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  Kevin Crawford – Carrying the Tune

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  Kevin Crawford – Carrying the Tune

  Lunasa flute player releases new solo album

  Carrying The Tune is the latest solo album by Kevin Crawford. A member of the internationally acclaimed traditional Irish music group Lunasa, the ace flautist and whistle player has taken time out from his busy touring schedule with the band to record this new disc in West Clare. The album also features John Doyle on guitar and bouzouki, bodhran player Brian Morrissey plus Mick Conneely on bouzouki. Recorded by Martin O’Malley at Malbay Studios, Carrying The Tune contains fourteen tracks and is a joyful romp through an eclectic yet seamless collection of tunes that are sourced from both the deep well of tradition and from more recent compositions by the likes of Paddy O’Brien, Donal Lunny, Maurice Lennon and Crawford himself.

  Born in Birmingham, England to parents from Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, Kevin Crawford’s early life was sound-tracked by the resonance of the lively traditional music scene in the midlands city. Moving to Co. Clare in 1989, he soon became a pivotal member of the effervescent session trail in the Banner county before enhancing his burgeoning reputation in the group Grianan and the trio Raise the Rafters. He then propelled himself to international recognition with Moving Cloud, with whom he recorded Moving Cloud in 1995 and Foxglove in 1998. Kevin joined Lunasa in January 1997 for a tour of Australia and has been ever-present in the group since. To date, the instrumental quintet have eight albums to their credit while Kevin has released two solo records, V Flute Album (1994) and In Good Company (2001). He joined fellow band member, piper Cillian Vallelly for a critically acclaimed duet album, On Common Ground, in 2009. The innovative flute player has appeared as a guest on several albums, including singer Sean Tyrrell’s Cry of a Dreamer (1994) accordionist Joe Derrane’s The Tie That Binds (1998). and American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant’s 2010 release, Leave Your Sleep.

  A year earlier along with his four fellow members of Lunasa, he performed on The Leitrim Equation. One of Kevin’s latest side-projects is the formation of a new super-trio, The Teetotallers alongside John Doyle and fiddler Martin Hayes. They have an Irish nationwide tour mid January 2012.

  The music on Carrying The Tune is loving embraced and made anew through the mastery of Crawford’s technical prowess in conjunction with an informed passion for tradition. The overall result is an exuberant celebration of Irish music in its most innovative form. With sympathetic and inventive accompaniment by Doyle throughout and occasional contributions by Conneely and Morrissey, Crawford’s flute and whistle playing creates inspiring music that’s full of surprises sophisticated and completely accessible all at once.

  Also available from Copperplate BOR 001 Kevin Crawford & Cillian Vallely: On Common Ground

  Press Reviews

  TRADCONNECT

  The virtuoso flute and whistle player Kevin Crawford has gifted us once again with a superb exposition of the finest in flute and tin whistle playing with his latest solo album ‘Carrying the Tune’. His last solo album was entitled ‘D’ flute album (1994) so perhaps it is no coincidence that this latest album now features Eb, C and Bb flutes.

  The album comprises 14 tracks, each containing lesser known tunes (the Hula Hoop reel anyone?) that now demand to be added to the common repertoire. Reels, jigs, airs, horos (yes I said horos) and self-compositions make up the tracks. For the most part the music is energetic, rhythmic and full of pace. However with the tempo turned down we also get to be carried away with sensitive and haunting sounds such as in his whistle rendition of ‘ The Dear Irish Boy ‘.

  Crawford’s Grinter flutes purr like a cat, giving us a master class in tightly controlled phrasing, ornamentation and surgically delivered crans. Although a predominantly flute album, it is the measure of the man that his whistle tracks are on equal basis in terms of musicality and technical genius.

  Recording standards are also being pushed to new levels. On Slippery Slope a combination of double and treble tracking is used. On the first tune in the set he has double tracked a counter melody line on the flute which drops out for the second tune leaving room for the bodhrán to shine. The third tune kicks in with three flute parts, one main melody flute and two harmony flute tracks basically playing thirds and fifths whilst sticking to the exact same phrasing as the melody line. Ingenious stuff and worth the cover price of the album alone.

  Kevin is accompanied for the most part by John Doyle ( guitar/bouzouki ) whose steady and faithful rhythmic playing is a joy in itself. The accompaniment on Double Barrelled deserves repeated listens for its syncopated rhythms, again setting new standards.

  Accompaniment is also provided by Brian Morrissey (bodhrán) and Mick Conneely (Bouzouki). Crawford’s latest creation joins the canon of great Irish traditional flute albums and comes highly recommended.

