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01.
Troy MacGillivray & Shane Cook
NEW TUNE
MAKERS
Archie Menzies (reel, John Lowe, PD)
Champagne Breakfast (reel, Brian Pickell)
New Tune Makers of 2007 (reel, Troy MacGillivray)
Troy MacGillivray: Fiddle, piano
Shane Cook: Fiddle
Skip Holmes: Guitar
Ray Legere: Mandolin
www.troymacgillivray.com
www.shanecook.com
From the
album: WHEN HERE MEETS THERE
Courtesy of: Troy MacGillivray & Shane Cook
Produced by: Troy MacGillivray & Shane Cook
Recorded by: Ray Legere at the MacGillivray home in
Lanark, Antigonish County, NS
Mixed & mastered by: Chad Irschick,Inception Sound,
Toronto, ON.
WHEN HERE MEETS THERE
brings together two renowned young musicians from two
different traditions. East Coast Music Award winning
musician Troy MacGillivray and Canadian and U.S.
National Fiddle Champion Shane Cook. Their contrasting
styles seamlessly blend into one wonderful recording.
From Dorchester, Ontario, Shane is one of Canada’s most
highly awarded and widely recognized old-time fiddlers.
Troy, from Lanark, Nova Scotia, has deep roots in the
music of the Antigonish County Scottish fiddlers
(including his grandfather, Hugh A. MacDonald). Troy is
noted as a great fiddler, pianist, and stepdancer,
winning an ECMA for Instrumental Recording of the Year
in 2008.
The NEW TUNE MAKERS set starts with Archie Menzies (a reel recorded and made popular by Troy’s
grandfather in 1935), continues through Champagne
Breakfast (a more recent composition), and finishes with
the title cut (composed by Troy during a Celtic Colours
collaboration project in 2007). In this cut, you hear
each fiddler come to the fore for his turn. You also
hear why Troy is in so much demand as a pianist. WHEN
HERE MEETS THERE is Shane’s and Troy’s first
collaboration, and this album won the 2009 ECMA
Instrumental Recording of the Year.
02. Jim
Payne & Fergus O’Byrne
Waltz around the Cape (Jim Payne)
Jim
Payne: Vocals, guitar, accordion
Fergus O’Byrne: Backing vocals, banjo
www.singsonginc.ca/liners/cdhgiml.html
From the
album: HOW GOOD IS ME LIFE!
Courtesy of: SingSong Inc.
Produced by: Jim Payne & Fergus O’Byrne for SingSong
Inc.
Recorded by: Mark Neary at Great Big Studios, St.
John’s, Newfoundland
Jim Payne, from Notre Dame
Bay, Newfoundland, is a singer, storyteller, actor,
writer, stepdancer, and teacher of traditional
Newfoundland set and square dances. Fergus O’Byrne, from
Dublin, Ireland, came to Canada in 1967 and moved to
Newfoundland in 1971.
A founding member of the Irish
folk band Ryan’s Fancy, he is well-known across Canada.
While the musical careers of Jim and Fergus take them in
many different directions, they often perform together,
either as a duo or as a part of the renowned quintet A
Crowd of Bold Sharemen. While both are world travelers,
Jim tends to do much of it on the water. He has gone
through the Northwest Passage in both directions has
sailed back and forth to Greenland, and has traveled
several times from Tierra del Fuego to the Antarctic
Peninsula and back.
Jim wrote this song while crossing
Baffin Bay on the Akademik Ioffe (a Russian hydrographic
acoustic research vessel under charter to Peregrine
Adventures), thinking that maybe there were just not
enough songs about sailors missing loved ones back home.
03.
Jerry Holland
HELPING HANDS
Helping Hands (Jerry Holland)
Angus Chisholm’s Favorite (traditional)
Blind Nora (traditional)
Jerry Holland: Fiddle
John Doyle: Guitar
www.jerryholland.com
From the
album: HELPING HANDS
Courtesy of: Jerry Holland
Produced by: Paul MacDonald
Recorded by: Paul MacDonald at the Cape Breton home of
Roberta Head
Born in Massachusetts,
Jerry Holland started playing the fiddle at age five.
