This is the first solo album by Niamh Dunne from County Limerick, who has spent the last eight years as singer and ?ddler of the band Beoga. Its eleven songs are a mix of traditional and contemporary songs, two in Irish, most of them with a Limerick connection, many of them not well known (to these ears anyway).
It all starts at a fair old lick on the traditional ‘Ballyneety’s Walls’, driven along by Damien O’Kane’s fluid banjo. Overall, the pace tends to be slower and more re?ective, though my particular favourite is the more upbeat ‘When Autumn Comes’ written by Barry Kerr-the only track where Niamh’s punchy fiddle is brought to the fore. More like this would have been most welcome.
The two best-known songs, Richard Thompson’s ‘Strange Affair’ and Joe South’s ‘Games People Play’, are nice enough but the performance offers nothing new. Niamh has a good though quite inexpressive voice and is supported here by a cast of musicians marshalled by Beoga’s Sean Og Graham, to provide tasteful accompaniment. Throughout, it’s all very well sung and played, making it easy to listen to though there’s little to get the heart pumping. Ian Croft
www.irishcentral.com
The snail mailbag brings many treats to me in the form of new (or sometimes old) music contained in those disappearing artifacts known as CDs. I still like holding the covers or booklets describing the musical contents that artists or agents send my way for a listen. Some are greatly detailed revealing extensive research along with the necessary production elements and others simply give you the basic facts. And I’ll share three wonderful CDs with you that came my way this summer.
The Limerick Lass, Niamh Dunne, first came to my awareness as part of the Northern-Ireland based band Beoga (‘Lively’) shortly after she joined the four original gentlemen who founded the already interesting and cutting edge double-accordion trad band (Damien McKee, Sean Og Graham, Eamon Murray and Liam Bradley) eight years ago.
Beoga was performing at the late-lamented ICONS festival at the Canton New England Irish Cultural Center outside of Boston. Dunne was diminutive in stature but not in voice on the occasion, and along with her fiddling she instantly made an impression as a stylish and sophisticated singer whose fiddle licks added great dimension to the band. Since 2005 she has been featured on three of their four CDs.
I had a chance to observe her further on her own around her familiar Limerick haunts near the University of Limerick singing songs in sessions, and it was clear that she was going to be a rising star inside and outside the Beoga firmament.
Classically trained as a violinist, she also has drawn into the Dunne family history as ‘traveler musicians’ (most notably Pecker Dunne who passed away last year), and her fiddling/piping father Mickey Dunne with whom she recorded Legacy in 2004 with another fiddling sister, Brid.
That grounding along with a confident flair for tackling ‘good songs’ in and outside the tradition has made her a singer to be reckoned with. So with great anticipation she finally released a solo CD called Portraits in Ireland to display her wares as a vocalist.
While living up north and touring around Europe with Beoga and around Ireland, Dunne keeps up the family tradition of traveling a good deal, so the notion came to her to emphasize her native Limerick in the song selections on the new recording.
Four of the 11 tracks are Limerick-inspired (‘Ballyneety’s Walls,’ ‘Beauty of Limerick,’ ‘Cailin Rua’ and the oft-covered ‘Shanagolden’ from songwriter Sean McCarthy).
Add to those beautiful trad songs like ‘Bonny Woodhall’ and’ Jimmy mo Mhile Stor’ delivered in her lush voice with just enough musical accompaniment to appreciate the tender care that she and her producer and fellow Beoga bandmate Sean Og Graham apply to their craft.
What makes Dunne so appealing as a contemporary singer in the traditional idiom is her moxy and sensitivity while interpreting modern songs in the folk or popular vein also.
On the CD we have Richard Thompson’s ‘Strange Affair,’ Barry Kerr’s ‘When Autumn Comes,’ Joe Dolan’s ‘Foxy Devil,’ and from the brilliant Irish language combo of John Spillane and Louis de Paor known as the Gaelic Hit Factory ‘Eist do Bhéal,’ voiced with a knowing sensibility.
As a further example Dunne, inspired by Tyrone fiddler Cathal Hayden, resurrects the old Rock and Roll gem ‘Games People Play’ penned by Joe South, whose message of intolerance still resonates today.
As you might expect, Dunne and Graham were able to recruit an outstanding array of musicians to tastefully accompany her solo singing CD that include Damien O’Kane, Eamon Murray, Trevor Hutchinson, Kate Ellis, Barry Kerr, Mickey Dunne, Noell McDonnell, Nicola Joyce, Cathal Hayden, Caitriona McKay and Richard Nelson.
