newly-composed tunes, that are rarely heard in sessions, tunes from the Cape Breton tradition, and tunes that are typical of what one might hear at a Boston-area session.

  Each musician is featured in solo pieces, but the real revelation is the freshness and delight the group brings to each of the ensemble sets.

  The Boston Edge is cutting-edge stuff. Let’s hope this is just the first of several outings by this outstanding trio. Sally K Sommers Smith

  Taplas: The Welsh Folk Magazine

  THIS American/Irish trio comprises Joe Derrane on button accordion, fiddler Seamus Connolly and John McGann on guitar and mandolin. The vastly skilful playing reveals the decades of experience these fellows have in the Irish music tradition.

  Although there are only three of them, they produce a very full sound, perhaps partly because this was recorded and mastered live in what sounds like a fairly echoey room. The repertoire is mainly traditional Irish session tunes, arranged in a mainly session-like way.

  This, the old fashioned style of recording, and the accomplished playing makes it sound like a non-crackly version of an old masterpiece. In fact, Derrane featured on 78-rpm recordings during the 1940s and 1950s, so you can easily guess the influence of his style!

  There are a lot of hornpipes – roughly a third of the album consists of them. One features McGann’s solo mandolin track, Whidden’s The Nightlight and Hannah McGann’s – the letter two being his own compositions. Another is the complex, chromatic and downright flash, Petticoat Promenade, written and played by Derrane. This is a great CD for the collection – I just wish there was more of that wonderful mandolin on it. Imogen O’Rourke.

  HOT PRESS

  Following on the heels of button accordion player Joe Derrane’s 2004 National Heritage Fellowship, this rollicking album sees him teaming up with fiddler Séamus Connolly and their fellow Bostonian, guitarist John McGann.

  These three musicians share a bracing, muscular approach and have been playing together long enough to achieve a rare sympathy, easing back or surging forward as a solidly cohesive unit.

  The opening set of reels sets the pace, with McGann occasionally breaking effortlessly into melody flat-picking for a bar or two before returning to chordal accompaniment. McGann’s mandolin solo set, Whiddon’s/The Nightlight/Hannah McGann’s (the latter two of which are McGann originals), is another highlight, as are Connolly’s original slow air Remembering Curly and Derrane’s turn in the spotlight on Miss McLeod’s and his own Petticoat Promenade, featuring a jazzy Hot Club de Paris-style backing from McGann. Sarah McQuaid Nine/Ten

  www.netrhythms.com

  The press handout describes this release thus: “a ‘dream team’ Irish trio plays traditional jigs, reels and airs with passion and originality”, so what gives it the “edge” of the title over other instrumental albums which might be similarly depicted?

  Well, the Boston edge refers to the distinct advantage of the superlative virtuosity of the three musicians who come from the Boston (Mass.) area. Button accordionist Joe, fiddler Séamus and guitarist/mandolinist John first played as a trio onstage at a New York club in 1999, an occasion noted by all who attended as bringing to the scene something worth pursuing further, an outstanding tightness of ensemble allied to brilliant solo work.

  Cementing the musicians’ approach was their mutual deep respect and enjoyment of each other’s music, and once they’d worked together it then seemed the most natural thing to continue the working relationship. After five years of memorable concert performances, at last we have a recording to treasure.

  It highlights their seamless togetherness, boosted by arrangements that are carefully prepared and yet remain flexible enough to allow inspired touches of improvisation or ornamentation or else felicitous swopping-round of the carrying of the melodic line from, say, accordion or fiddle onto guitar, giving surprising and delightful twists to one’s expectations. The skill of these musicians in creatively rethinking well-trodden session staples is stunning, whether they’re tackling sets compiled entirely from Irish sources or mixing in Scottish or Cape Breton tunes to demonstrate the cross-fertilisation and enriching of the different tune traditions.

  Highlights of this album for me are the sparkling opening set, the fiery lead work throughout but especially on the amazingly together fiddle/accordion duet that comprises two-thirds of the set of reels on track 9, also on the Humours Of Lisheen/McMahon’s Jig/The Merry Old Woman set (track 7), the joyous sense of rhythm on the hornpipes (track 10), and, on a smaller canvas track 6, an entire set played solo by John on mandolin, a benchmark of agility and imaginative interpretation the like of which you don’t often encounter on albums of Irish traditional music.

  But on every single track the playing exhibits a rich but vigorous energy that’s absolutely captivating, with a healthily varied interplay between parts that’s born of true understanding between the players. Each set is played at a sensible speed (not rushed through as if to fit onto one side of a 78!), allowing the felicities of melody to emerge through the spring in the step that the players’ keen rhythmic sense

  deploys. And what’s also important, listening to the music on this album rather often brings a smile to the face – a nice touch that (just lend an ear to the delicious swing of track 8 for instance!). It starts off really good, but then just goes on getting better, and you really don’t want it to end!

