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Brian Hughes – Whirlwind
Brian is joined on Whirlwind by guest musicians Garry O’Briain, Nollaig Casey, Brendan O’Regan, Donnchadh Gough (Danu), James Blennerhasset and Bruno Staehlin.
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
… “superb technique and a fine feel for the music. We’ll be seeing more of Brian Hughes, and the sooner the better”.
The Living Tradition (reviewing Whistle Stop)
The Folk Diary
Brian is from Co. Kildare and is known as a flute-player and uillean piper, but this album is devoted entirely to his playing of the simpler tin whistle and a lovely job he makes of it with some sparkling playing and a lovely fluid, liquid tone. He plays a wide variety of rhythms and we hear in play in quite a range of settings, but it is always the whistle that is well to the fore. His playing is at its most interesting when he is playing highly decorated slower items and the two airs, De Bharr na gCnoc and Nóirín Ní Riain’s standing out.
In one sense, we can judge Brian’s status by the company that he keeps, for some of the top names associated with Irish music are here in including Nollaig Casey, James Blennerhasset and the man who was also the album’s producer, Garry O’Briain. Vic Smith.
Irish Music Magazine May 07
This is a lovely album of whistle tunes delivered by one of the sweetest players on the scene. Brian Hughes’ first album “Whistlestop ” was a revelation: his second is a confirmation. Sticking pretty much to the old Generation whistles in D and C, Brian effortlessly handles a wide range of Irish dance music from polkas to waltzes with a gorgeous tone and crisp fingerwork.
From “Rosemary Lane ” to “The Eel in the Sink”, Brian’s jigs and reels sparkle like summer raindrops. “Alexander’s Hornpipe “is one of three at a bright jaunty pace, showing this man’s control and ability to improvise. “The Piper’s Waltz ” flows smoothly into “The Table-Top Tumble “, a charming Hughes composition. Trios of slides and polkas trip off Brian’s tongue and fingers: “O’Keeffe’s, CuzTeehan’s, O’Connell’s, O’Leary’s “, all grand old names. “Tuohy’s Reel ” and “Man of Aran ” are slowed down to a gentle stroll a la Lunasa.
Nollaig Casey and Brendan O’Regan add fiddle, mandolin and bouzouki to Brian’s whistle on a few tracks. There’s also percussion and upright bass, and varied accompaniment from Garry O’Briain throughout. The two slow airs on “Whirlwind ” don’t tempt Brian onto low whistles, but he does switch to a wooden Seery high D which gives a fuller tone in the low octave. “De Bharr Na gCnoc ” is rarely heard, a simple song melody played straight and pure here.
“Noirin Ni Riain’s” comes from the well-known singer’s repertoire, another unusual air.
The wooden whistle is also featured on the final set of reels: “Rip the Calico, Dispute at the Crossroads “, and “Martin Wynne’s “. And there you have it, a nicely rounded recording by an exceptional whistle player, well produced and packaged, with interesting notes and artwork. Alex Monaghan
LiveIreland.com
We opened the mailer from one of the essential Irish labels, Clo-lar-Chonnacta. ALWAYS tasty stuff on this label. One of the best. Hmmm. A tin whistle album. Disappointment. Another whistle album? Really? Well, okay. On it goes. Stunned! Gobsmacked! This Brian Hughes out of Kildare has delivered a massive winner! Let’s start with technique. Lots of whistle players have the technique. Great breath control is the problem. The god of breath control, and of whistling generally, is Mary Bergin. Well, make room for Brian Hughes! Of course, he is out of a musical family. Goes without saying. This album has a huge repertoire, and lots of styles. Such excellent musicians helping out! Nollaig Casey on fiddle. Garry O’Briain on guitar, mandocello and keyboards. Brian O’Regan (one of our favs) on mandolin and bouzouki. Bruno Staehelin on percussion, Donnchadh Gough on bodhran and James Blennerhasset on bass round it all out. Whistle albums, like harp albums, can get very, very boring—unless in the hands of a master. Brian Hughes is a master. Big league, all the way! Great, great. Hughes also plays the pipes. Wish he would have given us some more here. Ah, let’s not get picky. This is one of the best whistle albums we have EVER heard. Get it! Title is ‘Whirlwind’, which also describes Brian’s playing. We love this. Rating: Four Harps Bill Margeson
£14.99 -
Caladh Nua – Happy Days
Caladh is an old Irish word meaning “Harbour” or “Shelter place”. Caladh Nua means a “New Harbour” or “New Shelter place”. Caladh Nua could also refer to a new comfortable place where music and song sets a warm lovely atmosphere. With all this in mind, this is “Caladh Nua”, the traditional Irish band. This very unique band was founded in early 2009. Like many of the great Irish traditional bands Caladh Nua simply formed as a result of great musicians crossing paths, realising a special connection and then wanting to share it with the world audience. The ensemble comprises of five qualified musicians from three beautiful regions in Ireland, counties Carlow, Waterford and Kilkenny. The tasteful musical arrangements of Caladh Nua include traditional Irish dance music, traditional songs alongside some more recently composed pieces. Caladh Nua has a perfect balance between innovation and preservation of Irelands wonderful music and song tradition, the bands special repertoire and energy is guaranteed to capture an audience of any generation
Press Reviews
Net Rhythms.com
Caladh is an old Irish word meaning “harbour” or “place of shelter”; thus the band name signifies a state whereby they’ve found a new comfortable place to showcase their musical talents in a warm and convivial atmosphere. And that turns out an apt description of the genially energetic music on offer from this fairly new young five-piece band who hail variously from Counties Waterford, Carlow and Kilkenny.