Thanks to his father, he was exposed to great Cape
Breton fiddlers who either visited or lived in the
Boston area, such as Winston “Scotty” Fitzgerld, Bill
Lamey, Angus Chisholm, Theresa MacLellan, Joe Cormier,
John Campbell, Cameron Chisholm, Dan R. MacDonald,
Johnny Wilmot, and many others. As a child, Jerry first
started coming to Cape Breton on vacations with his
parents and made it his home in 1975.
His playing
inspired many young players who were often only a few
years his junior. Jerry has long won acclaim as an
accomplished composer. His tunes have become standards
for many of today’s players, and some tunes (such as
Brenda Stubbert’s Reel), are played worldwide. His light
touch and musical dexterity made him in demand at
concerts, workshops, dances, and festivals around the
world. A versatile musician, Jerry could also play the
acoustic and bass guitars, piano, and mandolin and was
one of the first musicians to dance while playing the
fiddle, a feat he popularized when he did it as a child
on television. Sadly, on July 16, 2009, Jerry Holland
succumbed to cancer at the age of 54.
A fighter to the
end, he gave his last performance just ten days before
his death. Just a few weeks prior to his death, he was
joined by his good friend John Doyle for a final
recording session. Titled HELPING HANDS, the CD takes
its name from the last tune Jerry wrote, a tune
dedicated to the many friends who helped him through his
illness. [Jerry had planned to offer this particular
track for the Festival album – thanks, Jerry; it’s a
terrific set of tunes. We will sorely miss you in many
ways.] This group of tunes starts with the Helping Hands
tune and finishes with a pair of wellknown local
favourites.
04. Le
Vent du Nord
Le
cavilier et la belle (traditional)
Reel á Kerry (Olivier Demers)
Nicolas Boulerice: Hurdy Gurdy, vocals
Olivier Demers: Fiddle, feet
Simon Beaudry: Guitar, vocals
Réjean Brunet: Accordion, vocals
www.leventdunord.com
From the
CD: LA PART DU FEU
Courtesy of: Borealis Records / Le Vent du Nord
Produced by: Le Vent du Nord
Recorded by: Mark Busic
With an energy that
captivates and mesmerizes an audience, Le Vent du Nord
has quickly become one of the most recognizable groups
on Québec’s music scene. This quartet of singers and
multi-instrumentalists has a repertoire that ranges from
the purely traditional to their own compositions – all
with sparkling and innovative arrangements.
Always a
crowd favourite, Le Vent du Nord is making its third
trip to Celtic Colours since forming in 2002. Le
cavilier et la belle is from their justreleased CD LA
PART DU FEU.
05.
Colin Grant
Jen &
Anthony’s Wedding Day (Colin Grant, SOCAN)
Colin Grant: Fiddle
Jason MacDonald: Guitar
Adam Young: Piano
www.colingrant.ca
From: THE
TOY EP
Courtesy of: Colin Grant
Produced by: Colin Grant & Mike “Sheppy” Shepherd
Recorded by: Mike Shepherd at Lakewind Sound Studios,
Point Aconi, Cape Breton
You would never be able to
tell from his playing that Colin Grant is (in local Cape
Breton slang) a come-from-away, having spent the first
dozen or more years growing up in Toronto.
Exposed to
Celtic music at an early age (his father is a piper and
his mother a dancer), he was also influenced by the
fiddle music of people like Sandy MacIntyre, an
expatriate Cape Bretoner who played and taught in
Toronto for many years. A world traveler, Colin has
performed everywhere from Iona to Indonesia, either as a
soloist or as a member of Pogey.