  The only drawback as far as I can hear, albeit a minor one, is with the recorded sound, which isn’t ideally clear, the guitar sound in particular being somewhat boomy or boxy in the ensemble context – or maybe I’ve heard too many state-of-the-engineer’s-art recordings lately? But the 64 minutes of this seriously enjoyable album just fly by – take it from me! David Kidman

  The Glasgow Herald 11.12.04

  Amid the avalanche of supertalented youngsters who are making traditional music an exciting, hip and gratifyingly youthful artform of the twenty-first century, it’s as well to remember that the older heads still have wisdom and musical examples to share.

  Joe Derrane is now on his second career as a button accordionist; his first began in the 78rpm era and he spent thirty-five years as a jobbing keyboard player.

  This brand new set with fellow Boston residents, fiddler Seamus Connolly and guitarist-mandolinist John McGann, shows the zest, appetite and musical mastery Derrane restored on his return in 1994.

  It’s essentially three musicians playing as one: tightly executed Irish tunes played with heart, self-expression and the richness that comes from long dedication to the music. Rob Adams FOUR STARS

  The Irish Echo. Ceol Column 24.11.04 Give the ‘Edge’ to this Boston trio

  We New Yorkers can get immodest, spoiled, even complacent about the Irish traditional musical riches in our backyard. But when it comes to

  top trad playing, Boston doesn’t have to take a backseat to any other city in America or Ireland.

  For proof, listen to “The Boston Edge,” the CD debut of 2004 National Heritage Fellowship-winning button accordionist Joe Derrane, fiddler

  Séamus Connolly, and guitar-mandolin player John McGann. Residing or working in and around the Boston area, this trio have created something

  altogether rare: an album showing no restraint in individual musical expression yet cohering as a well-rehearsed, mutually sensitive and

  responsive unit.

  In that respect “The Boston Edge” is a significant improvement on “Ireland’s Harvest,” a Mapleshade CD made in 2002 by Derrane, fiddler Frankie Gavin, and pianist Brian McGrath. I picked it as the fourth-best trad album of that year, but with this caveat: “A sonic imbalance among box, fiddle, and piano (the latter two instruments are too high in the mix), some odd choices in tunes (e.g., ‘The Minstrel Boy’), and the personal tangents taken by producer Paul MacDonald in his liner notes prevent this release from placing higher.”

  The seat-of-the-pants, strut-my-stuff approach to playing by Gavin in “Ireland’s Harvest” did generate some heat, but it also resulted in more

  dueling than dueting with Derrane. Technique trumped teamwork and partly undercut both Derrane’s trademark preparation and the trio’s overall effectiveness.

  “The Boston Edge,” in contrast, shows what can happen when three musicians who have been gigging from time to time during the past five years

  put their heads as well as their talents together in the recording studio. It’s obvious that the music has been mapped out with meticulous care but also with enough flexibility to allow inventive flourishes.

  Those qualities combine viscerally right from the album’s opening track, “The Curragh Races/The Skylark/The Reconciliation.” This medley of reels breaks out of the gate like Secretariat: strong, spirited, sure-footed. The synaptic sparks and symmetry between Derrane and Connolly are extraordinary, each feeding off the other’s virtuosity and energy, each performing with, not at, the other.

  Some accompanists in Irish traditional music can lapse into metronomic rigidity or tepid vamping, and for critics with a blinkered appreciation

  of rhythm, an unnoticed accompanist is a good accompanist. John McGann has refused to wear this silly musical straitjacket. He brings plenty of chops and imagination to the CD, laying down a rhythm that can be percussive and driving or finely brushstroked behind Derrane and Connolly.

  From time to time McGann tucks in his own nimbly picked passages of melody, and in “Whiddon’s/The Nightlight/Hannah McGann’s” hornpipes,

  the last two of which he wrote, McGann showcases his exceptional soloing skill on mandolin.

  Backed by McGann on guitar, Derrane offers a jaunty hornpipe-clog pairing, “Miss McLeod’s/Petticoat Promenade,” as his crisply played solo.

  The clog is the button accordionist’s own tune and vividly conjures up a scene of Irish girls in rustling skirts out for a night of dancing at one of the five ballrooms dotting Dudley Street in Roxbury, Mass., during the 1940s and ’50s.

  Accompanied by McGann on guitar, fiddler Séamus Connolly takes a different tack on his solo, “Remembering Curly/The Twins/Mordaunt’s Fancy.”

