tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302047292024-03-16T14:50:18.126-04:00Music RoadIrish, Scottish, folk, and country music from many different neighbourhoods, and sometimes, from behind the scenesKerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.comBlogger1002125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-57196848289457487252024-03-08T06:38:00.003-05:002024-03-15T08:05:28.447-04:00Ireland's music: Roisin Reimagined: Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and The Irish Chamber Orchestra
<p>Róisín Dubh, a love song that with time became one of Ireland’s most well known political songs
<p>Slan le Maigh, a song of love for a place, and a song of leaving and farewell
<p>An tSeanbhean Bhocht, a allegory of Ireland celebrating the Rising of 1798 and the spirit of independence
<p>An Chúilfhionn, with poetic words of loved place and loved woman set to a slow air that has become one of Ireland’s best known melodies
<p>These songs and a good number more are al part of this story.
<p>These songs go back centuries. Some have connections which reach back further in time as well.
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<p>Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh found her world turned upside down when the pandemic struck.
<p>A touring musician, she couldn’t tour; an artist who loves to share Ireland’s traditional culture and engage her with audiences in person, she wondered when and if she’d be able to do that again.
<p>Nic Amhlaoibh is also a person who likes to look forward and to plan.
<p>A conversation with her friend, producer and instrumentalist Donal O’Connor, got her thinking.
<p>What would you like to do, when this is over, he asked? What would be your dream project?
<p>Maybe something with strings, a string quartet...? she said.
<p>Why not go bigger? Why not have an orchestra? O’Connor suggested.
<p>They did.
<p>The result of that question: <a href="https://muireann1.bandcamp.com/album/r-is-n-reimagined-2" target="_blank"> Roisin Reimagined, </a> first a concert and a broadcast, then as a recording.
<p>The creation of these saw Nic Amhlaoibh, O’Connor, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, six contemporary Irish composers, several players of traditional instruments, the Kilkenny Arts Festival, and more folk behind the scenes join together to create a project that brings together folk and classical music, stories from Ireland’s sean nos canon, the high art of Irish song, told with new perspectives.
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<p>A gathering of songs mainly from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century (though some are thought to have origins far older), sung in Irish, form the basis of the project.
<p>Most are what is known as big songs, songs from the history of Irish song. They are part of what is known as the sean nos or old style tradition, a style which was passed own singer to singer.
<p>“A singer may give you a song, the basics of it, but you have to find your own way inot it,” Nic Amhlaoibh said. In sean nos, the emotion of the song is conveyed by the style and ornamentation the singer chooses through which to tell the tale, that finding your won way into the song.
<p>Does that sound confusing ot unfamiliar? It’s not; think about a song you enjoy in another style and you will see that there are connections.
<p>In recent centuries sean nos has been thought of and passed down as unaccompanied singing. Nic Amhlaoibh’s research has found that was not always the case, though.
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<p>If you’re Irish, or well familiar with Irish music, you’ll know some of these songs. Róisín Dubh, Slan le Miagh, and An tSeanbhean Bhocht, for instance, those three mentioned at the top have melodies which will seem familiar even it you cannot quite place where you’ve heard them.
<p>Nic Amhlaoibh learned many of the songs on Roisin Re-imagined growing up in the west Kerry Gaeltacht, and has sung some of them on occasion as part of her own concerts as a solo artist.
<p>“In some ways it’s a full circle love story back to these songs,” Nic Amhlaoibh told Matthew of the Oboe Windfree podcast.
<p>Several of the songs were newer to her repretoire; she’d learned sean-nos traditional style growing up in west Kerry, though.She’d done occasional one off gigs with orchestras, working with composers?arrangers and an orchestra on a full on productionwas new to her.
<p>All of this “was a challenge I wanted,” she said.
<p>There are songs of love, of longing, of leaving. Some have words written by poets, some with authors unknown.
<p>There are songs with other stories too, a song trading wordplay in Irish and English, for instance, as well as the march rhythm of An tSeanbhean Bhoch, and a set of fast paced songs including Cuirfimid deaindí, a lively piece often sung to and with children.
<p>In the songs in varying combinations, there are the voice of traditional singer, singing in Irish, the musicians of a chamber orchestra playing violin, viola, cello, and bass; players of traditional instruments including fiddle, harp, uillean pipes, arrangements by six Irish composers, each coming from different musical worlds...
<p>What holds these elements and combinations together?
<p>Respect -- respect of the musicians for each other and for what each brings to the music -- is clear and central to every idea and every note.
<p>It is a powerful unique, creative project that respects the musical traditions from which it comes and frames them with new ideas.
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<p>Nic Amhlaoibh’s voice, presence, understanding of and love for the material form another centerpiece.
<p>So does the skill of producer Donal O’Connor.
<p>Muireann grew up in the west Kerry Gaeltacht with Irish as her first language. Music, language, and landscape have influenced her style and the material she chooses as well.
<p>Thirteen years touring the world as lead singer and flute player with the top traditional band Danu,a thriving solo career with albums featuring songs in irish and in English, collaborations with artists from a range of genres including classical, elctronica, and Scottish folk form part of Nic Amhlaoibh’s story as well. She is also a successful broadcaster, presenting programs on Irish and English language radio in Ireland and on Irish and Scottish television..
<p>Donal O’Connor is from the other side of Ireland on the east coast. He is from a musical family that saw him having lessons in both fiddle and classical violin while growiing up. He is in demand as a player, and as a producer of recorded music and broadcast projects including Se Mo Laoch, Celtic Connections, Bosca Ceoil and mnay others.
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<p>Then there’s the Irish Chamber Orchestra -- known for its willingness to explore connections between classical and traditional music. The Kilkenny Arts Festival, which co-commissioned the project, is equally willing to explore musical adventures, as are the six Irish composer/arrangers involved in Roisin Reimagined: Cormac McCarthy, Paul Campbell, Linda Buckley, Sam Perkin, Niamh Varian-Barry, and Michael Keeney
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<p>You will find your own way in to the songs of <a href="https://muireann1.bandcamp.com/album/r-is-n-reimagined-2" target="_blank"> Roisin Reimagined. </a> Each piece is well worth your time: there is a lot going on in all of them, and there’s is directness and clarity, too to be experienced as you take time to listen.
You may like to know, too, that the sleeve notes for <a href="https://muireann1.bandcamp.com/album/r-is-n-reimagined-2" target="_blank"> Roisin ReImagined </a> include lyrics in Irish and English as well as notes on the stories of the songs.
<p>You may also wish to see
<br>Muireann Nic Amhloaibh’s album <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/03/irelands-music-murieann-nic-amhlaoibh.html" target="_blank"> Foxglove & Fuschia </a>
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2008/11/dual-julie-fowlis-muireann-nic.html" target="_blank"> Dual, </a> a recording Nic Amhlaoibh made with Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis from Scotland
<br><a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2023/02/27/women-of-ireland-4-musicians/" target="_blank"> Women of Ireland: Four Musicians, </a> including Nic Amhlaobh along with Katan Casey, Cathie Ryan, and Cara Dillon
<p><i>Photographs of Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, The Irish Chamber Orchestra, and Donal O'Connor courtesy of the artists</i>
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-38631642301063475512023-12-31T11:19:00.001-05:002023-12-31T11:20:55.599-05:00At the year's turning: 5 songs for new year's reflection<p>At the turning of the year, it is a time of looking forward and looking back. As ever here at Music Road, the stories found in music are company along the way, and guides to help think about the challenges, acceprt the sorrows, and share the celebrations of the turn of seasons.
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<p>Carrie Newcomer’s song Singing in the Dark works for this point in the seasons and beyond.
<p>The idea for the song sparked for Newcomer when she spent a bit of time at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. A respected writer, artist, and thinker on matters of the spirit, she’d been invited to experience the place where spiritual teacher and writer Thomas Merton had lived.
<p>While there, she attended several of the services through which the monks keep hours of the day -- matins, lauds, vespers, compline, for example -- some of which occur in the dark of night and the dark of very early hours of the morning.
<p>On new year’s eve and other times, someone is always singing in the dark...
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<p>You will find Singing in the Dark on Carrie Newcomer’s album A Great Wild Mercy.
<p>Waitin’ on Mary is a Christmas song, yes. It also works really well with the atmosphere and events going in in the world just now: finding reasons to hope amidst despair, for one thing. Gretchen Peters wrote it. You will find it on her album Northern Lights.
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<p>Rani Arbo has set words of Alfred Lord Tennyson to music in Ring Out Wild Bells. Each of the verses she’s chosen speaks to today as much as they did to Tennyson’s time.
<p>You will find it recorded on the Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem album Wintersong.
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<p>In Scotland, the celebration of midnight as one year turns to another is marked by and is called the bells. Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem’s song is a nod to that, and so is this...
<p>Auld Lang Syne, as well known as it is, really does belong as a part on one year turning into another. Here’s a fine version of it by Hannah Rarity and Blazin’ Fiddles. You will want to listen, yes, but then perhaps second time round go ahead and sing along.
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<p>Bittersweet as the turning of a year may seem at times, it is also a time which invites celebration, connection and hope. Cajun musicians Canray Fontenot and Michael Doucet caught that ideas well in their song Bonne Annee. So did Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem in their performance of it, on their album Wintersong.
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<p>Wishing you all the best at the turning of this year, and as the new year unfolds.
<p>You may also wish to see
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2022/12/new-years-even-and-into-new-year-3.htmlr" target="_blank"> Three more songs for the new year, </a> from Kris Drever, Fara, and Olivia Newton-John
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2019/06/ireland-scotland-and-story-allt-from.html"-target="_blank">Ireland, Scotland, and story </a>
<br> <a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-december-time-hope-reflection" target="_blank"> December: msuic for a time of hope and reflection </a> at Wandering Educators
<br> <a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-peace-understanding-connection" target="_blank"> Music for peace, undersatnign, and connection </a> at Wandering Educators
<b><p>-->Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
<p>or you could
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-40064423704770361112023-12-24T14:20:00.002-05:002023-12-24T14:20:30.383-05:00Christmas eve and the coming days: music as companion<p>Christmas eve, Christmas day, the days leading up to the turning of the year: they often make for a time of reflection.
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<p>All things happening in the world, alongside what challenges and changes may be arising with each of us in our personal circumstances, at times make the quiet and the mindset for such reflection seem hard to come by.
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<p>As you’ll know if you’ve been following my work here and in other publications I find music to be a gateway and a good companion to such reflection.
<p>Two recordings to consider
<p>If you may be looking for an especially lively and seasonal recording with singing you will want to join along with, then have a listen to <a href="https://elizacarthy.bandcamp.com/album/glad-christmas-comes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Glad Christmas Comes. </a> from Eliza Carthy and Jon Boden.
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<p>The English duo offer a mix of Victorian carols -- such as the title song-- and other favorites and originals. Even if you’ve not heard familiar song done quite the way they offer, or the songs are new to you, the creativity and energy of their singing will engage you.
<p>Tracks to note: Shepherds Arise, Glad Christmas Comes
<p>With her recording <a href="https://hannekecassel.bandcamp.com/album/o-come-emmanuel" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> O Come Emmanuel</a> Hanneke Cassel offers a more contemplative take on the season.
<p>Cassel’s main instrurment is the fiddle, with which she draws on Scottish, Cape Breton, and Americana flavors to frame her interpretations and create her original music, For this album she has also invited along several of her musical friends to add their voices to different tracks, All the the music is well worth your listening, at the winter season and at other times.
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<p>Standout tracks: Silent Night, O Come Emmanuel/Star of Wonder
<p>Wishing you a reflective, peaceful time, whatever way you may be marking this season.
<p>You may also wish to see
<br> <a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-december-time-hope-reflection/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Music for December: time for hope & reflection </a>at Wandering Educators
<br> <a href="https://kerrydexter.substack.com/p/christmas-eve-reflection-poetry-music" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Christmas Eve Reflections </a> at Along the Music Road, my new newsltter at Substack
<br> Another album from<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2017/11/travels-in-music-alasdair-fraser-and.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Hanneke Cassel </a>
<br> More <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2023/12/advent-and-music-first-week-in-advent.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Winter listening. </a>
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<p>perhaps you’d rather
<br> <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a>
Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-3342336829679404042023-12-03T12:02:00.002-05:002023-12-04T14:45:28.909-05:00Advent and music: first week in Advent<p>Advent: a time os ideas, a time of change....
<p>Whether this season is part of your faith calendar or not, this time at turning of season and turning of year is a good time to reflect.
<p>It may be challenging to pause, perhaps even more so to find interior silence in which to do that reflection.
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<p>Music makes a good gateway into reflection.
<p>Though there’s plenty of great seasonal music about, if that’s not what engages you, there are other possibilities too.
<p>Several ideas to consider
<p>Lauren MacColl is a fiddle player and composer based in the north of Scotland. Her album <a href="https://www.laurenmaccoll.co.uk/haar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Haar </a> is not seasonal music. It is. however, a collection of thoughtful pieces which make good companions for quiet thinking.
<p>MacColl is joined by musical friends including Rachel Newton on harp and spoken word, Anna Massie on guitar, James Lindsay on double bass, Mairearad Green on accordion, Jennifer Austin on pianos, and Alice Allen on cello. Their collaboration gives added interest and depth, which along with MacColl’s stellar playing, invites repeated listening.
<p><a href="https://www.kathykallick.com/kathy-kallick-band1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> The Lonesome Chronicles </a> from The Kathy Kallick Band takes things in a bit of a different direction. Kallick is an award winning singer, songwriter and guitarist based in northern California; her band memebrs are based all across the US west.
<p>When they get together, it is powerful music they make. For The Lonesome Chronicles, as the title suggests there are songs that consider being lonely and ways of living through that and learning from it.