His self-titled first
CD garnered a 2007 East Coast Music Award nomination in
the Roots/Traditional Solo category. He also was awarded
a second ECMA nomination that same year in the
Roots/Traditional Group category for his work with Cape
Breton Lyrics & Laughter. A versatile entertainer with a
sense of humor, Colin is preparing to release his new
album FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY at this year’s Celtic
Colours. The inspiration for this tune arrived the
morning of the wedding of two good friends, Jennifer
Young and Anthony Williams. The bride is the sister of
Adam Young, who played piano on this cut.
06. Gay
& Seán McKeon
THE
BLACKTHORN STICK SET
The Blackthorn Stick (reel, traditional)
(arranged by Gay, Conor & Seán McKeon and Arty McGlynn)
Tansey’s Favourite (reel, traditional)
(arranged by Gay, Conor & Seán McKeon and Arty McGlynn)
Barr Na Cuille (reel, traditional)
(arranged by Gay, Conor & Seán McKeon and Arty McGlynn)
Gay
McKeon: Uilleann pipes
Conor McKeon: Uilleann pipes
Seán McKeon: Uilleann pipes
Arty McGlynn: Guitar
From the
album: THE DUSTY MILLER
Courtesy of: Gay, Conor & Seán McKeon
Produced by: Gay, Conor & Seán McKeon
Recorded by: Paul Gurney at Paul Gurney Studios, County,
Langford, Ireland
The McKeons are renowned
for their skill as uilleann pipers. Gay (the patriarch
of this family of musicians) honed his craft in Dublin
during the 1960s. He primarily studied with renowned
piper and pipe-maker Leo Rowsome but was also strongly
influenced by pipers such as Tommy Reck, Seamus Ennis,
and Willie Clancy. He also admits to learning from
fiddlers like Seán Keane and John Kelly.
Since the
1970s, he has gone on to tour and record with numerous
artists and established himself as a much sought-after
solo performer and teacher. Naturally, sons Seán and
Conor have been influenced by their father’s playing, as
reflected in their stellar playing skills. Together,
they have amassed numerous awards along the way.
This
trio of pipers (joined by guitar wizard Arty McGlynn)
recently released a CD titled THE DUSTY MILLER. This
track consists of three wellknown Irish reels and
includes all three members of the McKeon family. You can
hear the playing style for which the family is famous.
07.
Brian Ó hEadhraÓganaich Mo Chridhe
(words &
music by Eilidh Mackenzie, MCPS/PRS)
(arranged by Bruce MacGregor, Sandy Brechin & Brian Ó
hEadhra)
Brian Ó hEadhra: Vocals, guitar
Bruce MacGregor: Fiddle
Fiona Mackenzie: Backing vocals
www.macgregor-brechin-oheadhra.com
From an
unreleased CD: SONAS
Courtesy of: Brechin All Records
Produced by: MacGregor, Brechin & Ó hEadhra
Recorded by: Brian Ó hEadhra at Pine Drive Studios,
Inverness, Scotland
Irish born Brian Ó hEadhra,
(pronounced Bree-an Ohara) is a singer and writer who is
equally comfortable with English or Gaelic. Now a
resident of Scotland, he has performed around the world,
both as a soloist and with his band Anam. He has cut
seven CDs, five with his band, a duet CD with Christine
Primrose, and one solo recording.
Also talented as an
instrumentalist, Brian has toured and recorded with some
of the world’s best Celtic musicians. Óganaich Mo
Chridhe was written for a local children’s play in
Inverness, Scotland. A Selkie is a creature in
Icelandic, Irish, Faroese, and Scottish mythology that
can transform itself from a seal into a human. This song
was sung at the point in the play where the Selkie has
lost her seal skin, searches for it, and then finds
love.
08.