  The initial slow air, his own composition, is a moving threnody in which Connolly explores, not exploits, honestly felt emotion. It eventually segues

  into a hornpipe that he plays with more joyful verve, and the medley finishes with a capering jig that reveals another side of the master fiddler’s touch.

  Above all, true teamwork gives this album its finely honed edge. “The De’il and the Dirk/The Trip to Windsor/Brumley Brae” reels, “The Humors of Lisheen/McMahon’s/The Merry Old Woman” jigs, and “The Dash to Portobello/McFarley’s/Geegan’s” reels represent three-part instrumental

  playing of the highest order.

  There’s also some breathtakingly tight dueting by Derrane and Connolly throughout “Patsy Touhey’s/The Gooseberry Bush/Reilly’s,” with McGann

  entering on mandolin just for the third reel. A slice of Django-ish guitar swing by McGann provides a tantalizing intro to “The Man From Newry/The Last of the Twins” hornpipes, where Derrane and Connolly interlock impressively in their ornamentation. The fun of playing together similarly comes across in another pair of hornpipes, “Chief O’Neill’s Favorite/The First of June.”

  Not a single moment of weak or mediocre music can be heard on this 14-track recording. “The Boston Edge” is full of tasty tunes, focused

  arrangements, unclichéd thinking, transparent communication, and resplendent playing. These three musicians are a bona fide trio, not an

  armchair-impulse gathering. They thrive in each other’s company, and I can’t imagine any listener not thriving in theirs. In the parlance of

  their beloved Red Sox, this album is a World Series clincher. Earle Hitchner

  PAY THE RECKONING.COM

  Following Mapleshade’s release of accordionist Derrane’s comeback album – Ireland’s Harvest, which featured Frankie Gavin and Brian McGrath – Mapleshade have succeeded in coaxing the National Heritage award winner back into the studio. In the process they’ve assembled yet another

  “dream team”, with Connolly on fiddle and McGann on guitar.

  No mistakes, this is a superb album, every bit as compelling as his comeback. Despite (or perhaps because of!) his advanced years, Derrane hasn’t lost the magic touch that teases impossibly inventive ornaments from his box; at the same time he manages to be incisively precise and crisp in his playing. Connolly, of course, is equally renowned for his inventivess and McGann is a much sought-after accompanist, whose chords and runs anchor the tune, but never dominate his fellow musicians.

  So it’s no surprise that this is an album, which elevates the senses. It brims with good humour and abandon. Three master musicians have chimed in to create a modern masterpiece. Aidan Crossey.Joe Derrane.

  Joe Derrane, born in Boston, Ma. In 1930 to Irish immigrant parents developed a deep and abiding love for the accordion and traditional Irish music from a very early age. Around 1940, he started studying the 10 key melodeon with the great Jerry O

  SKU: 581 Categories: Accordion, Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin

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• 

  Cathal Clohessy & Eamonn Costello – Bosca Ceoil & Fiddle

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  Cathal Clohessy & Eamonn Costello – Bosca Ceoil & Fiddle

  Eamonn Costello (button accordion) and Cathal Clohessy (fiddle) have being playing together as a duo since 2008.They released their debut album Bosca Ceoil & Fiddle, an album of Irish traditional music, in June 2010. On the album Rodney Lancashire guests on five tracks playing bouzouki and mandolin. The remainder of the album consists of solos and duets. On a number of traditional tunes Cathal and Eamonn experiment with: tempo, dynamics, and counter melodies. However, the majority of tracks on the album are played in a more ‘traditional’ manner. Cathal and Eamonn have also composed a number of pieces on this album.

  Cathal hails from Fedamore in Co. Limerick. He is influenced by the music of his own West Limerick, as well as the music of North Connacht. He is from a very musical family; both of his sisters and his brother play Irish music. One of his main teachers on the fiddle was Maureen Glynn Connolly (R.I.P). Cathal holds a number of All-Ireland titles at under-age level in duet and slow-air playing. He has also toured extensively with various traditional ensembles.

  Eamonn is from An Cheathru Rua (Carraroe) in the Connemara Gaeltacht. His style of accordion playing is influenced by the music of Connemara and the music of North Connacht. He has guested on collaborations with a number of musicians and groups, including: Mactira (2000), Frozen Fish (6-Pack, 2004), Papua Merdeka: Tribal Songs of Love and Freedom (2004). Eamonn holds a B.A in Irish Music and Dance from the University of Limerick and an M.A in Ethnomusicology from University College Cork.

