Altan

A Life of Music: Martin Tourish Interview

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 1 Comment

 

Plus: Sahara and video plugged by Luke Fraser.

 

 

 

Martin Tourish talks to The Celtic Music Fan about composing, performing and the top 5 albums that influenced him musically.

It is great when few conversations happen beyond the interview. Our guest this week is prolific musician/composer Martin Tourish who is in the middle of his PhD studies. He lent his time to answer several questions related to his career and Irish music in general. He has just started mixing his new album. We had a little craic about Donegal winning the All Ireland Gaelic football final. So everyone over there is happy! Christmas is a great time to visit the place for the Frankie Kennedy Winter School.

According to Martin: “In Donegal they pass one fiddle around everybody in the room and everyone has to play whether they can barely play a tune or are brilliant. There’s always huge respect.” He is working on a lot of projects. I got to hear songs from An Tain. It is about the Irish saga set into music. Years ago I was over Makati and stumbled upon a copy of The Táin (1969, Oxford University Press) by Thomas Kinsella and that book opened  the whole new world of Irish myths to me. So to know that a musician is doing another interpretation of that is amazing news.  According to Martin: “This album that we made is based upon the book but it’s sung here using a proto-gaelic language as found in the oldest known text.” The song interpretations he made for this project are haunting, beautiful and captivating. The interesting use of modern and traditional instruments are fascinating. So are the vocals and scales that were applied. There’s so much atmosphere and richness in the melodies. So even if you don’t understand Gaelic you will be able to follow the plot as long as you have read the book.

I also have the honor to hear his Midori Suite. The Japanese/ Irish piece he wrote for a charity in Japan. The classical training he had took a front seat here. Martin could well be a movie composer of epic scenes. I love the combination of Japanese and Irish styles especially the part with the harp and female vocals. And then I got the Raincoats of Dijon – a track he recorded for Naxos with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. This is another moving piece of a different style. It’s a waltz that crosses between Strauss and Disney Classics. With all these in mind, I realize that one day Martin Tourish will be making lots of music that other musicians will play. So yes I am crossing my fingers.

Here’s a little trivia: When he was in the Philippines, he was with Cape Breton fiddler Gillian Boucher, Irish fiddler Fergal Scahill, Mickey Martin and the sean nós dancer Emma O’Sullivan. They were playing a charity concert for the kids of smokey mountain so they formed the band just for that. He actually only met them either on the plane or over in Manila. A Trad session in a jeepney is one of his goals! He further stated that he enjoyed the experience and he felt totally at home.

Now on with our interview:

Hi Martin, welcome to our artist of the week interview. It is an honor to have you as my guest. I read your bio and it describes your life as one devoted to music. How’s the experience writing articles for the “Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland”?

It’s an honor to be your guest! It was a great experience to write a number of articles for the Enyclopaedia of Music in Ireland. The research unearthed a great deal of new information on the subjects, only a small amount of which could be included in each of the articles. Regarding the article that I wrote on the piano accordion, reading the first description of the instrument being performed in Ireland was one of those magical moments. I often pass the venue in Dublin in which it was first heard and imagine the music that might have been played!

You came from Donegal which brought us legendary bands like Clannad and Altan. I see that your cousin Ciaran plays for Altan. Your childhood must have been a very musical one.

Donegal is an amazing place and recently, I had the honor of playing a concert with Altan and Clannad at the Fleadh in Cavan. There actually wasn’t music in my immediate family but that was probably a good thing. I had no idea that there was any difference between genres and so I played everything I heard and could reproduce. This openness to every type of music has stayed with me since. Once the heart is in it, it will be good!

 Your first album was released in 2005 which gained top reviews and honors. You are working on a new one right? Please tell us what listeners can expect in this new album.

The new album has been developed over the past four years and it is quite different to Clan Ranald, and maybe quite different from anything else! The aim of the album was to try to be as honest as possible in trying to capture the spirit of the music, moment, and musicians who took part. It’s almost entirely comprised of my compositions, with some reworking of traditional material. Really, it documents the interactions and experiences of the past four years and I hope that people will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed it. We’re mixing it at the moment so stay tuned!

You’ve been around the world and one of those places you’ve been to was the Philippines! How was the experience?

The Philippines trip was amazing and I remember every minute of it! The people were really warm and friendly and in particular, I remember stumbling across a singer/songwriter night in a bar in Makati City and playing piano in the house band before going to the birthday party of one of the musicians! I really hope to make a return visit at some point in the future and this time, stay longer than four days!

What is it about being in the trad scene that you like?

