Irish

A Good Suit of Clothes (Songs of the Emigrant Gael)

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 6 Comments

From the a capella verse of the first track Duthaich MhicAoid/Mackay County, one can’t help but be taken by the  highland singing of Fiona J Mackenzie. The voice and Irvin Daguid’s piano are like two old friends who finally meet-complimenting with beautiful results. All musicians involved in this project are exceptional.

Fiona has the nuance and lightness of voice but with just the right weight to add an air of mystery and authority. There is a combination of sweetness, palpable hope and poignancy in her singing echoing the sentiments of the Scottish exiles all over the world.

According to her, A Good Suit of Clothes is a title taken from one of the best known emigrant songs ‘ Mo Duthaich’ from South Uist. I am aware how Uist in the Scottish Hebrides have been a continuing force in the Gaelic revival with archives of songs being recorded by artists such as Julie Fowlis recently.

The production is superb and polished to flawless quality. The sound is crisp and clear with minimal reverb to make the instruments sound lush and alive.

Some of the tracks like Oran a Chiamalais/ Song of Homesickness and Illean Bithibn Sunndach/Boys Be Happy are fast toe-tapping tunes with acoustic guitars . While tracks like Cuir Culaibh Ri Asante/ Leaving Assynt Behind has a melancholy atmosphere and a haunting melody.

A Good Suit of Clothes is  what happens when exquisite talent meets excellent production techniques.The liner notes are very helpful. All Gaelic songs have English translations . Fiona is right when she suggested to me the importance of  the liner notes beside the music. On top of that, she also provided her own explanation and the story behind each songs, the composers and the lives they led .

If the purpose of this album is  a message in a bottle to those immigrants hoping they’d return…then it is a successful attempt wich will not only bring back long-lost friends  but a cavalry of guests , the passionate new comers who are drawn to the beauty of this type of music.

Credits:

Irvin Daguid (Piano and harmonium)

Fraser Fifield (Whistle and pipes)

John Goldie (Guitar)

Mary Ann Kennedy (Clarsach)

James Mackintosh (Percussion)

Anna Massie (Cittern and guitar)

Ed McFarlane (Double bass)

Mr McFall’s Chamber-Clare Sterling (violin) Robert McFall (violin)

Jane Atkins (viola) and Su-a Lee (cello)

Ian Muir ( Accordion)

Guy Nichoson (Percussion)

Simone Welsh (Fiddle)

Singers: Darren Maclean, Katie Mackenzie, Sineag Macintyre and Cathy Ann MacPhee

All tracks produced and arranged by Irvin Daguid.

Greentrax Recordings Limited.

You can purchase Fiona J Mackenzie here.

http://www.fionamackenzie.org/Basket.html

Thanks to geekbynight for posting this video and added info:

Scottish singer and educator Fiona J. MacKenzie sings Abu Chuibhl’. She is joined by her Gaelic Singing and Language Student Doyle Raines. This is part of a concert Fiona gave in Jimera de Libar, Andalucia, Spain on May 2nd 2010.


…..I love New Orleans not just by giving us Anne Rice, Poppy Z Brite , True Blood and a lot  more of exotica. What’s next? Maybe Mr Leprechaun will have his toe-tapping green humor on the beautiful side of the French Quarter. Here are some pics from facebook’s  Irish New Orleans


…….The album teaser of Dom Duff is out. This should thrill fans of Breton music with language entirely in Breton. Expect more exotic sounds and energetic performance from the guy himself.

…..Catch Welsh band Mabon performing at  Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Bretagne France , that going to be in August 6, 2010. For the performances in the month of August, check out their tour schedules link:

http://www.myspace.com/mabonband

……Another musician from Wales Oli-Wilson-Dickson combines the adventurous mood of Gypsy music and the Celtic music’s triumphant tunes .  If you are into Balkan stuff, or anything Central European with a twist of jig then this is your music. You can also visit http://www.fiddle.org.uk/

Beltain’s Fire :Hip Hoppin’ Celtique

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 1 Comment

reppin for my clan & all my kinfolk,
everybody comin up cuz fa’real – we’ve been broke
far too long, so we gotta stay strong
scots, irish, welsh, manx, cornish, bretons, and on
for all my bards and poets, rappers and scribes
no matter where you come from, it’s time to thrive
so let’s do the damn thang, like snare, kick, swing
this is beltaine’s fire, check the style we bring
celtic soul, hip hop beats,

(taken from I Am, Beltain’s Fire)

On the other side of the spectrum there is an artist named Emcee Lynx who fuses something that is not typical but something that is of great importance. If you haven’t heard of Hip Hop band Beltain’s Fire then this is the best time to tune your ears and listen to this important artist behind the music.