  Rodney is originally from Cotehill in Co. Cavan. His style of accompaniment is inspired by the bouzouki playing of John Faulkner and Andy Irvine. Rodney has recorded two traditional/folk albums: Mactira (2000), and Tireile (2003). He has also produced a number of albums, and he has toured England, Europe, and America with various traditional groups. In 2007 Rodney graduated with a 1st class Masters in Irish traditional music from the University of Limerick.

  Press Reviews

  TRADCONNECT

  There are times when we should treat ourselves to music that has at its core the essence of what it’s all about. This is always best appreciated in duo’s or trio’s. The accordion and fiddle combo have featured over the years on many great recordings and when they fuse it can indeed be a magical pairing.

  On Bosca Ceoil and Fiddle Cathal Clohessy and Éamonn Costello have now added to this collection. It is an album that hits all the right notes and creates some magic in the process. They have pared the music right back and have opted to present it in a refreshingly clear and crisp manner. They have intentionally divided the album into three sections: duets on button accordion and fiddle, trio on button accordion, fiddle, and bouzouki, and accordion and fiddle solos. It is gently restrained music that lets the tunes live and breath. It is traditional music as it should be played and it is an album that you can fall in love with. The arrangements are perfect.

  The Stray-Away Child is a lovely five part jig to open the album with. Likewise Sean Ryan’s/Return To Milltown/Farewell to Milltown which is predominately accordion shows what a self assured player Éamonn is. He takes the tunes, and with a great tone that he gets from his accordion, delivers a beautiful set. With his home being the Connemara Gaeltacht, his playing has been very much influenced by the music of North Connaught region according to the album notes and this is evident here. As a pair they tackle the reels The Tempest/Farrell O’ Gara’s/Rhattigan’s and deliver as tight a combination as your are likely to encounter on any album. I haven’t had the pleasure to listen to many accordion and fiddle duet albums recently and having listened to Bosca Ceoil and Fiddle I am quickly realising what a pleasure I have been missing. It’s good to get back to basics and these musicians deliver an album worthy of their talents. It captures two musicians with a deep love and understanding of the music.

  The Living Tradition

  ‘If you can’t think up a fancy title for an album, then just tell people what it is’ seems to be as good a marketing strategy as any, and you know that you’ll never get done under the Trades Descriptions Act. Bosca Ceoil is Irish for button accordion, and fiddle is English for fidil, so that’s cleared that up. Cathal (fiddle) and Eamonn (accordion) have been playing as a duo since 2008, and this CD is mostly duets and solos, but with Rodney Lancashire guesting on bouzouki and mandolin on five of the fourteen tracks.

  The musicianship throughout this release is outstandingly good. Cathal and Eamonn take a ‘less is more’ approach, eschewing flashy pyrotechnics and preferring a gentle yet direct style which gets to the heart of the music and embodies it with a lift and drive whilst allowing all the subtleties of the tunes to be fully appreciated. This doesn’t stop them from introducing counter melodies and arrangements, however, and, all in all, it’s the sort of playing that draws the listener in and then rewards them handsomely for their time.

  The music is influenced a fair bit by the mighty Michael Coleman, who is often held to be the most influential Irish traditional musician of the twentieth century, and the respect which this duo show to the background to their music ensures that twenty-first century playing passes on the flame. Just to give a contrast, the last track combines a Breton and A Neapolitan dance, which also gets the respectful treatment without losing any of the flair or drive needed. It really doesn’t get much better than this. Gordon Potter

  R2 ****

  Cathal (fiddle) from Limerick and Eamonn (button accordion) from Connemara have been playing together as a duo since 2008. Their album title translates literally as Music Box [accordion] and Fiddle and apart from some sensitive bouzouki and mandolin accompaniment from Rodney Lancashire, that’s exactly what you get. This is an album of two halves – duets and solos. However, Cathal and Eamonn are at their best when playing together, which they do with great precision. This is well illustrated on ‘Farewell To Eyrecourt’ where box and iddle are as one. Most of the arrangements are simple, though a few liberties are taken on occasion. For example, the start of Miss Langford turns it from being a reel into a slow air, with fiddle and accordion playing counter-melodies.

  The lads’ playing is rock steady throughout and very traditional in style. There’s nothing showy, even on the solo tracks. What counts here is their clear respect for the music. Keith Whiddon

  Taplas 11.2011

  THIS DUO from Connemara and Limerick play mostly traditional tunes at a measured pace on button accordion and fiddle, with Rodney Lancashire’s occasional bouzouki or mandolin adding extra colour.On some of his solos Eamonn Costello’s box playing seems to try a little too hard with the ornamentation, but as a duo they experiment with interesting counterpoint melodies (as on the lovely version of The Strayaway Child, which opens the album) and throughout Cathal Clohessy’s fiddle provides flow and bounce.