I’m actually involved in many different scenes in Ireland but it’s the people that make each scene a joy to be involved in. The trad scene in Dublin is particularly interesting because being a small city, musicians from different scenes get an opportunity to meet and explore each other’s traditions. Everything seems to exist side-by-side and one can dip in and out of each when the mood is right!

 What do you plan to accomplish before the year ends and what’s in store for 2013 for you musically?

I hope to have both my PhD and album completed before the year is done and for 2013, I’m hoping to focus almost solely on music. As always, I’ll be playing with various musicians under my own name and with a wide variety of other musicians, bands and projects, specifically with the bands of which I’m a member: The Convergence Ensemble, and Deep End of the Ford. I’m working around the clock on plans for 2013 but at the moment, they’ve to be kept under wraps. But every year something amazing always seems to happen and if that trend continues, it’ll be better than anything I could have imagined!

What are the challenges composing music in the traditional style and do you have other musical styles that you are working on as of the moment?

Well I never compose music as a task, it just flows out in response to something when it’s ready and sticks if it’s good! It’s the most natural thing in the world and when I compose a piece of music, it’s usually fully formed. A few days ago I wrote eight tunes in about two hours for a sean-nós dancing tutorial DVD by the dancer Mary Beth Taylor, which is to be released before the end of the year. The chemistry and rhythm from her steps made the music flow and those are always special moments. Following from my Japanese – Irish piece called The Midori Suite, I’ll be writing a concert length program of material in this style. I’ll also be in Italy in October producing an album of songs by the novelist Oscar McLennin, and working on a program of world music in Brittany in November with the clarinetist Dylan Gully. Plenty of diversity!

Can you name us the top 5 albums that influenced you?

Altan’s Runaway Sunday (But really all of their albums!)

Mary Black’s Mary Black Live (particularly for Steve Cooney’s song Just a Journey)

Frank Cassidy’s Níl Gar Ann (aesthetically and creatively)

Alyth McCormack & Triona Marshall’s Red & Gold (a masterclass in tone, colour and great story telling)

Zbigniew Preisner’s Requiem For My Friend

I enjoyed chatting with Martin Tourish and I am sure this interview has given you an idea about his music and projects. You can listen to his music through:

http://www.myspace.com/martintourish

Sample videos:

http://www.LiveTrad.com
Featuring Ciarán Tourish (fiddle), Martin Tourish (piano accordion), Tim Edey (guitar), Tríona Marshall (harp), Alyth McCormack (voice), Thomas Charles Marshall, Philip Horan (shakuhachi), Fran Marshall (voice) & Morgan Crowley (voice) performing ‘Suite for Japan’, composed by Martin Tourish. This was recorded at the Aid Japan for Children concert at St. Ann’s Church, Dawson St., Dublin, to aid and support Japanese children effected by the 2011 earthquake & tsunami. Recorded and edited by Martin Moylan on behalf of Aid Japan for Children, and provided subsequently to LiveTrad.com.

The last part of the concert was with a special appearance by
PADDY Mc MENIMEN, CONNIE & MERLA DROST-BYRNE
14.08.2010, Kilcar, co.Donegalh

A Great Documentary which Martin also appears in.

A documentary by journalists / film makers Malou Fickling and Robert Gustafsson about Traditional Irish music in a changing Ireland. Set in rural and urban Ireland (Donegal and Dublin) this piece takes a look at the history, themes, preservation and evolution of Irish music. Musicians interviewed include Martin Tourish (TG4 Young Musician of the year 2008), Danny Diamond and Dinny McLaughlin.

Language: English Version

This production was entirely conceived, shot and edited by Malou Fickling and Robert Gustafsson. It was created for a final college project for Journalism and Media Production at Linnaeus University, Sweden.

For more information email Malou Fickling at Malfic@hotmail.com

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Proud to announce the release of Sahara’s latest CD ‘A New Beginning’ – now available from iTunes, Amazon and other music outlets!!

Samples are available in the link below. I found them totally uplifting and beautiful. The production is superb. A must have for those who love genre bending music that exudes warmth and elegance.

https://onerpm.com/#/album/937792581

Connect with them through:

https://www.facebook.com/SaharaMusic

http://www.saharamusic.com.au/

***

Upon Recommendation from Luke Fraser

Casual lookin’ Luke.

Luke Fraser plays guitar/vocals for The Bombadils and Raftmen. Once in a while he drops by for a chat. This is one of the videos that made it to our conversation.

From “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn”, recorded live at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 19, 2009. Tunes composed by Liz Carroll; choreography/improv by Nic Gariess.