<p>The album takes listeners on a journey, really, from those considerations of coping with being lonely to celebrating coming out of it ). There are both songs and tunes, a well rounded collection with original music from Kallick and her band members along side well chosen covers of music from William Golden, Earl Scruggs, and John Prine.
<p>For seasonal music, as Advent begins take time to explore three winter seasonal albums from the top Irish American band Cherish the Ladies.
<p><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2013/11/cherish-ladies-storytellers-in-music.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> On Christmas Night, Star in the East, and Christmas in Ireland </a> find the group offering varying modds in song and tune, from traditional to original pieces. Heidi Talbot is lead singer for On Christmas Night, Michelle Lee Burke has that role for Star in the East, and Hannah Rarity is lead singer for Christmas in Ireland.
<p>Flute and whistles from band leader and founding member Joanie Madden and guitar from founding member Mary Coogan are creative presences on all the albums, with keys from Kathleen Boyle, accordion from Mirella Murray, and fiddle from Nollaig Casey making part of the mix too.
<p>Each of these albums is well worth taking time with at the winter holidays.
<p>Also to explore: Cherish have put together a digital holiday album with tracks from these albums and other sources featuring Cherish the Ladies with guest singers Heidi Talbot, Hannah Rarity, Don Stiffe, Kate Purcell, Michelle Burke, Bruce Foley, and Seámus Ó'Flatharta. It is called <a href="https://cherishtheladies.bandcamp.com/album/ultimate-christmas-mix" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Ultimate Christmas Mix </a></em> and you can find it on Bandcamp.
<p>...and look for the album <a href="https://marycoogan.bandcamp.com/album/christmas-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Christmas, </a></em> from Cherish the Ladies founding member and guitarist Mary Coogan.
<p>More to come on music to listen to during Advent as the season unfolds...
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<p>You may also wish to see
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2013/12/first-week-in-advent.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> More ideas for music for the first week in Advent, </a> from a few eyars back
<br><a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-starry-winter-nights" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Music for Starry Winter NIghts </a> at Wandering Educators, with a track from On Christmas Nigh form Cherish the Ladies along with music from Andrew Finn Magill, Matt and Shannon Heaton and more
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2007/11/now-playing-albert-gage-one-more.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> One More Christmas </a> from Austin based musicians Christine Albert and Chris Gage
<br>Learn about <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2012/09/cathie-ryan-through-wind-and-rain.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Through Wind and Rain, </a> a recording from Cathie Ryan, who was lead singer with Cherish the Ladies for many years
<p>Two ways you can support Music Road -- and thank you!
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-53039319118727149442023-11-07T11:10:00.001-05:002023-11-08T06:52:17.997-05:00Scotland's music:Elan from Rachel Hair and Ron Jappy<p>Elan: that’s the name Rachel Hair and Ron Jappy have chosen for their most recent album.
<p>As it is a word meant to describe something done with energy, style, and enthusiasm, it makes a description reflacting f the duo’s music.
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<p>Rachel plays the harp. Ron’s instrument is the guitar. The two thus bring together Scotland’s oldest instrument and one that is newest to the music of Scottish tradition.
<p>They each bring love, respect, and knowledge of that tradition to the ten tracks on <a href="https://rachelhair.bandcamp.com/album/lan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Elan. </a>
<p>Eight of the ten tracks are sets in which several tunes are linked; six of the ten include original compositions from Rachel. Other tunes come from traditional sources and from the work of contemporary musicians who draw on Celtic traditions.
<p>Harp and guitar are in good conversation all through the sets and single tunes.
<p>There’s the lively set Tom Toi’s Polka, for instance, with the title tune by Rachel written for a harp learning friend, followed by Battle of Augrim from Irish tradition, and another tune which they write in the sleeve notes “we found when sourcing new material; it obviously caught our eye because of its name!” It is called Harper’s Frolics and comes from English tradition. The light notes of Rachel’s harp dance against the upbeat rhythm of Ron’s guitar through the tunes. Adam Brown adds the beat of bodhran to the mix.
<p>MacLeods of Waipu is a reflective tune that hold stories of journeys and discovery within its notes. When Ron and Rachel were on tour in New Zealand, people kept telling them they needed to go to Waipu as it it s place important to people from Scotland who emigrated to New Zealand.
<p>On a day off they worked in a visit, and sure enough upon visiting the town’s museum, they found connection not only to Scotland but to Ullapoll, the very town in the northwest Highlands where Rachel was born.
<p>Turns out that a school teacher (MacLeod of the tune’s name) during the time of the Highland Clearances led folk from Ullapool first to Cape Breton in Atlantic Canada and several years later to Waipu in North Island.
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<p> <a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2020/06/22/cape-breton-ways-to-explore/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Cape Breton. </a> comes in for further reference on the album, too: the Cape Breton Jigs set comprises three tunes by three Cape Breton fiddlers, set over to good effect on on harp, guitar, and bodhran.
<p>Daybrak is a quieter set, also taking inspiration from landscape. The title tune comes from famed Shetland fiddler Tom Anderson. The duo pairs it with Rachel’s Dinan Dawn. That is “a Breton style tune inspired by early morning walks to teach harp in the beautifully medieval town of Dinan, Brittany,” she said.
<p>The engaging music on Elan goes to show why Rachel and Ron each have many projects on the go in addition to their duo gigs and recordings.
<p> <a href="http://ronjappy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Ron </a> comes from a coastal village in Scotland’s northeast. He’s been involved in music since he was in primary school and holds a degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He’s in demand for recording and touring in folk and traditional music projects.
<p> <a href="https://www.rachelhair.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Rachel </a> is one of the top folk musicians in Scotland, known for her teaching as well as her performance. These skills and her love for the music of Scotland take her to countries across the world. Rachel has released six solo albums to date and often works on collaborative projects as well.
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<p>Rachel’s regular travels take her to teach harp once a month to the Isle of Man; it’s also where her husband comes from. So it’s natural that there’s be a nod to music of the <a href="https://culturevannin.im/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Isle of Man </a> on Elan.
<p>The set Rachel and Ron have chosen to close the album references the Isle in its title, To the Rock, and in its tunes, which include music from Manx tradition and from contemporary Manx writers. That good conversation between harp and guitar (with Adam Brown’s bodhran again joining in) continues through the set.
<p>Clarity, grace, creativity, and, yes, elan inform the tunes themselves and the playing of them through the album.
<p>All the tracks on Elan are well worth your attention, worth your repeated listening in fact.
<p>Lively sets and reflective ones, traditional tunes and newer ones, the music Rachel Hair and Ron Jappy have created becomes soemwhat like enjoying a conversation with good friends, a conversation to which you will want to return
<p>You may also wish to see
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2023/06/lossan-ruth-keggin-rachel-hair-explore.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Lossan, an ablum from Rachel Hair and Manx Gaelic singer Ruth Keggin </a>
<br> <a href="https://www.joydunlop.com/product/caoir-cd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Caoir,. </a> new album from gaelic singer Joy Dunlop, on which Ron plays guitar
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2023/04/scotlands-music-breabach-celebrates.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Fas, </a> an album celebrating nature from top Scottish band Breabach
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/09/irelands-music-thar-toinn-seaborne-from.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Thar Toinn/Seaborne</a> from Irish musician Muirieann Nic Amhlaoibh
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/05/scotlands-music-woods-from-hamish-napier.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> The Woods </a> from Scottish musician Hamish Napier
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-17360993040183087052023-09-13T14:55:00.009-04:002023-12-05T07:32:29.023-05:00Symphony Nova Scotia and Natalie MacMaster: a celebration of Cape Breton music and more<p><b>Symphony Nova Scotia is marking its 40th anniversary</b> this 2023/2024 season.
<p>As part of the celebration, they have invited longtime friend <b>Cape Breton fiddle player and composer Natalie MacMaster</b> back for two concerts in Halifax in late September to open the autumn schedule.
<p>Perhaps you might associate Symphony Nova Scotia with classical music -- and rightly so, they’ll close the season in May with music director Holly Mathieson conducting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, for example-- but <b>the talented musicians of the symphony regularly venture into other repertoire, especially from artists and sorts of music which make up the many strands of Nova’s Scotia’s heritage</b> abd present day ranging from Afro-Cuban to jazz to the sounds oc Cape Breton.
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<p><b>Natalie MacMaster knows those Cape Breton sounds well</b>; she grew up in Cape Breton, step dancing to the music early on and taking up the fiddle at age nine. She released her first album when she was sixteen, and has been recognized with Grammys and many other awards.
<p>“ I heard my uncles play, I heard my aunts sing, I heard my cousins play,” MacMaster said. ” I come from a big family, a musical family. It was part of life.”
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<p><b>Those sounds of Cape Breton music, which can range from fiery to gentle, draw on the music which people from Scotland brought with them across the waters. That is the heart of the music MacMaster makes, but like the musicians of Symphony Nova Scotia. she enjoys taking that musical perspective into conversation with other sorts of music.</b>
<p>One place that is evident is in MacMaster’s most recent album Canvas, a duo project with her husband Donnell Leahy. Over the years the two have worked out ways to bring her Cape Breton style and his fiddle playing from Ontario into creative collaboration; this is their third album together.
<p>With unexpected time away from their busy touring schedules during the pandemic they let the music lead them into tunes which are rgounded in their distinctive creative styles, while exploring music which includes flavors of jazz, the music of Ireland, Scottish Gaelic song, bluegrass, and classical cello among others. Several pieces from Canvas will be part of MacMaster’s concerts with Symphony Nova Scotia, along with others from across her repertoire.
<p>What is it like for an artist from a folk tradition to work with an orchestra? “There are charts -- I work with a great arranger, Becca Pellett -- lots of charts,” MacMaster said.
<p>It’s the work of an arranger to plan ways the different artists, instruments, and sections of musicians in an orchestra frame and support a guest musicians’s work. Charts communicate this.
<p>The physical experience is a bit different too “It’s different, being out in front of the musicians and communicating with them through the conductor, instead of how I do with my band on tour on when I go back home to Cape Breton to play a square dance. It’s a whole different way of communicating, a whole different way of organization.”
<p>MacMaster has often worked with orchestras in her career. When she returns to Halifax to appear with Symphony Nova Scotia, it holds an additional resonace, though.
<p>“<b>Symphony Nova Scotia was the very first orchestra I’d ever played with</b>,” she recalled. “ I was in my early twenties at the time. I’d never even been to a symphony performance before and when I was invited to do that I was invited to do that I thought: I have arrived!” she said, laughing.
<p>Scott Macmillan will conduct Symphony Nova Scotia for MacMaster’s shows. He was the conductor and arranger for those first concerts as well.
“In 1995, the Symphony, Natalie, and I shared music across Nova Scotia on a fantastic tour,” Macmillan said. “We’re going to pick up right were we left off!”
<p>For two evenings at the beginning of Symphony Nova Scotia’s 40th anniversary season and with MacMaster’s return to join them, excitement and expectation will be high on all sides, and it’s sure to be a fine pair of evenings for those on stage and those who come to listen.
<p>At this writing tickets are still available. The concerts take place on 28 and 29 September.
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<p>You may also wish to see
<p><a href="https://symphonynovascotia.ca/" target="_blank"> Symphony Nova Scotia’s website </a> where you may find information about schedules, tickets, the symphony’s musicians, and a 40th anniversary book for which MacMaster wrote a forward. You may also explore video recordings of small ensembles of symphony musicians supporting guest artists made during the pandemic.
<p><a href="https://natalieanddonnell.com/" target="_blank"> Natalie MacMaster’s website </a> where you will find information about her tour schedule including her upcoming family Christmas tour, and all her recordings. For one of those tour dates, Natlaaie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy are set to take part in the closing concert of the <a href="https://celtic-colours.com/" target="_blank"> Celtic Colours International Festival in October; </a> no guarantees, but there’s a good chance that concert will be livestreamed.
<p><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/11/canadas-music-sketches-from-natalie.html" target="_blank"> Natalie MacMaster’s album Sketches </a>
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2015/07/canadas-music-natalie-macmaster-and.html" target="_blank"> Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy: One </a>
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2008/05/now-playing-leahy-live-in-gatineau-dvd.html" target="_blank"> Leahy Live in Gatineau </a>
<br><a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2022/09/26/cape-breton-music-guide/" target="_blank"> Cape BretonMusic: essentials for exploring </a>
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2014/07/scotlands-music-nicola-benedetti.html" target="_blank"> Nicola Benedetti: Homecoming: </a> Scottish classical violinist bridges classical and folk genres with collaboration from Scotland musicians Julie Fowlis, Duncan Chisholm, and others
<p> <i>Photograph of Symphony Nova Scotia courtesy of the Symphony; photographs of Natalie Macmaster by Rebekah Littlejohn</i>
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-27592686097723253742023-07-11T10:10:00.008-04:002023-12-05T07:32:07.725-05:00Shorelines: Nuala Kennedy<p>The sea has been a constant in Nuala Kennedy’s life. She grew up and first began learning music in County Louth in Ireland’s east, not far from the Irish Sea. She has lived and traveled in other parts of the world with sea connections, from Scotland to Cape Breton to Spain to Australia and beyond.
<p>In recent years Kennedy has been based near the coast of Clare, in the west of Ireland.
<p>That sea connected life has presence in Kennedy’s album <a href="https://nualakennedy.bandcamp.com/album/shorelines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Shorelines.</a>
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<p>The music on Shorelines tells stories of the sea, and draws on sea changes to tell human stories. So too the music, especially the songs, on Shorelines, offer stories of changes and of resilience in women’s lives.
<p>As she was making those sea borne connections and choosing music for Shorelines, Kennedy was reflecting on her own life as woman, artist, wife, mother, and friend, and how changing circumstances require change. That had her considering the many ways resilience comes about in women’s lives That perspective too informs the music on <a href="https://nualakennedy.bandcamp.com/album/shorelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Shorelines. </a>
<p>Shorelines is a title which reflects the shifts and changes in both coastal waters and the resilience of women. It is journey with a fine balance in tune and in song of original music and music drawn from traditional and contemporary sources.