Although there’s no shortage of musicianship, the band members don’t force the issue, preferring instead to concentrate on letting the music speak for itself. Theirs is an easygoing style, as demonstrated on this collection that readily intersperses tune-sets and songs in sensibly varied and clean, uncluttered arrangements that let the individual musicians have their say without fear of being drowned out or interrupted mid-flow. And yet, considering that the lineup sports two fiddlers (Paddy Tutty and Lisa Butler), the overall texture isn’t always as rich as you might expect — but this isn’t ever a problem when the playing is so deliciously pointed and the arrangements kept so simple. The lineup’s completed by Eoin O’Meachir (banjo, whistle, mandolin), Derek Morrissey (button accordion) and Colm O’Caoimh (guitar, bouzouki), who together provide a fortuitous balance of timbres that’s impeccably judged, with melody line and harmony support well proportioned at all times.
The opening set of reels is a good illustration of the band’s flair for balance between sensitivity of internal dynamics and outright energy, although there are instances on later sets where one feels that a little more capital might have been made out of the tunes (for example The Jolly Beggarman, which flits by in just under three minutes) and that a touch more loosening-up might have helped in dispelling the hint of “by rote” that just occasionally creeps into the rhythm of the ensemble. Interestingly though, one of the most appealing of the instrumental tracks is a swinging ragtime-cum-vaudeville-flavoured piece By Heck (which originates from the playing of the Flanagan Brothers, who emigrated to America in the early 1900s).
The rest of the tune-sets contain a nice mixture of jigs, reels and hornpipes and barndances, and the chosen pace is well managed but never too frantic even in the concluding head-of-steam stages of a set. Colm gives us a delightful solo performance too, the Gort Na Mona set (comprising a jig and a hornpipe): light and lyrical guitar picking at its finest (and, like his rendition of The Humours Of Ballyloughlin on the disc’s final medley, inspired by the duetting of Paul Brady and Arty McGlynn). As far as the songs are concerned, Lisa takes the vocals for three out of the four, and she has a pleasing, warm, generous tone with a good sense of line without resorting to over-use of ornamentation; I particularly enjoyed her rendition of Cad É Sin Don Té Sin, a Donegal song dealing with the issue of personal freedom and individuality, although her treatment of Banks Of The Lee is a little too much on one level to rise above the standard. The fourth of the songs is the odd-one-out in two respects: it’s the only contemporary composition – Richard Thompson’s Beeswing – and it’s sung (albeit rather attractively too) by Colm, but it ends a little abruptly and in the end doesn’t add anything to the song’s already massive discography.
Overall, then, Happy Days is a pretty impressive debut, for these musicians are undeniably talented and have already learnt some key lessons in the successful presentation of Irish traditional music. And even though I’m left with a feeling of being ever so slightly shortchanged, it proves an enjoyable listen. David Kidman October 2010
www.LiveIreland.com
Caladh Nua is another young group out with a stunner, Happy Days. What a quintet! Fab songs meet wonderful, wonderful tunes
£14.99 -
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.
£14.99 -
Ceide – Like A Wild Thing
- Cis Ni Liathain / The Bucks of Oranmore.
- The Dunmore Lasses / Mother’s Reel
- Flowers of the Forest.
- John the Baptist.
- The Woods of Old Limerick / Nora Rooney’s Favourite / Farewell to Tarpey’s
- Le Voyage pour L’Irlande. Air
- Within a Mile of Dublin / Ballinasloe Fair/ Mickey Finn’s.
- Like a Wild Thing.
- Gan Ainm / Cuir Barr Ai r/ My Love is in America.
- Mrs Kenny’s / Adam & Eve / Babes in the Wood.
- If I Had a Boat.
- The Pullet that Wants the Cock / The Night Before Larry was Stretched / Islay Rant.
The musicians are:
- Brian Lennon – Flute/Whistle/Vocals
- Tom Doherty – Button Accordion/Melodeon
- John Mc Hugh – Fiddle
- Kevin Doherty – Double Bass
- Declan Askin – Guitar/Vocals
The group is Céide, (pronounced Kay-ge) named after the 5000 year old Mesolithic hunter/gatherer settlement found in north Mayo called the Céide Fields
‘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
Press Reviews
Irish Dancing International Review Sept 03 CD of the Month
Living away from the “centre of the universe”, you sometimes yearn for the “real drop” when it comes to traditional Irish music. Well, you gotta listen to this album from Ceide as it’s as close as you can get to “real” music.
It’s a delightful, genuine trad Irish album, the spirit and atmosphere of Mayo exudes from every track, starting with, Cis ni Liathain and The Bucks of Oranmore. On track two, we get Dunmore Lasses, erstwhile glorified by the Chieftains and the man behind the bar himself, Matt Molloy, in their album, “The Long Black Veil”. A lovely treatment to this, speeded up to a spirited reel pace, and again, a tried formula of lovely whistle playing, giving way to accordion, fiddle and guitar, with all five lads cutting in for good measure.
The title track, Like A Wild Thing is a slow, easy song, composed by local, Tony Reidy. It’s sung by Declan Askin and supported by all the musicians on board. It’s very meaningful and well suited to the album’s title. The CD is a fine mix of jigs, reels and polkas and a Finnish Waltz (sounds French). The musicians are exceptional and, all through the album, a polished unhurried quality pevades every note.