For information about tickets, CD recordings, and celtic radio programming, visit http://www.wgbh.org/celtic

Copyright 2010

***

 

Black Rose by Scott Hoye(Track by track album review)

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 5 Comments

Black Rose: An album  of moods, textures and layers.

I am listening to Black Rose, a Cláirseach harp and vocal album by the  American Celtic  musician Scott Hoye. It has all the satisfying elements that you can find in a traditional album. Yet it has the experimental quality of a New Age  or Ambient album. There is a good balance between instrumental and vocal tracks  here. We find songs that are familiar, including Eleanor Plunkett. His track by track arrangement is eclectic. I hear strains of Liszt in Ultima Thule while other tracks like Oh Rainy Night  just oozes with folk/rock vocal harmonies. Black Rose is an album filled with elegance and emotional beauty. And his influences are very refreshing.

Eleanor Plunkett is played the way I remember Clannad did it in the 70s. It has that same down to earth appeal yet with elegance in its simplicity. It is tied up to Fanny Poer which has percussion and whistle. The ambiance is live. This is exactly the  kind of sound you hear on live acoustic performances.

Scott used to be part of a rock band the  Seranati. Think of Jethro Tull and Traffic. This is evident in his powerful voice that has the crunch of an electric guitar with its remarkable range. But he is being subtle here as he incorporates the Irish Sean Nos style of singing .The Flower of Magherally is rendered in a capella. I heard several versions. One is by Altan and the other is by Anuna. I have to confess Scott’s singing stops you in your tracks.

The South Wind takes us into another instrumental journey. This time we hear the delicate playing as his fingers move from one string to another with an experienced grace. The notes off the harp twinkle like little crystals. Then the tune moves into the poignant melody of Carricfergus. Here the whistle has never been so bitter-sweet. I love how these two instruments complement each other with such subtle ardor.

Black Rose which is the title track is another a capella tune. Again we hear Scott’s strong but expressive voice where he dips from woeful highs to smoldering lows. Partly Gregorian, partly rock, his singing is really magnificent.

A Neansai Mhile Gra  begins and ends with the kind of delivery that is expressive and simply beautiful. This track is very visual. This is the same kind of element you can find in his Celtic band The Spriggans.

Oh Rainy Night takes us into a rock twist with its engaging vocal harmonies. This is the style where he shines. Scott isn’t really for tamed emotions when it comes to singing. Like a wolf that needs the wild, his voice is a force of nature, so stormy yet beautiful with its power.

Where Time Stops is gentle as of a balladeer telling a story. “ I can show you a place where the time stops”..he sings with such ease of expression that when he moves to the chorus with layered voices it becomes epic. I’d call for more rainy afternoons with this song. Like a walk in the fields when the downpour stops, watching the leaves glisten. This is  the  kind of beautiful imagery this song brings to mind.

Sad Nika brings back that Sean Nos air that track 2 and 4 have. With varying arrangements, Scott has created an album  of moods, textures and layers without having to call for a lot of collaborations.

The last track Ultima Thule is a long piece with an almost operatic quality. It is dreamy, hypnotic and it is the kind of music you would like to hear when you are waiting for the rain to stop. I think without this track Black Rose would sound incomplete. Everything about Black Rose simply go together like  forks, knives and spoons. Dinner has been served. And yes it is a rewarding listening experience.

The composer at work.

Blurb about Black Rose from liner notes:

Black Rose has been many years in making. Several of the tracks were written long ago for two other projects, Seranati, a progressive rock group, and The Spriggans, a Celtic ensemble. Both groups performed and recorded in the 1990s in the Detroitarea. These songs did not see the light of day then, and they have simmered on the back burner of my mind over the years. I have re-imagined them for this, my first solo recording. Black Rose has slowly taken shape, like a musical journey with many vistas along the way. It is a fusion of many of the things that impassion me: traditional Celtic, pop, folk, and ambient musical styles.

Black Rose, the tune, was written for a friend when she had hit upon some sad times. I had initially imagined it as a prelude to a tune called Beauty’s Daughters (a.k.a., Lord Byron’s Stanza’s for Music II) crafted by my self and guitarist Patrick Penta, and played by both The Spriggans and Seranati. The refrain was written without my knowledge of the term Black Rose being attributed to Ireland; a sort of code word for the longing for a independent country during the British rule. This was a happy accident, and I humbly offer it up as a new, Sean Nos, or “old style,” a cappella song, like those popular in traditional Irish music. Two other songs here fall in this category: The Flower of Magherally (a traditional Irish tune) and Sad Nika. My friend, singer-songwrite John Hammink, wrote Sad Nika after a hiking trip in Europe. He wrote it for me to sing while I was a member of The Spriggans. I am exceedingly happy to be making it available here now. Thanks so much for waiting, John. Hope you aren’t disappointed with the effort.

