Featuring:Patrick D’Arcy, Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha, Kyle Carey and Noriana Kennedy
Introducing Piper Patrick D’Arcy
For some musicians and listeners, simplicity is everything. Patrick D’Arcy sets an example of how one instrument can give out so many layers to observe, savor and glorify. His simplistic use of the uilleann pipes, unadorned by other instruments sort of magnifies that soul of the instrument making its core radiate.
Most of us usually take the drones for granted as our attention is focused on the play of notes and also interplay of other instruments. Patrick makes every angle of sound posses that bulk and electricity. I am amazed how beautiful the drones can be when your ears don’t process too much information.
It might surprise you to know that this passionate piper studied classical guitar at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Why did he give up guitar and chose the uilleann pipes? That is what I will find out one day! He just released a traditional album called Wallop The Spot composed of 13 tracks. You can buy the album here: http://patrickdarcy.bandcamp.com/
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The breezy music of Kyle Carey
Real life is HARD. But Kyle Carey does a good job of transporting us into lazy afternoons, visions of orange blossoms and fireflies at dusk. Her various styles(Bluegrass, Irish and New Age) create a satisfying experience that leave you with a feeling you get after a good nap-fresh and clear headed. There are gentle guitars and lurking banjos in the sea of fiddles and vocal harmonies. Her voice has this silky feel reminiscent of Alison Krauss and Grada. To be able to escape for a moment into the music that channels the power of kindness and childhood innocence is really worth your time…maybe an hour a day would be good for you.
If you love original music that will stand the test of time then Kyle Carey’s Monongah is for you. Buy her albums here: http://www.kyleannecarey.com/
Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha is a head radio presenter at RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. If you want to know the phonetic way to say her name it’s “Nancy”. I listened to her recorded shows and they are truly informative and exciting. They are geared towards the traditional music audience. Her approach to hosting is relaxed and once in a while she inserts anecdotes. There’s never a dull moment. Throughout her career, she moved between Galway which is her hometown and the United States, back and forth. Her favorite quote is: I can resist everything but temptation! Don’t we all? Especially if the temptation are those beautiful Irish tunes!
A few months ago, I feature a video by Galway based singer who is working on her album with her band Wildflowers. According to her recent post to her website:
We made a merry start to recording the new Wildflowers CD last weekend. Myself, Nicola Joyce, Noelie McDonnell and Gerry Paul spent the weekend at Larry Kelly’s beautiful Finnish log-cabin home in Tuam, Co. Galway. We put down new versions of ‘Dear My Maker’ and ‘Poor Ellen Smith’ along with three other brand new tracks. We’ll give it another blast next month to finish it off…all going well the CD will be fit for filling stockings in December! Big thanks to Liam Caffrey, our patient and gifted engineer and of course Larry and Olivia for the generous loan of their fabulous home, the gourmet menu and constant feed of happy vibes.
I know there are friends who are excited to hear something by this amazing singer/songwriter with a unique voice that can deliver a full range of emotions.
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.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.
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
The guys of Tremolo are geared up for their performance at The Black Box in Belfast this Monday 23rd, and Whelans in Dublin this Thursday 26th. I have been following them since they came out. You Dublin people are so lucky. Folks don’t miss them. I am sure they will give an ear-widening and jaw dropping super performance!
Are you in Ireland, or visiting Ireland? I got this from Enda Seery. I featured him before because his style of playing the whistle is fascinating. There is an amazing show he is producing. I am a snoop so I have to know more. The resident group at the centre is called ‘Ceoltóirí an Mhuilinn’. I asked him for a bit of info:
Seisiún provides a unique entertainment experience for holidaymakers and local communities alike at various CCÉ Seisiún nights all over Ireland. Seisiún Áras an Mhuilinn is staged in the ‘Teach Ceoil’ in Áras an Mhuilinn, the Comhaltas Regional Centre in Mullingar. The setting in Áras an Mhuilinn is ideally suited to a Comhaltas Seisiún Show, an intimate setting of formal and informal traditional Irish entertainment of the highest quality. Light refreshment is offered as part of the very reasonable entrance charge while bar facilities are also available. Seisiún concludes with an informal traditional session where visitors are encouraged to participate as they so wish. Seisiún Áras an Mhuilinn is staged in the historical town of Mullingar, the town in which Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann was founded in 1951. Seisiún audiences return year after year- Bígí linn ag Seisiún Áras an Mhuilinn!
Seisiún’ show at Áras An Mhuilinn, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath tomorrow night, Wednesday 18th July @8 30pm. lLots of talent on display! Artists from Offaly Comhaltas on stage for the second half. First half line-up as follows:
Enda Seery-MC, Producer, Whistles, Flute
Sarah Hennessy-Button Accordion
Sharon Morgan-Flute
Hilary Gaffney-Fiddle
Seamus Kelly-Guitar
Niamh Glynn-Dancer
Thomas McCormack-Dancer
Doreen Farrelly-Singer
Mary Hughes-Storyteller
Celtic Music Fan 