Oh, and leave the CD running after the last track and you get a delightful blues harmonica number by Declan with all the boys “cutting in” again, a great finish to a splendid album. Donal Lynch
Pay The Reckoning Web Site Review
Mayo-based 5-piece, Ceide, are one outfit who won’t have any difficulty in staking their claim on airtime on Pay The Reckoning’s CD carousel.
The band came together in sessions at Matt Molloy’s pub in Westport and what sparks must have flown between them when they realised they were on the same musical wavelength! Intelligent with a sense of fun; able to hold their enthusiasm in check during the first repeat of a tune yet ready to drop all inhibitions and barnstorm their way to the finish line.
Ceide combine traditional tunes with contemporary songs. In this regard they are the latest torch-bearers in a musical institution which already has an illustrious history. (Stockton’s Wing and Four Men and a Dog, to name but two groups, have walked a very similar path and to very similar effect.) Ceide’s choice of contemporary material is exemplary. They interpret John Martyn’s “John The Baptist” beautifully, allowing Kevin Doherty an opportunity to strut his funky stuff on double bass while Declan Askin showcases his guitar and vocals. Lyle Lovett’s “If I Had A Boat” also gets a well-deserved, sensitive treatment. However to our ears the stand-out song on the album is local singer/songwriter Tony Reidy’s song “Like A Wild Thing”. The song catches a former farmer, forced into office work as a result of not being able to make a living out of his farm, reflecting bitterly on his current lot. The soul-destroying bereftness which lies at the heart of this song is communicated perfectly in Ceide’s arrangement and the words linger afterwards, nagging away at the listener. “Farewell to the land where I grappled with stone/Farewell to the hills where I was soaked to the bone”.
And what of the tunes? Well … there are some beltin’ sets here. We’ve already mentioned Kevin Doherty’s double bass playing. It’s remarkable how much it contributes to the tune sets. On the first set of reels, for example, Cis Ni Liathain/The Bucks of Oranmore, the bass is in evidence throughout the first reel, lending the tune a degree of “bottom” rarely encountered in traditional Irish music. At the change, Doherty holds back, allowing Brian Lennon on flute and Declan Askin on guitar to carry the first round of The Bucks Of Oranmore. At the repeat, Doherty rejoins, immediately anchoring the sound once again.
These lads know their stuff. Tom Doherty (boxes and snare drum) and John McHugh on fiddle haven’t yet been mentioned by name, but their contribution is equally vital. There are a couple of slowish tracks (the Finnish waltz “The Flowers of the Forest” and the air composed by Pierre Bensusan “Le Voyage Pour L’Irlande”) which spotlight the band’s ability to maintain the rigid discipline necessary to put such tunes across.
Which is not, of course, to deny that discipline is also necessary in successfully playing jigs and reels and so forth. Ceide prove on this album that they are masters at constructing and playing exhilarating tune sets. Here you’ll come across old standards and tunes you might not be familiar with as well as tunes which take you completely by surprise. In the final category is the inclusion of “The Night Before Larry Was Stretched” played as a slip jig in a set in which it is sandwiched between The Pullet That Wants The Cock and The Islay Rant, and benefitting greatly from the eeriness which it borrows from Doherty bowing, rather than plucking, his bass. All the sets are outstanding and are therefore all worthy of a mention. As well as those which already get a namecheck above, then you’ll be excited by “The Dunmore Lasses/Mother’s Reel”, “The Woods Of Old Limerick/Nora Rooney’s Favourite/Farewell To The Tarpeys Of Arderry”, “Within A Mile Of Dublin/Ballinasloe Fair/Mickey Finn’s Favourite”, “Gan Ainm/Cuir Barr Air/My Love Is In America” and “Mrs Kenny’s/Adam And Eve/Babes In The Wood”.
All things considered, a superb debut by a bundle of accomplished musicians, about whom we expect to hear very big things in the near future. It’s no exaggeration to say that in the space of a few days, this has become one of Pay The Reckoning’s favourite recordings … we’ll be singing its praises at every opportunity! Pay The Reckoning
Folk Roundabout Review. 01/02
This is the first release from a new Mayo-based five-piece, and comes highly recommended by Matt Molloy at sessions at whose pub in Westport he first encountered their distinctive collective approach and individual talents. Matt sure has a finely tuned ear, for this album’s appealing blend of traditional tunes and contemporary songs makes for a good listen.
The opening set defines the mood and pace, with spirited front-line accordion (Tom Doherty) offset by gently rhythmic guitar (Declan Askin) and smooth bowed double-bass (Kevin Doherty), before fiddle (John McHugh) and whistle (Brian Lennon) join the front line for the repeat and the rhythms take off, though maintaining a level of restraint that’s attractively managed.
The band’s general method of attack remains thoughtful rather than full-tilt, and their ensemble tightness conceals a considerable degree of internal fire, and there’s some very expert shading in the playing that repays many further listens. With an innate and well-considered sense of poise, Céide have a healthy attitude to repertoire too, unafraid to essay a Finnish waltz (and bring in a handbell-choir to boot!) alongside reels and jigs (those on track 5 feature Charlie Lennon’s wonderfully gentle guest piano playing as a bonus). There’s also a hidden track, where a wailing blues harmonica drives the whole train off on holiday!