  The Living Tradition

  If you expect this solo album to resemble edited highlights of Kevin’s Lunasa career, you’re about half right. Fluter extraordinaire though he is, and a defining element of the best band in Irish music for a long time, Kevin Crawford has taken a step back from that intense modern trad vibe. A gentler mood prevails through most of Carrying The Tune, a return to simple arrangements of time-polished melodies. Kevin carries the tune alone: strings and drums are provided by Doyle, Morrissey and Conneely, but the front line is just flutes and whistles. Nothing wrong with that, certainly, and there’s few people better able to fill an album – plus there are none of Kevin’s terrible jokes and stories here. Instead, every minute is packed with the finest of Irish music.

  Mostly Irish, anyway. In amongst the compositions of Paddy Taylor, Paddy O’Brien, Pat McNulty, Donal Lunny and Maurice Lennon are two tip-top Scottish waltzes from

  Cunningham and Campbell, together with a Bulgarian horo picked up in Brittany. Kevin’s own fine compositions feature strongly too, of course – but only five of them, as he makes room for many traditional favourites.

  He has a lovely light touch on John McKenna’s, and a hefty punch for Tom Dowd’s. The slow air The Dear Irish Boy is deeply moving on Bb whistle, and the twin whistles on Flatwater Fran are a clear echo of that great Lunasa sound. Kevin pairs whistle and flute, flute and flute, and mixes the keys from B to F. Its all first rate stuff, with several outstanding moments: Michael Hynes’ jig The Smithstown Jaunt, Willie Clancy’s slide, the traditional Ivy Leaf.

  Crawford leaves the best to last, I think, as the three final tracks include a pair of fabulous slow reels, two perfectly crafted Crawford pieces, and the happy joining of a classic Irish air with a grand old reel. No fanfares, no fireworks, just flawless flute. Enjoy. Alex Monaghan

  Hearth Music Web Site

  This album has exactly what you’d expect from Kevin Crawford: rare and carefully sourced tunes, impeccable playing on the Irish wooden flute and tin whistles, tasteful accompaniment, and a modern edge to an old sound. Crawford’s best known as the Irish fluter in all-star ensemble Lunasa, and though a few tracks here have the kind of angular modern arrangements that made Lunasa one of the best and most in-demand Irish trad bands on the planet, most tracks are subtle, tasteful performances of purely traditional music. Carrying the Tune is an all-flute/whistle album, which can get a bit tiring, but Crawford’s one of the few who can pull off an album like this and make every track sound refreshing and different. It helps too that he’s got John Doyle on guitar. Doyle’s got quite the Midas touch in Irish trad today; everything he touches comes out golden. Together Crawford and Doyle are a formidable duo, and if you’re a big fat Irish trad nerd like me, I know you’re waiting very impatiently for the album from the new super-group The Teetotallers, which features Crawford and Doyle together with Irish fiddle genius Martin Hayes. But until that drops (and until you start your own blog to get a promo copy), we’ll have to content ourselves with this album. Actually, rumor has it that this album was intended to be a Teetotallers album, but schedule conflicts kept Hayes from joining Doyle and Crawford. Anyways, we’ll take what we can get, and this is certainly more than we expected! The liner notes here track the source of each tune, and the tunes range the gamut of Irish tune families (including two nice waltzes!), so there’s a ton of great material here for the budding Irish musician. And throughout there’s such a genuine love for the music that it’s hard not to fall in love too. In short, this is the kind of masterful album one would expect from Kevin Crawford. –Devon Leger

  www.folkworks.org

  In 1989, a young man from Birmingham, England moved to Ireland in order to concentrate more fully on his passion for Irish traditional music and most specifically, on the wooden flute. Instilled with a love and appreciation of Irish music and culture from his Irish-born parents, he quickly settled into the local session scene and a few short years later released his first solo CD. That young man was Kevin Crawford and the CD entitled simply, ‘D’ Flute Album, quickly became a classic of the Irish trad genre and required listening for Irish flute players worldwide. Crawford went on to join the band Moving Cloud, with whom he toured and released two albums. In 1997, he was asked to join the band Lunasa, replacing departing flute player Michael McGoldrick. Crawford’s addition to the then up and coming supergroup marked a turning point in the band’s sound and he has remained a driving force in the group’s arrangements over 7 albums as well as their frontman in concert. In 2001, he released In Good Company, an album of duets with favorite fiddle player friends, and in 2009 he collaborated with fellow Lunasa bandmate Cillian Vallely for On Common Ground, a duo album featuring Crawford on flute and Vallely on uilleann pipes. During this time, he continued to refine and expand his playing and the many years spent on the road and in the studio are highly apparent on his most recent offering, released in February of 2012. Carrying the Tune marks Crawford’s first return to the true solo album format since 1994s ‘D’ Flute Album and the wait, while long, has been more than worthwhile. Teaming up with Irish guitar phenomenon John Doyle, Kevin Crawford proves once again why he is one of the top Irish flute players in the world, and why he continues to be such an influence on the current generation of young Irish musicians.