<p>Drawn from is one of the operative phrases, as Kennedy and the talented folk she’s invited along on this journey stay true to tradition while adding their own gifts to illuminate the stories they wish to tell.
<p>Kennedy is a flute and whistle player, a singer, composer, and producer. Each of those aspects of her talent comes through clearly in Shorelines.
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<p>You will be well rewarded by following the path Kennedy has laid down through the nine tracks on the album, most of which are sets with tune and song in combination or comprising several tunes.
<p>Several highlights:
<p>The journey begins with the song Sally Sits Weeping, which finds a woman lamenting a false lover. Melody and variations of the verses have shown up in Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and North America; Kennedy has chosen a story which finds the woman weeping, true, but as the tale unfolds she “sets sails of silver” and heads in other directions.
<center> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2V8ep6GgzrY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
On the recording this moves into Blue Devils’ Jig a lively original tune named for the melancholy Ishmael falls into in Moby Dick.
<p>Saltwater and Flow are two lively original tunes which move gracefully into the song Cúcúín, sung in Irish. It’s a song Kennedy says that she often sings to her own young children, in which there’s a conversation between a mother cuckoo and her chicks. There’s another dimension, which aligns with aligns with the ideas that pull through the music on Shorelines. “In the Celtic tradition,” she points out, “cuckoos were considered to have toe ability to travel between worlds.”
<p>Wake is an original tune “composed while meditating on the wake of a boat,” Kennedy writes. It is a reflective piece which points up her gentle power with the flute and the connections the musicians who join her bring as well, in this case especially Tara Breen on fiddle and Caoiminh Vallely on piano.
<p>They move from Wake into a lively set called Sea Reels with original tunes inspired by Cape Breton bracketing a Scottish maritime reel, with Tony Byrne on guitar and Todd Sickafoose on double bass joining in.
<p>Marguerite is a song which also references Atlantic Canada. Contemporary writer Scott Richardson drew on a true story from Newfoundland in 1542, which speaks of a woman facing circumstances which certainly tested her resilience.
<p>Kennedy mentions that she first heard this song from Geraldine Hollett of the Newfoundland band The Once. That is how I first heard it as well. Kennedy brings her own gifts as a singer and storyteller to the tale, adding her own illumination to the powerful story. It also fits well with the intertwined themes of sea borne stories and ideas of resilience on Shorelines.
<p>When you get to thinking about it, the story told in The Cavan Road leaves many things unexplained. It clearly has a happy ending though, which is why legendary flute player and singer Cathal McConnell taught it to Kennedy some years back when she asked for a song with just such an ending -- a rare thing in Irish love songs.
<p>In addition to the musicians mentioned above, Moira Smiley and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, two artists whose work you’ve met here along the Music Road before, add subtle, interesting backing vocals to several of the songs.
<p>There is more to explore, including a song suggested by Mick Moloney, an open ended version of a ‘died for love’ song, and tunes inspired by the coast of Clare.
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<p>Each of the tracks on <a href="https://nualakennedy.bandcamp.com/album/shorelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Shorelines </a> is worth your repeated listening. There’s more to discover each time in song, tune, and story, all offerd with top class musicianship.
<p>You may also wish to see
<br> <a href="https://www.nualakennedy.com/home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Nuala Kennedy’s website, </a> with details of her other recordings and her tour and teaching schedule
<br> A short piece about one of Nuala’s earlier albums, <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2007/05/now-playing-nuala-kennedy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> The New Shoes</a>
<br> Learn about <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2022/03/irelands-music-day-is-come-from-alt.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Day Is Come from The Alt, a trio in which Nuala joins up with John Doyle and Eamon O’Leary </a>
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/09/irelands-music-thar-toinn-seaborne-from.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Thar Toinn/Seaborne from Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh </a>
<br> Another one of those rare Irish love songs with happy ending, <a href="https://www.cathieryan.com/lyrics/carrick-a-rede/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Carrick a Rede from Cathie Ryan and John Doyle </a>
<br> Learn a bit about the music of <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2012/06/celebrating-canada-and-newfoundland-once.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> The Once, from Newfoundland</a>
<p><i>Photographs courtesy of the artist</i>
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. Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-69392636308805895382023-06-02T11:31:00.001-04:002023-12-05T07:32:51.162-05:00Lossan: Ruth Keggin & Rachel Hair explore music from the Isle of Man<p>Lossan: that’s a word in Manx Gaelic that means shimmer, flicker, particles of light in darkness such as you might glimpse when looking at light reflecting on water at night.
<p>It is also the title that Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair have chosen for their duo album.
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<p>“It felt very fitting to title the album this way,” Ruth said. “The word also has connections to sea and sky and it’s these things that connect us both and are so important to our homelands.”
<p>Ruth is a singer, native to the Isle of Man, and an artist who has played a part in the resurgence of interest in the Manx Gaelic language in recent times.
<p>Rachel Hair’s instrument is the harp. She is from Scotland, currently based in Glasgow. Her music has taken her as far afield as Japan, the United States, and Australia. She’s been visiting the Isle of Man for a number of years to teach and play.
<p>Ruth and Rachel met more than a decade ago at an after hours session one night on Man. Off and on since then, they have been playing together, including a gig at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival.
<p>“For years now I have been inspired by the culture on the Isle of Man and its music, song, and language,” Rachel said. “I’m so grateful to those involved in the cultural scene on the island for welcoming me.”
<p>Ruth’s and Rachel’s collaboration on Lossan adds to the creativity of Manx music in both song and melody -- and there are a few tunes from Scotland and Ireland in their set list as well, tunes which help illuminate connections among Celtic traditions, and the work of those who bring those traditions forward.
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<p>The whole of Lossan is well worth repeated listenings; indeed the balance of intricacy and simplicity that marks the duo’s arrangements and choices of music readily invites that.
<p>That said, tracks to listen out for especially include
<p>Graih Foalsey is a traditional song from the Isle of Man about about a lover who has proved false to her man. If you know other Celtic tales of false lovers you might hear hints of those in word and melody both. In this tale, though man knows of the circumstance, he remains hopeful. That likely explains why the song is reflective in tone rather than angry or sad It’s a piece Ruth and Rachel each enjoy performing when they are working on their own, so it made a natural choice to include in this duo project.
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<p>For the Tri Nation Harp Jigs Set, Rachel features on her own with a set that moves from a traditional Scottish tune to a Manx one to one from Ireland; Ruth similarly has a track on her own with an a capella take on the traditional Manx song Arrane Saveenagh, a song which has similar lyrics in the same vein as Rock-a-bye Baby.
<p>You might at this point be wondering a bit about Manx Gaelic and Manx music and where they come from. They’re Celtic: if you have Scottish Gaelic or Irish a few words might catch your ear .
<p>The <a href="https://www.visitisleofman.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Isle of Man</a> lies in the Irish Sea, about halfway between Ireland and Scotland. Through history it has had connections and influences to the cultures of both countries, and to the Nordic lands also, as it made a good way station for traveling Vikings.
<p>The Isle of Man has remained its own country, though, and being an island a bit out on the sea, has developed its own languages and culture from all those elements.
<p>Another set to listen out for on Lossan is Eubonia Soilshagh, which comprises a lively collection of drinking songs, several with trad Manx lyrics set to contemporary melodies by Manx musician Annir Kissack. This is also a track on which guests join the duo: Adam Brown on bodhran, Adam Rhodes on bouzouki, and Isla Callister on fiddle.
<p>The whole of Lossan offers a way to explore an aspect of Celtic music and Gaelic song that’s perhaps lesser known than others.
<p>It also offers a master class in how singer and instrumentalist can work together to explore song and melody.
<p>All that comes together especially in another track: Arrane Oie Vie, also known as the Good Night Song. It too is a traditional Manx song, one which is often used to end an evening of music.
<p>Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair have chosen this song to draw their duo album Lossan to a close, as well.
<p>There’s much more to enjoy on Lossan. Take time with what Ruth Keggin and Rachel hair have created; you will be well rewarded.
<p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8BdyM4KLtNc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://www.ruthkeggin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Ruth </a>and <a href="https://www.rachelhair.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Rachel </a>each have other albums in release, which you may find out about at their respective websites.
<br>For English language lyrics of the songs on Lossan, go to the media tab of Ruth’s website.
<p> <i>Photographs of Ruth and Rachel by Amore du Plessis Photography</i>
<p>You may also wish to see:
<br>A <a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2022/10/05/hop-tu-naa-celtic-autumn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Celtic autumn celebration on the Isle of Man</a>
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/04/scotlands-music-julie-fowlis-alterum.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Alterum from Julie Fowlis, </a> with songs in Scottish Gaelic
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/09/irelands-music-thar-toinn-seaborne-from.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Thar Toinn from Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh</a> with songs in Irish
<b><p>-->Music Road is reader supported . Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-87759788575661561892023-04-24T07:37:00.004-04:002023-12-04T13:15:06.815-05:00Scotland's music: Breabach celebrates nature and hope with Fàs<p>Fàs: in Gaelic, it is word that means growth, developing, and sprouting.
<p>It is also the name <a href="https://www.breabach.com/ target="_blank"> Breabach </a> have chosen for their recent album. Both musically and in outlook, those ideas are good descriptions for what they’ve been exploring
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<p>The music most often holds connection to the natural world and ideas of change. That parallels a bit what is going on with Breabach’s musical evolution, too: staying true to their love of and expertise with tradition, they continue to take tradition forward and add to it in thoughtful and creative ways.
<p>The five members of Breabach are well qualified to do this individually. One of the fine things about listening to the tracks on Fàs (and seeing the band live, too, which you need to do if ever you have the opportunity) is enjoying their excellence at collaboration, too.
<p>Breabach are Calum MacCrimmon on Highland pipes, whistles, bouzouki, vocals; James Lindsay on double bass, Moog, vocals; Ewan Robertson, who plays acoustic and electric guitar in addition to singing; Megan Henderson on fiddle and vocals, and newest member of the band (this is his first time recording with the group) Conal McDonagh, on Highland pipes, uilleann pipes, whistles, and vocals.
<p>The ten tracks on <a href="https://breabach.bandcamp.com/album/f-s" target="_blank"> Fàs </a> find the band offering a fine mix of trad and original music, with song in both English and Gaelic, balanced with a good range of tunes as well.
<p>The opening set, The Old Collection, holds three traditional tunes along with one composed by Calum. It offers good introduction to the band’s way with honoring tradition as well as adding their own spark. That’s lightly done, adding just a t touch of something a bit different to the band’s imaginative work.
<p>Part of that spark comes out now and then through touches of synth from guest Keir Long and percussion from Inge Thomson, too -- just enough to add in to mix at times. Thomson produced the album, and given her fine ear for connection electronic and acoustic elements in her other work, it’s no surprise she does it well here.
<p>Ewan Roberson wrote and takes lead voice on Revolutions. which he remarks was inspired by reading about renewable energy and making a visit to a wind farm. “A love song to a wind turbine,” he calls it. It is that, and there’s more thoughtful stuff going on in its lyrics, too and in the video the band has made to go along as well.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GTULC2vZnos" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Megan takes lead for the Gaelic song Eadar An Dà Bhraigh, written by her brother Ewen Henderson. It’s to celebrate the sustaining of a woodland ecosystem just south of the Cairngorms. That might not at first sound a likely subject for a lovely song, but in the writing of Ewen and the voices and instruments of Breabach, it becomes just that.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5NQYh8Tr630" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Another favorite is the set Brog to the Future, which comprises three tunes celebrating the promises of nature and of the coming generations. There’s one from Cape Breton fiddle player Kinnon Beaton, one from Megan, and one from Conal, to make a lively and engaging set.
<p>Megan composed the title tune after taking part in a Fridays for Future march with Ewan and their young daughter at the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow. Brog means shoe in Gaelic, and Conal’s tune also has to do with shoes, while Kinnon’s is a reel for a school graduating class. Steps to the future, perhaps.
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<p>Another excellent set is Dear Green, with tunes composed by Megan in honor of Glasgow and its green spaces, and by James in honor of the Global Seed Vault in Norway, which also provides hope for future. Not subjects every musician would choose or would be able to bring off, but these two, along with other band members and guests Long and Thomson, do it with class.
<p>Class is a fair description all that’s going on in Fàs, There’s the title track, which brings together trad and contemporary in good style, Megan’s fine singing in a song sourced frm Cape Breton, a cover of a Jim Malcolm/John McLellan piece, and a march from Calum.
<p>To draw the album to a close and to draw the threads of ideas of nature and future together, Breabach offer song from Calum -- he takes lead voice, too -- called Changing World. This thoughtful and thought provoking piece was inspired by Calum’s reflections during lockdown, looking out his window and seeing natuee flourishing in the absence of human activity.
<p>Fàs is an album weLl worth the listening, worth repeated listening. Every time you do so you will hear new colors, voices, and ideas. It is a great next step for the top class musicians of Breabach.
<p>...and in case you were wondering about sustainability, the disc comes in a sleeve of FSC certified stock, printed using all vegetable inks.
<p>You may also wish to see
<br>Another album from Breabach, <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2019/08/scotlands-music-breabach-frenzy-of.html" target="_blank">Frenzy of the Meeting </a>
<br>A video of the title track is part of this story at Wandering Educators<a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-new-year-possibilities-hope" target="_blank"> Music for the new year: possibilities of hope </a>
<br>A look back at one of <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2015/06/connecting-scotland-and-new-zealand.html" target="_blank"> Inge Thomson’s concerts at Celtic Connections</a>
<br>Another recording that celebrates nature, <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/05/scotlands-music-woods-from-hamish-napier.html" target="_blank"> The Woods from Hamish Napier </a>
<b><p>--> Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-27777829976324557272023-03-14T09:12:00.002-04:002023-12-04T10:03:32.953-05:00Ireland's music: 6 ways to discover ideas and stories you may not have heard<p>Ireland is a rather small country, as countries go.