  A careful selection of interesting tunes played with intensity and admirably devoid of any fashionable over-dressing. John Neilson

  www.netrhythms.com

  Cathal and Eamonn have been performing together as a fiddle-and-button-accordion duo since 2008, and yet this is their debut CD release. As the disc’s plain-spoken title would appear to indicate, much of the record consists of solos and duets. Pick of these has to be Cathal’s vigorous yet highly musical treatment of a pair of hornpipes (track 2 — the second of which, Clay’s, was penned by Cathal himself), and Eamonn’s tricky solo set of reels (track 4), but in truth every single track dazzles with a vital combination of proven musicianship and the virtue of exercising restraint in pacing above expressiveness. Taking that track 4 set of reels as an example, there’s no lack of nifty precision in Eamonn’s expert handling of his chosen instrument, and yet there’s no feeling that he’s hurrying through the notes to prove a point, and the musical communication of those notes is paramount.

  The pair of jigs at track 6 is another key example of the musicians’ empathy and their ability to combine and interpolate both unison and counter-melody techniques in their trade-offs; on this and a further four tracks, Eamonn and Cathal are augmented by Rodney Lancashire playing bouzouki or mandolin in nimble and refreshingly understated supporting mode. But it’s for the brilliance, the precision and the sheer presence of the main players’ contributions, naturally, that this disc will be purchased — and for those it will doubtless be hailed as a supreme example of its kind, both uplifting and invigorating, cutting but not grating in its rhythmic drive (check out the marvellous track 7 reel-set) and yet capable of flowing lyricism and impressive dynamic shading on slower pieces like Sergeant Early’s Dream and the air Aisling Gheal.

  Presentation is accomplished too; the booklet’s notes on the tunes’ sources are excellent, detailed and most informative. One engineering decision with which I would take issue, however, is that of leaving insufficient space between the individual tracks. The vast majority follow on absolutely instantaneously, with no chance to pause for breath even — this is not standard session practice, and I can’t see the rationale for adopting this technique, even for a continuous home-listening sequence; it does mar the impact of the music-making ever so slightly, I feel, albeit a very minor point to make in the overall scheme of things. David Kidman August 2011

  US NPR

  Cathal Clohessy and Eamonn Costello are out with Bosca Ceoil & Fiddle. We know this one is also available from Copperplate in London, as it was they who brought it to our attention. This all-instrumental treat of 14 cuts is only for the dyed-in-the-wool, honest-to-heavens trad fan. But if that describes you, this is a great piece of business that you will love. A lot of the tunes are rare treats to be recorded and recorded perfectly. We cannot urge this album upon the real trad fan highly enough. A must-have.

  Musical Traditions web site

  I was sure that I’d like this CD before I’d even played it – for a start, the two gentlemen pictured on the sleeve look as if they’re really enjoying the music and each other’s company. Then there’s the fact that Eamonn Costello is playing the same Cairdín melodeon that I play myself. And, to top it all, I’ve heard a melodeon called a lot of things in my time … but ‘music box’ has never been one of them!

  So – what of the record? A reviewer at alt-celtic-music wrote: ‘A gentle master-class in the art of traditional Irish music’, and I couldn’t have put it better myself. We start with a very restrained version on Margaret Barry’s splendid 5-part jig The Stray-Away Child, followed by The Minstrel’s Fancy, a hornpipe I know as The Buck in the Mountain … though we play it a little slower, in the English way – and call it The Duck in the Fountain! It’s followed by the excellent Claw’s Hornpipe – a tune we’ll definitely have to learn.

  Next comes Sergeant Early’s Dream, described as a ‘slow reel’ – though it’s played here as an air, or ‘piece’. Six more conventional reels follow, including the lovely Gan Ainm. A nicely judged pair of jigs come next – it’s always surprising to find such a lively tune as The Drowning of Bruckless commemorating the loss of more than 80 fishermen’s lives. The reel Miss Langford is treated as was Sergeant Early’s Dream, but then breaks into normal tempo after a couple of iterations.

  It would be a bit tedious going through each track in turn, though mention should be made of track 13, Philobus / Brian O’Kane’s (waltz and march) , though it should be noted that the ‘march’ is actually played as a barndance – and a damn fine one it makes, too!