The choice of songs (just three out of the twelve tracks) is clearly tailored to suit the winning combination of softness and strength in Declan’s blues-inflected vocal style – Lyle Lovett’s If I Had A Boat, John Martyn’s John The Baptist and the hitherto unfamiliar title track, a fine composition by local Mayo resident Tony Reidy that rather belies the image evoked by that title. I liked this album a lot, and look forward to hearing more of Céide. David Kidman
Folking.com Web Site
If none other than Matt Molloy recommends a band, you can rest assured you should be on pretty safe ground. I’m pleased to report that this CD met all expectations and then some. The line-up of flute, accordion, fiddle, guitar and double bass will undoubtedly bring comparisons to Lunasa etc but I personally think these lads have it if only for the fact they have included some vocals.
Reading from the sleeve notes gives a fair indication of what to look forward to and first impressions are that here the musicians have put a lot of thought into the construction of the set pieces by concentrating not only on the rhythms but the keys they are performed in as well. Years ago De Dannan sussed that if you played tunes in unusual keys such as Eb that the listener’s ear isn’t used to this and therefore makes your performance sound ‘different’ from the crowd. Ceide utilise this to good effect and, take for instance ‘The Bucks Of Oranmore’ in the key of A major this technique gives the tune more character. Off setting the tradition with contemporary songs including John Martyn’s ‘John The Baptist’ definitely sets the band in a field of its own. I look forward to further outings. Pete Fyfe
Ita Kelly, Irish Music Magazine, Vol 7 No 3. Oct 2001
‘The debut release from this Mayo based band is an interesting mix of traditional tunes and contemporary songs. Declan Askin is responsible for those songs and they represent his own influences and personal taste for the work of Lyle Lovett (‘If I had a Boat’) and John Martyn (‘John the Baptist’). The title for the album ‘Like a Wild Thing’ is taken from a song written by Tony Reidy a singer songwriter from the village of Aghagower near Westport. It’s an apt song for this Mayo based group, representative of the Céide area in North West Mayo where infrastructure is nil and the lot of the small farmer is very harsh as depicted in this song. Brian Lennon’s low whistle permeates throughout and Kevin Doherty’s bass is allowed to be heard very naturally. Tom Doherty on melodeon and accordion and John Mc Hugh on fiddle complete the Céide line-up. The perky Mrs. Kenny’s Barndance again has the lovely dropping bass and the Pierre Bensusan tune ‘Le Voyage’ is beautiful, the ‘Flowers of the Forest’ sweet and ‘John the Baptist’ funky and a little Gospel. While this group achieves the full-blooded swing of the tunes sets they also have plenty of insight into music from farther afield than Co. Mayo.
Very thoughtfully arranged and great reading in the sleeve notes.’ Fintan Vallely, Sunday Tribune
‘Slick musicianship and great, solid arrangements.’ Siobhan Long, Irish Times
‘Débutantes Céide are a quintet with not just attitude, but finesse by the bucket load.’ Gráinne Nà GhilÃn, Foinse
‘The song ‘Like a Wild Thing’ written by Tony Reidy from Aghagower, Co. Mayo is extremely powerful.given a heartbreaking rendition by Declan’
Irish Music Review Web Site
Back in the days when he had more money than sense, a certain friend of mine would gouge additional grooves into records to ensure, as a consequence, that those tracks he disliked were skipped by the needle. Of course, when he later had more sense than money, he found himself with a heap of unsellable vinyl and regularly being sneered at by Nottingham’s own especially surly brand of second-hand record shop assistants. In subsequent years I sometimes wondered whether the advent of the compact disc player and its programmable facilities had been invented with him in my mind for, certainly, his fingers would be fiddling with the remote control’s buttons to erase certain tracks from this debut album by Céide to create his own preferred version. In an interview in The Journal of Music in Ireland (Vol. 2, No. 2), the Cork singer Jimmy Crowley railed against the encroachment of ‘mid-Atlanticisms’ into Ireland’s music: You see this a lot in younger people, I’m afraid. If someone from Kerry, say, sings an Irish song in an LA accent, that’s the end of my interest. But if it’s a Kentuckian singing in a Kentucky accent, that’s great, of course. I’d criticise some singer/songwriters for these American accents. There’s no worth in this mid-Atlantic stuff, they haven’t been true to their culture, to the land they’re living in. Often too, the songs aren’t saying anything either.
There are many exceptions (for example, Danú, Altan, Dervish, Providence etc.) where singers have remained true to their roots and, importantly, their voices, but also far too many cases where songs from other genres are interpolated into the band’s repertoire and delivered in the kind of accent that Jimmy despises.
As such, it is questionable whether Mr. Crowley would be especially enamoured with Céide’s album Like a Wild Thing and, especially, the band’s singer, Declan Askin, who has three outings of variable worth on the album. The first is John Martyn’s John the Baptist from the 1970 album Stormbringer recorded with his wife Beverley. In the Martyns’ hands, the song was an epic with the contrast between the pair’s voices and the subtlety of the arrangement highlighting the latent violence of the relationship depicted in the lyrics. While noting that Scullion also recorded the song in 1979, Céide inform us that ‘To improve on such history is very difficult, if not impossible, but we have tried to give the piece a contemporary groove, while highlighting the song’s unusual lyrics’. Actually, they’ve turned it into a jaunty little singalong with Askin’s mid-Atlantic drone and quasi-rock singer intonations to the fore, thereby losing any of the song’s quirky impact.