I never listened to hip hop even in high school but this just sort of turn my ears 360 degrees. Mixing traditional instruments with beats and smooth rapping is refreshing to hear. This is not just electronic stuff, this is tradition meets street culture. This is young meets the old, a traditional frame of mind meeting the radical and instead of rebelling against one another, they sort of take this contrast and create a new art altogether.

http://www.beltainesfire.com/

Grada: Softly…Surely!

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 4 Comments


Once in a while  there come a band with a bit of everything and yet sounding like no other. Grada’s approach to traditional music is fresh, evocative and often times laced with optimistic spirit that soars high. I came across The Landing Step recently and realized that I have been missing something. The music is close to American Blue Grass with Annie Marie O’ Malley’s lead vocals sounding a bit like Alison Kraus(current vocalist Nicola Hayes is closer to  Sandy Denny of The Fairport Convention).

From the first track “Tread Softly to the last ” A l’Envers” one is drawn into a Folk, Acoustic and Alternative experience.  The band has a new album out called Natural Angle(released January 26, 2010 with previews available) You can check more info about the band, each members and tour dates right at their official website:

Band members:

NICOLA JOYCE vocals & bodhran GERRY PAUL guitar, banjo & vocals ANDREW LAKING double bass & vocals DAVID DOOCEY fiddle, whistle & concertina STEPHEN DOHERTY flute, whistle, accordion, bodhran and cajon

Sources: http://www.myspace.com/gradamusic

http://www.gradamusic.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A1da

Retro: Farewell and Remember Me by Boys of the Lough

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Track listing:

  1. “Sean But/ Tommy People’s/ The Lark in the Morning” (jigs) (All traditional)
  2. “The Leitrim Queen” (song) (Ian Burns)
  3. “Lucky Can Du Link Ony/ Pottinger’s/ Billy Nicholson” (reels) (Trad/ Tom Anderson/ Trad)
  4. “Farewell and Remember Me” (song) (J Chalmers)
  5. “Angus Polka no 1/ Angus Polka No 2/ Donegal Barn Dance” (All trad)
  6. “An Spailpin Fanach (sung in Gaelic)/ The One-Horned Buck” (reel) (Trad/ Trad)
  7. “Valentia Harbour (air)/ The Jug of Punch (reel)/ MacArthur Road” (reel) (All trad)
  8. “Lovely Ann” (unaccompanied song) (Trad)
  9. “The Holly Bush/ The New Ships Are Sailing” (reels) (All trad)
  10. “The Waterford Waltz/ The Stronsay Waltz” (Trad/ Trad)

Boys of the Lough is one of those traditional Scots/Irish bands that really stick with you long after the music has been played . It makes you want to listen some more and hopefully capture incidents in nuances. The vocals are not really stylized to give out that authentic folk feel. After all folk music is the music of the people. It is the home to simplicity and honesty. These sentiments are expressed in Farewell and Remember Me. An album that has been released in 1987 but still sounds like it’s only been made yesterday. That is the beauty of recordings like this one. The traditional pieces are reinterpreted in a distinctive style but the production technique is the same. The performers don’t need to. The clarity of acoustic guitars and beautiful vocals are showcased in The Leitrim Queen. This is also a song about loss which only the Irish knows best to sing. The title track is another masterpiece accompanied in piano and cello. The sixth track An Spailpin Fanach is a song I heard performed by Connie Dover but this male vocals proved to be exquisite too. All in the all the entre album is a balance between lively and sad tunes. It has all the stuff for everyone.

Members:

  • Aly Bain (fiddle)
  • Cathal McConnell (flute, whistle, vocals)
  • Dave Richardson (concertina, mandolin, cittern)
  • Christy O’Leary (uilleann pipes, whistle, vocals)
  • John Coakley (guitar, piano, bodhran, mandoline, fiddle)
  • Guest: Ron Shaw (cello) on “Farewell and Remember Me”
  • Engineered by Alistair George

San Patricio-Behind the Scenes with The Chieftains

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One of the most exciting albums this year has come to light. Paddy Maloney talks with Ry Cooder on this video, discussing the album’s background, inspiration and artists who collaborated. Watch ,listen and learn history with the Chieftains and the connection between Ireland and Mexico. This video is done by the Concord Music Group.

You can also download San Patricio from itunes:http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/san-patricio/id355774957