Dunne adds her fiddle and multi-instrumentalist Graham contributes his talents on guitar, bouzouki, accordion, keys and banjo which you think would be enough, but according to the liner notes he has a walk-on part in ‘Beauty of Limerick’ as well.
Regrettably, Beoga forays over to America are too infrequent to expose both their many talents and those of Ms. Dunne, but do yourself a favor and reach out for their CDs at www.copperplatemailorder.com.Paul Keating.
The Living Tradition 97
Limerick’s Niamh Dunne is already renowned for her accomplishments on fiddle; a classically trained violinist, shes also, for the past eight years, been a key member of the award-winning band Beoga, with whom she’s recorded three CDs. Prior to which, Niamh’s only available recording had been Legacy, a joint album with her father Mickey (the famed Limerick piper) and her sister Brid.
Now, at last, Niamh has finally got around to releasing a proper solo album that fully capitalises on her deep love of song (although she does get to play the fiddle too).
lt’s a beguiling mix of traditional and contemporary material which seems to get that tricky balance just right and very naturally too. The depth of her feeling for her native region and its heritage is apparent right from the outset on Ballyneety’s Walls, which tells of Limerick’s victory during the Siege Of Limerick in 1690, which is aptly followed by the yearning ballad Beauty Of Limerick; later on the album we find another Limerick standout, Cailin Rua.
Niamh’s wonderful, warm singing voice is ideally focused by the excellent recording and receives a perfectly judged degree of instrumental support from a small pool of musicians that includes Sean Og Graham (guitars), father Mickey (Uilleann pipes), Trevor Hutchinson (bass), Kate Ellis (cello), Barry Kerr (low whistles) and Eamon Murray (bodhran, percussion), while backing vocals come courtesy of Noelle McDonnell and Nicola Joyce. Other musicians put in isolated appearances to great effect: there’s Richard Nelson’s dobro adding poignancy to Joe Dolan’s Foxy Devil, Cathal Hayden’s sensitive fiddle on The Games People Play (a song which Niamh makes her own by taking a more reflective stance than most), Catriona McKay’s harp on Callin Rua and Damien O’Kane’s banjo on the spirited opener.
But this is so much Niamh’s own personal collection, unerringly conveying the essence of her interpretive flair and her gorgeous singing. Every single track is a highlight in its own right, and the listener feels privileged to be in Niamh’s intimate company for this all-toobrieftimespan. While her version of Richard Thompson’s Strange Affair can hold up is well to competition, it’s also been a revelation to discover new songs through Niamh’s advocacy – here I’m thinking especially of Sean McCarthy’s Shanagolden (another song with a Limerick connection, incidentally) and the beautiful traditional song Jimmy Mo Mhile Stor (Niamh’s treatment of which is crowned by Sean Og Graham’s impeccable flowing guitar solo). All told, this is a quite sublime record, one that’s been worth the wait. David Kidman
www.tradconnect.com
Niamh Dunne is best known for her work with the group Beoga. Over the last decade they have been at the forefront of traditional music with a number of highly regarded albums. As a group they were not afraid to incorporate other genres’ into their music with a resultant jazz and bluesy feel giving it a “wonderful bouncy Irish sound” as they describe it themselves. As always, production values were high and for this release Beoga stalwart Seán Óg Graham is again responsible for production and mixing. Niamh has also brought on board an impressive array of other support musicians including Eamon Murray, Damien O’ Kane, Cathal Hayden, Barry Kerr and Trevor Hutchinson. Another notable feature of the album is the fact that Niamh has brought her song selection back to the city of Limerick with a number of tracks sourced locally.
The opening Ballyneety’s Walls tells of Limerick’s victory during the Siege of Limerick in 1690 and the second track is called The Beauty of Limerick which is a song of “love and great yearning” about an Irish man many miles from his home. The guitar and accordion of Seán Óg underpins many of the tracks. Arrangements are exceptionally good giving a modern feel to some great song selections. In addition to the traditional songs she includes some that are more recent including the ever beautiful Shanagolden by Sean McCarthy and Strange Affair by the legendary Richard Thompson. These sit very comfortably alongside the more traditional Irish material. The arrangements never stretch Niamh’s voice and she steers clear of the jigs and reels, keeping a clear focus on the job at hand. This allows her to take the limelight as an artist with a true interpretative spirit and voice when it comes to traditional song. Other songs include an Andy Irvine inspired Bonny Woodhall from the songbook of Sam Henry, John Spillanes’s Éist do Bhéal and the more modern The Games People Play. Overall it is an impressive debut album with some great songs that have been part of Niamh’s repertoire over the years. The arrangements and accompaniment lift the material and give it a thoroughly modern feel. Tony Lawless
Irish Music Magazine.