<p>As the time in spring around Saint Patrick’s day on 17 March reminds, though, through the creativity and courage of its sons and daughters Ireland has had and continues to have impact across the world.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFytLvcX8fW0jSh-or_xMknH5k6vc3T2IltO6LsAoXISTWEhfUBX2fWKUOHRv-klVojo4RpVYbjrmIdygn2p704vmXq_PJVphvXSDUUSyOlPjAv1w7OKAqA1xIsJRNZPW0pChkTz0ubW28Hie_Uo8XyuG3EBzXDNU8BOFvczsWH_-onK0O4k0/s685/cfharbournight20f.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="685" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFytLvcX8fW0jSh-or_xMknH5k6vc3T2IltO6LsAoXISTWEhfUBX2fWKUOHRv-klVojo4RpVYbjrmIdygn2p704vmXq_PJVphvXSDUUSyOlPjAv1w7OKAqA1xIsJRNZPW0pChkTz0ubW28Hie_Uo8XyuG3EBzXDNU8BOFvczsWH_-onK0O4k0/s320/cfharbournight20f.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>At Music Road, we’ve been mainly concerned with how that happens through music.
<p>Whatever aspect of Ireland you celebrate, and however you may be doing that, music goes along.
<p>I encourage you to take this Patrick season to explore the music of Ireland beyond what’s often shared this time of year.
<p>Slam-your-mug-on-the-table droning songs have their place, as do cry in your cup of tea sentimental pieces, fast flying jigs to which to dance, and light as air new age tinged music.
<p>They all, in deed have their places in Irish music.
<p>There is more to the music of Ireland, and the creativity of Irish musicians, though. There wisdom of an Ireland that is both ancient and new.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNWy5PJew3EdYKwJhjhE202jPZsr5ALGrl456wjUUqHgnfzHQhtvizoHWCtfbwpfkPmILOe-q1clv8iod-YbawcPa7ubkPITK0_AgkDl3SzCC34Wjnhz8UhwWjxWP72zKeQ6kzjZTS4KFgHPep0_xZtg6KccDn2e73bGluATbOP7la7Q-IO8/s685/cfthoseleve19a.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="685" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNWy5PJew3EdYKwJhjhE202jPZsr5ALGrl456wjUUqHgnfzHQhtvizoHWCtfbwpfkPmILOe-q1clv8iod-YbawcPa7ubkPITK0_AgkDl3SzCC34Wjnhz8UhwWjxWP72zKeQ6kzjZTS4KFgHPep0_xZtg6KccDn2e73bGluATbOP7la7Q-IO8/s320/cfthoseleve19a.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>Here are several ways to help you explore these ideas.
<p>From Altan <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/06/irelands-music-altan-gap-of-dreams.html" target="_blank"> The Gap of Dreams</a> will take you Donegal and beyond
<p>Connections between Ireland and Scotland in music, language, and story : <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2019/06/ireland-scotland-and-story-allt-from.html" target="_blank"> Allt from Julie Fowlis, Eamon Doorley, Zoe Conway, and John McIntyre. </a>
<p><a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2020/08/24/fiddle-flute-guitar-ireland/" target="_blank"> Fiddle, Flute, Guitar: 3 Ways to Explore Ireland</a>
<p><a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2022/05/04/northern-ireland-4-songs/" target="_blank"> Northern Ireland: 4 Songs to Help You Understand</a>
<p>Discover ways <a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2023/02/27/women-of-ireland-4-musicians/" target="_blank"> Karan Casey, Cathie Ryan, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, and Cara Dillon</a> tell Ireland’s stories, and their own
<p><a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-community-stories-ireland" target="_blank"> Music and Community:Stories of Ireland </a>
<p>...and coming up later this year, I’ve another project to tell you about that will expand on these ideas. Stay tuned!
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf-CsGDCaZeWi7Cu755JLywQtLQYVNbFZfCoCt5iz3Bs5e7WFgMdrIdnEPQckxTC-8P5b8boCT-91pGDIUaRP-MfFwwI8JrV010JGaRhKNF70PBe-PeqSH1Obofd0sD8LHV7Wnr7aeCsWt5jcUGyJDVodneDtnssSl_YutCwbgk5M5IVKOiA/s685/cfwildmournes16gh.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="685" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf-CsGDCaZeWi7Cu755JLywQtLQYVNbFZfCoCt5iz3Bs5e7WFgMdrIdnEPQckxTC-8P5b8boCT-91pGDIUaRP-MfFwwI8JrV010JGaRhKNF70PBe-PeqSH1Obofd0sD8LHV7Wnr7aeCsWt5jcUGyJDVodneDtnssSl_YutCwbgk5M5IVKOiA/s320/cfwildmournes16gh.jpg"/></a></div>
<b><p>-->Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
<p> You can also <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a>Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-35654996242127014412023-03-01T11:30:00.009-05:002023-12-05T07:35:19.154-05:00The long story: music across time<p> Music connects us to each other.
<p> It can also be a way to connet across time and place.
<p> These images may help you think about this. You may also want to listen to the music on <br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/09/irelands-music-thar-toinn-seaborne-from.html" target="_blank"> Thar Toinn/Seaborne</a> from Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
<br> <a href="https://www.cathieryan.com/music/the-farthest-wave/" target="_blank"> The Farthest Wave </a> from Cathie Ryan
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/04/scotlands-music-julie-fowlis-alterum.html" target="_blank"> Alterum </a> from Julie Fowlis
<br> <a href="https://sualee.bandcamp.com/album/dialogues" target="_blank"> Dialogues </a> from Su-a Lee
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/05/scotlands-music-woods-from-hamish-napier.html" target="_blank"> The Woods </a> from Hamish Napier
<p> It has been a bit quiet here of late; there will be more say about upcoming and current projects coming along. <p>In the meanwhile, have a look and listen to those stories and albums noted above, and take a look throught the archives here at Music Road too. A good lot of music and ideas to explore within.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCieq8gnSSiFXmhs2I70N1dGtZsh3oNgewW4ruVA-ciWMmpotRu2YOcupcE2-5fdFxLKo_Zv5m068zaU9ygz_lM6W1yq0cnYNOhVk3R0J05mNXsCAKCEkr1uxbie3_jeFqC6KEOw/s1600/stonekg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCieq8gnSSiFXmhs2I70N1dGtZsh3oNgewW4ruVA-ciWMmpotRu2YOcupcE2-5fdFxLKo_Zv5m068zaU9ygz_lM6W1yq0cnYNOhVk3R0J05mNXsCAKCEkr1uxbie3_jeFqC6KEOw/s320/stonekg.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i8KJvVp4EHrj1rA3SyEch30Rd0fJt7Wf84YKXLuowMeosxrkkZOWbLwHK8tGTT5ZI04w61ypJTlq-yeY8f2N6xNwg7F0ZUxDfWmvXyoF33lBcsGejaP-v5rxGhPk9ePwZTR50A/s1600/nicola1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i8KJvVp4EHrj1rA3SyEch30Rd0fJt7Wf84YKXLuowMeosxrkkZOWbLwHK8tGTT5ZI04w61ypJTlq-yeY8f2N6xNwg7F0ZUxDfWmvXyoF33lBcsGejaP-v5rxGhPk9ePwZTR50A/s320/nicola1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7EIJhEZY4wKxUksALVBeBH_hFLAXxcohN0lxOLQSRHxa8v9heAQPtw7xn6JE5dPOqdaOgIAW9EBZzDhBRWSdH-tbj90FzV7pbqJx4az_h_Nml_d1EewV8WMzIBCS0GNs8sIfdw/s1600/cooley13a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7EIJhEZY4wKxUksALVBeBH_hFLAXxcohN0lxOLQSRHxa8v9heAQPtw7xn6JE5dPOqdaOgIAW9EBZzDhBRWSdH-tbj90FzV7pbqJx4az_h_Nml_d1EewV8WMzIBCS0GNs8sIfdw/s320/cooley13a.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP28mLEGK6WkqWTnTsfGqpw2ZJwHo7uEW0pTOH9s81dtVxTK3PLzP-xh_p0qzgx50kx7cYk9KNVD4nC9SZn2BunE4mVpwHx4IzPPGkz2dNsab0mPtPztkvJ0JjxGWruODuwRt0A/s1600/fire12b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP28mLEGK6WkqWTnTsfGqpw2ZJwHo7uEW0pTOH9s81dtVxTK3PLzP-xh_p0qzgx50kx7cYk9KNVD4nC9SZn2BunE4mVpwHx4IzPPGkz2dNsab0mPtPztkvJ0JjxGWruODuwRt0A/s320/fire12b.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zzsoCcRyMJmXkZ6BgQmFhbmtHvucXkzCIVcJjbvBGyR1M3o1qVqPwpPrmNMKEZiyVWAe65Ar5fAFHu994slzyM8I-FGagB0oAP1Tg65DUiJgzgbisfzQntaQb0TrWcPT7iH3CA/s1600/crb9bigpond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zzsoCcRyMJmXkZ6BgQmFhbmtHvucXkzCIVcJjbvBGyR1M3o1qVqPwpPrmNMKEZiyVWAe65Ar5fAFHu994slzyM8I-FGagB0oAP1Tg65DUiJgzgbisfzQntaQb0TrWcPT7iH3CA/s320/crb9bigpond.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Enjoy what you are finding at Music Road? You could <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a> Thank you!
Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-16160033445589355432022-12-31T10:27:00.007-05:002023-12-05T07:36:46.212-05:00New year's eve, and into a new year: 3 songs for company<p>At the turning of the year, thoughts and ideas of change, of regret, of hope, and many more things arise.
<p>Accept them all, send the ones which need to go, as a friend of mine says, up in the smoke of a new year’s blaze.
<p>Embrace the good ideas, the community, the hope.
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<p>With all that in mind, music to accompany you in to the new year
<p>Here’s one to honor looking back and looking forward, and to honor the hope found in community. It is called Just a Lot of Folk, sung by Olivia Newton-John. You will find on an album from the early folk/country days of Olivia’s career, called Clearly Love.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ljpBoLV5Wl8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Thrift is a plant that grows at the edge of the sea in Scotland, hanging on through all sorts of weather and circumstance. The song Thrift celebrate hope, persistence, and other good qualities such as that. Karine Polwart sings lead, and in this video you will see her with her musical friends who form the Spell Songs singers: Rachel Newton, Beth Porter, Sekou Keita, Jim Molyneux, Kris Drever, and Julie Fowlis. Engineer/producer Andy Bell, part of the collaboration, is there too. You will find the song on the album Spell Songs II: Let the Light In.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PskMh17Ev78" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>It may have been inspired by the Orkney legend of a witch who sold fair winds to sailors, but...Jeana Leslie, who wrote the song Fair Winds and sings lead, and her friends who form the band Fara have turned it into a song of hope. Kristan Harvey, Caitriona Price, and Rory Matheson -- the other musicians who make up Fara-- join Jeana on the song, which you will find on their album Energy Islands.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rmmef_mTigw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Band members tell the <a href="https://youtu.be/2oolSzstaCs" target="_blank"> backstory of the song ... </a>
<p>You may also wish to see
<br> More about the album <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2022/04/spell-songs-ii-let-light-in.html" target="_blank"> Spell Songs II:let the Light In </a>
<br> At Wandering Educators, <a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-peace-understanding-connection" target="_blank"> Music for peace, undertanding, and connection</a> (there’s another Spell Songs video in this, too)
<br> The album <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2019/07/scotlands-music-laws-of-motion-from.html target="_blank">Laws of Motion from Karine Polwart, </a>
<br> Thoughtful songs from Ireland’s <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/02/irelands-music-cara-dillon-wanderer.html" target="_blank">Cara Dillon: Wanderer.
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</a>
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-49490660352439882412022-12-24T01:00:00.002-05:002023-12-05T07:37:52.421-05:00Christmas eve, Christmas day<p>Christmas eve. A long night into
<p>Christmas day.
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<p>As you find moments to pause, to reflect, to celebrate even through dark times. here are songs to explore.
<p>“...A planet dancing slow, a tree upon a hill.
<br>Star upon the snow, straw against the chill...”
<p>Words which recur in Straw against the Chill. You will find its story sung by Kathy Mattea, on her album Joy for Christmas Day. Among those who join in is Joanie Madden, whose whistle and flute playing you have met along the music road here before, as she is a founding member of the band of Cherish the Ladies.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N-VXxACc4U4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Had you noticed that there’s not a mention of a cat at the stable in Bethlehem? Odds there was at laast one, though. Shannon Heaton imagined a story of the cat’s part in Christmas eve, which she recorded with her husnad Matt on their winter themed album Fine Winter’s Night,
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yz5ZwIe8h5I" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Emily Smith braids the challelges and uplighting aspects of Christmas in her song Find Hope. It is recrded on her album Songs for Christmas. On this video Emily’s husband and musical partner Jamie McClennan joins her, as does guitarist Anna Massie, and a baby who would not sleep. At this Christmas, that baby is now a happy primary school student.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tSCEk9vdZzU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Wishing you peace at this season.
<b><p>--> Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. </b>
and/or...
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-39560007062980790512022-12-20T11:09:00.002-05:002023-12-10T10:02:01.851-05:00Fourth Week in Advent<p>Fourth week in Advent.
<p>Christmas draws near.
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<p>There is anticipation -- and thoughts of all must be done, that is still undone, before we make it to Christmas eve and Christmas day arise. So do thoughts what or who we will miss, and what might not go at all as planned.
