“ Sleepy Maggie” captivated North American listeners and the world. This Ashley McIsaac song features Mary Jane Lamond. Cape Breton , Nova Scotia has always been the fore runner of Interesting music in Canada. I first saw Ashley performed in Gael Force, that was in 1997 . His fiddle playing has an irrestible, devilish charm. His controversial actions however created a polarity among listener.
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Celtic Colors International Festival 09-17 October 2009
Nova Scotia has always been a musical home to great artists like Ashley McIsaac, Natalie McMaster, The Rankin Family and Mary Jane Lamond among the many. Cape Breton is a part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. This year the place is once again hosting Celtic Colors International Festival. That’s from October 9-17. So if you are going to Canada this year, make sure to include Cape Breton as your destination, to enjoy this one of a kind gathering of Celtic nations. Celtic Colors International Festival has been celebrated for over 12 years now.Nova Scotia is the only place in North America that has a predominant Celtic culture in terms of music.
Irish Tin Whistle
More infos can be found here
Album Review:Lunasa The Other World
The Other Word(1999) is the second release from Traditional Irish band Lunasa. The name is taken from Lughnasadh, an old Irish harvest festival. Fiddle, whistles, flute,bass and uilleann pipes are featured in this festive collection. Most of the tunes are jolly ,innovative and sparkling with tight craftmanship.
The album is kicked off by the first track Goodbye Miss Goodavich / Rosie’s Reel. Infectious, sensual and yes other worldly, the tune calls to mind fairies and leprechauns dancing in a traditional toe tapping Irish dance.
The Floating Crowbar / McGlinchey’s / The Almost Reel follows with it’s merry introduction of uillean pipes. The track moves into a duel with a tin whistle complete with bodhran taps.
The Butlers of Glen Avenue / Sliabh Russell / Cathal McConnell’s is acoustic guitar induced amidst the trio of fiddle,whistle and and flute. The bass provides that syncopated rhythm .
January Snows / Laura Lynn Cunningham opens with a solo mournful air of flute. The vigorous way it’s being played however prevented the song from being sleepy. This is one magical track in this album.
The jig of The Miller of Drohan is something that any Altan fan would roll his or her eyes on. It’s infectious and sweet. It’s like a sound of an old friend beckoning you to the fire to keep warm.
Dr. Gilbert / Devils of Dublin / Black Pat’s is a another dance tapping piece. The uilleann pipes is highlighted again. There’s a nice fast flute solo in the middle with a bass drone from the uilleann pipes.
Autumn Child / Heaton Chapel is a jazzy guitar/flute piece. Both lovers of Celtic and Jazz music would love this one. The song ends with a jig of fiddles. Nicely done.
Stolen Apples sways and watltzes into your mood with a sunny day brightness.
Taylor Bar, 4am / Ceol Na Mara is flute induced with tin whistle and acoustic guitar.
Lafferty’s / Crock of Gold / Lady Birr / Abbey Reel is pure furious energy. It’s like observing a horse brake out of the barn. This is where Irish music becomes mesmerizing. Especially when the melodies weave themselves skillfully and fast .It’s like observing a beautiful complicated piece of lace.
O’Carolan’s Welcome / Rolling in the Barrel ends the album with forlorn but positive melodies. So far this is a magical album showcasing brilliant musicianship and traditonal instruments.
For more info , visit the group’s official site
To hear tracks, visit their official MySpace site
Visiting Dublin This Week?
If Dublin, Ireland is your distination this week, then you might want to add this to your list of directories. DUBLINLINKS.COM offers a wide variety of places to go to. There is Dublin by day which showcases the best shops around; Dublin by night offers places to go to especially if you are looking for musical perfomance. You can check out who’s in town . Mostly it’s pop acts like Pink and Shayne Ward. But then again there’s this section for traditional music that you would really love.
Celtic Music Fan 