We've had this pleasure repeatedly in our lives, including the music of the Maritimes, Cape Breton and surrounds, and the traditions of the North in Europe, Darlana, etc., and not forgetting workshops and camps where you're caught up in the buzz of it, and wedding marches, and ~ Irish, Scottish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, French - - - but on the whole 'live', and not complaining about that, never. But, we have almost nothing of this on recording, aside from a few bits. We're also aware of the worst examples of this, the 'orchestras', which can be pretty lame and mechanical. But we appreciate a good buzz, along with also having a great appreciation for one instrument all on its own.
This buzz is one of my wife's favourite memories and ways with the music, from duet fiddle playing, such as that of Northern Europe (collectively refered to as 'Scandinavia'), to the collective buzz of 'The Cape Breton Fiddlers Association' back on the island. We love it, but we've also been buzzed by mass viel-a-roux too, and one is a considerable buzz on it's own, AND ~ my wife loves the nyckleharpa too.
Any recommended purchases of such a buzz on record are welcome here, including of the nyckleharpa ~ any similar buzz. I'd like to get some choice listens for her in the near future, birthdays and Christmas and just for the hell of it.
So, what's your favourite recording of two or more fiddles or similar buzz en masse?
My brother picked up this CD for me as an impulse Christmas present when he heard I was taking up the violin again and had an interest in trad.
"Fiddlesticks - Irish Traditional Music from Donegal " Nimbus Records 1991. It features players such as Tommy Peoples, Seamus Gibson, Proinsias O Maonaigh, Mairead ni Mhaonaigh, Paula Doohan, Liz Doherty, Ciaran Tourish, Seamus and Kevin Glackin and Dermot McLaughlin playing together. Nineteen tracks of well-known session tunes.
I've listened to it a lot in the last few years and keep coming back to it.
We've also enjoyed the buzz of a session with six or more fiddlers giving it bow together. I love watching and feeling the different moves and sometimes synchronized swimming of bows en masse...
lots of good suggestions already, but I'd add all of the Buttons and Bows CDs (but especially the one with Waltz from Orsa) and the last two Celtic Fiddle Festival CDs (they're all good, but I like the quebecois tunes on those)
The harper from Fiddler's Bid, Catriona McKay, has a new CD just out with Harp and nyckleharpa. It's called "Foogy". I think it's available on cdbaby.com. I've just heard bits and pieces, but I love Catriona's work.
If you love finnish music, there's JPP : 5 fiddles, double bass and harmonium, playing delicious finnish tangos (finland is the second country in the world for tangos, after Argentian, of course...).
But one of my great pleasure was to come by a tv broadcast (BBC, I think...) including the 100 fiddlers of Balir Castle, Scotalnd, playing with Yehudi Menuhin. great stuff, and a very humble Menuhin, telling the fiddlers their music was wonderful, and that he himself could play Bethoven quite well, but wouldn't be able to play a reel or a strathspey with the punch those fiddlers had... a great lesson of humility. Unfortunately, I don't have the references of that particular program... maybe if someone on this site has it ??? (hope, hope !)...
YouTube: BASSIONA AMOROSA - HUMMELFLUG ~ I do like a big fiddle ~ great fun!!! And look at those pipes behind them, in perspective, whew! We would have loved to have attended that concert.
Kenny's suggestion, track 6, second tune: "The Golden Hashpipe"!? ~ I'll have to see if that's still available somewhere.
"Star Above the Garter" is a long time favourite... We also enjoy the Celtic Fiddle recordings. In our past we've had good fun with Finnish music and dance, so those suggestions will be chased up with the rest.
An old favourite group, which we had the pleasure of sharing music and dance with but for which we sadly haven't any of their several commercial recordings, was the Swedish group "Forsmark III", great buzz, life and lift, with reed organ... I start to remember the several collections of vinyl I'd built up over time and then donated ~ to good causes, I hoped...