  Originally intended to be a Teetotaler’s album (a trio comprised of Crawford, Doyle and fiddler Martin Hayes) the project was quickly revised into a solo album when schedules conflicted. Mostly recorded over the short span of a few days, Crawford and Doyle recorded their tracks together live and then picked out what they felt to be the best performances of each track for the album. Later some additional bouzouki, guizouki and mandola were added by Doyle, along with some flute and whistle overdubbing from Crawford and some additional rhythm work from Mick Conneely on bouzouki and Brian Morrissey on bodhran. For the most part the overdubs are spare and this combined with the short recording period and rich, warm production value gives the album a lovely intimacy that is often lacking in the great wealth of trad albums now being offered.

  The opening set of reels, titled McHugh’s/Michael Murphy’s/The Humors of Tullycrine, immediately dispels any uncertainties about what kind of an album this is. Crawford and Doyle are in top form as they effortlessly plow through a set of reels featuring Crawford on the Eb flute, soaring above Doyle’s driving, syncopated guitar. Indeed, perhaps in a nod to his original ‘D’ Flute Album, there is not a bit of ‘D’ pitched flute to be found on this recording, replaced by C and Eb flutes and D, C and Bb whistles. These differences in pitch from the usual concert D flute allow Crawford and Doyle to play with some interesting textures and tunings for the accompaniment instruments which further adds a very different vibe to the proceedings.

  2 Days, the second track, consists of two slip jigs written by Kevin and originally pitched as a set to Lunasa. Vetoed by the band, the version here begins with some gorgeous textures set by Doyle on bouzouki and guitar with Crawford playing whistle and later layering in flute on the second tune. Lucky, Lucky Day, the second slip jig in the set, is a stunning tune that I predict will be making the Irish session rounds in the very near future and the tight, tasteful playing and chordal progressions make this track worth the price of the album alone.

  Autumn’s Apples/Cormac O’Lunny’s/Paddy Sean Nancy’s is a light, straight ahead set of reels showcasing the two musicians’ obvious delight in playing together as the flute and guitar call and answer one another through one tune variations after the other. How many of these little bits of the musical “conversation” were planned out and how many were happy accidents in the studio we will probably never know but it is a wonderful track that nicely showcases two master musicians at the height of their craft.

  Flatwater Fran/Mrs. Jean Cambell BSC is a set of waltzes, performed by Crawford on several overdubbed low F whistles and a low Bb harmony flute. For fans of Lunasa, this is probably the track that is closest in sound to the band’s now famous “low whistle trio” arrangements. The first tune is a composition of Scottish accordion maestro Phil Cunningham. The second comes from the playing of Scottish piper Rory Campbell and was originally recorded by the band Deaf Shepherd. I had not heard the tune in years and was pleasantly surprised as it is one of my favorite waltzes, and both tunes are given a wonderful life and quality here by Crawford and Co.

  On an album that features primarily flute and guitar, even well played music can quickly become stale if the same formula is repeated over and over and Crawford wisely finds ways to avoid this problem without ever losing the essential momentum of the recording as a whole. I have long said that Kevin is one of the Irish music’s premiere air players and on The Dear Irish Boy he takes up one of the big standard pipe airs on the Bb whistle, infusing the tune with his usual sense of melodic taste and emotional clarity. The result is a truly haunting performance, supported by sparse but perfect guitar accompaniment from John Doyle. The two then continue on with a set of darkly rhythmic jigs, The Hole in the Boat/Sally Sloan’s.

  The Slippery Slope may take my vote for favorite track on the album. Finely textured guitar opens this set of slip jigs with Crawford leaping forward on both melody and harmony flutes. I have always appreciated musicians who, while talented, restrain themselves from the absolute craziness you know they could ascend to if they wished, and instead choose to implement that prowess for just the right moments. Crawford exercises that tasteful restraint here though you hear his energy and enthusiasm bursting at the edges of his music until the track hits the final tune (a traditional Bulgarian ‘Horo’). He then unleashes several harmony flutes and, along with Doyle’s lush chordal arrangements, builds the track in intensity until the satisfying climax.

  Repeal of the Union is a set of reels starting with the eponymous old piping tune before switching into one of the nicest and most interesting versions of the Ivy Leaf I have ever heard. This particular reel is oft played by many pipers and flute players and Kevin presents an interpretation that combines elements of many different versions of the tune while adding in various aspects of his own inimitable style.

  Della the Diamond is a set of three tunes written by Crawford, each for a member of his family (mother-in-law, sister-in-law and wife, Tracy, respectively) and it provides a wonderful example of his tune writing abilities. This is one of several tracks that feature bouzouki player Mick Conneely. Conneely plays a Greek bouzouki with 6 strings and his style is very reminiscent of Alec Finn’s classic approach to the instrument. You would think that his rolling, old school playing on the bouzouki would clash with Doyle’s very modern, syncopated style on the guitar but in fact the two very different accompanists mesh perfectly on this track, providing a sure and measured textural net underneath Crawford’s lilting whistle playing.