<p>The fourth week in Advent is a good time for reset and reflection, even through all those sorts of thoughts, and all the activities that come up planned and unplanned.
<p>May the creativity of these musicians help you keep stillness and hope at this time, whatever your situation may be.
<p>From Cherish the Ladies, the song The Castle of Dromore, with Heidi Talbot singing lead. You will find it on their first holiday album On Christmas Night.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SLsc9EtsYGA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Cherish have two more Christmas albums out now. Their guitarist Mary Coogan ahs one of her own as well.
<p>Side note: there are at least two castles of Dromore in Ireland that I know of, maybe more...I think this song refers to the castle in Clare.
<p>A vintage recording of Kathy Mattea with the contemporary Christmas song Mary Did You Know?
<p>You will find it on her album Good News, and she has another fine album for the season as well, called Joy for Christmas Day.
<p>This video has visible captions of the lyrics, in case that’s of use to know
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6I597YUXw1E" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>From Carrie Newcomer comes the song The Season of Mercy. It’s not a winter holiday song, but then again, it is. You will find it on her album The Beautiful Not Yet.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n8w_EBOBSow" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Whether Christmas is your holiday or not, give a listen to the song Waitin’ on Mary, from Gretchen Peters. You will find it on her album Northern Lights.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HhGhtqFWMi8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>May the creativity of these artist be good companion to your reflections in the fourth week of Advent this year, and beyond.
<b><p>-->Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
<p>You can also <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a>Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-86197962405549124902022-12-11T15:48:00.003-05:002023-12-19T09:57:20.066-05:00Third week in Advent: Music, friendship, connection<p>Winter can be a season for connection of many sorts.
<p>There could be gathering with friends and family we see often, and with those with whom we visit just a few times in a year, or do not see for several years.
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<p>It can be a time for thinking of an connecting with freieds at distance, too, those we may not see in person but whose love and connection yet is a vital presence in our lives.
<p>Whatever form connection may take, the winter season is a good time -- a good excuse, if one is needed -- to connect, to reconnect, to reach out to people you’ve not seen in some time, or that you see of and say: I was just thinking of you.
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<p>Music to go along with these ideas
<p>Carrie Newcomer’s song Gathering of Spirits is an honoring of friendship, of lasting love and respect.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b4I3Y_kK6Zw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh wrote a song in Irish (she is from Donegal and a native Irish speaker) for her daughter called Mo Nion O. Cathie Ryan, who is also a mother, translated the words into English and uses both languages in her version of the song.
In both languages, it is a blessing for the present and an idea of hope for the future.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5MPzrfgf8Ik" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>In Shannon Heaton’s song Fine Winter’s Night, she contrasts the cold bright of stars and snow with warmth and connection beckoning within. Shannon and her husband Matt, who joins her in the song. chose the song for title of their winter themed album.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bTY6O3dTGqc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>On her album Songs of Christmas. Scotland based musician Emily Smith brings in a lively version of a contemporary carol you may or may not know. It is sure to bring a smile though, and perhaps you will join in singing it with thosoe near and far. It is called Little Road to Bethlehem.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8bJ266fqPxo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>You may also wish to see
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2022/12/second-week-in-advent-music-from-spell.html" target="_blank"> Second week in Advent </a>
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2021/12/gifts-of-winter-5-recordings-to-explore.html" target="_blank"> Gifts of Winter </a>
<br> <a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2022/12/07/gifts-5-ideas-in-music/" target="_blank"> Gift ideas in music, </a> at Perceptive Travel</a>
<p>While you are thinking of gifts, if you enjoy what you are finding here, consider -->
<b><p>-->Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
<p> another way to support ...
<p>You could <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a>
Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-51166639069785967322022-12-04T14:52:00.001-05:002023-12-04T13:17:03.638-05:00Second week in Advent: Music from Spell Songs, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair<p>Celebration in winter months may be lively. It may also be quiet. Music can align well with both of these circumstances.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpjx7womGSknWlj_2Tj5uaeLR9MUsIw8ZcVuTOM2QPCyZ0zv-vyzRsMAiB2uzrzGpXRJIrn6G1VJAnx6QmzIJee5WRbSrIj_QvT8Hpclm_m9ot4vxYmJIHhnMJJ3tEoTtW9gFHAbdLO1R1vxuiF71jX9LlFo5nWAFBiea1m3luu4ys62WJ8o/s640/winter-g2a235eb23_640.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpjx7womGSknWlj_2Tj5uaeLR9MUsIw8ZcVuTOM2QPCyZ0zv-vyzRsMAiB2uzrzGpXRJIrn6G1VJAnx6QmzIJee5WRbSrIj_QvT8Hpclm_m9ot4vxYmJIHhnMJJ3tEoTtW9gFHAbdLO1R1vxuiF71jX9LlFo5nWAFBiea1m3luu4ys62WJ8o/s320/winter-g2a235eb23_640.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>In the second week of Advent, here are ideas to go along with your lively celebrations and your quieter ones.
<p>This song, Oak, is a good one to get thinking about nature, about time, about connection -- all good things to contemplate in the winter season.
<p>Kris Drever, who comes from Scotland, sings lead here, accompanied by other members of the Spell Songs ensemble, who are Jim Molyneux, Seckou Keita, Rachel Newton, Karine Polwart, Beth Porter, and Julie Fowlis. You will find Oak recorded on Spell Songs II: Let the Light In. Learn more about the <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> Spell Songs albums and artists in this story
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i5PRlorjsps" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>Whether or not you like the drink hot buttered rum or indeed if you have never heard of it, there is good reason to listen to the song of that name.
<p>Hot Buttered Rum the song celebrates and reminds of the healing possibilities of friendship, love. connection, and hope in the midst of dark and cold. New England based band Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem (who are, in addition to Rani, Scott Kessel, Andrew Kinsey, and Anand Nayak) recorded on their album Wintersong.
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e2VmTon34kc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>Arraneyn Cadlee is the name of a set of two Christmas lullabies which start off the album Lossan from Ruth Keggin and Rachel Hair. Ruth is the singer for the track; Rachel plays harp.
<p>The words of the songs are in Manx Gaelic, the language of the Isle of Man. That is Ruth’s native place. Rachel, who is one of the top harp players in Scotland, has been visiting the Isle of Man for a number of years to perform and to teach. The women met at a session some ten years ago and from time to time performed together, eventually deciding to create a duo album. Lossan is the result. Look for more to come about Lossan here along the music road.
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CrUq2BmadEE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p> You may also wish to see
<br> A reflection on the<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2022/11/first-week-in-advent-music-and.html" target="_blank"> first week in Advent </a>
<br> Learn a bit more about the <a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2022/10/05/hop-tu-naa-celtic-autumn/" target="_blank"> Isle of Man and its traditions </a>
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/agnostic-gospel-music-some-bright.html" target="_blank"> Another album from Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem </a>
<br> <a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-shifting-times-lighting-path" target="_blank"> Music for lighting the path, </a> at Wandering Educators
<br> A <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/04/scotlands-music-julie-fowlis-alterum.html" target="_blank"> recording from Julie Fowlis </a>
<p>Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
<p>You can also <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a>
Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-36971478290514176692022-12-01T13:55:00.008-05:002022-12-04T16:03:05.973-05:00Berry Song<p>At the edge of a wild wide sea, up in the far north, a young girl is learning from her grandmother -- learning about how to live on and with the land. Learning about how to respect the land and the plants and animals with whom we share space.
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<p>That is the underlying story of illustrator and author <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/7203/9780316494175" target="_blank"> Michaela Goade’s book Berry Song. </a>
<p>The berries in the title come on for exploration and discovery as part of this.
<p>“Salmonberry, cloudberry, blueberry, nagoonberry...” and other sorts of berries are named several times in a recurring way that brings out the rhythms of Goode’s story.
<p>Illustrations of the berries, of the forests in which they grow, of the edges of that wild wide sea, carry the story too. It is a story which includes bringing those berries home and making food to share with family and friends.
<p>That aspect of sharing aligns too with the ideas of connection to forest, shoreline, sea, night sky. The gentle yet firm and songlike way elders share respect for the land and the way that younger generation folk come to know it is right to past this knowledge along are present, too.
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<p>This a picture book, to be sure, a short book which young children and early readers will enjoy. Adults and older siblings could have fun sharing it with those younger ones, as well.
<p>Berry Song is not just for children, though. Goade’s illustrations are thoughtful, beautiful and engaging. They offer as much to contemplate as do Goode’s words; together they are even more powerful.
<p>In notes at the end of the book, Goade shares some of her story of having grown up at the edge of the wild wide sea in Alaska. That story continues: She still lives in Sitka, and is a member of the Tlingit people.
<p>“All year long I excitedly wait for berry season, for the juicy salmonberries that strum the first notes of berry song, and the cranberries after the first freeze that signal its end,” Goade writes. “Every time I wander back into the forest, I am a little kid again, spellbound by the magic and joy of the berry song.”
<p>Magic and joy come through clearly in both word and art in <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/7203/9780316494175" target="_blank"> Berry Song. </a>
<p>There is inspiration in those end notes, too, as Goade offers ideas on ways to take some of the themes of Berry Song into action.
<p>Speak to the land, take care of the land, we are part of the land are the lessons Goode offers ideas about in this section. Learn names of the berries, take only what you need, work to respect wild lands are but three ideas you will find here. There is also the chance to learn a few words in Tlingit language.
<p> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/7203/9780316494175" target="_blank"> Berry Song </a> is a picture book for young readers, to be sure. It holds words, illustrations, and ideas that young children, their older siblings, and adults of all ages will enjoy as well.
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<p>You may also wish to see
<br>Music, nature, art, mystery, poetry: <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2022/04/spell-songs-ii-let-light-in.html" target="_blank"> Spell Songs II: Let the Light In </a>
<br>Another children’s book not for children only: <a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/read-this-build-house" target="_blank"> Build a House from musician Rhiannon Giddens, </a>
<br>Music inspired by the Cairngorms forest in Scotland: <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/05/scotlands-music-woods-from-hamish-napier.html" target="_blank"> The Woods from Hamish Napier </a>
<b><p>-->Music Road is reader supported . Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-6587098564304568212022-11-26T11:09:00.003-05:002023-12-04T10:05:02.658-05:00First Week in Advent: Music and Reflection<p>Advent.
<p>It is a season of preparation and celebration, of quiet reflection and gathering.
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<p>Gathering presents and decorations, gathering together with friends and family, gathering of experiences.
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<p>It is a time of change of season, too, autumn to winter up here in the northern hemisphere.
<p>The quality of light changes especially across thos time of seasonal change.
<p>All those things are -- or can be-- catalyst for reflection on community, or change, on connection.
<p>Many faith based holidays this time of year include stories of and invitation to thinking about these things.
<p>One good way in to, and companion for such reflection, is music.
<p>As Advent begins, have a listen to these pieces of music. Allow the creativity fo these artists to inspire your reflections in this season.
<p>The Point of Arrival, which you will find recorded on Carrie Newcomer’s album of that same name. Newcomer is based in the US state of Indiana.
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<p>The set called The Old Collection, a set of tunes members of the Scotland based band Breabach found in 18th century collections along with an original peice by band member Calum macCrimmon. You will find it recorded on Breabach’s album Fas.
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<p>Singing in the Land, from the recording Wintersong by Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem-- an album which remains one of my favourite evocations of winter. Members of the band are based in New England in the US
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<p>You may also wish to see
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2015/11/first-week-in-advent-music-and-quiet.html" target="_blank"> First week in Advent: music and quiet </a> a reflection from a few years back with more music to explore
<br> Have a read about <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2008/10/gretchen-peters-northern-lights.html" target="_blank"> Northern Lights, </a> a fien seasonal album from top songwriter Gretchen Peters. with some fine piano work from Barry Walsh also
<br> <a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/autumn-music-harvest-home.html" target="_blank"> Music if Harvest and Home, </a> from the ongoing Music for Shifting Times series at Wandering Educators
<br> <a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2022/11/02/season-of-giving-reflection/" target="_blank"> Season of Giving: How to Help </a> ideas at Perceptive Travel
<b><p>-->Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
<p>Or you can <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a>Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-16613350843462698132022-09-06T07:50:00.000-04:002022-09-06T07:50:03.022-04:00Exploring Landscape in Music: 3 Recordings to Discover<p>Landscapes frame out days, our journeys, our memories.
<p>Those ideas are endless sources of inspiration for musicians, as well.
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<p> <a href="https://elizagilkyson.com/" target="_blank"> Eliza Gilkyson </a> is a versatile and creative musician who based herself for a number of years in Austin, Texas. Many of her songs address, comment on, or include in some way social justice.
<p>Gilkyson grew up in <a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2013/10/23/taos-crossroads-in-time/" target="_blank"> northern New Mexico. </a> Recent years have found her drawn back more and more often to her home ground in the Taos area. Eventually she decided it was time to move back.
<p>The Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico and their foothills and valleys have their own look; so too, the confluence of First Peoples, Hispanic, and western American ranch and cowboy lifeways and histories makes for a distinctive mix. This is all part of what Gillkyson enjoys about the place, and part of what turns up in her music in her album <a href="https://www.howlindogrecords.com/product/eliza-gilkyson-songs-from-the-river-wind" target="_blank"> Songs from the River Wind. </a>
<p>In Songs from the River Wind Gilkyson draws on memories of people and places and stories from more than 40 years of her traveling the west sharing her music.
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<p>The recording includes original songs, thoughtfully chosen covers, and traditional songs from the west with touches of her own lyrics enhancing the tale> It is a love letter to the west, told through the singer’s own reflections and the words and stories of the characters and landscapes she introduces.
<p>There’s the dancer of Bufflao Gals Redux, and the questioning cowboy of Farthest End, side by side with Gilkyson’s vivid and economical memories of place, time, and relationship in The Hill Behind the Town.
