One of my favorite Irish bands became quiet somewhere at the start of the decade. Of course I kept track of Moya Brennan’s musical takeoff as a solo artist. I am glad that the lineup is great and Pol Brennan is back with the team. You can read the detailed info here:
http://www.clannad.nl/2010/12/more-clannad-concerts-including-pol.html
Between Worlds the new album by multi-instrumentalist composer Sue Aston now out!
I love how the Cornish landscape is portrayed in the 1939 Hitchcock movie Rebecca. Corn wall embodies bandoned castles, windswept hillsides, moderate climate and so much more. But apart from these scenes, it’s the people who make Cornwall the Celtic nation that it is today.
The violin is a very transparent instrument in a sense that the player decides the kind of sound it produces. Violins don’t lie.Especially when one is an artist who is passionate about both the music and Cornwall’s political struggles.To quote from her : “My muse is the granite cliffs and the rolling moors of Kernow, her legends, her culture and people. Thank you for your kind words of support, I am inspired determined and ready for action!”
The second album has twelve tracks displaying her classical training and the honest sentiments of folk music. Sue ‘s music glides into the senses like fine wine. From the anthemic title track , The playful Mazy Dazey , the dark ominous charm of Storm Cat…the Vivaldi-like Hawthorne Tree, the Cornish Melody in Thursday’s Market (marghas yow), and closing with the introspective melody of Initial Bond. There are other instruments you can hear in the album(both Folk and Classical) as well as classical female voices.
Over the years, Sue Aston collaborated with Chris De Burgh (Quiet Revolution), Gordon Giltrap (Music for the Small Screen), and Andrew Downs (Centenary Firedances / The Marshes of Glynn) among others. But exploring her inner landscapes in albums like Sacred Landscapes and Inspirational Journey , she is able to carve her identity. And she is back in full force with the latest offer Between Worlds.
1.How long did it take to create this album?
It took 18 months to create my new album, as I composed many of the tracks as I went along, slotting them in between recording sessions. I was juggling my time with recording new solo violin parts, while working out the piano accompaniment and arranging the parts for the other instruments. Quite often there were two or three tracks on the go at the same time!
2. Was the process hard compare to Sacred Landscapes and Inspirational Journey?
In some respects it was an easier process as I was in total control of all aspects of the musical parts. My first and second albums relied more on the producer creating layers of sound and special effects to support the violin and piano melodies. This album was far more labour intensive for me, but much more satisfying. It also meant that the sheet music was ready to go, as I had had to get the arrangements ready for the other musicians to play on.
3. Your single The Hawthorn Tree is a very powerful piece . Vivaldi comes to mind. What inspired you to compose this?
3. With the Hawthorn Tree track, I wanted to push myself technically as a performer. On my first album, ‘Sacred Landscapes’, the track ‘Madron’ was a piece which I composed for solo violin, and with ‘The Hawthorn Tree’ I wanted another virtuoso showpiece which challenged me further – both as a composer and performer. I could never actually visualise myself recording or performing it – so when I eventually did both of these things it felt like a great personal achievement!
4. You music has always been labeled as ‘beautiful, healing, and elegant’. Has there been other description that you found rather odd?
I’m always fascinated to hear how people perceive my music. My music encompasses a wide range of styles and emotions, and when I perform in a concert it’s great to see people dancing to pieces like ‘Mazey Dazey’, then in tears over ‘The Final Homecoming’ for example.
5.I personally find your compositions challenging because they all have the classical discipline yet the expressiveness and simplicity of Folk. Do you have a plan of venturing into other forms of music?
Because I listened to different genres of music as a child – from Punk Rock to Classical – I have absorbed many styles, but really to me it is just ‘simply music’! On my new album Between Worlds, I improvised on a track called ‘Drift’ with the folk musician Rick Williams. It was recorded in one take, and has a jazzy feel to it with inspiration drawn from Stephane Grappelli.
6. Cornwall has been a visible emblem of your music. Do you consider your self as an artist and at the same time an activist?
I consider myself very fortunate to be living in Cornwall with my family. Because the spirit of Cornwall is deeply embedded in my heart, my creative output is infused with Cornwall, and so anything which affects this amazing place is of great concern to me.
7.What keeps you inspired to record albums?
Living in such a beautiful part of the world is a constant source of inspiration, as is the wonderful feedback and growing support I am so lucky to receive from people who enjoy my music.