Next up comes the title track, written by a County Mayo man, Tony Reidy, a song about the economic exigencies of a small farmer forced ‘To make a living I must sit at a chair, Sit at a chair and stare at a screen’. This is far more successful and entirely because Declan forsakes any extraneous accents and sings in his own voice.
Lastly, however, comes a rendition so horrific that the album case should carry a warning sticker, a song interpreted so terribly that it makes Dessie O’Halloran sound like Christy Moore. The song in question is Lyle Lovett’s If I Had a Boat. Céide’s notes state that their ‘arrangement, while deviating quite considerably from the original still shows what a talent Lyle is’. It certainly does, but not in the way the band intended. Askin sings as though he’s auditioning for a biopic of Michael Bolton, albeit while suffering from a hernia and, as a consequence, manages to miss all the ironic humour of Lovett’s lyrics.
The question is ultimately, of course, why a band based in Mayo should want to sing about Roy Rogers, Trigger, the Lone Ranger and Tonto (as Lyle understandably might) rather than about their own childhoods or locality (wherein lies part of the success of Like a Wild Thing). If this was not bad enough, Céide have employed one of modern musical technology’s most irksome innovations, the hidden track. Islay Rant, though included in the track listings, appears several minutes after its predecessor. The novelty of this device has worn thinner than a cigarette paper. There is one further feature of Céide which may irritate some – the presence of a double bass player, one Kevin Doherty. In the Crowley interview quoted earlier, Jimmy also attacked what he sees as the increasing commercialism of Irish music: One result is that it’s getting bland, and Ireland was never bland. Much of it sounds boring to me, too many not-very-good clones of the Bothy Band.
To this I would add a new phenomenon, the sub-Lúnasa clone and one that is likely to reappear thanks to the sales of their last album, The Merry Sisters of Fate, and its subsequent critical acclaim in the USA. Like a Wild Thing’s opening track, yet another version of The Bucks of Oranmore, simply sounds too close to Lúnasa for comfort (albeit there’s accordion instead of pipes, but the bass drone gives the game away and elsewhere Céide employ some of Lúnasa’s trademark rhythmic shifts).
That being said other parts of Like a Wild Thing are at times excellent and others delightful. The best moments feature the flute and low whistles of Brian Lennon, a member of the prominent musical family from Leitrim (he is the son of Ben, the fiddler) and one of the most lyrical players around. Equally, Tom Doherty is no mean accordion and melodeon player and well to the fore on a set of jigs kick-started by The Woods of Old Limerick. Fiddler John McHugh, however, hardly gets a look in until the very last track (not the hidden one!) where his rendition of the slow jig The Pullet that Wants the Cock has all the kind of lugubrious qualities that make you check his photograph for signs of a pension book. Geoff Wallis
£14.99 -
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
£14.99 -
Charlie Lennon – Turning the Tune
Turning the Tune is a new double-CD of fiddle music from Charlie Lennon which includes one CD of his own compositions, released on the CIC label.
“One CD looks back, the other looks forward.” That is how Charlie Lennon summed up his new double-CD Turning the Tune.
Charlie is a veteran of traditional Irish music and a member of the well-known Lennon family from Kiltyclogher, Co. Leitrim, which includes his older brother Ben, also a master fiddler. Charlie has seen many changes within the tradition over the years and fears that it may be in danger of becoming too diluted. “We are moving through a period of constant innovation and unless we keep a sharp eye on where we’ve come from, we’re likely to stray off course,” he says. The challenge, he feels, is to build on the tradition, and that is the underlying principle of Turning the Tune. The first CD looks back to the roots of the tradition and past masters and features trusted old tunes with the notes in the booklet referring to many sources including McKenna, Morrison, Coleman and Killoran. Charlie Lennon presents many of these tunes in a new way while staying within the tradition, demonstrating the possibilities which the tradition offers. The second CD looks forward, and contains all new music composed by Charlie. He says of the compositions: “I find it helpful in writing to recall good memories of people and places and seek to capture these in music. While the genre is primarily Irish traditional, I have moved into other genres at times in order to best paint the picture.” The booklet details the inspiration for each piece, adding a particularly personal touch to the album.
Other musicians featuring on the album include: Brian McGrath, Frank Kilkelly, Éilís Lennon, Brian Lennon, Johnny and Johnny Óg Connolly, Steve Simmons and Emmet Gill. Turning the Tune contains thirty tracks in total.
Press Reviews
The Irish Times 2.11.07
Leitrim fiddler and prolific composer Charlie Lennon lends some finely wrought tunes to the tradition, and this double CD is a formidable addition to his arsenal.
With one CD of established tunes accompanied by another brimful of newly minted compatriots, Lennon bestows another gabháil of music to listeners and players hungry to cross new borders.
Against an occasionally overly robust backdrop of piano, banjo, viola and box, Lennon’s throaty fiddle traces an earthy route around old standards such as James Morrison’s Peach Blossom, as well as recently birthed muzettes (Waltz Joe-Anne), strathspeys and a pair of sublime commemorative pieces: an air/reel in memory of Lennon’s talented sound engineer, Éamonn Goggin, and a reel dedicated to his nephew, John Lennon.
Delicately perceptive playing from a musician who marries the cerebral and the emotional without ever sacrificing one to the other. Siobhan Long
The Folk Diary
Under the booklet section entitled “A Word of Advice” Charlie counsels ‘Don’t just learn the notes for these are only a portion of the tune.