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<p>Landscape frames all these, as it does with the evocation of past times in Before the Great River Was Tamed. Bristlecone Pine and At the Foot of the Mountain offer stories in which northern New Mexico’s landscapes are present as clearly as the people in the stories told.
<p>Gilkyson offer a reflective and thoughtful journey. She has always had a way with writing and singing unique love songs. That is part of the mix here. As ever, there are considerations of present day challenges in the songs too. Though songs such as Before the River Was Tamed and At the Foot of the Mountain present these in a more a gentle way than she’s done in other recordings, they are there if you listen, just as hope and love are in her more politically involved work.
<p>The songs are also vividly grounded in landscapes of the west. Part of Gilkyson’s gift is that she does that while reaching beyond limits that idea might suggest. Her graceful voice carries and illuminates the stories
<p>So does the work of musical friends who join in, among them Don Richmond on several instruments and he and his western group The Rifters on harmonies. Michael Hearne adds his voice as well, while Kym Warner plays mandolin and Warren Hood sits in on fiddle.
<p>Landscape in another country informs and inspires the work of Rory Matheson and Graham Rorie on <a href="https://rmgr.bandcamp.com/album/we-have-won-the-land" target="_blank"> We Have Won The Land. </a> In their case it is Rory’s native area. Assynt in the far north of Scotland.
<p>Given time away from touring (<a href="https://faramusic.co.uk/about/rory-matheson/" target="_blank"> Rory </a> is in the band Fara; <a href="https://www.grahamrorie.com/" target="_blank"> Graham </a> is in Gnoss, both top Scotland based ensembles) during the pandemic, the two friends collaborated on a project that had long been on Rory’s mind.
<p>It comes from the not so distant history of <a href="https://www.discoverassynt.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Assynt in the northwest Highlands, </a> when in 1993 local folk came together to form a trust which eventually was able to buy the land on which they lived and worked from an overseas land speculator.
<p>It was an event that has inspired people in other communities to work out ways to take ownership of the land on which they live and work.
<p>It was that, but not, you might think, a source of musical inspiration.
<p>Rory and Graham have made it so, though, through ten mainly instrumental tracks that frame the stories of the local crofters’ journey to ownership (it wasn’t always a straight path) in music by turns lively and reflective.
<p>Both men are grounded in traditional music, a natural fit for this history. Both are past finalists for BBC Scotland Young Musician of the year, and have worked as session musicians in Glasgow. Graham, who comes from Orkney, has set a part of his own region’s history in music in his album Orcadians of Hudson’s Bay.
<p>“The crofters buyout means a lot to me because my family supported the campaign and were heavily involved in the process from the beginning,” Rory said. “It’s a really powerful story and a part of Highland history that I was very inspired by,”
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<p>Stating Intentions evokes energy, hope, and commitment at the start of such an project as the crofters faced. Several bids for the land are made and refused as the musical story goes forward.
<p>Who Possesses This Land? invites reflection, as must have been the case for the crofters at this turn of events. This is followed by the thoughtful singing of James Graham on Currie Dubh nan Ròpa, a song and melody Rory well remembers from Assynt. Reflective itself, it works as a fine illumination to Who Possesses This Land and a graceful bridge to...
<p>The Winning Bid, a lively tune of joy. That is not quite the end of the story, though, as reflection and celebration as well as determination and hope are brought into the story through the tunes This Is Ours and the We Have Won The Land set,
<p>Rory’s instrument is keyboards. Graham plays fiddle, mandolin, and tenor guitar. In addition to James Graham on vocals they are joined by a number of top class players, among them Kristan Harvey on fiddle, Anna Massie on guitar, Charlie Stewart on bass and Fraser Stone on percussion.
<p>Landscape plays a part on Jacqueline Schwab’s album <a href="https://www.sonoluminus.com/store/i-lift-my-lamp" target="_blank"> I Lift My Lamp </a> too. Many landscapes and yet all connected: she has chosen music of those who have come from other countries to the United States over the centuries.
<p>This includes music that both celebrates tradition brought along and new communiites created, and in other cases looks back at what’s been left behind.
<p> Her approach to the music celebrates her own traditions as well. <a href="https://www.jacquelineschwab.com/home" target="_blank"> Schwab </a> is a storyteller through her piano. She began her life in music taking part in folk dances in Pittsburgh, where she grew up, and went on to play for folk and country dance ensembles and events, as she still does.
<p>You may know Jacqueline’s work through her work on the soundtracks of many of <a href="https://www.jacquelineschwab.com/soundtracks" target="_blank"> Ken Burns films. </a> The Civil War, Mark Twain, and Lewis and Clark are but three on which you may hear her work. She, in turn, credits the experience of working on these projects with developing her ideas of the telling of stories with her music.
<p>That she does on I lift My Lamp, taking listeners through nineteen tracks and a bit more than an hour of pieces than range from Scotland to African America, from a Chilean melody to a Yiddish one, with many other sources explored along the way.
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<p>The music on I Lift my Lamp is connected by Schwab’s own sure and distinctive touch with her playing which now and then holds a hint of her playing for the dance added in. The music is also connected by the idea Schwab inlcuded for the subtitle of her album: Illuminations From Immigrant America.
<p>Her sleeve notes, which are well worth the reading, tell a bit of Schwab’s own family background and how she came to look at this music as well as how perceptions of folk music might be changing. There are stories of the music and why she chose certain tune too.
<p>Standout tracks include For Ireland I’ll Not Tell Her Name paired with the Blarney Pilgrim, Oyfn Pripetshik/On the Hearth, from a Yiddish song, and Take Me Out to the Ballgame as you’ve likely never heard it. Really though I Lift My Lamp well deserves to be listened to all the way through as the artists has designed it.
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<p>That is true of Songs from the River Wind and We Have Won the Land as well. Different artists, different visions different landscape, each will illuminate your own understanding of place and creativity.
<p> You may also wish to see
<br> A piece about Graham Rorie’s album<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2021/11/holiday-gift-ideas-stories-told-in-music.html/" target="_blank"> Orcadians of Hudson’s Bay </a> (and music from Karine Polwart and Dave Milligan too
<br> <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2008/07/now-playing-eliza-gilkyson-beautiful.html/" target="_blank"> Beautiful World, </a> an earleir album from Eliaza Gilkyaon which includes among other songs The Great Correction, which has become a classic song of the times
<br> jacqueline Schwab oftne lends her talents to recordings by other artists. Read about one such, Aoife Clancy’s<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2008/08/now-playing-aoife-clancy-silvery-moon.html" target="_blank"> Silvery Moon. </a>
<p><i>Photograph from Lochinver in Assynt by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/indianabones-3210458/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1634164">Ivor Bond</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1634164">Pixabay</a>
Photograph of Carlingford Lough and the Mourne mountains in Ireland by Kerry Dexter</i>
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-76449869081285075732022-06-15T10:36:00.002-04:002023-12-04T10:06:34.152-05:00Manran and The McDades: moving tradition forward<p><b>The range of Celtic tradition and new dimensions for its present and future: all that is part of the work of the musicians of The McDades, based in Alberta in Canada and Maran, based in Glasgow, Scotland.</b>
<p>It’s always g balance to draw inspiration from music of a tradition, play song and tune handed on and handed down, while putting your own mark on it, at the same time staying true to this spirit of those who have handed it on.
<p>Another way to do that, one that arises naturally from loving and being immersed in traditional styles, is creating new music which respects and draws on tradition, while placing one’s own voice within its story.
<p>Manran and The McDades, in differing yet related ways, are really good at this. The tradition, in the case of both bands, is mainly music of Scotland, with touches of other influences of several places and sorts now and again.
<p><b>Manran: <a href="https://manran.bandcamp.com/album/rar" target="_blank"> Urar </a></b>
<p> <a href="https://manran.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Manran </a> has been part of the Scottish traditional music scene for elven years at this writing. Known for high energy trad rock that has listeners up on their feet as often as not, the seven member group is also well skilled at interpreting and creating quieter, more reflective pieceso.
<p>Both these aspects of the band’s music arepresented in their album Urar. That’s a word in Gaelic which means flourishing. That well suits the character of the music on offer.
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<p>The material is largely written or arranged by members of the band, with each artist contributing to the project. Founding member of Manran Gary Innes plays accordion. Ewen Henderson is on fiddle, Highland bagpipes, vocals, piano, and synths. Ross Sanders handles bass guitar and Moog. Ryan Murphy is on uillean pipes whistle, and flute. Mark Scobie adds in drums, Aidan Moodie brings in guitar and backing vocal, and Kim Carnie is on vocals.
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<p>Kim and Aidan are the most recent members of the band, having both joined in 2019. Urar is the first Manran recording on which both of them appear. They joined up to create the song Crow Flies, which they co-wrote over distance during lockdown. The substance of the song is about supporting one another during uncertain times and being willing to take risks.
<p>Those are ideas which recur in varied ways across the music on Urar, in tune and in song and in Gaelic and in English. Each of the band members knows well how to create and to collaborate in telling stories through music.
<p>There is Manran’s trademark high energy present as part of such storytelling.
<p>While that may at first seem an unlikely way to treat a song of grieving those lost at sea, the song Ailean proves an excellent way to appreciate this aspect of the band’s creativity. The Black Tower set, comprising a tune written by Ewen paired with a piece based on ancient legend and geography written by Mischa MacPherson, offers another way to appreciate how well these artists use instrument and voice both tell story..
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<p>The tunes are equally engaging. In addition to that first tune in The Black Tower set, listen out especially for the reel Creamery Cross, named by Ryan for a place near his mother’s home in County Clare in Ireland, and for The Loop, a set of three tunes, one from Ryan, one from Gary, and another from piper Peter Morrison of the Peatbog Fairies.
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<p>There is a set of Puirt, a song in Gaelic about a ridiculous pair of trousers, a tune in tribute to a favourite surf beach, a Gaelic song from a poem by Ewen honoring the tradition fo planting saplings for those who are gone too young, a song in English celebrating connection across distance, and other musical adventures to explore..
<p>To draw things to a close, the band chose Griogal Chride. This is lament dating to 1570. Again it shows the fine way Manran works as a band to honour music and story, briging together ideas they’ve been sharing across the music on the album, with excellent playing and a memorable lead vocal from KIm.
<p><b>The McDades: <a href="https://themcdades.bandcamp.com/album/the-empress" target="_blank"> The Empress </a></b>
<p> <a href="https://themcdades.com/" target="_blank"> The McDades </a> well know how to honour story through their music, too.
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3e3meIJxNnh7OYP62E-vADckVAA7G3cSJpEBycy2ZHcPbQJ6ZxkgHalRTAMDSDb1gdtq4mtGwQ8-i1TjEAFf2EcOG9n9xwX0DXImN3P1hvBuTRUa6G5Vt3YzQBjZhp4YEVfeYcfTT-fukgBVd9wNVJbgpva-bIfMpORjsIzatjxnmE9K563Q/s1440/277996404_10159776580659399_281883866626949274_n.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1177" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3e3meIJxNnh7OYP62E-vADckVAA7G3cSJpEBycy2ZHcPbQJ6ZxkgHalRTAMDSDb1gdtq4mtGwQ8-i1TjEAFf2EcOG9n9xwX0DXImN3P1hvBuTRUa6G5Vt3YzQBjZhp4YEVfeYcfTT-fukgBVd9wNVJbgpva-bIfMpORjsIzatjxnmE9K563Q/s320/277996404_10159776580659399_281883866626949274_n.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>The heart of the band are brothers Jeremiah McDade, whose instruments are whistles, guitar, bansuri, saxophone, and and vocals, and Solon McDade who is on bass and vocals, and sister Shannon Johnson, whose instruments are fiddle and voice. Alongside the siblings are musical friends Andy Hillhouse on guitar and vocals and Eric Breton cajon, darbouka, and other percussion.
<p>The McDades are known for being based in Celtic tradition and for drawing on other styles on genres for inspiration and exploration.
<p>That’s true of what they offer on The Empress.
<p>You will find, for example, a lively version of the traditional song Willie Reilly.. It finds Shannon telling the tale about star crossed lovers and a man’s day in court with her lead vocals, alongside creative and fast paced percussion and instrumental backing.
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<p>The energy continues and picks up pace a bit with the original tune The Oak, Ivy and Ash, which may well have you up and dancing, or at least, tapping your feet as you listen.
<p>Sundown, written by fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot, is a classic of contemporary folk song. It stands up well to treatment by the McDades which both honours that aspect of the song and intersperses the verses with breaks which include jazz flavored saxophone lines.
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<p>Blues and jazz come into play as The McDades offer a haunting cover of Plain Gold Ring, which was written in the 1950s by Jack Hammer. They head back into Celtic direction at first with the title track The Empress, but if you want to name other genres The McDades include in their music, you will find several of those in the tune as well.
<p>About that title, The Empress? There are reasons behind the choice.
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<p>The heart of the band is the collaboration among Jeremiah, Solon, and Shannon. In the tarot, The Empress is the third card, meant to represent power and productivity of the subconscious, and said to open doors for creative and artistic energy. The band points out in press material about the album that they were drawn to these ideas, to the symbolism of the number 3, and to connections to the ideas of creativity growth, and expression.
<p>With both of these albums, you will find stories directly and indirectly drawn from earlier times. You will find instrumental creations and collaborations as complex as any you’ll find in classical or jazz. Engaging and expressive singing carries the stories and traditions forward as well.
<p>Manran and The McDades each offer material for inspiration, reflection and celebration -- musical journeys well worth the taking.
<p>You may also wish to see
<br>Urar was produced by Calum MacCrimmon. You will know him as a member of <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2019/08/scotlands-music-breabach-frenzy-of.html" target="_blank"> Breabach </a>
<br>Ewen Henderson has a solo album out <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/08/scotlands-music-stealltorrent-from-ewen.html" target="_blank"> Steall/Torrent. </a>
<br>Kim Carnie is also lead singer withe the band Staran. Learn about <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2021/07/scotlands-music-staran.html" target="_blank"> Staran’s debut album </a> Kim has a solo album out soon as well, bout which more to come.