You can purchase all of her albums here”
I can’t believe it’s only been several months since I last greeted you all a happy New Year! Now it’s going to be 2011. I am excited about what the year will bring. And yes we will have Celtic artists featured here. I will publish the interview I did for Sue Aston. That’s going to be next week. Now please enjoy the music and the good vibes.
Mary Fahl is not really Celtic-just Celticky but I feel I want to share this wonderful cover of a Pink Floyd song-Live!
And yes…Celtic Blues.
Sweet, sad, energetic and calming…
Maeve Flanagan
fiddle/whistle
Deirdre Brennan
fiddle/mandolin/vocals
Kristen McShane
fiddle
Margaret Dudasik
fiddle/vocals/low whistle/dancing feet
Blaithin Loughran
accordion
Bernadette Flanagan
piano/bodhran/dancing feet
Pamela Geraghty
accordion/vocals/guitar
Emily McShane
piano/vocals/bodhran/guitar
Girsa-A combination of beautiful instruments and voices in the veins of Alysson Krauss and Solas. These young women have what it takes to charm even the jaded listeners with their energetic but at times calming music. I’d like to thank Christi Broersma for bringing this band to my attention. Girsa—pronounced geer-sha and meaning “young girls ” in Gaelic—is a group of eight Irish American teenagers wholive in and around Pearl River in Rockland County(the same place where Mary Fahl came from). . Instrumentation includes fiddle, accordion, whistle, mandolin, piano, and guitar. Two band members are also dancers. Immigrant Eyes is a track recorded and rendered with clarity and control. It is Irish but at the same time American. It is also one song that Guy Clarke recorded in 1993 for his Old Friends album. The lyrics:
Oh Ellis Island was swarming
Like a scene from a costume ball
Decked out in the colors in Europe
And on fire with the hope of it all
There stood my father’s own father stood huddled
With the tired and hungry and scared
Turn of the century pilgrims
Bound by the dream that they shared
They were standing in lines just like cattle
Poked and prodded and shoved
Some were one desk away from sweet freedom
Som were were torn from someone they love
Through this sprawling tower of babel
Came a young man confused and alone
Determined and bound for America
And carryin’ everything that he owned
Chorus
Sometimes when I look in my grandfather’s Immigrant Eyes
I see that day reflected and I can’t hold my feelings inside
I see starting with nothing and working hard all of his life
So don’t take it for granted say grandfather’s Immigrant Eyes
Now he rocks and stares out the window
But his eyes are still just as clear
As the day he sailed through the harbor
And come ashore on the island of tears
My grandfather’s days are numbered
But I won’ t let his memory die
‘Cause he gave me the gift of this country
And the look in his Immigrant Eyes
I swear this song made it hard for me to see the computer screen because I was trying hard to fight back the tears. Such sweet and sad song. I don’t know about you lads but if there is one song that’s really worth listening to as we think about the blessings we have in our lives and how those before us have given their blood, sweat and tears to bring us to where we are now then this is that perfect soundtrack. As the year draws to an end this is an eye-opener. And we should give love to one another as intensely as we can while we are still alive and while we are still capable of giving that love. because through all the pain let us find comfort in everyone in this cold mad world.
Know more about this wonderful group:
Phil Holland sent me a Christmas gift. It’s a track off the new album The Visit. Yes I heard it first before it’s been released and I felt so privileged to be part of this very interesting project between her and Dave Palmley. I’ve known Phil for a time now when I got to interview her.
“Brave warrior and I Into Battle Jig” is a beautiful track. Somehow it reminds me of the instrumental pieces that Loreena McKennitt makes. It evokes the history of the continental Celts as they go into battle with the Romans during the time of Julius Caesar. It’s a piece of haunting , sad but also uplifting melodies. There are moments of pure contemplative power especially in the first part and then it gathers tempo around 1:39. I found myself swaying and tapping my foot. I literally got goosebumps. The duo has cast a spell with this song. I know you guys will not only single out this song but will love the whole album. As for the vocals, Phil has created a refreshing take on traditional materials with her distinctive style. Very different .
This is what I enjoy about collaborative work. The mixing of ideas from different styles always create something special. It’s like a witches’ brew that puts a spell on you. Now if you want to hear other tracks off this album, I am providing links to YouTube. I tell ya fellas they made my eyeballs roll!
If you want to buy a copy, please contact: lmcrecords2011@gmail.com
For the other songs please visit their youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PhilandDavePalmley
Album TRACK LIST:
Celtic Music Fan 