Limerick born singer and fiddler, Niamh Dunne has made a reputation as a formidable force on the Irish music scene. Bright eyed and bushy tailed her bubbly personality has woven itself into the Beoga psyche befitting their eclectic approach.The question is how would she cope and fare outside the band confines working as a solo artist.
Niamh’s first solo album Portraits is a highly woven affair with evocative arrangements and a song bag that frames her origins and cuts a swathe through classic ballads and newer compositions. The singing is strong and distinctive and the local ballad cache includes a rousing Ballyneety’s Walls and a recasting of Beauty of Limerick with some ambient soundscapes cradled with a simple narrative. Similarly Shannagolden and Cailin Rua reveal her balladic strengths and Bonny Woodhall breathes anew with a female voice. Barry Kerr, John Spillane, Joe Dolan provide the contemporary material and Dick Gaughan’s setting of Joe South’s Games People Play adds a fitting climax.
Musically the backings are rich and careful never upsetting the vocal authority but throwing some delicious side roads into Americana and Ambient routes as well.
Portraits finds Niamh Dunne treading the without a net syndrome admirably gaining a stylistic footing that satisfies her talents. John O’Regan
NIAMH DUNNE
Portraits
Private Label ND001
Limerick’s Niamh Dunne is already renowned for her accomplishments on fiddle; a classically trained violinist, she’s also, for the past eight years, been a key member of the award-winning band Beoga, with whom she’s recorded three CDs. Prior to which, Niamh’s only available recording had been Legacy, a joint album with her father Mickey (the famed Limerick piper) and her sister Brid.
Now, at last, Niamh has finally got around to releasing a proper solo album that fully capitalises on her deep love of song (although she does get to play the fiddle too). It’s a beguiling mix of traditional and contemporary material which seems to get that tricky balance just right and very naturally too. The depth of her feeling for her native region and its heritage is apparent right from the outset on Ballyneety’s Walls, which tells of Limerick’s victory during the Siege Of Limerick in 1690, which is aptly followed by the yearning ballad Beauty Of Limerick; later on the album we find another Limerick standout, Cáilín Rua.
Niamh’s wonderful, warm singing voice is ideally focused by the excellent recording and receives a perfectly judged degree of instrumental support from a small pool of musicians that includes Seán Óg Graham (guitars), father Mickey (Uilleann pipes), Trevor Hutchinson (bass), Kate Ellis (cello), Barry Kerr (low whistles) and Ramon Murray (bodhrán, percussion), while backing vocals come courtesy of Noelie McDonnell and Nicola Joyce. Other musicians put in isolated appearances to great effect: there’s Richard Nelson’s dobro adding poignancy to Joe Dolan’s Foxy Devil, Cathal Hayden’s sensitive fiddle on The Games People Play (a song which Niamh makes her own by taking a more reflective stance than most), Catriona McKay’s harp on Cáilín Rua and Damien O’Kane’s banjo on the spirited opener.
But this is so much Niamh’s own personal collection, unerringly conveying the essence of her interpretive flair and her gorgeous singing. Every single track is a highlight in its own right, and the listener feels privileged to be in Niamh’s intimate company for this all-too-brief timespan. While her version of Richard Thompson’s Strange Affair can hold up well to competition, it’s also been a revelation to discover new songs through Niamh’s advocacy — here I’m thinking especially of Seán McCarthy’s Shanagolden (another song with a Limerick connection, incidentally) and the beautiful traditional song Jimmy Mo Mhíle Stór (Niamh’s treatment of which is crowned by Seán Óg Graham’s impeccable flowing guitar solo). All told, this is a quite sublime record, one that’s been worth the wait. David Kidman
“All told, this is a quite sublime record, one that’s been worth the wait”. David Kidman The Living Tradition
” Hailing from County Limerick, Niamh Dunne has a beautifully warm, smoky voice …she’s also a classically trained violinist whose smooth fiddling is a perfect addition to Beoga’s existing 4 piece lineup “, Hot Press.