Nicholas, our Shetland listens, here, are limited to only a few CDs at the moment. Yes to that though, the great buzz of playing Shetland music together, heaven...even more so as you forget how badly you're playing, at least in our case, because most everybody else was quite capable, especially the locals...
6 fiddles, cello and double bass ~ this is one of several recommended that I've no doubt she'd love, but, like the other I'd hoped to chase up, 40 fiddlers, neither are available on CD, sigh...
Sorry Kenny, that one, "The Bowhouse Quintet", isn't really what catches her, though the Brenda Stubbert tune is a melody that in any situation makes the heart strings hum. We immediately chased up that recording and had a listen, a couple of times through ~ interesting, if not quite the kind of buzz being sought... 40 fiddlers or the 6 fiddles of "Archetype" would definitely be the kind of buzz she loves, and probably also the Finnish recommendations, definitely the Nycklharpa. Thanks for all the recommendations.
Among other things chased up, I did also place an order for "Racket at the Rectory". A number of the other gems listed we already have. Again, go raibh ma'agat....
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more... ~ with some exceptions...
Of the other things listed here, great, but with regards to those just mentioned ~
Trusting slainte's recommendations I placed Ciarán Ó Maonaigh and Aidan O'Donnell's first album "Fidil" on order as a gift for my wife, and that finally arrived this week. It is all a matter of personal taste and opinion, but "Fidil" was such a disappointment that "Fidil 3" has now been removed from the the wish list... There's no doubting their talens, but this just didn't move my feet at all and I found it sloppy and disconnected. It's obvious they are having fun, but in that fun they've lost track of their roots in taking simple pleasure in daft things...
Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
We've had this pleasure repeatedly in our lives, including the music of the Maritimes, Cape Breton and surrounds, and the traditions of the North in Europe, Darlana, etc., and not forgetting workshops and camps where you're caught up in the buzz of it, and wedding marches, and ~ Irish, Scottish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, French - - - but on the whole 'live', and not complaining about that, never. But, we have almost nothing of this on recording, aside from a few bits. We're also aware of the worst examples of this, the 'orchestras', which can be pretty lame and mechanical. But we appreciate a good buzz, along with also having a great appreciation for one instrument all on its own.
This buzz is one of my wife's favourite memories and ways with the music, from duet fiddle playing, such as that of Northern Europe (collectively refered to as 'Scandinavia'), to the collective buzz of 'The Cape Breton Fiddlers Association' back on the island. We love it, but we've also been buzzed by mass viel-a-roux too, and one is a considerable buzz on it's own, AND ~ my wife loves the nyckleharpa too.
Any recommended purchases of such a buzz on record are welcome here, including of the nyckleharpa ~ any similar buzz. I'd like to get some choice listens for her in the near future, birthdays and Christmas and just for the hell of it.
So, what's your favourite recording of two or more fiddles or similar buzz en masse?
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
This:
http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/1567
But I presume you have it already!
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by tnoumarap
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
My brother picked up this CD for me as an impulse Christmas present when he heard I was taking up the violin again and had an interest in trad.
"Fiddlesticks - Irish Traditional Music from Donegal " Nimbus Records 1991. It features players such as Tommy Peoples, Seamus Gibson, Proinsias O Maonaigh, Mairead ni Mhaonaigh, Paula Doohan, Liz Doherty, Ciaran Tourish, Seamus and Kevin Glackin and Dermot McLaughlin playing together. Nineteen tracks of well-known session tunes.
I've listened to it a lot in the last few years and keep coming back to it.
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by sashiko calico
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
'Racket at the Rectory', with Liz Doherty and her students.
http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/2640
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by Here Lyeth
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Yes on the first two recommendations ~
~ at hand and definitely worthy of mention under this heading... The Liz Doherty one sounds like fun...
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
We've also enjoyed the buzz of a session with six or more fiddlers giving it bow together. I love watching and feeling the different moves and sometimes synchronized swimming of bows en masse...
