IrishMusicInfo
The Sunday Tribune Weekly Traditional Music Column by Fintan Vallely
991212
The last twelve months have had the most prolific output ever of Traditional music albums and publications. Buying gifts was never so simple - and so complicated, so subtly find out if your loved ones have any pathological loathings. If you know next year's calendar you could chance an advance sub for classes at one of the summer schools. An Chœirt Cruitearachta at Termonfeckin, Co. Louth is great value for a week, harp-based, and all-in costs £325 (June 25-30, 01 285 6345). The Willie Clancy tuition fee for music and set dance is £60 (July 1-7, 065 84148), Tubbercurry costs £45 (July 9-15, 071 85010), and Drumshanbo £35 (July 17-22, 078 41213). For the couch-bound, keeping up to date with the river of records via a year's subscription to Irish Music mag (01 662 4887) might be ideal: £19.50 (Ireland and Britain), £32.50 (Europe, USA, etc.). For those with more intense interest, studying or teaching music at school or college, the Companion to Irish Traditional Music (Cork University Press, £25) written by the experts in the field is the ticket. Tune players have Jackie Small's Ceol Rince na hƒireann 5 (An Gœm, £10), C‡irde Na Cruite's Sounding Harps (£8), and Bernard Flaherty's iconic Trip to Sligo (Ossian, £14). All pipe tutors are in new editions - Leo Rowsome's, Armagh Pipers' Club's, Heather Parson's, joined now by SŽamus Ennis's. Dance students and schools will welcome Helen Brennan's terrifically-written Story of Irish Dance (Brandon, £15),covering all from sean-n—s to Riverdance. Donal Hickey's Stone Mad for Music (Marino, £10) is a great social document on Sliabh Luachra, as is, re-released this year in soft cover, Blooming Meadows (Townhouse, £14), interviews with major musicians, singers and dancers done with photographer Nutan, he the champion of Martin Hayes' and many others' record sleeves. For those with arduous, daily commuting commitments however, albums remain the handy, compact gift solutions. Choices range from the thousand and more new and perennial on CD and cassette: uilleann piper Kevin Rowsome's Rowsome Tradition (KELERO 001), Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill's Live in Seattle (GLCD 1195), Cormac Breatnach's Jazz-style solo whistle Musical Journey (DM CD 001), classy fiddler Desi Donnelly's solo, fiddler Liz Doherty's Last Orders (CD FSR 1702), concertina player Jacqueline McCarthy's The Hidden Note (MMC 53), and accordionists James Keane's Sweeter and John O'Halloran's But Why Johnny? (BS 101). Among the groups, De Dannan must lead with the brilliant double How The West Was Won (HBCD 0020), Dord‡n have a new collection (Narada 72438-47801-2-8), Claddagh milk their prestige files with a nostalgic Chieftains Collection (CC66), Lœnasa have a new Otherworld (GLCD1200), Dervish have Midsummer's Night (WHRL 10), and Bumblebees' Buzzin (BHCD 001) is harp-centred. On vocals, Maighread and Tr’ona N’ Dh—mhnaill have Idir an D‡ Sholas (HBCD 024), while Gaelic Voices (GLCD 1202) is Irish language, Voices of Celtic Women (SHAN 78032) has all the greats, and Niocl‡s T—ib’n (CICD 104) is a brilliant re-release. For those with broader taste, Santa Claus might usefully order World Network/Harmonia Mundi's beautifully-boxed, tantalising series (WDR 52.984 - 58.397) of fifty CD's featuring selected new and old performers of traditional musics from right around the globe.
©Fintan Vallely, IrishMusicInfo.com
Back to Sunday Tribune, 1999 master page