IrishMusicInfo
The Sunday Tribune Weekly Traditional Music Column by Fintan Vallely
990110
Next Saturday Dublin's Vicar St. hosts what promises to be a stimulating, cross-media performance. 'If I could read the sky' has readings from his book by Timothy O'Grady, photographic projection by Steve Pyke, all set to song and music from Iarla O'Lion‡ird, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. Following a similar theme to photographer Christy McNamara's 1998 performance/exhibition with Peter Woods' writing, this sees a retrospective, rural Irish childhood filtered through the eyes of a migrant worker in England - tattie-fields, building sites, bars and boxing booths holding to a thread of emotional music-making that maps Irish identity in an alien landscape. The show premiered in London in October last, and the book is also being produced as a film featuring Cavan writer Dermot Healy. This year's first Music Network tour continues a policy of bringing together talented performers known for other combinations and solo careers. The matching of piper/flute player Michael McGoldrick, fiddler Cathal Hayden, piano accordionist Alan Kelly and singer Karen Casey should be an interesting dynamic - perhaps emphasising a more avant-garde approach to Traditional music in that McGoldridk is known for his playing in 'Flook' and 'Lśnasa', and too for earlier duetting with fiddler Desi Donnelly. Hayden dabbles in the American derivatives of Irish and Scottish, while Kelly nods at French Canada. In her solo album, and indeed on her group Solas' latest album, Casey indicates a more explorative path among older Irish material (a more radical thing for singers). The fact of Music Network' emphasis on brass music in their annual promotions, and upon the pedagogic promotion of Classical and Jazz in their permanent touring bands, indicates perhaps a discomfort with the ideology of the solo musician, change by variation, and indeed the old formulas of what have become known as 'Traditional Irish'. Showing a similar attitude is this year's Celtic Connections festival opening in Glasgow on Wednesday. Concert titles like 'Blazin Fiddles', ' Trip[le Harp Bypass', 'Tartan Amoebas', 'Old Blind Dogs', 'Kepa Junkera', the remarkable 'Salsa Celtica' - all show the Scottish feel for bands as dominant, a high-energy and Rock ethos central to them. What might be termed 'the pure drop' in Ireland is portentiously labelled here as 'Tradition Bearers', rather close to intimating 'burden'. Yet here are top piper Fred Morrison, guitarist Tony McManus, singers Ishbel MacAskill and Flora MacNeill, fiddler Alasdair Fraser with Martin Hayes, Jimmy Crowley, Sharon Shannon, Rosie Stewart, Len Graham and Padraig’n N’ Uallach‡in, Beginish, and, sporting the harp, emblem of pre-17th century, Scottish/Irish music exchange M‡ire N’ Chathasaigh and The Bumblebees. (Details from 0044 141 353 4137).
©Fintan Vallely, IrishMusicInfo.com
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