For lack of any news today,I am featuring two wonderful Scottish singers.What attracted me to this song is the rapid firing of Gaelic language. I think more than the music, it is the language that defines the authenticity of the rt. Without it, then Celtic music would be incomplete. That is why I admire singers who perfect the art of singing the language.
American singers like Connie Dover earn my respect for being fluent both in Scottish and Irish Gaelic. Then there are those who sing in Breton and Welsh…or any of the languages. It is this sense that colors the art. English after all, is not the only important language there is. We need it to communicate. But it is not as beautiful as the Celtic languages. Enjoy.
Selkies are mythical creatures who, once in a while shed off their seal skins and become human . Sometimes a selkie falls in love with a mortal man. But husband would always look out for her. If a mortal buries her seal skin then she cannot return to the sea.
Such a myth surrounds this heart warming movie directed by Neil Jordan( Interview with the Vampire). This story is very Irish and it has all the cinematography you would expect. It stars Colin Farrel as the fisherman who one day found a mysterious woman by the name of Ondine caught in his net. She sings to him and brings him good luck. But is Ondine really a selkie? Or the other truth is not as attractive as the truth you wish to hear.
I have listened to Brian Boru and Tri Martolod by Alan Stivell these past few days. What a surprise it has been to receive a letter from his website about Emerald , the new album. A coincidence! I would like to share the news to those who love Breton music and the talent of the one and only Alan Stivell. According to his official site:
It’s been almost 40 years since Alan Stivell released “Reflets” (Reflections), his first album featuring him singing. An Emerald anniversary, one could say. It’s definitely a return to the roots, a return to the violin and to folk-rock (“Chemins de terre”), much as he did with “Brian Boru”. But it’s also an album for 2010. It fuses electric and acoustic bagpipes – like his latest acoustic and electric harp prototypes – in musical arrangements that are as eclectic as they are original. Alan, the singer and the Breton of today: with his Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon, Indian or African influences and his very distinctive vocal and writing styles, he effortlessly blends Breton, French and English (along with Gaelic and Welsh). In addition, Alan wanted to present songs that were popular in the Brittany of yesteryear as well as in English-speaking and other Celtic countries … songs of his youth that are today forgotten. He brings them back to life and hopes others will love them too..
It is also in the chapter nostalgia that he invited the very beautiful Ensemble choral of the “bout du Monde” for “Mac Crimon” (a homage to Gwennole Ar Menn, Eliane Pronost, Roger Abjean, Paul Ladmirault and to Scotland).
He invited his stage musicians to join him on this disc, and also invited Dom Duff (song) for “Brittany’s” and “Tamm ha tamm”, Solenn Lefeuvre (song) for “Lusk”.
An album with much of emotion and festive.
Tracks
1 – BRITTANY’S – Ar bleizi mor – 5:56
2 – LUSK – Skye Boat Song – 4:08
3 – MARIONIG – 3:29
4 – TAMM HA TAMM – Rennes, Nantes & Brest – 3:16
5 – GAEL’S CALL – Glaoch na nGael – 6:07
6 – HARPLINN – 4:13
7 – GOADEC ROCK – 5:17
8 – EIBHLIN – Eileen A Roon – 6:52
9 – AQUARELLE – Er penn all d’al lanneg – 3:44
10 – AN HIRAÑ NOZ – Noël, espoir – Ar hyd y nos – 4:41
11 – MAC CRIMON (part I) – 2:23
11 – MAC CRIMON (part II) – 4:51
11 – MAC CRIMON (part III) – 2:58
Alan Stivell : vocals, harps, bagpipes, bombarde, flutes, percussion, synthesizers, piano, arrangements, production and composition. Loumi Seveno : violins, alti, viele, bodhran (1,2,4,5,7,8,9). Christope Peloil : alto (2). Gaetan Grandjean : acoustic and electric guitar. Nicolas Méheust : Hammond organ, melotron, piano and bass. Marcus Camus : percussion, drums. Iwan Ellien du Bagad Gwengamp : Scottish soldier drum (3). Dom Duff : vocals (1,4). Solenn Lefeuvre : vocals (2). L’Ensemble choral du Bout du Monde directed by Christian Desbordes (11,12).
Samples of the tracks can be heard when you go to the official site:
she possan dy wheig ‘skeeal’ jannoo ymmyd jeh feddanyn mooarey, gitar as coraaghyn. tayrn veih stoo tradishoonagh as bunneydagh, t’ad cummey reaghysyn sheiltynagh as smooinaghtagh, gleashaghey eddyr ny tree chengaghyn gaelgagh. t’ad voish mannin ny keayrtyn.
Another reason to off the lights: Skeaal has arrived coming from the sunny Isle of Man. This band has brought with them not only the Manx identity but also the ancient spirit of the culture by singing in Manx Gaelic which I and the rest of my readers will also like. When one speaks a foreign language …and turns t into a song, it really doesn’t matter if you don’t understand a thing. How the words and the infliction merge with each other becomes a music on its own. And it is not difficult learning the language this way. In my research , the last native speaker of Manx died in 1974. But I know the language is making its revival with the help of bands like these. You can’t force people to learn the language…you have to coax them into it. And this is how you do it.
The music is rich in melody and the instrumentals stand on their own. Relaxing yet has the flavor of Jazz, Rock and Folk. The band has been together for five years and the new album Slipway is out.
When one hears the sound of the bombard as well as the binou one will realize that this could only come from one place in the world-Brittany. For years now, Austen, Texas based Poor Man’s Fortune has been recording and performing authentic Breton music. This 5-piece band is consist of French, Scottish and American members who are recognized in their individual fields as accomplished musicians. And accidental browsing through YouTube brought them to my attention and from this moment on, their albums are a welcomed addition to my growing collection.
Celtic Music Fan 