Think about the different ways of phrasing it.’ He then demonstrates the value of this over 30 tracks and two albums. Thus on the first album,
his assured fiddling finds new and exciting ways of addressing standards from the Irish repertoire and tunes such as ‘The Liverpool Hornpipe’ and
‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’ have new life breathed into them and his rendition of ‘The Blackbird’ makes the hair stand on its end.
Charlie doesn’t mention the value of listening to the classic recordings of Irish music, but from his whole approach we can hear his appreciation of these, particularly of the early Irish American 78s.
On the second album, Charlie plays tunes that he has written himself, but apart from the fact that these obviously sound less familiar than those on
the first album, nothing else in the approach is changed. These are tunes that totally fit alongside the tradition.
These albums are as exhilarating as any I have heard in a long time. Vic Smith
(This album also got my vote in the fRoots Critics/BBC Radio 3 “Album of the Year” poll)
Irish Music Magazine OCT 07
To get one CD of fiddler, Charlie Lennon’s playing is cause enough for celebration, but to get two, one of them devoted entirely to his own compositions, is quite something indeed. On the album he also plays viola, piano, harpsichord, bass and keyboards, and he is joined here and there by Brian McGrath (piano & banjo), Frank Kilkelly (guitar), Johnny O’Connolly (accordion), Johnny Connolly (melodeon), Steve Simmons (guitar), Emmet Gill (uilleann pipes), and family members, Eilis Lennon (fiddle), and Brian Lennon (flute).
The arrangements are nicely varied, but always with justice done to the fiddle player himself, whose sound doesn’t lose out to over-dominant accompaniment. For that we must thank Charlie himself who, along with David Lennon, produced the album, and to Ed Kenehan and the late Eamonn Goggin who were the sound engineers. The CD is dedicated to Eamonn, who was a close friend of Charlie’s.
In Clo lar-Chonnachta’s (CIC) website notes we are told, “One CD looks back, the other looks forward,” which is how Charlie summed up his new double-CD Turning the Tune. The first CD looks back to the roots of the tradition and past masters and features trusted old tunes with the notes in the booklet referring to many sources including McKenna, Morrison, Coleman and Killoran. Charlie presents many of these tunes in a new way while staying within the tradition, demonstrating the possibilities that the tradition offers. The second CD looks forward, and contains all new music composed by Charlie. He says of the compositions: “I find it helpful in writing to recall good memories of people and places and seek to capture these in music. While the genre is primarily Irish traditional, I have moved into other genres at times in order to best paint the picture.” The CD booklet details the inspiration for each piece, adding a particularly personal touch to the album.
In his written introduction to the CD, Charlie explains the choice of the album’s title. “Can you turn this one?” Francis John McGovern used to spend time at Charlie’s parents’ house in Co. Leitrim in long winter evenings. Charlie recalls that his father and Francis John would chat by the fire, and during a pause in the conversation, the latter would draw a Clarke’s whistle from his breast pocket and play part of a seldom-heard tune. “That came to me while I was taking the rough off a headstone in the workshop today but I can’t turn it,” he would say. There’d be another long pause while all looked into the fire for inspiration. “Sometimes I would get an inkling of the high part,” Charlie writes, “reach for the fiddle and start to stagger out a phrase or two.” Francis John would exclaim, “That’s it! I have it now.” Then the old man and the boy would take time in fleshing out the tune together. “This was Francis John McGovern’s way of giving encouragement and recognition to any aspiring young musician that he came in contact with,” says Charlie.
There is a feast of good music and tunes on these two CDs of Charlie’s: reels, jigs, hornpipes, a couple of barn dances, a waltz, an air/reel (dedicated to Eamonn and his parents), and even a strathspey which Charlie composed in memory of his friend, Dick Lett, who promoted Irish and Scottish music workshops when Charlie lived in the north of England. I recommend this album highly. Aidan O’Hara
www.liveireland.com
Turning the Tune” is a new double album out from the great musician, Charlie Lennon. In this outing, we have Charlie giving a tour de force on fiddle. This is a beautiful textbook of music at its best, played with total understanding and grace. This is for real trad lovers only. It is required for all aspiring Irish fiddlers, not only for the technique, but the vast array of tunes on offer. In a double album we would have wanted more airs, but you can’t have everything. This is a corker. Rating: Recommended. Bill Margeson
£16.99 -
Cillian Vallely & Kevin Crawford – On Common Ground
Cillian Vallely.
Starting at age 7, Cillian Vallely learned the whistle and pipes from his parents Brian and Eithne at the Armagh Pipers Club, a group that for over 3 decades has fostered the revival of traditional music in the north of Ireland. Since leaving college, he has played professionally and has toured all over North America and Europe in addition to Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.
Since 1999, he has been a member of the band ‘Lunasa’, with whom he has recorded 5 albums and played at many major festivals including Womad, Edmonton Folk Festival and The Hollywood Bowl. He has also performed and toured with ‘Riverdance’, Tim O Brien’s ‘The Crossing’, New York-based ‘Whirligig’, and the ‘Celtic Jazz Collective’. He has recorded on over 40 albums including ‘Callanbridge’ with his brother Niall, and various guest spots with Natalie Merchant, Alan Simon’s ‘Excalibur’ project with Fairport Convention and Moody Blues, ‘GAIA’ with the Prague Philharmonic and Karan Casey. He has recently recorded on two movie soundtracks, ‘Irish Jam’ and ‘Chatham’ and played pipes on the BBC’s ‘Flight of the Earls’ soundtrack.