  The Hula Hoop opens with a jig written for a neighbor and snooker rival of Kevin’s and it is another example of his gifts for hiding subtle musical ‘winks’ in his playing. The tune takes some unexpected variational paths, replacing legato phrasing with a staccato phrase here and there and is a testament to the sheer joy and love of playing that is inherent in this album. The set then shifts gear into a reel and churns along to the solid, neatly locked rhythms of Doyle on guitar and Brian Morrissey on bodhran.

  The album ends appropriately with the air Ag Taisteal na Blárnan (Travelling Through Blarney) on the low C flute, once again displaying the ease and understanding with which Crawford presents slower melodies. The air is then followed up by one last reel in the form of the session favorite, Come West Along the Road.

  Kevin Crawford has said that this album was meant to be primarily about musicality rather than showy technique, and this choice becomes more and more evident upon both first and repeated listenings. The technique and pyrotechnics are there, but they never get in the way of the melody and there is a excitement and playfulness to his music that grabs the listener from the first note. All in all, this album succeeds brilliantly because it takes no shortcuts in how it presents the material. Talented and inventive musicians with a deep respect for their craft and tradition coupled with a simple approach to the arranging and a stellar production make this CD a must have for fans of the genre and for Irish flute players especially. Zac Leger

  Folkworld 47

  Kevin Crawford of Lúnasa fame is taking a break from the band’s hectic touring schedule. Together with the help of John Doyle on guitar and bouzouki and occasionally Mick Conneely on bouzouki and Brian Morrissey on the bodhran, Kevin recorded 14 tracks that weren’t meant to become part of Lúnasa’s repertoire, though I see no reason why not. It’s a party, it’s fresh and innovative as we knew it from Lunasa – though more stripped down here, of course. I love the nice slip jig set of Maurice Lennon’s “La Ollamh” and Donal Lunny’s “Lucky Lucky Day”. There’s a pair of lovely waltzes, Phil Cunningham’s “Flatwater Fran” and Rory Campbell’s “Mrs Jean Campbell (BSC),” and before finishing off Kevin throws in a couple of his own original jigs. The highlight though is in the middle of the album, the song air “Dear Irish Boy” followed by two jigs with a total lenght of seven minutes. For sure, Kevin Crawford can carry a tune. Great traditional Irish music, not only for flute afficionados!

  SKU: 840 Categories: Flute, Guitar, Tin Whistle

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  Teada

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  Teada

  Press Reviews

  Irish Dancing International March 2003

  Sharp eyed readers of this column will recognise any references to Oisin MacDiarmada, the fiddler with this band, Teada, as the self same that ran away with our ‘Album of the Year’ in December’s issue. Since last year, Oisin has moved on and now jets around the world with Teada, one of a core of excellent, young trad Irish bands.

  The band comprises Oisin, John Blake, Sean McElwain, and Tristan Rosenstock. John is a Londoner and when he first came to Ireland, his forte was acoustic guitar. He is also a multi-instrumentalist and an excellect ‘fluter’, (I know I could say flautist, but tradders hate that), Sean brings more strings in the form of the banjo and the bouzouki. Tristan completes the quartet with virtouso bodhran talent and backing vocals. Oisin himself is noting short of a genius when it comes

  to playing the fiddle, as we already eulogised in the December issue.

  And so to this, their debut album. It’s a fine album indeed and those with a keener understanding of the finer points of Irish trad that myself have spoken volumes about it. It is a fair compendium of jigs, reels and hornpipes and a significant confidence builder forthe group in these early years. It’s a pointer to what we might expect in a year or two. Donal Lynch.

  Folk On Tap March 2003

  Here we have another young band emerging from the Emerald Isle playing traditional tunes on a variety of instruments, led by a fiddle or a flute, backed up by tenor banjo, bouzouki, piano and bodhran. Their playing is slick and professional as you might expect froma country so steeped in traditional music and musicians, but a creeping suspicion nags me, a sense of deja-vu perhaps. Haven’t we heard this music before, in fact many times over?

  There have been so many good Irish bands playing reels, and jigs, with the occasional song thrown in for good measure, that I find hard to differentiate between them anymore. That said, however, they are at least as good as anything that has gone before, but not ground breaking and inovative they are not but maybe, they don’t want to be. Phil Hugill

  The Irish Echo Téada comes with “strings” attached By Earle Hitchner

  Youth is very well served on “Téada,” the Irish word for “strings” adopted as the name of a new band and their debut album on their own Sligo-based imprint, Ceol Records.