<br>An earlier album from The McDades, <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2008/06/now-playing-mcdades-bloom.html" target="_blank"> Bloom </a>
<br>Shannon Johnson has produced many of Maria Dunn’s albums, including the <a href="https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2021/06/02/character-travel-place-music/" target="_blank"> Juno winning Joyful Banner Blazing. </a> Jeremiah and Solon play on this and other of Maria’s albums as well.
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-12780847594201789652022-05-26T09:17:00.010-04:002023-12-04T10:08:47.723-05:00Scotland's music: Light is in the Horizon from Eddi Reader<p>Eddi Reader is a Scot through and through.
<p>Her work in the songs of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, is some of the best you’ll hear.
<p>Reader is also an artist sure in her own creativity, sure enough to explore and put her own stamp on music from whatever source draws her interest.
<p>As her performing background has included the top charting rock hit Perfect (when she was with Fairground Attraction), busking many sorts of music on the streets of France as well as in her native Glasgow, performing with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and performing the songs of Burns with classical orchestral backing, yes, she has the skill and adventurous spirit to take on a wide range of music.
<p>She also has the voice, and focus, to make her own contributions, as a songwriter and as an arranger of folk songs, as well as the insight to make interesting choices from known and lesser known music across many styles and eras.
<p> <a href="https://eddireader.co.uk/music/light-is-in-the-horizon/" target="_blank"> Light is in the Horizon </a> is a gathering of twelve tracks in which you will find all this.
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<p>There are songs you are sure to know. Fools Rush In is one of those.
<p>There are others that you will know, or not, depending on your listening tastes and to some extent where you live or grew up. Mary Skeffington, written by Gerry Rafferty, is one of those.
<p>There are songs from the 1940s -- Beneath the Lights of Home for example -- and recent music including a song from Reader’s longtime musical collaborator Boo Hewerdine, called I Thought It Was You.
<p>Reader’s own songs stand well in such company. She shows a fine, thoughtful, and varied touch with both word and melody in songs including Auld House and Argyll. For the title track, Light is in the Horizon, she drew inspiration and adapted language from a short poem by Thomas Moore.
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<p>Reader has a clear way of making music her own, adding to the sprit of a piece whilst staying true to it.
<p>If there’s a theme through the songs on <a href="https://eddireader.bandcamp.com/album/light-is-in-the-horizon-2022/" target="_blank"> Light is in the Horizon </a> it is ideas of hope, and of connection.
<p>A collection of fine songs, indeed. it is.
<p>Eddi Reader’s voice, and her way of inhabiting character and story with it, are also throughlines in this collection, and indeed all of her music.
<p>That there are such throughlines and connections is all the more interesting when you learn that these twelve songs were not thought of as a collection at first. They were out-takes, outliers if you will, from other projects.
<p>Though they are not named with individual songs, you will find that Reader is backed by many musicians who've joined her in the past, among them John McCusker,Charlie Bessa-Reader, Ewen Vernal, John Douglas, Ian Carr, Alison Freegard, and Phil Cunningham.
<p>Here is what Eddi writes about how Light is in the Horizon came to be:
<p>“These songs were left behind from the recording sessions of my last two albums. While they didn’t find their way onto those collections, they have been insisting on being heard by you.
<p>“Gathering them together has been a joy, and now I have the opportunity to share them with you.
<p>”Hope and light is in the horizon always...”
<p>You may also wish to see
<br> <a href="https://eddireader.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Eddi Reader’s website </a>
<br> Eddi Reader’s album <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2019/02/scotlands-music-eddi-reader-cavalier.html" target="_blank"> Cavalier </a>
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2009/02/eddi-reader-sings-more-of-songs-of.html" target="_blank"> Eddi Reader Sings the Songs of Robert Burns
</a>
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2010/06/julie-fowlisuam.html" target="_blank"> Uam from Julie Fowlis,,
</a> on which Eddi joins Julie for the song Wind and Rain, sung in both Gaelic and English
<p><i>Photograph of Eddi Reader in performance at Celtic Connections in Glasgow by Kery Dexter. Thank you for respecting copyright.</i>
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-30438943425158060812022-04-09T08:11:00.002-04:002023-12-04T13:18:03.510-05:00Spell Songs II: Let the Light In<p>The drift of a leaf in autumn wind, the flutter of a moth's wings as evening fades to night. The half glimpsed movement of an animal just out of view, the call of a jay, the swirl of swifts against the sky -- these connections with nature frame our days.
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<p>Even if you have always lived in cities, you know and feel some of these things, don’t you?
<p><b>Reflection on the varied connections between humankind and nature, and the ways those are changing</b>, are part of what inspired the music of the album <a href="https://folkbytheoak.ticketsrv.co.uk/tickets/12" target="_blank"> Spell Songs II: Let the Light In. </a>
<p>It is the second album from the group which has become known as the Spell Songs Singers: <b>Jim Molyneux, Kris Drever, Beth Porter, Julie Fowlis, Rachel Newton, Seckou Keita, and Karine Polwart.</b>
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<p><b>The musicians in turn drew inspiration from the art of Jackie Morris and the words of Robert Macfarlane.</b> We’ll get to a bit of background on how that came about. First, though, <b>consider what the musicians create on Spell Songs ii.</b>
<p>There are fifteen songs on the album, with each musician taking a turn or two at lead voice, and working in creative collaboration with harmony and instrument through the others.
<p>They each play as well and sing -- Porter on cello, Molyneux on keyboards, Drever and Powart on guitar, Keita on kora, Newton on harp, Fowlis on whistles. Those are their main instruments, though each often takes out othersas well, Fowlis taking up the oboe, for instance, Newton moving over to fiddle, Polwat picking up bass.
<p>That may begin to give you ideas of the musical complexity on offer; it is complexity in service of creativity, though. That comes through in the singing, and in the writing that formed the words and music.
<p>Some songs come directly from Macfarlane’s poetry, others go in directions sparked by his words and Morris’s art onto different paths. <b>Each of the artists is rooted in music which respects tradition, be that tradition of England, Scotland, or Senegal. Each of those traditions meet at points along the way in the music of Spell Songs II.</b>
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<p>Polwart begins the journey taking lead on the slightly spooky Bramble. Nature is not always kind and often mysterious, an idea that continues as Fowlis follows with the haunting song Saint Kilda Wren, in Gaelic.
<p>In Oak, Drever offers stories of the long lived tree, living its life for centuries as human cone and go, and connect with its wood for “the wheel that makes the seasons turn/the the beasts that shelter in the barn/the table that we sing around/ the casket we put in the ground,” and in many other ways. There is dimension from a verse from Keita’s sung in Mandinka, and from the other singers adding backing harmonies.
<p>In each of these tracks and all others on the recording, the musician singing lead gives his or her own character to anchor the song. Spell Songs is very much a band project, though, in creation and in execution, as <b>each musician’s work is supported and enhanced by contributions from the others</b>.
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<p>That is true for each of the songs. One especially good place to hear it is in the song Swifts. Rachel Newton’s voice soars and swirls as do the named birds, while Drever adds second lead voice and each of the others contributes as well.
<p>Seckou Keita brings a bluesy call and response idea to the presence of a familiar bird in Jay. Beth Porter’s lively take in the song Daisy readily evokes daisy chains and “tiny suns turned skyward,” while Jim Molyneux offers wistful, bittersweet melody and words to evoke the coming and going of swallows.
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<p>There are more such gems on the recording -- <b>each of the songs is well worth repeated listening</b>, in fact.
<p>Plant life comes in for more musical discussion as Porter reflects on pushing one’s way through tangled gorse, and through challenges.
<p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAI9BOhtk9aoFJra_-nuuc_-ZzGzn_NxepmGo2LUdLn0bFBloMV5-jIR49Hdn91ExGG0H3FxqKYDnj89NNrACabTwKqnOXlQqDDysJnzDv-iqra4MYBQc74_s-a4hx838oWF3RXQjAqeKxJc3Lb4sRcBpIIB3dNzP2yKVjemzLO2836XWklbg/s685/lsgorse1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="685" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAI9BOhtk9aoFJra_-nuuc_-ZzGzn_NxepmGo2LUdLn0bFBloMV5-jIR49Hdn91ExGG0H3FxqKYDnj89NNrACabTwKqnOXlQqDDysJnzDv-iqra4MYBQc74_s-a4hx838oWF3RXQjAqeKxJc3Lb4sRcBpIIB3dNzP2yKVjemzLO2836XWklbg/s400/lsgorse1.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>Fowlis takes lead on on the wintery, eerie Bird of the Blizzard, which evokes snow, ice, and change, and reminds that nature is facing change, some of it devastating.
<p>Polwart gives another view of nature with the song Thrift, in which persistence of the seashore plant is a reminder to dig in and hang on as hardships arise.
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<p>That idea of nature dealing with change faces the fox, lead actor as Kris Drever sings Red Is Your Art. Working and living just as the margins of human life and the natural word change these days, the fox poses the question, when I am gone, when I am driven out, will you think it was worth it?
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<p>That is an idea that frames creativity here. <b>As Fowlis sings in Bird of the Blizzard, there’s “a map made of wonder, that tracks what is fading” and “memory’s keeper is you.”</b>
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<p>That is a idea that resonates with the fox’s query in Red Is Your Art, the persistence in Gorse and Thrift, the long lasting Oak.
<p>It turns up as well as the thoughts Julie, Karine, and Seckou offer in Barn Owl, as they intertwine words in in Gaelic, Scots, and Mandinka on the themes of, as Karine sings it “Tak nae mair nor ye need (take no more than you need).” As indeed owls flying by night do in their travels.
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<p>In differing ways Moth, with Karine in lead, and Curlew from Rachel both honour and suggest change in nature and in our own lives, and in ways direct and indirect, the persistence of hope as well.
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<p>Fowlis takes lead on the closer, a song called Silver Birch, which draws together ideas from this recording and references a bit to the first Spell Songs album, as well.
<p>Snow is falling, my silver-seeker;
<br>soon the path will be lost to sight,
<br>soon the day the day will give way
<p>Fowlis sings. Later, though, she continues
<p>The sun is rising, my silver-seeker <br>warms the pines, and breathes the larches
<br>...Soon the blackbird will take her flight.
<p>As promised, a bit more <b>background to the Spell Songs projects and how they came to be</b>:
<p>Several years back, artist Jackie Morris learned that a number of words. most to do with nature, were to be dropped from a popular children’s dictionary where she lived in the UK. She decided to create a <b>book of paintings that would honour these words and the nature they represented</b>. She contacted nature writer Robert Macfarlane to see if he’d write an introduction for such a book. He came back withe idea, What if I wrote poems to go along with the paintings, <b>spells to call words and nature back</b>, so to speak?
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<p>The book the Lost Spells was born. Eventually presenters at the Folk by the Oak Festival in England had the idea to bring together artists they knew had an interest in nature to create music based on these ideas. The first Spell Songs album came to be. Later Morris and Macfarlane collaborated on a second book, called The Lost Spells. and so, a second album, Spell Songs II:Let the LIght In, came about. Morris, by the way, often joins the singers on stage, creating paintings live as they sing.
<p><i>Photographs of the Spell Songs artists in performance at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall during Celtic Connections by Gaelle Beri, courtesy of Innes Campbell Communications.</i>
<p>You may also wish to see.
<br>Learn about the <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-lost-words-spell-songs.html" target="_blank"> first Spell Songs recording, </a>
<br>About the second book from Morris and Macfarlane,<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-lost-spells-book-images-stories.html" target="_blank"> The Lost Spells </a>
<br>Laws of Motion from<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2019/07/scotlands-music-laws-of-motion-from.html" target="_blank"> Karine Polwart </a>
<br>Alterum from<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/04/scotlands-music-julie-fowlis-alterum.html" target="_blank">Julie Fowlis </a>
<b><p>--> Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
<p><p>You can also <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a>Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-50088569667962843852022-04-06T11:40:00.015-04:002024-03-02T08:36:56.934-05:00Scotland's Landscapes in Music, from Kenneth I. MacKenzie and Niteworks Band<p>Scotland’s landscapes and stories inspire many sorts of creativity. Consider two rather different aspects of that, in recordings from Kenneth I. MacKenzie and the band Niteworks.
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<p>MacKenzie’s background is in pipe bands, with which he has played in such varied locations as Hong Kong, Norway, Denmark, and the United States. Among other things, he played on one of the best selling pipe band albums of all time, Amazing Grace from the Toyota Pipes and Drums.
<p>Kenny is also well known as a composer of tunes. That is well to the fore on his album <a href="https://caberfeidhmusic.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"> Glendrian </a>, where most of the tunes in the twelve set offering are original. In addition to Highland pipes, he brings in his other instruments: digital chanter, harmonica, and low whistle.
<p>The tunes, which include reels, waltzes. slow airs, marches, hornpipes and lament, are thoughtfully sequenced and well presented. They draw on people, places, and circumstances from Scotland’s Highlands and Islands, and are in most cases named in ways to honour them... including a reel called Granny Bheag’s Pancakes.
<p>There are dashes of humour in the playing, as well as reflective pieces.
<p>There’s a 4/4 March in tribute to Gaelic singer Alasdair Gillies, and a slow air which Kenny composed for his wife on her first visit to his family home. You can almost see the dancers swirling across the floor to Rhona’s Waltz, or taking faster steps to Karen’s Jig.
<p>There is that lament, the title track Gelndrian. That came from a a landscape with which Kenny has family connection. It is the named for a settlement in Ardnamurchan, in Lochaber. No one lives there now. Kenny wrote the music reflecting on lives lived there and what that may have been like.