Kevin Crawford
Born in Birmingham, England, Kevin Crawford’s early life was one long journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, to where he eventually moved while in his 20’s.
He was a member of Moving Cloud, the Clare-based band who recorded such critically-acclaimed albums as Moving Cloud and Foxglove, and he also recorded with Grianán, Raise The Rafters, Joe Derrane and Sean Tyrrell and appears on the 1994 recording The Sanctuary Sessions.
Kevin now tours the world with Ireland’s cutting edge traditional band, Lúnasa, called by some the ‘Bothy Band of the 21st Century,’ with six ground breaking albums to their credit; Lúnasa, Otherworld, The Merry Sisters of Fate, Redwood, The Kinnitty Sessions and Sé. A virtuoso flute player, Kevin has also recorded two solo albums, D’Flute Album and the more recent In Good Company.
Press Reviews
2010 TIR AWARDS in The Chicago Irish Newspaper
Instrumental CD of the Year: On Common Ground
There are those who would argue that Kevin Crawford of Lunasa is the best trad flute player in the business. That is a sustainable point. He and his musical partner, Cillian Vallely, uillean piper supremo, (also of Lunasa) released a gorgeous, perfect gem of a thing this year, entitled, On Common Ground. Incredible. If you love real
Irish music, and you DO—(elsewise how did you get this far in the article?)—this is a must have album. We don’t have space here for it all. There are 12 cuts on the album, covering a bunch of tunes. It is brilliant. THEY are brilliant. YOU will feel brilliant when you hear it. Go get it. Hear it. It IS Irish music. At its best.
This is a classic. Big time. Bill Margeson
2009 TOP 10 Trad Releases in CEOL Column in The Irish Echo, New York City Newspaper
#3. “On Common Ground” by Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford (self-issued; BallyO Records BOR 001).
Two members of Lunasa, still the best all-instrumental band in Irish trad today, venture out for a duet recording, and it’s a dazzler. Born in Birmingham but a resident of Clare since 1989, flute, low whistle, and bodhran player Kevin Crawford and Armagh-born, Woodside, N.Y., resident Cillian Vallely on uilleann pipes and low whistle perform music that’s fluid and full-blooded, with a trace of sharpness to avoid any simpering sweetness. Their initial twin low whistle playing on the jigs “The Ivory Flute
/ Straddle the Donkey / Visit to Ireland” incorporates subtle variations and flourishes to keep the musical pot simmering, and the eventual entry of Vallely’s pipes adds to the track’s piquancy. The duo maintain a tempo that’s dynamic without being too fast or too slow, allowing ample opportunity for embellishment and spontaneity in the service of melody. “On Common Ground” is a pinnacle performance from Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford, two uncommonly gifted Irish traditional musicians.
Earle Hitchner
Irish Music Magazine
Two of the most well-known musicians on the Irish music circuit, flute player Kevin Crawford and uilleann piper Cillian Vallely, announce the release of their exciting new album, ‘On Common Ground’. A couple of years of researching tunes in between a heavy schedule of band commitments has directly led to this recording from Lúnasa’s powerhouse melody makers.
Born in Birmingham, England, Kevin Crawford’s early life was one long journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, where he eventually moved while in his 20’s. He quickly became one of the most sought-after and respected traditional musicians in Ireland and played in various groups including Moving Cloud, Grianan and Raise the Rafters.
Starting at age 7, Cillian Vallely learned the whistle and pipes from his parents, Brian and Eithne, at the Armagh Pipers Club. A childhood of travelling and playing with his family led to a career as a full-time musician which he has pursued for the last 15 years, recording on more than 40 albums and touring worldwide with such names as Riverdance, Tim O’Brien and Mary Chapin-Carpenter.
Joining Lúnasa in 1997 and 1999 respectively, Crawford and Vallely have become key components of a group which has become one of the most acclaimed and influential bands in the recent history of Irish music. Having released seven band albums and worked on numerous solo projects, the duo decided to combine their individual talents and create something different. An album with the distinctive sound of ‘flat-pitched’ flute and pipes duets has emerged.
The combination of uilleann pipes and flute is rare in duet recordings of traditional music and the duo have utilised the unique tonal qualities of these flat-pitched ‘C’ instruments to record their music. The tunes have been sourced from various manuscripts, archives and field recordings but there are also a number of new, self-composed pieces. In addition, Kevin and Cillian play a variety of low whistles and are accompanied on guitar by two of Ireland’s most recognised and respected guitarists; Donal Clancy and Paul Meehan.
‘Tasty tunes and terrific playing make “On Common Ground” one of the recording triumphs of this still young year’ Irish Echo
‘Vallely, whose family has played a seminal role in piping and Irish music in the north of Ireland for years, shows why he is one of the most respected pipers playing today’ Irish Voice
‘This is an album that features two guys at the top of their game offering up a stunner, slowly aged to perfection after years together. We love it. Done. Dusted.’ Chicago Irish-American News
Irish Echo
‘…With Armagh-born Cillian Vallely playing uilleann pipes, Crawford tackles that reel again on flute in “On Common Ground,” an outstanding new duet debut by these Lunasa bandmates. Pipes and flute are heard without backing at the onset of “Teampall an Ghleantain / Fr. Newman’s / The Periwig,” then are joined by the guitar of fellow Lunasa colleague Paul Meehan in a medley bristling with energy and expertise, capped by that last reel’s inexhaustible appeal.