  The accent on strings comes from 24-year-old, Clare-born Oisín Mac Diarmada, the 1999 All-Ireland senior champion on fiddle, London-born John Blake on guitar, and Monaghan’s Seán McElwain on bouzouki and tenor banjo. Mac Diarmada also sings and plays whistle and piano, Blake adds flute, whistle, and piano, and Dublin’s Tristan Rosenstock, Téada’s fourth member, plays bodhrán, so this “string thing” really only goes so far. (I mean, is Altan with two fiddlers, two guitarists, and a bouzouki player also a “string” band?)

  Semantics aside, “Téada” represents a fresh force in Irish traditional music. Two years ago, Mac Diarmada made an excellent recording with Monaghan harper Mícheál Ó Ruanaigh and Limerick banjoist Brian Fitzgerald, and guesting on that album were Blake and Rosenstock, so the rudiments of Téada were largely in place then.

  Part of what makes their debut CD impressive is the variety of moods and tempos they achieve. The band opens the album not with a customary blast of reels but a hornpipe and jigs medley that is admirably paced, especially by Mac Diarmada’s tender fiddling of “Tom Connor’s Hornpipe.” In “Teresa Halpin’s/Rathlin Island/Michael Hynes’,” McElwain’s banjo and Rosenstock’s bodhrán establish at the outset a steady, rhythmic pace that gains in power with Mac Diarmada’s fiddle and Blake’s flute coming in on the second reel. Then the third reel shifts into almost a céilí band sound, as Blake doubles on piano and McElwain adds bouzouki to the mix.

  There’s a lot of adroit dueting — fiddle and flute, flute and bodhrán, bodhrán and banjo, banjo and fiddle — within the arrangements. This juicy subtext courses through the main musical reading and piques the overall listening pleasure.

  Fiddle and banjo, for example, shoulder the melody throughout “The Liffey Banks/Pat Molloy’s” reels, backed at first by guitar and then by guitar, piano, and bodhrán. Fiddle and flute start off “The Surround/Up in the Garret/Port na Deoraí” slip jigs, then give way to flute and bodhrán, then to banjo and fiddle. The progression is natural, not constrained, and changes between tunes are like smooth hand-offs in a relay race, with no strides broken.

  “Tom Roddy’s,” a tasty jig written by Mac Diarmada and played by him on fiddle and Rosenstock on bodhrán, effortlessly segues into two traditional tunes, “The Old Firm Jig/The Maid at the Well,” featuring all four band members. Again, the seams don’t show.

  Nowhere is that more apparent and accomplished than in the album-concluding medley of “The Crock of Gold/Johnny Has Gone to France/The Tailor’s Thimble,” where the change to the last reel is brought off with a quick swoop into a lower register.

  Instrumentally, Téada is exciting, but vocally, they’re much less so. Mac Diarmada sings lead on two songs, “Peigín Is Peadar” and “A Bhean a’ Tí,” backed by harmonies from McElwain and Rosenstock. The vocals are thin and tentative, especially when compared with past popular renditions of those songs by Dervish and Clannad.

  Other shortcomings on the album are its brevity, clocking in at a pre-CD-era 38 minutes and 16 seconds, and its production, where some tracks end with an unsettling scissors-like snip.

  But don’t be put off by these faults. Oisín Mac Diarmada is one of the most talented fiddlers in Ireland today, someone who imaginatively breaks free of convention, and John Blake’s skills on guitar and keyboard are exceptional not just with Téada but with At the Racket, the Carberry family, flutist Harry Bradley, and fiddlers Brian Rooney, Jesse Smith, and Liz and Yvonne Kane. Blake is also a good flute player, and Tristan Rosenstock on bodhrán and Seán McElwain on bouzouki and banjo are solid complements to him and Mac Diarmada.

  Together, they are a quartet whose age belies how fully seasoned they are as instrumental performers. I recommend “Téada,” both the band and the CD, strings attached. Earle Hitchner

  Folk Roots Review Aug/ Sept 02

  Teada are a traditional quartet with a rising reputation, thanks in parts to the spirited unison playing of fiddler Oisin MacDiarmada and flautist JohnBlake, backed by first rate banjo and bouzouki from Sean McElwain and the sensitive bodhrah of Tristan Rosenstock.

  Hugely enjoyable throughout and definitely one to watch out for. Thumbs UP!

  Taplas June/July. The Welsh Folk Magazine

  Teada, (say tay-do) are a boy band of the exciting young, traditional variety.

  Interestingly they are a bit different in their laid-back and more ‘traditional’ approach to the music. Translation: they tend not to play fast and frantic, there are no cheesy ‘arrangements’, synthesisers or crossover attempts.

  The band features flowing fiddle and singing from Oisin MacDiarmada, contrasting with exciting flute of John Blake, with banjo/ bouzouki and bohran completing the line up. Oisin’s singing isn’t totally convincing but that’s maybe a matter of personal preference (think Marcus O’Murchu).