Paul Cranford
THERESA
MORRISON
Theresa Morrison (slow air, Paul S. Cranford)
Dog on a Lace (march, Paul S. Cranford)
The Slip Reel (Paul S. Cranford)
Paul
Cranford: Fiddle
Mario Colosimo: Piano
www.cranfordpub.com
Previously
unreleased recording
Courtesy of: Paul Cranford
Produced by: Paul MacDonald
Recorded by: Paul MacDonald at the Cape Breton home of
Mario & Carol Colosimo
Born and raised in
Ontario, 2009 Celtic Colours International Festival in
Residence Artist Paul Cranford has called Cape Breton
home for nearly 35 years. A multiinstrumentalist,
composer, and music publisher, he is also a serious
student of Cape Breton fiddle music specifically and
Celtic music in general, having spent time with many of
the older fiddlers, absorbing their repertoire and style
in the process.
Helped along by his natural talent and
long periods of isolation as a lighthouse keeper
(recently retired), Paul has become known as a major
source of information on Celtic tunes, their names, and
their composers. Paul is a gifted composer whose tunes
have been recorded by some of the most well-known
musicians of Celtic music in the world.
THERESA MORRISON
is an unreleased track taken from a forthcoming CD
project and contains three of Paul’s compositions. This
track draws its name from the first tune, a beautiful
slow air written by him to honour a longtime fiddling
friend and mentor, Theresa Morrison.
09. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Gardaí ’n Rí (traditional)
(arranged by
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh & Manus Lunny)
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh: Vocals
Manus Lunny: Bouzouki, guitar,
backing vocals
Jim Higgins: Percussion
Michael McGoldrick: Uilleann pipes
Graham Henderson: Keyboards
www.mairead.ie
From the
album: JMEALL
Courtesy of: Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
Produced by: Mairéad Ní
Mhaonaigh & Manus Lunny
Recorded by: Manus Lunny at Stúideo na Mara, An Bhráid,
Tír Chonaill
A native speaker of
Gaelic, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh was born and raised in
County Donegal, Ireland. A noted singer and fiddler who
learned much of her music from her father, she was also
influenced by the playing of neighbours such as Dinny
McLaughlin, who was a frequent visitor to her home in
her younger days.
Considered one of the foremost
exponents of the Donegal fiddle style, Mairéad has
performed around the world with her band Altan, one of
the most respected groups to come out of Ireland. When
not with Altan, she does solo work or tours and records
with people such as the String Sisters, Enya, and The
Chieftains. Gardaí ’n Rí is a spirited traditional Irish
Gaelic song.
A wonderful arrangement from Mairéad and
Manus Lunny gives it a bounce that will have you singing
along, even if you do not understand a word.
10.
Catriona McKay & Chris Stout
END OF THE
LINE
End of the Line (Catriona McKay, MCPS/PRS)
Willie Smith’s (reel, Donald Shaw, JDC Publications)
Catriona McKay: Scottish harp
Chris Stout: Fiddle, viola
www.chrisstout.co.uk
From the
album: LEBRACK
Courtesy of: Greentrax Recordings Ltd.
Produced by: Catriona McKay & Chris Stout
Recorded by: Stuart Hamilton at Castle Sound,
Pencaitland, Scotland
A duo with a diverse
musical background, Catriona McKay and Chris Stout are
both members of the thrilling seven-piece Shetland band
Fiddlers’ Bid, currently one of Scotland’s hottest
musical exports.
Individually, Catriona has won the 2004
Jakez Francois International Celtic Harp Competition in
France, while Chris is well- nown for his work with the
Chris Stout Band and Salsa Celtica. With a repertoire of
traditional Shetland, Scottish, and Irish tunes (along
with newly composed material), Catriona and Chris have
developed a special connection between the fiddle and
the harp. Using just two instruments, they can create a
world of sounds that leaves audiences clamoring for
more.
Taken from their LEBRACK recording, this cut opens
with a tune from Catriona, followed by the wellknown
Willie Smith’s, written by Donald Shaw of Capercaillie
fame. Capercaillie appeared at the first Celtic Colours
in 1997.
11.