  It seems a shame to have any grumbles about such an enjoyable and interesting CD, but one thing does rather annoy me. I feel that any record should allow the listener a moment or two to digest what they’ve just listened to before setting off on the next track. The default 2 second gap is usually insufficient, in my opinion. Here we find that the gap has been cut to 1 second (or even less in a few cases), so that there’s often no noticeable break between one tune and the next. This must have been done deliberately, since defeating the default 2 second gap has to be a conscious decision, and doesn’t happen inadvertently. Damned if I understand why that decision was made. But it’s a lovely record all the same. Rod Stradling

  www.liveIreland.com

  For the true true trad fan, it is hard to do better than Bosca Ceoil and Fiddle from Cathal Clohessy and Eamonn Costello on fiddle and button box, respectively. Copperplate in London has it available. This is a hard to find gem. The trad fan will adore this. Really terrific playing from two young men who really understand the tradition and play it gorgeously. We play this a LOT in the office. Just Google Copperplate. Welcome to heaven. Bill Margeson

  Fatea Online Magazine

  The title of the is album, “Bosca Ceoil & Fiddle” becomes blindingly obvious if you know that bosca ceoil is gaelic for accordion, what with Cathal Clohessy being a master fiddler and Eamonn Costello being virtuoso on the squeezebox. Despite the duo having performed together since 2008, this is actually their debut album, it’s been a long time coming, but definitely worth the wait. Occasionally adding the bouzouki and mandolin of Rodney Lancashire, this album brings in stunning individual solo flights to complement the captivating duets. Reel, jig and waltz to great tunes.Tim Carroll

  www.allcelticmusic.com

  Another gentle master-class in the art of traditional Irish music.

  The Irish Times

  It’s not every day a debut cuts through the ether with such razor-sharp precision. This box and fiddle duo lay claim to regional styles stretching from north Connaught to west Limerick, but the most striking features of this fresh-faced collection are the idiosyncrasies of their musical personalities and the delicateness of their arrangements. The gothic grandeur of Sergeant Early’s Dream, where fiddle and box don’t so much play the tune as infiltrate its every pore, is akin to the delicate deconstruction of tunes so beloved of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. Costello’s box playing is impressively restrained, and his own waltz composition, Aile Dhomhain, a masterclass in minimalism. Clohessy strikes the kind of mournful tone on the Breton An Dro that haunts the subconscious long after the tune has evaporated. Pin-prick precision crossed with musical curiosity. (Four Stars!) Siobhan Long

  Irish Music Magazine

  Tunes are the order of the day with ‘Bosca Ceoil and Fiddle’ the new CD by fiddler, Cathal Clohessy and box player, Eamonn Costello with Rodney Lancashire on bouzouki providing gentle accompaniment.

  Bringing a West Limerick and North Connaught influence the lads begin with ‘Stray away Child’ a five part jig composed by the late Margaret Barry from Cork. This track sets the tone for the rest of the CD in that it prepares the listener for purely unadorned playing with no added extras. The box and the fiddle blend perfectly together note for note and it is obvious that a lot of technical thought has gone into the tune. This carries through and is apparent in ‘Sean Ryan’s’ set and the ‘Tempest’ set which pace steadily and are again note perfect.

  For some reason I can’t quite pinpoint, I prefer the solo renditions on the CD with ‘Claw’s Hornpipe’ a composition by Cathal flowing beautifully on the fiddle and Eamonn’s jig ‘Loch Pholl an Ghaine’ timed flawlessly. Watch out for a breathy waltz by the name of ‘Aille Dhomain’ and an emotive air on track ten in the form of ‘Aisling Gheal’.

  The detail and historical depth on the sleeve notes are a major benefit to the tune dissection with mini biogs of the composers and descriptive anecdotes adding to the vivid imagery of the recordings. This CD is all about technical skill and intellectual arrangement with a subtle experimentation on dynamics. If your perception of a good traditional CD is an explosion of fast paced jazzed up music then this is not for you, however, if you prefer thoughtful sensitivity then this is right up your street. Eileen McCabe.

  froots magazine

  There’s nothing quite like a fiddle/button accordion pairing to warm the cockles and the combination of Limerick’s Cathal Clohessy and Connemara’s Eamonn Costello (with occasional accompaniment from Rodney Lancashire on bouzouki and guitar) proves more than up to the task.Costello shows sensitivity lacked by many box merchants, exhibited to great effect on the reel Sean Ryan’s, and in cahoots with Clohessy, an equal aficionado of the hidden note, produce music that both lifts the spirit and sets the toes tapping. Geoff Wallis.

  Irish Music Magazine

  This album by Eamonn Costello and Cathal Clohessy is leisurely music not heady in any extreme, yet it reaches the emotional core … Cathal Clohessy’s fiddling shines on the Minstrel’s Fancy, while Eamonn’s solo on Sean Ryan’s shows a player who is assured in both technique and style and is well able to coax many nuances out of the tunes. Aisling Gheal offers Cathal Clohessy a solo opportunity which he takes and triumphs, his telling of the air bordering on definitive. Rodney Lancashire’s bouzouki and mandolin […] contributes minimalist though subtle and highly ornate work on the album. John O’Regan.