” Niamh Dunne is a real find for Beoga ” Irish Echo
‘ Gorgeous vocals ‘Irish Music Magazine
Beoga songstress/violinist Niamh Dunne will launch her first solo album entitled “Portraits” on July 15th 2013. With master guitar player and producer Sean Og Graham, Niamh’s first song album is mix of traditional songs and folk material, much of which has its roots in her hometown, Limerick.
The songs on this album have been selected to reflect the rich song tradition of Limerick, as well as some carefully chosen newly composed songs from some folk music’s most prolific songwriters. Songs from Richard Thompson, John Spillane, Barry Kerr and Joe “Galway” Dolan are featured, each of them are highly respected songwriters.
The album looks inwards, capturing the essence of a singer who is deeply rooted in the traditional songs of Ireland and her native Limerick, but also has global reach, exploring folk music as a broader genre. This album is, in its spirit, a collection of stories of love and loss, of adventure of longing and reflection. These precious songs are matched with brilliant musicianship from Trevor Hutchinson, Cathal Hayden, Cathriona McKay, Kate Ellis, Eamon Murray and Barry Kerr.
She has been a member with the world renowned band Beoga for the last 8 years with whom she has toured extensively and recorded 3 CD, including the Grammy short listed ‘ The lncident ‘ in 2009 and the Irish Echoes number 1 album of 2011 ‘how to tune a fish”. The Wall Street Journal describes them as ” the most exciting new traditional band to emerge from Ireland this century”.
Niamh has toured extensively on the worldwide stage, both home and abroad. Highlights have included Boston ICONS festival, Kansas City, Milwaukee Irish Festival, Tonder, Dranouter,Temple Bar Trad Fest, Germany’s Irish Folk Festival tour, Penang World Music Festival in Malaysia, Irish Unplugged tour of Holland, Guinness Christmas Austria tour, Cambridge Folk Festival, the National Celtic Festival in Australia and Glasgow’s Celtic Connections.
She began to play fiddle at the age of 4, and learned her music from her father, Mickey Dunne, the well known uilleann piper from Limerick who is part of a
rich cultural heritage of travelling musicians. She recorded a CD in 2005 with her Dad and sister, Brid, called Legacy, an album that celebrated the rich musical
heritage that has been in her family for generations. A well respected classical violinist, she twice received the high achievers award from the London Associated Board of Western Art Music, with whom she is a qualified teacher. Niamh regularly teaches in the Limerick School of Music. She is also a graduate of the Irish World Academy of Music in Limerick with first class honours.
Audio
Jimmy mo Mhile Stor:
Track Listing
Ballyneety’s Walls
Beauty of Limerick
Bonny Woodhall
Eist do Bheal
Strange Affair
Shanagolden
When Autumn Comes
Cailin Rua
Foxy Devil
Jimmy mo Mhile Stor
The Games People Play
Additional information
Weight
0.1 kg
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.
Be the first to review “Niamh Dunne – Portraits” Cancel reply
THIS is a young fiddler!!! Wow! Joined by a myriad of guest stars, this Manchester-based fiddler is overwhelming! All the energy, all the drive, all the talent!!
This may well be our favourite album out of all these, and he is a serious contender for Newcomer Of The Year, or Musician of the Year! Now, go find this album. Get on it, and you will be rewarded.
All the influences, Mc Goldrick, Carty, Mairin Fahy, this boy has done his homework, practiced and practiced and come up with his own deal! We are blown away. (God help us, he also plays a great banjo and a passable bass!!) Lots of diversity. Let’s repeat. Wow!! Bill Margeson
Net Rhythms Music Web Site
Donegal-born, Manchester-based fiddle player Gerry presents a very eclectic mix of tunes indeed on this his debut album.
Opening with a stirring set of reels, followed by a Grappelli-style Hooley (mm, that tasty jazzy shuffle!), a fairly laid-back version of Bonnie At Morn (with vocal by Lisa Knapp, who also sings The Blacksmith later on), then a set of Roumanian Hora. Get the picture?
Sure, Gerry excels himself instrumentally as you’d expect (principally on fiddle, but with occasional excursions onto banjo, guitar or bouzouki), always the musical virtuoso but without being over-flashy, and sometimes he’s multi-tracked.
Variously, he enjoys instrumental support from Ed Boyd, Tim Edey, Ollie Blanchflower, Gino Lupari, James O’Grady and Richard Pryce (to name but a few), and there’s even a Pete Townsend credited on double bass on one track!