Ciarán Ó Maonaigh & Aidan O’Donnell
THE GLEN
ROAD TO CARRICK
Matt Peoples’ (reel, traditional) The Glen Road to
Carrick (reel, traditional)
Ciarán Ó Maonaigh: Fiddle
Aidan O’Donnell: Fiddle
www.fidilmusic.com
From the
album: FIDIL
Courtesy of: Ciarán Ó Maonaigh & Aidan O’Donnell
Produced by: Ciarán Ó Maonaigh & Aidan O’Donnell
Recorded by: Manus Lunny at Stúideo na Mara, Carrickfinn,
Co. Donegal, Ireland.
Fiddlers Ciarán Ó Maonaigh
and Aidan O’Donnell were both born and raised in the
musically rich County Donegal area of Ireland.
Considered among the finest of Ireland’s young musical
performers, Ciarán and Aidan have played with many of
traditional music’s elite.
Both have solo recordings,
but FIDIL is their first CD together, and the recording
has been described by IRISH MUSIC MAGAZINE as being “. .
. one of the most challenging and beautifully austere
albums of the last fifty years.” Matt Peoples’ is a tune
learned from a recording by Matt Molloy, Tommy Peoples,
and Paul Brady called A MIGHTY SESSION MAGAZINE.
The
Glen Road to Carrick is an often played and recorded
Irish reel made famous in Donegal by fiddler John
Doherty.
12. The
Barra MacNeils
A Thousand
Miles (David Francey /Laker Music SOCAN)
Lucy
MacNeil: Lead vocals
Kyle MacNeil: Mandolin, backing vocals
Sheumas MacNeil: Piano, backing vocals
Stewart MacNeil: Accordion, backing vocals
Boyd MacNeil: Guitar
Ryan MacNeil: Whistle
Jamie Gatti: Bass
www.barramacneils.com
From the
album: IN CONCERT
Courtesy of: The Barra MacNeils
Produced by: The Barra MacNeils
Recorded by: Jamie Foulds, assisted by Donnie Chapman,
at the Marigold Theatre, Truro, Nova Scotia.
A fixture on Canada’s
music scene for more than twenty years, Cape Breton’s
Barra MacNeils are a product of a rich traditional
Celtic background. All six family members (five brothers
and a sister) sing and play a variety of instruments.
Many of their skills have been learned over the years
from a host of relatives, for whom playing the fiddle,
singing, composing, and stepdancing came as naturally as
breathing.
A band that seems to thrive on touring, the
Barras continue to play to sold-out audiences across
Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe.
They could just as easily be found performing in Denmark
or Denver as Grand Narrows or Glace Bay. With a
recording history that goes back to 1986, the Barras are
veterans of the studio. Even with that experience, their
latest projects moved things in a new direction.
In
2009, they released two live albums: IN SESSION was
recorded in a casual setting and contains (among other
gems) a spontaneous group of reels for dancing that goes
for more than fifteen minutes. IN CONCERT was recorded
over two nights at the Marigold Theatre in Truro, Nova
Scotia. A Thousand Miles was composed by
Scottish-Canadian songwriter David Francey and features
Lucy’s beautiful vocals on lead.
13.
Laoise Kelly
THE LION
The Lion (reel, Paul S. Cranford)
The Palm Tree (reel, Billy McComiskey)
Hugie Jim Paul’s Reel (Joan MacDonald Boes)
Laoise Kelly: Harp
www.myspace.com/laoisekelly
From the
album: JUST HARP
Courtesy of: Laoise Kelly
Produced by: Laoise Kelly
Recorded by: Alastair McMillan at Windmill Lane Studios,
Dublin, Ireland
Considered one of
Ireland’s foremost traditional harpists, Laoise Kelly
hails from Westport in County Mayo. No stranger to
Celtic Colours, she has performed here as a soloist and
as a member of the internationally acclaimed Bumblebees,
with whom she recorded two CDs.