On the album the music of Vallely and Crawford is fluid and full-blooded, with a trace of sharpness to avoid any simpering sweetness. Even their initial twin low whistle playing on the jigs “The Ivory Flute / Straddle the Donkey / Visit to Ireland” incorporates subtle variations and flourishes to keep the musical pot simmering, and the eventual entry of Vallely’s pipes adds to the track’s piquancy.Both musicians maintain a tempo that’s dynamic without being too fast or too slow, allowing ample opportunity for embellishment and spontaneity in the service of melody. Vallely on pipes and Meehan on guitar start off the jigs “John Feehilly’s / Ned Coleman’s / Dominic’s Farewell to Cashel,” and then Crawford injects flute sustains that extend the regulator action of Vallely until pipes, flute, guitar, and bodhran mesh fully. The deceptively well-conceived architecture of this medley is easy on the ear.
The jigs “Helvic Head / Bill Harte’s” feature another talented guitarist, Donal Clancy, who lays down a sturdy, flexible rhythm on which Crawford’s flute and Vallely’s pipes can confidently rely. Close listening reveals some passages of symmetrical, four-beat regulator work from Vallely to boost variety as he and Crawford skillfully drive the melody along.”Days Around Lahinch / The Man From Moyasta” are slow reels written by Crawford and played by him and Vallely on low whistles, with Crawford adroitly tucking in accents and ornaments to pique interest.With Meehan backing him, Crawford takes a captivating flute solo on “The Leading Role / Little Man with the Brown Shoes / Bill Hoare’s,” all reels linked to button accordionist Billy McComiskey through his solo debut, “Makin’ the Rounds,” or the two albums made by Trian, a trio comprising McComiskey, Liz Carroll, and Daithi Sproule. Crawford has told me of his admiration for tunes written by McComiskey, especially on “Outside the Box,” the Irish Echo’s top traditional recording for 2008, and also for tunes by Carroll. The flutist nimbly fleshes out the track with his bodhran playing on the last two reels.
Vallely’s solo is a medley of the slow air “Uirchill a’ Chreagain,” which he plays without accompaniment, followed by the reels “Gorman’s” and “Ta an Saol ar Fad i nGra Liom,” where Clancy joins on guitar. His piping is assured, crisp, and altogether impressive. Also on the album are a hornpipe-fling pairing of “The Birds / Jim Ward’s,” featuring flute, pipes, low whistle, and the guitar of Clancy, and other tracks of jigs and reels strengthening the allure of the duo’s music made on flat-pitched instruments.
Tasty tunes and terrific playing make “On Common Ground” one of the recording triumphs of this still young year. It is a pinnacle performance from Cillian Vallely and Kevin Crawford, two uncommonly gifted Irish traditional musicians.’
Irish Voice
‘ Owing to the successful mating of these talented musicians, a new CD aptly named “On Common Ground” has emerged as an independent project on Bally O Records funded by both the Arts Council of Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Crawford lives in Clare while Vallely comes from Armagh).
Twelve tracks grace this new effort, and it is very clear that these boyos enjoy playing with one another and share a high regard for their fellow musicians who inspired them and with whom they have shared many a stage in their own extensive careers before they teamed up together when Vallely joined Lunasa a decade ago.
Carefully selected tunes with good liner notes flow fluidly throughout the album, reflecting many of the musical influences that formed them as individual artists who have much in common these days.
Crawford shines on his own in his solo track starting with a Carroll tune, ‘The Leading Role,’ followed by McComiskey’s ‘Little Man with the Brown Shoes’ and also ‘Bill Hoare’s Reel’ from McComiskey’s 1981 jewel “Making the Rounds.” Vallely, whose family has played a seminal role in piping and Irish music in the north of Ireland for years, shows why he is one of the most respected pipers playing today and in great demand for workshops. His solo spot begins with the air ‘Uirchil a Chreagain,’ which was the first one he learned from his parents Brian and Eithne Vallely at the Armagh Pipers Club before tearing into reels.
Guitar accompaniment is handled by their stellar Lunasa mate Paul Meehan, and Donal Clancy appears on five tracks with equal aplomb. Thirty-three tunes are played in lively and enjoyable fashion on the flute, pipes, low whistles in a style that won’t have you thinking it’s Lunasa lite, but rather two masters sharing an awful lot of common ground.’
Chicago Irish-American News
‘The first time we ever heard Paul Crawford play the flute was many, many years ago with the best all-instrumental group in the history of Irish music, Moving Cloud. The group’s two albums on Green Linnet still stand as the gold standard for musicians who love traditional music the world round. No question. Done. Dusted. Paul also did a lovely solo cd for Green Linnet, entitled, The Dflat Flute. Still superb, lo’ these many years later. The videotape fast forwards, and I am seeing Paul again after all these years at The Old Town School of Folk Music, where I am about to introduce his group, Lunasa. The lads are celebrating their 10 years together on the scene. There can be no band in Irish music who has, for a decade, had a fuller, more hectic, more successful worldwide schedule than this group. A few days before the concert, one of the 500 or so albums we receive annually had arrived. It is entitled, On Common Ground. And, right there on the cover are Lunasa’s piper, the wonderful Cillian Vallely, and
£14.99