  Folk-World

  Remarkable and routine simultaneously, this debut recording from two young bucks is a multi-layered mixture. Cathal plays West Limerick fiddle, while box-player Eamonn hails from Connemara, and the two meet musically somewhere in North Connacht. They are joined for a few tracks by Cavan man Rodney Lancashire on bouzouki and mandolin, but this CD is basically box and fiddle, separately and in combination. One of the remarkable things is that these lads take their time: The Strayaway Child opens at a nice steady pace, and The Minstrel’s Fancy follows with a slightly flat rhythm but clearly at hornpipe speed. In fact, one or two selections here are a little too slow for my liking – or too metronomic in their observance of the slow tempo. I’m thinking of Sergeant Early’s Dream and Brian O’Kane’s. No complaints about the slow version of Miss Langford, though: this piece is beautifully interpreted. There’s plenty of toe-tapping music here too, including the oddly cheerful jig The Drowning of Buckless and a great selection of reels starting with Farewell to Eyrecourt. Another remarkable aspect of this CD is the detailed notes and monochrome photos which give an air of maturity and consideration to the whole project.

  Contrary to my natural inclination, I was more taken with the fiddle solos than the box-playing on this album. Whether it’s on his own Claw’s Hornpipe or the well-known air Aisling Gheal, Cathal’s fiddle holds the attention effortlessly. Not that there’s nothing good coming out of the box: Eamonn contributes an intriguing little jig Loch Pholl an Ghainne and a graceful modern waltz, both his own. The routine aspect of this music is the easy familiarity of the tunes and style, the relaxed duetting [sicjas though this was just another local session, and the total immersion in each other’s playing which is usually the preserve of much older musicians. When the fiddle and box come together here, they can meld completely into the most perfect of duets, where it’s impossible to hear where one instrument ends and the other begins. The Tempest is a case in point, and the final meaty track of Breton and Italian melodies underlines their tight timing. With this degree of understanding, Clohessy and Costello are certainly a pair to watch for the future. Alex Monaghan.

  SKU: 826 Categories: Accordion, Bozouki, Duets, Fiddle, Mandolin

  £14.99
• 

  Ceide – Out of their Shell

  £14.99 Add to cart

  Ceide – Out of their Shell

  Out Of Their Shell is the second album by Mayo-based traditional band Céide, but it’s the first to feature their new ace in the hole: singer Marianne Knight, who also plays a bit of bodhrán and adds a jazzy flute to the spirited ‘Bold Donnelly’.

  “Her clear, bright voice and crisp ornamentation make her one of the most exciting vocalists to come along in years, and when flute player Brian Lennon sings harmony on the final verse of ‘John O’Dreams’ the effect is electrifying”. Hot Press

  Produced by Seamie O’Dowd, former guitar/fiddle ace with Dervish, who is acquiring the most sought after producer hat in Ireland, among his recent productions, which drew tremendous critical acclaim, was Mary McPartlan’s The Holland Handkerchief, which won MOJO magazine’s Folk Album of 2005. Seamie is bevering away at h is own solo debut album. Which is eagerly awaited.

  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.

  Press Reviews

  These five lads from various backgrounds first started to play together at a regular Sunday night session in my pub in Westport. It soon became clear that they were developing a distinctive and original sound, combining the best of traditional music with contemporary songs and arrangements. This recording does great justice to their individual and collective talent. It has a very broad appeal and I highly recommend it.’ —- Matt Molloy

  The Chicago Irish American News, July 06

  “This is terrific, traditional music played with gusto and understanding—a rare combination”, Bill Margeson

  FolkWorld 33

  Well I come from the land of the long grass and gorse, I flew with the eagle and I ran with the horse, and I played with the wild wind and whistled its tune… The Irish band Céide (-> FW#21), featuring flautist Brian Lennon of the musical clan (Charlie, Maurice -> FW#23), evolved from a regular session at Matt Molloy’s pub in Westport in County Mayo. Their second album “Out of their Shell” features new singer Marianne Knight with a marvellous treatment of Bill Caddick’s “John O’Dreams” (with the Tchaikovsky tune), the traditional “Bold Donnelly” and Andy M. Stewart’s “Man in the Moon”. Guitar player Declan Askin wrote the traditional-like “Western Waves” and turns out to be a fine singer as well. Marianne plays no mean flute either — she then took out her whistle and she blew it sharp and shrill — and set out with the boys for a “Tae in the Bog” and swap some other tunes. Tunes such as “Pikeman’s” which dates from the 1798 rebellion when it was used for drilling Pikemen. The checks in the tune are the point where they would thrust into the dummy enemy. “Out of their Shell” has been produced by Dervish’s Seamie O’Dowd (-> FW#26) who brings in guitar, fiddle and dobro to polish it up. No need to actually, everything’s fine. Walkin’ T:-)M

  Froots Jan/Feb 07

  This County Mayo band named after a local megalithic monument, impressed highly on their debut album LIKE A WILD THING in 2001. While playing the basic Altan and Lunasa game line-up wise, they did endeavour to affix an individual slant through using contemporary song choices and clever subtle tune arrangements.