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Bellevue Rendezvous are a great trio from Edinburgh with fiddle, nickelharpa and bouzouki:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFvYknHIfyk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsvfbShU7fE
http://www.myspace.com/bellevuerendezvous
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
For mass fiddlers there is always Fiddler's Bid, Blazin Fiddles and Session A9 - all great acts.
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Ciarán Ó Maonaigh and Aidan O'Donnell: Fidil
Watch them play the Gravel Walks: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.channel&ChannelID=378062681
"Birlin' Fiddles" is the best recording of a Scottish fiddle trio. http://www.footstompin.com/products/cds/birlin_fiddles They are much more exciting than Fiddlers Bid or Blazin' Fiddles.
Well, Sean Maguire could make a buzz just by himself.
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by slainte
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Sesh A9, quite some bunch and of all the multi fiddle bands, the best IMO.
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by Solidmahog
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Even if they are all scottish, although last time I listened to their live set there was some ITM in the mix. Also very good live.
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by Solidmahog
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Session A9 sounds too sophisticated to me...
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by slainte
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Here's my favorite- it's not ITM, not in the genre, and not even fiddles (well, my favorite kind of "fiddle")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doRrFGa4uzQ&feature=related
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Is that a band of leprechauns with fiddles?
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by skreech
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/1423
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by Kenny
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
ceol - I take it for granted you know the Forty Fiddlers album(s) from way back, the Shetland stuff.
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by nicholas
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Do you know the recordings of Childsplay? This is a group of fiddle players who all have fiddles made by Bob Childs.
I like the first one the best - Twelve Gated City.
http://www.digstation.com/albumdetails.aspx?albumID=ALB000031906
A good mix of Irish, Cape Breton, Scandinavian, etc...
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by John Culhane
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
That looks a great album Kenny. One of my favourite albums of all time was the Archetype album, a fantastic mix of fiddles, cello and double bass.
http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/2773
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Not an album, but there is "en masse" vielling going on there:
http://chantsdevielles.com/
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by Carabus
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
'Star Above the Garter'.
http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/1073
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by biggus dave
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
lots of good suggestions already, but I'd add all of the Buttons and Bows CDs (but especially the one with Waltz from Orsa) and the last two Celtic Fiddle Festival CDs (they're all good, but I like the quebecois tunes on those)
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by airport
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
also my favorite Finnish band Troka - look up "strommerschottis" in the itunes music store - phenomenal stuff...
# Posted on June 21st 2009 by airport
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
The harper from Fiddler's Bid, Catriona McKay, has a new CD just out with Harp and nyckleharpa. It's called "Foogy". I think it's available on cdbaby.com. I've just heard bits and pieces, but I love Catriona's work.
# Posted on June 22nd 2009 by nofrets
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
If you love finnish music, there's JPP : 5 fiddles, double bass and harmonium, playing delicious finnish tangos (finland is the second country in the world for tangos, after Argentian, of course...).
But one of my great pleasure was to come by a tv broadcast (BBC, I think...) including the 100 fiddlers of Balir Castle, Scotalnd, playing with Yehudi Menuhin. great stuff, and a very humble Menuhin, telling the fiddlers their music was wonderful, and that he himself could play Bethoven quite well, but wouldn't be able to play a reel or a strathspey with the punch those fiddlers had... a great lesson of humility. Unfortunately, I don't have the references of that particular program... maybe if someone on this site has it ??? (hope, hope !)...
# Posted on June 22nd 2009 by Nikita Pfister
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Thanks everbody, appreciated ~
And look at those pipes behind them, in perspective, whew! We would have loved to have attended that concert.
~ 
I'll have to see if that's still available somewhere.
YouTube: BASSIONA AMOROSA - HUMMELFLUG ~ I do like a big fiddle ~ great fun!!!
Kenny's suggestion, track 6, second tune: "The Golden Hashpipe"!?
