Manx

Scottish And Manx Music For Your Start Of The Week.

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 4 Comments

Pipedown is a band from Scotland  under Greentrax records. It’s the same record label that brought us the wonderful vocals of Fiona J Mackenzie.  If you like your Scottish pipe music as quirky and upbeat,  then this  band will satisfy your cravings. The extensive use of poly-rhythms and solid  harmonies make them a force in the Scottish Folk scene. They are currently working on a third album.

Members:

Lee Moore-Highland Bagpipes and Scottish Smallpipes

Steve Reid-Guitar

Axel Campbell-Mandolin

Stevie Fivey-Percussion

I love this solo from Lee Moore

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Acapella group Caarjyn Cooidjagh from the Isles of Man have been warming  ears from both sides of the Atlantic with their blend of  folk hymns and subtle arrangements. Like Irish or Scottish music, I would characterize Manx to be on the same league in terms of subtlety and gentleness of tone.  They sing in their native Manx dialect which calls to mind(like all Celtic music) the maritime beauty and the mystery of the sea. Beautiful, at times energetic but generally relaxing. This is worth a listen.

Check this video called Cre raad t’ou goll, my chaillin veg dhone?(Where are you going, my little brown girl?)  a youtube site.

The words to this song come from a collection of ballads noted by A W Moore in the late 19th century. The song is a conversation between a young man and woman, he asking her where she’s going and if he can accompany her and she replying that she’s going milking and yes, he can come along…

Caarjyn Cooidjagh is a group of singers based in the Isle of Man. Performing a selection of traditional and contemporary Manx songs, they usually sing arrangements in Manx Gaelic by the group’s director, Annie Kissack. The nine women and five men who make up the group come from various
musical backgrounds, and, although they differ in their formal training, they share an enthusiasm for Manx culture and good music performed simply. Their busy yearly schedule usually includes ceilis, church services, music festivals and community events.

Caarjyn Cooidjagh means ‘friends together’ in Manx Gaelic.

For more information on booking this band for your festival please contact mhfmusic@mhf.org.im.

Filmed by the Manx Heritage Foundation for the promotional DVD Manx Music & Dance/ Kiaull as Rinkey

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Music News & Gigs


Liam Ó Maonlaí & Glen Hansard @ Whelan’s, Dublin, Ireland

Time
07 March · 20:00 – 23:00
Location
Wexford Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Created by:
More info
Tickets €17.50 including booking fee available from WaV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] and www.tickets.ie. On sale Friday February 18th, 10 AM.


FRANKIE GAVIN AND DE DANANN –

Time
Today at 21:00 – Tomorrow at 00:00
Location
HARCOURT TRADITIONAL SESSIONS HARCOURT HOTEL HARCOURT STREET.DUBLIN 2
Created by:
More info
LIMITED NO of SPECIAL RE-LAUNCH TICKETS €12 ARE ON SALE AT THE HOTEL – MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE . ON SALE UNTIL Sun 20th or until all sold.Spring Sessions Launch Mon 21st Feb 9.15[m till late…. with support.

The De Danann ensemble is lead by Frankie on fiddle, flutes and whistles.
Damien Mullane on accordion, Eric Cunningham on percussion, flutes and whistles, Mike Galvin on bouzouki and guitars and Michelle Lally on vocals.

A new Album entitled “Jigs, Reels and Rock ‘n’ Roll was released in Sept ’10 includes a Guest appearance by Ronnie Wood of the “Rolling Stones”.

“Frankie Gavin and De Danann are the jewel in the crown, and as the musicians hit top gear some of the fast reels in particular are mesmerizing! – The Irish Examiner

“Rightly heralded as the greatest Irish fiddle player, Frankie gavin has nothing left to prove… Gavin is a true fiddle-playing genius, one who continues to inspire and dumbfound in equal measure! – The Scotsman


Fiach Moriarty and Colm Lynch – RESCHEDULED FOR FEB 25TH

Time
25 February · 20:00 – 23:30
Location
The Cobblestone Back Room Venue
Created by:
More info
Two of Ireland’s finest songwriters team up for a one-off Christmas special in Dublin’s Cobblestone. Meteor Award nominated Colm Lynch has received critical acclaim for his latest album Tickety Boo while similarly Fiach’s debut album So I was instantly made RTÉ 1’s ‘Album of the Week’ upon its release. Adm €7

Moot: Manx Fusion At Its best

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 3 Comments

Moot welcomes you to the Manx landscapes…

It like trekking on a landscape of Sarah McLachlan, Delirium and Bjork. But Moot is actually a trio that have made music since the early part of this decade. The first time I stumbled upon them I am awed by the stage presence of the singers and the spare instrumental intervention. This is elevating music!  Details about them have been sketchy and I am still haunting the cyberspace for things I can get. But here’s is Moot singing gloriously from a sound that can only come from the Isle of Man.

According to youtube:

Song: Baiht

Baiht is an original love song in Manx Gaelic written by band’s flute player, Breesha — its chorus
translates: ‘I am drowned in your rays/I am full of light/I am at one with the world’
Moot is made up of three friends from the Isle of Man, who draw
inspiration from the Manx music that they were brought up with; Gaelic
songs of fishing and farming, love and loss. Their music does not
remain in the folk tradition – not initially a conscious decision – just the
result of drawing inspiration from somewhat eclectic record collections.
Aalin’s ‘soaring, jazz-tinged vocals’ are complemented by Breesha’s
mellifluous flute, driven along by Robert’s dub-tinged looping
soundscapes and random percussion!

Moot enjoys performing and meeting musicians from other cultures
and has featured at various music festivals such as the Festival
Interceltique de Lorient (2002&2003) and the Liet-Lavlut international
song contest for minority languages, Sweden (finalists 2006).

In 2006, Moot’s second CD, Holdfast, appeared. It features original and traditional songs in Manx and
English. Moot can also be heard on the compilation of contemporary Manx music The Lighthouse,
and on the debut album Uprooted.

For more information on booking this band for your festival please contact mhfmusic@mhf.org.im.

Filmed by the Manx Heritage Foundation for the promotional DVD Manx Music & Dance/ Kiaull as Rinkey


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Shhhh! Listen to Skeeal Music

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 5 Comments

From their MySpace witten in Manx:

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.

http://www.myspace.com/skeeal

Yn Chruinnaght ,The Manx National Festival July 11-19

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 3 Comments
Never Mind the Bocs

Never Mind the Bocs

If you are travelling to the Isle of Man this July then something awaits you.Yn Chruinnaght (meaning ‘the gathering’)  has been held in its original form in 1924. Manx is another Celtic language just like Welsh and Gaelic and it is spoken widely in this island. Since this is to celebrate the Isle of Man’s relationship to the rest of the Seven Celtic Nations then we will be expecting visiting artists . The Isles of Man has its own unique tradition. While still being Celtic, its music, language and art are different from the rest . That is why this gathering is one of a kind because this will showcase the brand of music from that island which is really beautiful.