  The arrangements and choice of songs are a good mix of favourites, done a bit differently, and more unusual stuff. It’s a shame the production is marred all the way through by over loud fiddle, which has led to a somewhat bare sound, the instruments not quite blending. Teresa Clark

  Pay The Reckoning April 2002

  Pay The Reckoning know what we like (and we like what we know, but that’s a different story). And we LIKE this album.

  Are you fed up with ham-fisted, hob-nailed approaches to Irish traditional music? Do you hanker after playing with depth, soul, meaning? Music where the wild, “high lonesome” sound is at the heart of its being?

  Then look no further than Téada, the young 4-piece who have redefined the word sensitive and elevated understatement to an art-form.

  The musicianship on this collection is impeccable. John Blake (flute/guitar/piano/whistle), Seán McElwain (bouzouki/banjo/backing vocals) and Tristan Rosenstock (bodhrán/backing vocals) display a talent which can only be described as virtuoso. However I’m sure that they will forgive our waxing lyrical for a few moments over Oisín MacDiarmada’s utterly mesmerising way with the fiddle.

  Here is a young lad whose voice and style are unique. While aspects of his playing call to mind, variously, the approach of the Sligo maestri Coleman and Morrison (MacDiarmada’s a Sligo man himself!), the fluid style of Kevin Burke, the keen intelligence of Martin Hayes and the heart-stopping subtlety of Paddy Canny, there’s little doubt that MacDiarmada walks alongside the greats; not in their footsteps!

  The opening track on the album (Tom Connor’s Hornpipe/The Joy Of My Life/Handy With The Stick) showcases MacDiarmada’s playing to great effect. His solo work on the hornpipe is delicate, yet assured. Smooth, elegant, stately. Unhurried (as opposed to slow). And then the band join him on the jigs. Not with the wham-bam with which other outfits might choose to treat us, but rather with an ensemble approach whose atmosphere of mutual respect mirrors the respect for the music which MacDiarmada demonstrated in his opening solo.

  And from then on in, it’s one treat after another. On the reel set which follows (Teresa Halpin’s/Rathlin Island/Michael Hynes’), Blake’s flute is much more to the fore alongside McElwain’s intricate banjo picking. The touch of piano towards the end of the set lends it an air of nostalgia as its position in the mix calls to mind those now-ancient American recordings of the 20s and 30s.

  The slip jig set (The Surround/Up In The Garret/Port Na Deoraí) is a stunner. The first tune is a little-heard and idiosyncratic number and the follow-ons are so well-constructed to serve as archetypes for the 9/8 form.

  MacDiarmada, McElwain and Rosenstock are in fine voice on the first song on the album “Peigín’s Peadar”, before they deliver a beltin’ set of reels (Micho Russell’s/Bill Harte’s/The Green Gates).

  The next set (The Chaffpool Post/The Mayday Hornpipe) epitomises Téada’s approach to musical direction. The first tune, a barndance, was selected from a set of barndances recorded by Michael Coleman in 1927 – and not played much since. Nevertheless the musicians have spotted its great potential and, set alongside the hornpipe which got an outing on the legendary “Dog Big, Dog Little” album, it sparkles.

  On the next reel set (The Liffey Banks/Pat Molloy’s) the piano is to the fore again, this time creating a mental link with the dancing masters and mistresses of the recent past (i.e. before Riverdance and the conversion of as graceful and restrained form of self-expression into something which approaches the Folies Bergeres in hob-nailed boots).

  On the song “A Bhean A Tí”, MacDiarmada treats us to another of his talents when, as well taking the lead vocals, he plays whistle.

  The jig set “Tom Roddy’s/The Old Firm Jig/The Maid At the Well” kicks off with a MacDiarmada-composed tune which sits very happily alongside the two traditonal tunes.

  MacDiarmada gives us a great version of Charlie Lennon’s hornpipe “Rossinver Braes”. The emotional depth of his playing comes as no surprise, given what we’ve already heard. What perhaps does surprise is the degree of restraint which he shows.

  And then – too soon! – the finale. A flawlessly executed set of reels, “The Crock Of Gold/Johnny’s Gone To France/The Tailor’s Thimble”. Having paid homage to Coleman on their version of The Chaffpool Post, the lads bend the knee to his fellow Sligo-man Morrison who recorded the two closing reels with John McKenna in the late ’20s.

  Young, ferociously talented, sensitive, intelligent. Pay The Reckoning cannot overstate just how accomplished this album is. The band have dug deep and constructed tune sets which are truly their own and yet which hold together so well that the listener could easily be fooled into thinking that time itself had brought the tunes together in a happy coincidence. The lads play like they’ve each been at the music for longer than their collective years. Let’s hope they stick around for another two or three albums at least!

  Finally … a request. Next time around, any chance of nodding in The Professor’s direction once again and giving us a Téada version of “The Tailor’s Twist/The Flowers Of Spring”? There’s a prospect that would have Pay The Reckoning towers buzzing for months!