Taken individually, each track is a gem; Gerry has the knack of pulling together disparate musical strands into a seamless whole, at any rate within the compass of each of the individual tracks; the drawback is that in the final analysis I can’t help feeling that the very Diver-sity of styles and material weakens rather than strengthens the album’s overall identity – but you may well disagree. David Kidman
Froots October 2003.
Belfast fiddler Gerry Diver’s debut album lives up to it’s name, with everything from Jazz, Western swing and homegrown traditions. While his approach is cheeky and competent, it struggles as times to make a definitive personal statement.
However, its victories outnumber its defeats; potentially a major border crosser in embryonic form.
Hot Press. Sept 2003
This is a grand jolly debut CD. No slouch on the fiddle and banjo, Donegal’s Diver also plays guitar, bazouki, bodhran, bass, shaker and is a dab hand at writing new tunes, several of which feature on the album notably, Hot Summer Hooley, a bouncy tribute to the swing jazz style of Stephane Grappelli. A pair of Rumanian horas and two Peter Ostroushko tracks add an international element to the mix and Lisa Knapp sings a Northumbrian lullaby called Bonnie at Morn as well as an interesting waltz tempo version of the classic The Blacksmith. Sarah McQuaid
Pay The Reckoning. Music Web Site September 2003
Diver (fiddle, banjo, guitar, percussion, bass) is a major talent. No two ways about it. You don’t even need to listen to the album to know that he’s in the first division. Simply check out the list of people who’ve gone out of their way to guest with Manchester’s maestro. Lisa Knapp (vocals, fiddle), Tim Edey (guitar, accordion), Lucy Randall (bodhran, bones), Gino Lupari (bodhran, bones), Ed Boyd (guitar, bouzouki), Ollie Blanchflower (double bass), Jo May (djembe), James O’Grady (pipes), Ben Clark (drums), Edel Sullivan (fiddle), Pete Townsend (bass), Johnny Hennessy-Brown (cello), Les Hill (pedal steel) and Richard Pryce (double bass) contribute their various and varied talents to a smorgasbord of an album.
Diver’s tastes are diverse. Eastern European influences feature at various points on the album, as does a Western Swing/country jazz aesthetic on the epic “Hot Summer Hooley”.
However Irish traditional tunes form the album’s bedrock. Some quality sets here, grounded in the “pure drop” approach, but accommodating more than a little experimentation. “Ferny Hill/Rakish Paddy/Christmas Eve” is a real corker and leads into the compelling “The Orthodox Priest/Charlie Lennon’s/The Sailor’s Bonnet”.
“Henry’s Jig/Calliope House/The Munster Buttermilk” gets our vote for the highlight of the album. The first jig was composed by Diver himself as a tribute to his dad. The closing jig is the first tune he ever learned. There’s a very real sense of the forces that drive Diver in this set; that, despite his love of exotic musical forms from other places, his roots are very much in the Irish tradition. A modern classic. Utterly contemporary and yet solidly traditional.
Folking.com Music Web Site
Gerry Diver brings to mind a young Kevin Burke from the opening track ‘The Shepherd’s Bush Reel/Goldhawk Road/
The Procrastination Reel’ and it’s bound to set the listener in mind of The Bothy Band on heat (!) with its driving rhythm
and soaring fiddle.
The only problem I have with it is that all of the musicians seem to have a problem in keeping up and unfortunately nobody seems to have a chance to draw breath such is the unrelenting speed. There are quite a few clipped notes in order to attain
the speed which is a shame really as Gerry is without doubt a fine musician.
The second track, a more evenly paced Grappelli style jazz infused number called ‘The Hot Summer Hooley’ really swings
and collaborator Tim Edey’s “Django” guitar is the ideal compliment but why, oh why the inclusion of the pedal steel guitar – more than a bit jarring for my tastes I’m afraid.
No, I must admit that although I know the album is supposed to focus on the instrumental talents of Gerry it is on the songs
that I am most impressed. The simplistic approach taken on bouzouki backing the delicate (but delicious) vocals of Lisa Knapp is a real coup.
‘Bonny At Morn’ has long been a favourite of mine and Lisa gives it depth without making it insipid. It has to be said that when he’s not going for gold in the speed stakes this talented multi-instrumentalist proves his worth either leading the field or accompanying.
For me, Gerry has a lot of potential but it appears at the moment it’s a case of trying a bit too hard although hopefully by
that all important second album he’ll achieve his ultimate goal. Pete Fyfe
The Irish Post 19.7.03
You’re unlikely ever to find yourself thinking: now, what I’d really like to listen to is some Irish traditional music mixed in with a bit of Stefan Grappelli/ Northumbrian/ Rumanian/ English/ Ukraine music. But should that mood ever descend upon you, I have the very album.