She has toured Asia,
Africa, Europe, and North America, sometimes alone but
often in the company of artists such as Sinéad O’Connor,
Sharon Shannon, The Chieftains, Kate Bush, Mary Black,
Cherish the Ladies, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, and Natalie
MacMaster. Taken from her JUST HARP solo CD, her track
entitled THE LION highlights her Cape Breton influences.
The first tune was written by Cape Breton fiddler and
composer Paul Cranford, while the last tune was composed
by pianist Joan MacDonald Boes. These tunes bookend a
reel written by Irish- American button accordion player
Billy McComiskey.
14.
Mike Hall
TWIN
FIDDLE SET
Miss Ann McCormick
(reel, Dan R. MacDonald)
Muillean Dubh (reel, traditional)
The Judique Consolidated High School
1991 Grads (reel, Kinnon Beaton)
King’s (reel, traditional)
Donnie and Margaret’s Farewell (reel, Tony Smith)
Mike
Hall: Fiddles
Joel Chiasson: Piano
www.mikehallmusic.com
From the
album: A LEGACY NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN
Courtesy of: Mike Hall
Produced by: Mike Hall
Recorded by: Paul MacDonald at the Cape Breton home of
Alex & Minnie MacMaster
Mike Hall is not the first
musician from “away” to stay in Cape Breton because of
the music. Born and brought up in the Saint John, New
Brunswick area, his early musical influences included
Alex Lewis MacDonald and Maybelle Chisholm McQueen,
noted Cape Breton musicians who were living in the area
at the time.
Through them and because of exposure to
players such as Jerry Holland and Howie MacDonald, he
became hooked on the Cape Breton style of playing. The
lure was so strong that he moved to Cape Breton a few
years ago, first to the Cheticamp area and now to
Sydney. He continues to absorb the music from all the
local players, learning well in the process. He has come
to be known as one of the best young fiddlers around,
with a lift and drive to his music that makes him a very
popular player for dances and concerts.
Mike released
his first recording in July 2009, and this cut is from
that album. It contains a nice list of familiar (and
very lively) dance tunes often played around Cape
Breton. Mike plays both first and second fiddle on this
track, adding harmony throughout. This combination goes
back to the days before sound systems when two fiddlers
would join together to create a big sound to project
over the dancers.
15.
Liam Ó Maonlaí
Siobhán Ní
Dhuibhir (Liam Ó Maonlaí)
Liam
Ó Maonlaí: Vocals, backing vocals, piano, bodhran, tin
whistle
Martin Brunsden: Double bass
www.liamomaonlai.ie
From the
album: TO BE TOUCHED
Courtesy of: Liam Ó Maonlaí (Rian Records)
Produced by: Liam Ó Maonlaí, Glen Hansard, and Marketa
Irglova
Recorded by: Pavel Karlik at Sono Records, near Prague,
Czech Republic
Perhaps best-known
internationally for his work with the Hothouse Flowers,
one of Ireland’s more wellknown rock groups, Liam Ó
Maonlaí is also a soloist who has his roots deep in
traditional Irish music. In 1981, he won the All-Ireland
Under 18 championship as a bódhran player, and he has
also been a finalist on the tin whistle, piano, and as a
singer many years over.
He has even scored a victory in
set dancing. His many talents have taken Liam to places
as diverse as Australia, Japan, North America, Europe,
Scandinavia, Morocco, and India. He has even played
(along with uilleann piper Paddy Keenan) in the renowned
“Festival in the Desert” in the West African country of
Mali. This appearance resulted in a film DAMBÉ – THE
MALI PROJECT that premiered at the Dublin International
Film Festival in 2008.
Liam also appears in the renowned
BBC Television production THE TRANSATLANTIC SESSIONS due
to air in the autumn of 2009. Besides his many
recordings with the Hothouse Flowers, Liam has recorded
two solo projects. Siobhán Ní Dhuibhir is taken from his
second CD, TO BE TOUCHED.
16.