  Teada Live Review

  The Herald (Scottish Newspaper) April 25th 2003

  The name, like k d lang’s, is determinedly lower case. It’s pronounced ‘tay-day’. It’s Irish for ‘strings’, and it might be advisable to get used to it because there was a feeling of portent as pronounced as a poteen hangover about this gig. The band are young — how young you can guess by the news of teada’s bodhran player’s absence due to exams — and maybe it was the novelty of having an accordionist make up the quartet, but loathers of football clichés look away because I’m going to use one: this was a game of two halves — bloody good and bleedin’ marvellous. The first established the group’s liking for variety of metre and arrangement, pairing off for fiddle and flute duets, and employing numerous other instrumental permutations, from solo to quartet. It also confirmed that, in Oisin Mac Diarmada, teada have a fiddler of quite starting old-head-on-young-shoulders ability. You could hear centuries of tradition and doubtless long hours of dedication in his sweet and graceful melodiousness. If at times, then, his colleagues seemed to be playing catch-up, later they were right on the pace, adding richness and precision on banjo, bouzouki, box, and flute. Flautist John Blake, English-accented but Galway-based, takes stick for his origins but brings natural aptitude and technique on tunes, and in doubling upon guitar he offers harmonic invention and real drive. One complaint might be their one song per set ration. Mac Diarmada sings well, interestingly, and with feeling, and might do even more so with some practice. But with such quality of musicianship and attention to a tune’s essential shape, they’ll so as they are for now. Rob Adams

  Teada Live Review

  Edinburgh Evening News (Scottish Newspaper) April 24th 2003

  Edinburgh’s Ceilidh Culture programme continued last night as young Irish band Teada brought their classic Celtic credentials to town in their debut Scottish gig. Now a five-piece outfit since the recruitment of accordion player Paul Finn earlier this year, Teada were shorn of their bodhran player Tristan Rosenstock, back home in Dublin preparing for his finals, but, in his absence, the band, with Oisin Mac Diarmada leading on fiddle and excellent vocals certainly passed this test. Traditionally Irish but with a punkish edge to their style, Teada, which is Irish for strings, genuinely enjoy their music, and their repertoire had enough shifts in pace and style to keep the band, and their audience, on their toes, raucous one minute, sensitive and serene the next, traditional Irish music with attitude. Seemingly playing well within themselves in their first set, with an intriguing mix of reels, jigs and hornpipes, the band cut loose in a second set that got one encore, but could have received several, such was the reception they received. Mac Diarmada is a real talent, his fiddle-playing of the highest order, but with a distinctive, almost discordant edge to it, and his Irish vocals were full of Irish passion. Teada, however, are no one-man-band, and with banjo/bouzouki player Sean McElwain offering subtlety and style, Finn on accordion and John Blake on guitar and flute, they are a refreshing addition to the genre. The highlights were the numbers in celebration of the piping tradition shared on both sides of the Irish Sea, and the hornpipes, especially Tom Connor’s and Mayday, and reels such as Teetotaller and Billy McCumiskey’s showed the versatility of Teada goes across the spectrum of Irish music. Teada are a tight, traditional Irish band with something quite intangible to separate them from the rest, and if there is a better new band on the Emerald Isle, then they must be very, very good. Mike J. Wilson A band focused upon creating a soulful, traditional sound with a subtle approach to adornment. Featuring the uniquely sweet fiddle playing and vocals of Sligo musician, Oisin MacDiarmada. In tandem with the flowing flute playing of John Blake and rhythmic banjo playing from Seán McElwain, the thoughtfully crafted tune settings are enhanced sensitively by Tristan Rosenstock on bodhran. Superbly aided by the harmonic understanding of London born Blake’s guitar playing and complimentary buozouki accompaniment of McElwain from Monaghan.

  Téada have undertaken tours of USA, Scandinavia and Germany in the run up to the launch of this debut recording.

  Oisin MacDiarmada: Sligo fiddle-player aged 23 is an honours graduate in Music Education from Trinity College, Dublin/ RIRM. In addition to his widespread performing activity, Oisin is respected internationally as a fiddle tutor and for is journalistic, lecturing and production work. Fast becoming one of the most exciting young musicians on the traditional scene. His playing on his previous recording. (CICD 148 Traditional Music on the Fiddle, Banjo and Harp, available from Copperplate) released in 2000 was described by Simon Jones of UK magazine, Traditional Music Maker as ‘so sensitive it’s enough to make grown men weep’.

  John Blake was brought up in the thriving music scene in London, where he learned to play flute from Brendan Mulkere. Since moving over to Ireland in 1998, he has become a regular performer here and abroad. In the process establishing himself as a talented multi-instrumentalist, whose contribution has been notable on an increasing number of albums in recent times. John currently lives in Galway.