Diversions contains all the above — plus a few self penned numbers as well.
Of these, The Shepherd’s Bush Reel and The Procrastination Reel put me in mind of the old joke: How do you tell one Irish tune from another? Answer: by their names.
The thing is there’s about 6,000 pieces in the Irish national store of traditional music stretching back these last 300 years or so.
Now we’re talking here about a very precious music, the best in the world as far as I’m concerned, and I seldom listen to anything else.
But one would have to say that being a fairly rudimentary music, as all folk music is, 6.000 pieces is really all we need.
Everything you can do with the ‘ould music’ has more or less been done — and there’s nothing about any of the self-penned music on this CD to persuade me otherwise.
Let me say here and now: there’s some absolutely terrific musicians on this album, not the least Gerry Diver on fiddle himself.
There’s some exceptional accordion playing from Tim Edey, and of course, you can’t really improve on Gino Lupari on the bodhran.
But by the end of the album you feel with all that musical firepower as his disposal, Gerry might have been better visiting just one or two places in the world and confining his musical style accordingly. Malcolm Rogers
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).
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
Irish flute player Hanz Araki is the quintessential world music musician. After six generations, the name Araki is synonymous with the Japanese shakuhachi (an end-blown bamboo flute) which Hanz mastered making his professional debut in 1988.
After four years of concert appearances and teaching at the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, Hanz returned to his hometown of Seattle, WA and found himself drawn to the world of Celtic music. The penny-whistle and the Irish flute became his single-minded focus, and jigs and reels became a second language. His unique style and passion were soon recognized and met with high praise.
Hanz also discovered his voice was well-suited to the songs of Scotland, Ireland, and England and is highly regarded for his interpretation of folk songs in what is one of the most exciting living traditions.
After several tours across the US, Canada, and the UK (first with the Juno Award winning Paperboys, then Casey Neill) as well as a return to Japan, now as a well-respected Irish flute-player, Hanz moved to Portland, OR in 2006. This move proved to be most fortuitous as it led to the musical partnership with Oregon-native
Kathryn Claire.
A self-taught guitarist and accomplished vocalist and fiddle-player, Kathryn has asserted herself in a new generation of traditionally-inspired musicians. Early classical training gave her a strong foundation, but naturally gave way to her own creative inclinations. Her violin-playing exhibits a technical grace which is matched only by her truly captivating voice. While she possesses the rare ability to move seamlessly across genres, her love and deep respect for traditional music has long been a driving influence, and those roots can be heard in her own original music, as well as her own distinctive take on folksongs.
Kathryn and Hanz quickly discovered a shared love of harmony — and a well-matched work ethic — and a creative process began that has produced a tremendous body of work. Their shared passion for traditional music is magnetic and they have become a favorite at music festivals and venues in the US and abroad. Frequent collaborators include Cary Novotny, Joe Trump, and Cal Scott (US); Takeaki Nagahama, Hirofumi Nakamura (Japan) and Aiko Obuchi (Japan).
Press Reviews
R2 March/April* * *
Songs Of Love & Murder is the fourth CD recorded in just one year by the proli?c American duo, Hanz Araki and Kathryn Claire. It’s a collection of well-known murder ballads and related tunes.
The son of lrish and Japanese parents, Araki’s father is grandmaster of the shakuhachi Japanes flute. Claire studied classical violin and voice, but is also a self-taught guitarist and songwriter. Residents of Portland, together they have amassed an impressive body of award-winning albums.
ln addition to singing, Araki plays flute and Claire plays fiddle and guitar. They are supported by Cary Novotny (guitar), Joe Trump (percussion) and Suzanne Taylor (piano). Araki plays a lyrical low whistle counter-melody to Claire’s lovely rendition of ‘Helen Of Kirkconnell’, while a simple but effective piano accompaniment underpins Araki’s singing of the haunting ballad, ‘The Banks Of Red Roses’.
The songs are broken up with flute and fiddle tune sets accompanied by relentless percussion, which I found rather too intrusive, particularly on ‘Unlucky In Love’.
Songs Of Love & Murder was recorded live, and the arrangements are simple but in keeping with the songs. It’s not going to set the world alight, but it’s well performed and is an enjoyable listen nevertheless. Keith Whiddon
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.