Brendan Power & Andrew White
Farewell
to Muswell Hill (Brendan Power)
Brendan Power: Harmonica
Andrew White: Guitar
www.brendan-power.com
www.andrewwhitemusic.com
From the
album: POWER & WHITE
Courtesy of: Brendan Power & Andrew White
Produced by: Brendan Power
Recorded by: Brendan Power
Long considered one of the
most creative and innovative harmonica players in the
world, Brendan Power is a true master of his craft,
equally at home with blues as he is with traditional
Irish music. His versatility extends to his recordings.
To date, he has recorded with many artists, including
Van Morrison, Sting, James Galway, Shirley Bassey, Paul
Young, Altan, and Mary Black, and he has also played on
many Hollywood soundtracks.The musical career of Andrew
White is just as varied. He was born in
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in England but moved to New Zealand
when he was 16. A powerful singer and composer, he also
gained a reputation as an acoustic guitarist with a
unique and dynamic style.
Now a resident of Nova Scotia,
he has shared the stage with artists such as Clannad,
Michelle Shocked, and John Renbourne, just to name a
few. POWER & WHITE is a CD that combines the talents of
these old friends, sometimes in dramatic fashion.
Farewell to Muswell Hill is a nicely melodious piece
that really shows the versatility of both musicians.
17.
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin
Limerick’s
Lamentation (in Irish: Marbhna Luimni)
(slow air, traditional; arranged by Mícheál Ó
Súilleabháin)
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin: Piano
www.mosmusic.ie
Previously
unreleased recording
Courtesy of: Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin
Published by: EyeMusic
Produced by: Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin
Recorded by: Pearse Gilmore, Xeric Studios
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin is
a noted pianist, composer, broadcaster, and academic
within the Irish music tradition and is Chair of the
Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University
of Limerick.
Long considered one of Ireland’s best-known
musicians, he has developed a unique Irish piano style
out of an Irish traditional base. He has numerous
recordings of his own compositions and arrangements
performed by the Irish Chamber Orchestra under his
direction (on the following labels: Virgin, EMI, Venture
Records, and Gael Linn Records).
Limerick’s Lamentation
(in Irish: Marbhna Luimni) is a beautiful traditional
Irish tune that Mícheál has arranged in his own style.
18.
Gillian Boucher
GROOVY
OTIS
The Hair’m Scare’m’s (reel, Otis Tomas, SOCAN)
Humours of Lissadell (reel, traditional)
Gillian Boucher: Fiddle
Seph Peters: Guitar
www.myspace.com/gillianboucher
From the
album: ELEMENTAL
Courtesy of: CBC Radio, Halifax, NS
Produced by: Glenn Meisner of CBC Radio, Halifax, NS
Recorded by: Pat Martin at CBC Radio, Studio H, Halifax,
NS
A talented fiddler and
dancer with roots deep in Cape Breton’s traditional
music, Gillian Boucher has traveled widely and picked up
many influences along the way. Born and raised in
Inverness County, Cape Breton, she was a veteran stage
performer while still in her early teens.
Since then,
she has worked and toured the world with a host of
top-name performers, Celtic and otherwise. ELEMENTAL is
Gillian’s first solo recording, showcasing her
traditional background but often highlighting other
sounds and feels: a bit of jazz here, a slice of
Norwegian there.
GROOVY OTIS is dedicated to Otis Tomas,
a renowned Cape Breton instrument maker who composed the
first tune. The set concludes with an Irish tune very
familiar on both sides of the ocean.
19.
Eamonn MacDonncha & Mícheál
Ó Súilleabháin
Dunmore (traditional)
(arranged by Eamonn MacDonncha & Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin)
Eamonn
MacDonncha: Vocals, guitar
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin: Bouzouki, guitars
Kane O’Rourke: Fiddle
Éanna Ó Cróinín: Uilleann Pipes
Previously
unreleased recording
Courtesy of: Eamonn MacDonncha
& Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin
Produced by: Eamonn Mac Donncha & Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin
Recorded by: Kane O’Rourke at Higginstown Studios
Eamonn MacDonncha and
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin (not to be confused with the
artist of the same name on track #17) come from an oasis
of Irish language and culture in County Meath where sean
nós (old style) dancing and singing is vibrant to this
day.