  Seán McElwain hails from Monaghan and brings a strong string dimension to téada through his energetic contributions on banjo and bouzouki. In recent times, touring performances have seen Seán gain growing accolades for his accompaniment and melodic skills from many quarters. Having recently completed a degree in Commerce. Seán is presently based in Galway pursuing postgraduate studies in the field of electronic Commerce.

  Tristan Rosenstock, from Glengarry in Co Dublin, Tristan’s bodhran playing encompasses a distinctive musical sensitivity, evident on the number of recordings and tours with he has had involvement. Prominent in Dublin musical circles in recent years. Tristan is currently pursuing studies in Irish and Old Irish at Trinity College, Dublin.

  SKU: 516 Categories: Banjo, Bodhran, Bozouki, Fiddle, Flute, Groups

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  James Carty – Upon my Soul

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  James Carty – Upon my Soul

  One of the positive aspects of emigration to London for me in the late 1970’s was the introduction to a whole community of traditional musicians of extraordinary talent living there. Often, it was within family groups that the music was at its strongest, and their commitment to it under conditions that were not always that favourable seemed to me remarkable.

  James Carty comes from such a family, and the distillation of generations of flute playing from the Connaught region is clearly evident in this recording. I was privileged to become a personal friend of James’s family: his father John P, his mother Margaret, brother John, his sister Angela. Their collective contribution to Irish music over a long period has been outstanding.

  This is James’s first solo recording, and I think its significance lies in its difference, its change of direction for contemporary flute playing. I love the shorter phrasing, so typical of the older flute playing of Connaught, and now so rare in flute recordings of today. That is not to say that this is archive music, or an attempt to recreate an old style; for it is obvious that there is much that is creative in his treatment of the old favourites, such as the Boys of the Lough or the compositions of Josie McDermott. To breathe new life into old music is certainly a gift – a gift that James has in abundance.

  As ever, the accompaniment of musicians Alec Finn, Francis Gaffney and John Blake is very much in keeping with the spirit of this music. Tried and tested on many a recording, the contributions of these brilliant musicians to Irish music generally speaks for itself. Finally, I would like to draw attention to the bodhran playing of Boyle man, Joe Kennedy. Especially suited to the flute, the sound of the hand-struck bodhran, in itself something of a rarity these days, gives an authentic ring to this recording, especially in the hands of a player such as Joe. Beware of imitations. Gregory Daly Kesh July 2006

  James Carty was born in London in 1969 into an extremely musical family:-. John P, his father plays mainly the flute but can also turn his hand to the fiddle, banjo and other instruments, his; mother, Margaret Folan, herself came from a family steeped in Irish traditional music and his older brother is the renown fiddle and banjo player, John Carty. With such a pedigree behind him it was inevitable James would become a musician himself.

  The flute is his chosen instrument and he plays with a very distinctive almost ancient style that belies his years. James has become one of the mainstays of the session scene in London and his session in the Auld Triangle is the first port of call to many visiting musicians. James’ animated and vivacious playing demeanour is guaranteed to set any musical scene alive and he is a most welcome visitor at any sessions he visits, particularly in his father’s home county of Roscommon

  This is James’ first solo recording although he has featured on many recordings to date including playing a flute and fiddle duet with brother, John on John’s album At It Again, and he also appears with fellow London residents Liam Farrell and Joe Whelan on They Sailed, Away From Dublin Bay.

  James is also a founding member of the All-Britain senior champions: The Auld Triangle Ceili Band,

  James is also featured on They Sailed Away from Dublin Bay alongside Liam Farrell and Joe Whelan

  Press Reviews

  James Carty is an excellent flute player whose skills rival that of his better-known brother, banjo and fiddle player John Carty. Another side of James’ music which immediately reminded me of his brother’s playing is his seemingly off-the-cuff, completely relaxed, yet extraordinarily creative approach to traditional tunes. Although this is James’ very first solo recording, we are definitely listening to a mature player, with a great sense for balancing creative expression with traditional style in a naturally tasteful manner. This is very much flute music, encompassing some of the great titles of the Sligo-Roscommon tradition, along with a few judiciously picked newer tunes, like the Josie McDermott compositions or Jean Duval’s “Caucus” reel. On one lovely track of reels, James is joined by his father John P, and his brother John, both on flute as well, demonstrating the strong connection between musical heritage and family ties. Sparse accompaniments, including Joe Kennedy’s hand-struck bodhran, enhance the music just so. This will be at the top of the list of “must-haves” for lovers of Irish flute music for years to come. (3/2007) Rating: ****

  SKU: 669 Category: Flute

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  Eilis Kennedy – Time to Sail

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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

  SKU: 519 Categories: Bodhran, Fiddle, Flute, Guitar, Harp, Low whistle, Piano, Tin Whistle, Uilleann Pipes, Vocals Female

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