Looking for a new acoustic guitar to play with your Irish music? Check out McIlroy Guitars. Instrument builder Dee has been creating exceptional guitars for years. He is also a musician and has already released albums. He has a very musical family.
I chose this video because of the beautiful guitar sound. The DADGAD guitar sound reminds me of artists like Luka Bloom. Dee has excellent musicianship, and I think that’s the reason why his guitars are terrific. Countless artists have used his brand in the folk and rock scene, and I am sure the popularity will only increase. This will be a short article to greet the beautiful Sunday. It is time to hit the road with my bike. Stay tuned because I will be bringing you more posts. I am on fire…which only happens occasionally.
Author: mrbaxteria2008
Let Me Use This Opportunity to Promote Karl Nesbitt…
Before the 2010s, Irish musician Karl Nesbitt started an exceptional but modest musical venture as an instrument tutor. He also collaborated with other musicians and then released his solo album The Good News in 2003. His more popular sister Mairead Nesbitt was already on top of the global charts with Celtic Woman. However, I am more drawn to Karl’s somewhat introspective style of music. His music explores elements of pop, jazz, folk, and a little bit of classical. However, his style and delivery are hugely rooted in traditional Irish music.
He then withdrew from the music scene for reasons only known to him. The traditional music scene continued and, in my opinion, became enormous. However, I am unsure how streaming services like Spotify affect independent artists. I am also suspicious that the music industry has favored artists who promote their work via Youtube and other platforms, including TikTok. However, this makes me cringe, knowing that there are artists who are not and will never be part of this scene. Sure, these days, you have to be a businessperson/accountant and sales agent to survive in the music industry. But it saddens me that this stretches the creativity that an artist loses while multitasking.
Karl recently released an album called One in late May of 2022. It is an Irish fusion instrumental album that is highly energetic, inventive, and atmospheric. However, I am disappointed that little fanfare happened in the Irish music community. Something like this should be celebrated, right? However, the music scene is fickle, and people have short-term memory like social media. You have to start from scratch to promote your stuff, especially when the wave you rode crested and the world moved on. But real music lovers like me don’t see it that way. We always remember, right? We can wait for decades until an artist releases something. And when it happens, we love that work and shout it to the world.
Karl is currently performing live music with other musicians, and you can see his music updates via his Instagram account. Yes, I follow his posts and show support because we should celebrate such talent. It is rare these days. And it is a beautiful kind of music.
Album Review: Wind Rose by Jocelyn Pettit
Sorry to be away for quite a bit. It was a busy month here with all cycling and art events combined. However, I am always glad to be back to what I love doing the most: telling you about good music. I posted a short blog about Jocelyn Pettit’s Wind Rose. Now that I have listened to the album for quite some time let me give you my observation.
Wind Rose is an album that calls to mind the best of traditional musical styles. Back in 2009, when I launched this blog, there were many amazing traditional musicians like Calum Stewart, Kevin Crawford, and Julie Fowlis, to name a few. It was an exciting decade for traditional music because the format was different then. A decade later, it is great to see that these musicians still make music and continue to charm audiences. With the addition of new artists in the fold, the genre is stronger than ever.
With Wind Rose, Jocelyn Pettit shows us that simplicity is still a vital force in traditional music. The clarity in the recording is an excellent escape from the maximalist production that now exists in all musical genres. Listening to Wind Rode is like taking a vacation in that remote spot that can only live in our psyche. We are, after all, connected to the past, and we are the product of our past generation.
There are 12 tunes in this album; each has its texture and feel. For example, Ready For The Storm is a handsome vocal track due to its emphasis on folk ballad style. The style of Wind Rose reminds me of The Bachands, the siblings who used to record and perform traditional music. I can listen to this album, close my eyes, and let the music take me.
There is one track that stands out to me. The song is Never-Ending Road. I love this version for its simplicity and clarity. The vocals are poignant and captivating. I can say that the album as a whole is a fantastic musical release from this Canadian artist. May she continue to enrich this world with good music.
As of this writing, Jocelyn Pettit has an upcoming album, a follow-up to Wind Rose:
“Since then, I have just released another album, All It Brings, as a duo with American cellist Ellen Gira. Fusing traditional and contemporary influences, the album features nuanced fiddle-cello interplay, vocal harmonies, and guest guitar accompaniment by Adam Dobres. There are ten tracks, with original tunes and songs, and a high-energy repertoire from Scotland, Ireland, North America, and Scandinavia.”
Great! Another album to look forward to.
Jocelyn Pettit : The Wind Rose is Here
As I wrote a few posts ago, my interest in traditional Celtic music was sparked by the arrival of my wooden D flute from Ireland. From then on, I dusted my old bodhran and started getting back into the musical culture. I think it is alright to say that being away from something you love is a good thing. You get to pick up old pieces/ideas and connect their relevance to the current state of the world. You become sensitive to the nuances of culture and sound that you took for granted.
Speaking about culture, it is hard to separate history and culture from this type of music. You need to have at least an amount (no matter how small) of historical knowledge to understand where the sound is coming from. After listening to a few tracks from Canadian artist Jocelyn Pettit, I got this insight. But let me assure you that the “new” label hardly justifies the body of work she was involved in before embarking on this journey. She has played with notable artists in the genre and even held her own stepdance workshop.
Wind Rose is her third album, following the positive reviews of her debut and sophomore album. Wind Rose boasts the talents of musicians:
Jocelyn Pettit – fiddle, Joel Pettit – bodhran, Siew Wan Khoo – piano, Erik Musseau – whistle, and Adam Dobres – guitar. This is the kind of album that people who love Altan, Capercaillie, and Solas will love. So what is a Wind Rose? According to the liner note, it is [an ancient nautical compass; a modern mapping tool for measuring winds; a metaphor for something that helps guide us along our way]
Now, going back to what I mentioned about picking up old pieces and connecting them to what’s new, this is it! While 2022 sees the flowering of other musical genres, it is great that there are traditional artists who are keeping the flame alive.
Links:
https://www.youtube.com/c/JocelynPettitMusic
A Series of unboxing Videos? This one is about Carbony
In my other blog, I have been writing about musical products. It seems that this is the best time to focus on musical instruments. After two years of isolation, people have been trying to learn new skills. One of them is learning how to play a musical instrument. So I think it is great to focus on brands that make these instruments. In fact, I am planning in devoting most of my posts to instruments and music production.
I have read about the Carbony brand before. They are famous for creating these wonderful Irish D flutes. This is the first time I am watching a video on an Uillena Pipes unboxing. This dude is Matt Willis who is a bagpiper. This is good stuff as I am curious about learning the instrument because of its dynamics, range, and nuances. What do you think? Are you planning to buy a musical instrument? What brand? I am curious. Share your story here.
Celtic Music Fan 