<p>“Music and a love of playing is at the heart of Glendrian, and it’s been a joy to play in my own style and to create and share new tunes that cherish a traditional feel,” Kenny says.
<p>His first recording in almost twenty years, Glendrian is a collection of music by a composer and player who has a clear sighted view of what he wishes to say with his music, and how to say it best. His love of landscapes and people of the Highlands and Islands comes clear with no need for words.
<p>MacKenzie’s vision centers the album, and he is well supported by Will Marshall on piano, accordion, and arrangement, Marie Fielding on fiddle, Donald Black on tremolo harmonica, Rory Grindlay on drums, and Tom Oakes on acoustic guitar and flute.
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<p>The men of the band Niteworks have been inspired and nutured by the dual and often contrasting landscapes and sounds of Skye, where they grew up, and the buzzing and busy city and club scne of Glasgow, to which they moved.
<p>They have always worked to put these together in their music since they first formed the band almost fifteen years ago now.
<p>For their third album, <a href="https://niteworksband.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"> A’ Ghrian, </a> they’ve really matured into their sound creatively and musically, finding the sometimes elusive balance of respecting tradition while moving it forward in connection with other styles.
<p>Part of that has come through the years Alan MacDonald on pipes, bassist Christopher Nicholson, Innes Strachan on keys and synths, and dummer Ruairdih Graham have worked together, and part of it has come through musical challenges they’ve accepted along the way.
<p>“With this album we’ve sought to create a more expansive sound that’s cinematic in nature,” Graham explains. They were commissioned to write music for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Farewell 2020 film. That was a project which required them to reflect and create musically on what that year had been like, a timer of hardship and unexpected change for many. “The nature of the project required broad expansive sounds, and that led to us going further in that direction in the writing and recording of this album,” Graham says.
<p>That approach works. The music is well sequenced, too, with a mix of traditional and original adventurous tunes bracketing equally adventurous song. Niteworks have also invited along Laura Wilkie, Fiona MacAskill, and Aileen Reid of KInnaris Quintet along with Susan Applebee to add strings to the sound.
<p>The men of Niteworks do not sing themselves, but rather invite a range of guests to contribute. They have included Gaelic singers on earlier albums, and some of the same singers return for this one. Further along the lines of expanding vision for their music, though, they have for the first time invited singers in English and Scots to join in.
<p>The three women who make up the trio Sian return with their well honed Gaelic harmonies for a a track, while Alasdair Whyte brings strong and soulful presence to another song. Sian band member Ellen MacDonald does a solo turn joining on Gura Mise tha fo Eislein.
<p>The men of Niteworks came across a recording of the English folk song John Riley by folk legend Joan Baez. They were taken with the melody and wanted to make it their own, inviting Beth Malcolm along to sing the song in English. It’s a song you may know, from the Joan Baez version or the many recordings and sessions in which it turns up. In the hands of Beth Malcom and Niteworks, it turns into a John Riley you’ve likely not heard before, true to the story and its tradition while taking these in new directions.
<p>Hannah Rarity brings Scots to the mix with a graceful take on the song Gloomy Winter. There is a turn of season, so to speak, and a return to Gaelic as Kathleen MacInnes brings an equally thoughtful and graceful performance to the title track A’ Ghrian.
<p><b>As much as their approaches differ, Kenneth I. MacKenzie and Niteworks share love of the landscapes and sounds of Scotland past and present, and express that through their music.</b>
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<p>You may also wish to see
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/11/three-from-scotland-music-without-words.html" target="_blank"> Three from Scotland,</a> which includes Marie Fielding’s album The Spectrum Project
<br> At Wandering Educators <a href="https://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/music-month-transitions" target="_blank"> Music for a Month of Transitions, </a> in which you can find a video of the title track of Glendrian
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/scotlands-music-sarah-jane-summers-solo.html" target="_blank"> Solo from Sarah-Jane Summers, </a> who offers another creative way to take tradition forward
<br>Song in English and Irish as well as tunes <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2020/09/irelands-music-thar-toinn-seaborne-from.html" target="_blank"> Thar Toin/Seabourne, </a> from Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
<p><i>Photographs by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/ebor-10853241/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5752716">Paul Edney</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5752716">Pixabay,</a> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/andrewmurray-5500265/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2356951">Andrew Murray</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2356951">Pixabay,</a> and by Kerry Dexter</i>
<b><p>-->Music Road is reader supported . Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
<p>Another way to support: you could <a href='https://ko-fi.com/P5P3RTYH3' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi1.png?v=3' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a>Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-64197473506121309572022-03-05T14:56:00.003-05:002024-03-02T08:38:39.023-05:00Ireland's music: Day Is Come from The Alt<p>Stories told through song: that is one thing the three musician who are the trio The Alt love and have in common.
<p>They are great at telling stories through tunes -- music with no words-- as well.
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<p>As well they should be, as each of the three musicians -- John Doyle, Nuala Kennedy, and Eamon O’Leary -- have flourishing careers with other music projects. They also like the music and sound the create when they have the chance to get together. Hence, The Alt.
<p><a href="http://www.thealtmusic.com/albums" target="_blank"> Day Is Come </a> is their second recording together. On it, you will find a lively journey of song in both English and Irish, along with class tunes, some original and some drawn from traditional sources.
<p>All three sing, and well know how to handle lead voice as well as support others. O’Leary plays bouzouki and harmonium on the recording, Doyle adds his own touch on bouzouki as well as playing guitar, mandola, keyboards, and bodhran, and Kennedy plays whistles and flutes. Guest fiddlers Marius Pibaret and Kevin Burke sit on several tracks.
<p>Each of the ten tracks on the album is well worth repeated listening, as is the story as the artists have sequenced it. That said, several to listen out for especially include
<p>Ta Na La/Day Is Come is an Irish language song, a cheerful drinking song at that. The trio offer it in a version known in Oriel, the ancient medieval area on the east coast of Ireland of which Nuala’s home town of Dundalk is part. As is fitting for that, Nuala’s light and lively voice leads the vocals after a short intro on the flute. The men join in on the choruses and their strings add sparkle to the vocals and join the flute for instrumental breaks framing the verses.
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<p>For the The Willow Tree, O’Leary takes lead voice. It’s a song in English by the scholar, singer, and songwriter Padraigin Ni Uallachain, whose music you have met here along the Music Road several times. It’s a reflective love song grounded in Irish landscape, which sounds as though it could have come from centuries back rather than being a contemporary piece. Harmonium and guitar weave a journey around O’Leary’s warm baritone and the graceful backing of Doyle’s tenor and Kennedy’s soprano. Kevin Burke joins on fiddle.
<p>The Connaught Rangers has lyrics from a poem by Winifred M. Letts, set to music composed by John Doyle. The three musicians sing unaccompanied, with John’s strong tenor taking lead on lyrics which are a lament for those from Ireland who served in World War I. It is a fine way to hear just how good their harmonies are, and how well the three musicians work together.
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<p>You’ll do well to listen to each of the other tracks as well, which include a lively song in Irish which Nuala often sings to her young children, fine harmonies from Nuala and John backing Eamon’s lead on Paddy’s Land along with great playing from all three, two sets of tunes which mix originals from Kennedy and Doyle with tunes from the tradition, and a great version of the Child ballad Flower of Northumberland with Nuala on lead.
<p><a href="http://www.thealtmusic.com/albums" target="_blank"> Day Is Come </a> has no shortage of lively music, but through all that there’s a reflective, feeing, somewhat quieter in feeling than their first album. That John Doyle, Eamon O’Leary, and Nuala Kennedy created this outstanding collaboration during constraints on travel and connection is testament to their resilience and creativity as well as their musicianship.
<p>Day Is Come is lasting music, with music to tap your feet or step along to,, to sing with, to enjoy quietly. Stories of Ireland well told in music indeed
<p>You may also wish to see
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/music-of-ireland-songs-of-scribe.html" target="_blank"> Songs of the Scribe </a> from Padraigin Ni Uallachain
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2021/03/irelands-music-john-doyle-path-of-stones.html" target="_blank"> The Path of Stones </a> from John Doyle
<br><a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2015/04/irelands-music-alt.html" target="_blank"> The Alt, </a> the trio’s first album, self titled
<br>A bit about<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2016/03/irelands-music-four-albums-to-explore.html" target="_blank"> Nuala Kennedy’s album Behave the Bravest</a> along with three other albums you may enjoy...
<b><p>-->Music Road is reader supported . Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
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Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30204729.post-33597324431896822542022-01-11T13:21:00.001-05:002022-01-11T13:21:42.285-05:00Scotland's Music: Bruce MacGregor: The Road to Tyranny<p>Highland landscape, history, story, family, friendship -- those are things on which Bruce MacGregor draws for the tunes he has composed for his album The Road to Tyranny. A touch of politics, too, as the title would suggest.
<p>You may know MacGregor as founder and driving force of the top band Blazin’ Fiddles, as presenter of BBC Scotland’s Travelling Folk, as book author, as partner in MacGregor’s Bar in Inverness, as co-host of the ongoing online sessions Live at Five, and from other projects.
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<p>All that goes to explain why it has taken a while for MacGregor to get around to making his second solo album. Twenty years, in fact.
<p>That may also explain why the first track on The Road to Tyranny is anchored in family. The tunes are called Josh’s 2 Secs/ Jo De Sylva --a force of nature/ Short and Simple/Roddy MacGregor. It’s a lively set which references MacGregor’s son Josh, his wife Jo, a joking comment from a friend about the fiddler himself, and his son Roddy’s football career.
<p>The lively tunes allow MacGregor to show off his skill and love for the fast paced aspects of fiddle music, and to bring in equally lively contributions from musical friends who will join in elsewhere on the album as well. Anna Massie and Angus Lyon, who are also part of Blazin’ Fiddles, bring in guitar and keyboards, respectively. Duncan Lyall and Ian Sandilands hold down the rhythm section with double bass and percussion, and Ali Levack adds his whistle to the mix.
<p>As much as MacGregor can write blazing and engaging fast pieces, he well knows how to create moving airs and waltzes as well. One such piece of music is called Essich. It is inspired, MacGregor says, by the beauty fo the area in the Highlands near Inverness where he was brought up. Another Blazin’ Fiddler, Jenna Reid, wrote the string parts, which she performs along with renown cellist Su-a Lee, with Lyon, Sandilands, and Lyall returning for the piece as well.
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<p>There’s a fine variation between faster and slower pieces through the recording. Co-producers Massie and Lyon no doubt had a hand in that sequencing.
<p> Annie’s Waltz, written to help a fan mark her 80th birthday, is also on the album. MacGregor along with Anna Massie and Jenna Reid, play the tune at Celtic Connections. On The Road to Tyranny, Tim Edy takes the guitar part.
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/awqkomnRQRo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>“The tunes have been inspired by the people, the places, and the adventures I’ve been lucky enough to experience over the years,” MacGregor says. “There’s airs, jigs, strathspeys, reels, and marches as you’d expect, but then there’s other tunes...which don’t really fit into any of the usual categories -- they’re just catchy tunes.”
<p>That ability to hear, understand, compose, and play catchy tunes of many sorts was honed as MacGregor was growing up by study with the late Highland fiddle master player and maker Donald Riddell. MacGrgegor’s time touring, travelling, and teaching across the world with Blazin’ Fiddles and researching the varied music he presents on radio have likely played a part in those abilities as well.
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<p>On the fourteen track album one of those catchy tunes is Doddie’s Dream. It is dedicated to former Scottish rugby champion Doddie Weir, who is living with motor neurone disease, for which there is as yet no cure. The tune was recorded by Blazin’ Fiddles along with Aly Bain, Nicola Benedetti, Phil Cunningham, Sharon Shannon, and Julie Fowlis joining in for a track that was released to raise money for MND research. It raised thousands of pounds while rising to number nine rank in the UK charts. On this recording, It appears as a paired back version with just fiddle and piano, a quiet piece that evokes the beauty of the Highlands.
<p>There are other gems to enjoy on the fourteen track album. as MacGregor and his musical companions lead what one might think of as a journey through those Highlands, from fast paced ceilidh to quiet star filled night, from jig to strathspey to waltz to air. Tom Gibbs adds clarinet on two tracks. Tim Edey brings in both box and guitar in several places, and the players named above each return to add their gifts to more tunes along the way.
<p>It is Bruce McGregor’s presence and creativity as composer and as player which anchor the recording. As both of those, and as collaborator with gifted musical friends , he has created a project to remember and to enjoy with repeated listenings.
<p><i>Photograph of moor;and above Essich by <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/77838" target="_blank"> Jennifer Jones; </a> photography of Bruce MacGregor courtey of the artist; photograph of Blazin' Fiddles at Celtic Connections by Kerry Dexter, made with permission</i>
<p> You may also wish to see
<br><a href="https://www.brucemacgregor.scot/" target="_blank"> Bruce MacGregor </a> website
<br><a href="https://www.blazinfiddles.com/home" target="_blank"> Blazin’ Fiddles
</a> website
<br> Learn about an album from another Scottish fiddle player and composer who also studied with Donald Riddell<a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/scotlands-music-sarah-jane-summers-solo.html" target="_blank"> Solo from Sarah-Jane Summers
</a>
<br>More fiddle music to explore: <a href="https://musicroad.blogspot.com/2021/09/now-more-than-ever-katie-mcnally-trio.html" target="_blank"> Now More Than Ever from the Katie McNally Trio,
</a>
<b><p>-->Your support for Music Road is welcome and needed. If you are able to chip in, <a href="https://paypal.me/kerrydexter" target="_blank"> here is a way to do that, </a> through PayPal. Note that you do not have to have a PayPal account to do this. Thank you.</b>
Kerry Dexterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16024934410964947306noreply@blogger.com0