Blessed with a unique and powerful voice that makes
every song distinctive, Eamonn was influenced by many of
the folk and traditional singers, such as Christy Moore,
John Beag Ó Flatharta, and Luke Kelly. With influences
that include the Bothy Band, Planxty and Arty McGlynn,
Mícheál has been taught by some of the greatest
traditional guitarists and bouzouki players in the
world.
With a repertoire that ranges from old style
traditional songs with a lively edge to modern
compositions in Irish or English, Eamonn and Mícheál
have been performing together for the past three years
and are currently working on their first CD together.
Dunmore is a plaintive ballad that highlights the
longing of an old man (far removed from his hometown) to
return home just one more time.
20.
Rocky Shore
THE
WILDFIRE SET
After the Storm (slow air & march, Paul S. Cranford)
The North River Fox (reel, Paul M. MacDonald)
Wildfire (reel, Sarah Beck)
Sarah
Beck: Fiddle
Paul Cranford: Fiddle
Otis Tomas: Fiddle
David “Papper” Papazian: Whistle, concertina, fiddle
Paul MacDonald: Guitar
Deanie Cox: Guitar
Previously
unreleased recording
Courtesy of: Rocky Shore
Produced by: Rocky Shore
Recorded by: Paul MacDonald at Deanie Cox’s pottery
shop, North River, Cape Breton
Rocky Shore draws its name
from a tune composed by 2009 Artist in Residence Paul
Cranford to celebrate the beauty of the rocky coastline
of Cape Breton. A talented group, their repertoire
includes original music composed by each player, as well
as traditional tunes from Cape Breton, Ireland, and
Scotland. Sarah Beck is a fiddler and potter. Her
husband Paul Cranford is a fiddler, composer, and music
publisher. Paul MacDonald is a guitarist, recording
engineer, and music producer.
Otis Tomas is a luthier,
fiddler, and composer. His wife Deanie Cox is a
guitarist, singer, and potter. David “Papper” Papazian
is a luthier, fiddler, and concertina player. Everyone
in the group plays at least one instrument made by
either Papper or Otis. To show their versatility, all
three tunes in this set were written by different
members of the group. The first tune, After the Storm
(which has two movements – it begins as a slow air and
becomes a march) starts with Sarah on fiddle and Paul
MacDonald on guitar. Then, the tune builds with Papper
on whistle plus the other guitar (Deanie) and two
fiddles (Paul Cranford and Otis).
The second tune, North
River Fox, starts with Paul MacDonald’s solo guitar,
then adds Otis on fiddle. The next time through this
reel, the energy builds, with all the others joining in,
including Papper on concertina. The last tune, Wildfire,
starts with a bang (key change and all four fiddles –
Sarah, Paul, Otis, and Papper). You hear the Irish
influence in this set of tunes, and therefore, it is a
great tribute to the Irish theme of this Cape
Bretonbased festival and a spectacular and powerful way
to end this festival album. Thank you, Rocky Shore.
The Celtic Colours
International Festival is sponsored by:
Celtic Colours Festival Society
Festival Direction by:
Joella Foulds & Mary Pat Mombourquette
For travel to Cape Breton, visit:
www.cbisland.com
For more information about
the Celtic Colours International Festival, visit the
festival website:
www.celtic-colours.com email:
info@celtic-colours.com
© 2009 ODYSSEY RECORDS,
L.L.C.
c/o Alf McConnell & Associates
P.O. Box 345, North Sydney
Cape Breton Island
NS B2A 3M4
Canada
Tel: 800-650-5544
Fax: 800-650-5585
www.odysseyrecords.com |