  Out of their Shell, Ceide’s second album, sees some logical and unusual developments in their respective game plan. Firstly, adding female vocalist Marion Knight increases the song quotient, bringing a colourful and distinctive feel. While some might find this move confusing, with Ceide’s guitarist Declan Askin handling vocals adequately on their debut and here restricted to a background role, Ms Knight turns out to be something of a find. She has a nice, raw, unblemished sounding voice that is less sweet or strident for many of her contemporaries. This makes for some fine performances on The Man in The Moon, Western Waves and Bold Donnelly, the latter the only traditional song on show.

  Musically, the tide pull of accordion, flute and fiddle handled by Tom Doherty, Brian Lennon and John McHugh, works well together laced with bass, guitar and percussion. The result is bold and precious with a well-placed balance of melody over dynamics.

  This is a sure footed line-up bakes its recipes before unveiling them to the outside world.

  Ceide are indeed out of their shell and while the sound is different, the basic promise remains intact. www.ceide.net John O’Regan

  Taplas The Welsh Folk Mag-Aug/Sept 06 Adolygiadau o Reviews

  Meanwhile Mayo-based Ceidc continue to impress with their second CD, which is greatly enhanced by the addition of singer Marianne Knight.

  The tight unison playing of fiddler John McHugh, flute player Brian Lennon and accordionist Tom Doherty is nicely underpinned by the guitar of Declan Askin and double bass of Kevin Doherty, who invite favourable comparisons with the mighty powerhouse of Donogh Hennessey and Trevor Hutchinson.

  The selection of tunes is interesting and varied too, with the wide range of sources duly acknowledged. Dervish’s Seamie O’Dowd produces and provides as some pleasing second guitar on the song Man in the Moon, which is one of the highlights of this excellent CD. Although the best-known version is probably that of Scottish singer Andy M. Stewart, this version comes from Donegal musicians Ernie O’Rahilly and Liam Deery.

  And like Lunasa’s earlier CD, this comes recommended by Matt Molloy himself, at whose bar in Westport the band originally came together. Nick Passmore

  The Irish Post 27/5/06

  “Out Of Their Shell” is the second album by the Mayo-based traditional band Céide, it’s the first to feature their new singer Marianne Knight, who also plays bodhrán and adds a jazzy flute to the spirited ‘Bold Donnelly’.

  “Her clear, bright voice and crisp ornamentation make her one of the most exciting vocalists to come along in years.

  Marian is one of that numerous band of musicians known as the FBI (foreign born Irish) she learned her music at that well known musical nursery St. Wilfrids branch of Comhaltas based in the Irish centre, Cheetham hill, Manchester.

  The material on the album has come from years of playing together trying new tunes and selections there is very relaxed feel to this album.

  “These five lads from various backgrounds first started to play together at a regular Sunday night session in my pub in Westport. It soon became clear that they were developing a distinctive and original sound, combining the best of traditional music with contemporary songs and arrangements. This recording does great justice to their individual and collective talent. It has a very broad appeal and I highly recommend it. “Matt Molloy.

  With a recommendation like that the album is a welcome addition to the discerning traditional fans album collection. Joe Mullarkey

  Irish Music Review

  “In conclusion, Out of Their Shell is the most striking album to be released by an Irish traditional band for some years and absolutely worth investigation”, Geoff Wallis

  The Chicago Irish American News, July 06

  We really, really like Ceide. Mayo-based, this group has a growing rep with other musicians, and a slowly but steadily growing American audience, as well. Big future, based on the fact that they are wonderful now! A talented sextet they offer some thumpin’ great tunes, lovely airs and some fine singing from recent addition, Marianne Knight. The album is titled, Out of Their Shell. Also got it from the aforementioned Copperplate.

  This is terrific, traditional music played with gusto and understanding—a rare combination. It got us dancing around the room, and with this arthritis, that ain’t easy! Go Ceide!! Rating 3

  SKU: 651 Categories: Accordion, Bodhran, Fiddle, Flute, Groups, Tin Whistle, Vocals Female, Vocals Male

  £14.99