"Star Above the Garter" is a long time favourite... We also enjoy the Celtic Fiddle recordings. In our past we've had good fun with Finnish music and dance, so those suggestions will be chased up with the rest.
An old favourite group, which we had the pleasure of sharing music and dance with but for which we sadly haven't any of their several commercial recordings, was the Swedish group "Forsmark III", great buzz, life and lift, with reed organ... I start to remember the several collections of vinyl I'd built up over time and then donated ~ to good causes, I hoped...
Nicholas, our Shetland listens, here, are limited to only a few CDs at the moment. Yes to that though, the great buzz of playing Shetland music together, heaven...even more so as you forget how badly you're playing, at least in our case, because most everybody else was quite capable, especially the locals...
# Posted on June 22nd 2009 by ceolachan
& "ringing strings"!!!
# Posted on June 22nd 2009 by ceolachan
Another great joy are the langdanses from the Faroe Islands, lovely stuff... One example:
Långdans Från Sollerön
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/8297
# Posted on June 22nd 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Nicholas ~ has the 40 fiddlers recording, LP, ever been released on CD?
# Posted on June 22nd 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Vinyl and vinyl again and no CDs, sigh...
"Archetype: Archetype"
http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/2773
6 fiddles, cello and double bass ~ this is one of several recommended that I've no doubt she'd love, but, like the other I'd hoped to chase up, 40 fiddlers, neither are available on CD, sigh...
Sorry Kenny, that one, "The Bowhouse Quintet", isn't really what catches her, though the Brenda Stubbert tune is a melody that in any situation makes the heart strings hum. We immediately chased up that recording and had a listen, a couple of times through ~ interesting, if not quite the kind of buzz being sought... 40 fiddlers or the 6 fiddles of "Archetype" would definitely be the kind of buzz she loves, and probably also the Finnish recommendations, definitely the Nycklharpa. Thanks for all the recommendations.
# Posted on June 22nd 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Since we're not restricting this to ITM, two cds from
http://www.oxfordfiddle.co.uk/
# Posted on June 23rd 2009 by TomB-R
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Anything by these guys - really great musicians:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsFhRtmOow8&feature=PlayList&p=5698A1CFBAB23969&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7
# Posted on June 23rd 2009 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Session A9 get my vote.
# Posted on June 23rd 2009 by bogman
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
5 fiddles with a bit of help . . .
'Cracking the Flags' (?) the Bridge Ceili Band
# Posted on June 23rd 2009 by Alancorsini
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
If its open to english nominations and there only need to be two fiddles Nick Wyke and Becky Driscoll get mine
http://www.englishfiddle.com/
# Posted on June 24th 2009 by greg sheils
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
Thanks all, much appreciated, that will add to consider for my wife's coming birthdays and Christmases and just for the shared love of it...
Also intended, visits to the Shetlands, the Faroes, the isles between Sweden & Finland, etc...
# Posted on July 2nd 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more...
This definitely does it ~ ***** !!!
"Fidil 3: Traditional Irish Fiddle Trio"
http://www.fidilmusic.com/Fidil/Intro__Fidil.html
http://www.fidilmusic.com/Fidil/3__Fidil.html
Among other things chased up, I did also place an order for "Racket at the Rectory". A number of the other gems listed we already have. Again, go raibh ma'agat....
# Posted on November 25th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Fiddles en masse ~ 2 or more... ~ with some exceptions...
Of the other things listed here, great, but with regards to those just mentioned ~
There's no doubting their talens, but this just didn't move my feet at all and I found it sloppy and disconnected. It's obvious they are having fun, but in that fun they've lost track of their roots in taking simple pleasure in daft things...
Trusting slainte's recommendations I placed Ciarán Ó Maonaigh and Aidan O'Donnell's first album "Fidil" on order as a gift for my wife, and that finally arrived this week. It is all a matter of personal taste and opinion, but "Fidil" was such a disappointment that "Fidil 3" has now been removed from the the wish list...
# Posted on November 30th 2009 by ceolachan