Oh Rainy Wind and A Place Where Time Stops were both written for Seranati. Oh Rainy Wind describes my life walking to and from bars with various women, or just walking into and out of pubs on long nights. It was written at the behest of the keyboardist, Stefan Economou. Stefan desperately wanted to sing more bright, pop, rather that dark, blues influenced tunes. Here is your “Beatles” tune, Stefan, re-figured as a three-part, a capella, drinking song.

I like to think A Place Where Time Stops was influenced by Sufi and Hindustani religious, devotional poetry and spiritual traditions. I was also between girlfriends when I wrote it, so I can’t deny the process of sublimation in its inception. Singing in a rock band did have some fringe benefits, I suppose.

Ultima Thule is an improvised theme with multi-tracked harp and whistle. My friend Bryan Moore, sculptor and director of HP Lovecraft film and fandom fame, inspired it, naming his new home after the term. “Ultima Thule” is an idea from the ancient Greeks—the most distant, northerly island, geographically, from their perspective. Perhaps Hibernia? Albion? Who knows? By the time the Romantics referenced it in poetry and lieder, when the world had been fairly well mapped, it was an imaginary country; a land of the dream realms. I thought the pentatonic setting would give it an ancient flavor, as well as lending itself to improvisation.

Eleanor Plunkett/Fanny Poer: two tunes attributed to the 17th century, Irish harper, Turlough O’Carolan. These were both written as slantes, or tributes to two of his patrons. I attempted to give a more “archaic” sound to the arrangement with the inclusion of the descending arpeggios. The second tune includes whistle and djembe, an African hand drum, rounding it out with a full ensemble quality.

The South Wind/Carrickfergus: The first tune is attributed to O’Carolan, but sounds more like a simple folk tune to me, so he may have just grafted his own poetry to an older tune, or it was never really a part of his repertoire. Carrickfergus is a permutation of the Scottish tune, “The Water is Wide.” Dominic Behan, Brendan Behan’s brother, first recorded it, and attributed it to, of all folks, Peter O’Toole who learned in, of all places, a pub; fine couple of folks for a harper to be vicariously connected to.

A Neansaí Mhíle Grá: is a simple instrumental version of this Gaelic love song for the harp.

Thanks to the following for their support and inspiration: Ma & Da and clan Hoye; Dick Anderson of Woodsong Musical Instruments for creating a superior harp that has held up all these years; Eric & Cynthia Cathcart, Rachel Hair, Steve Toth, & Chris Caswell for recording tips, and encouragement; all Spriggans great and small (you know who you are); wirestrungharp.com, my Soundcloud cronies and FB harp associates; John Hammink for writing such a great tune and waiting so long; Regina Harris-Baiocchi for kind words and perspective; Delhi street food vendors, just because you deserve recognition, and Atul Mohan for pointing me in their direction, and providing encouragement for this project; the worldwide Khanna tribe (cheers!), and, especially, my wife Shabnam.

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You can purchase the album here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/scotthoye

visit: https://www.facebook.com/SCOTTHOYEMUSIC

https://www.facebook.com/groups/celticharp/

and http://www.wirestrungharp.com/

The Legendary Altan Celebrates 25 Years of Music

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 6 Comments

Unlike rock and pop bands, Celtic musicians stick around for a long time. The music is timeless and its not about attitude or fame. It’s about the love of music and the dedication to a tradition that spans thousands and thousands of years. Although the label “celtic music” only started around more than 30 years ago, it’s connection to the ancient spirit of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Isle of Man, Gallicia , Cornwall and the rest of the places heavy with Celtic diaspora is undeniable.

I can attest to that being here from the Philippines and I was not spared by its power.

Altan, a band from Donegal Ireland celebrates 25 years of music. I am still sad because I really remember Frankie Kennedy who passed away . He was a big part of Altan. I am glad the band still continues to challenge, bewitch and bring us nothing but good ol’ Irish music. They are on tour and has released a live album with RTE Concert Orchestra

Check out the bands website for the latest newshttp://www.altan.ie/

Altan-The Red Crow

/ mrbaxteria2008 / Leave a comment

41R4E8TT84L._SL500_AA240_I am spending the rainy evening listening to Altan’s The Red Crow. It’s the second album from the Band. My favorite track is Flower of Magherally. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh has a voice of an angel. So what do we have for the upcoming days? Well, I will be cutting a bit on my furious posting because I now have three blogs. But I will be updating this site. I do promise to make my writings more personal from now on. Just like I am talking to you. Music will still be there (of course) but sometimes we need the human touch.