I happened to listen to some of her playing today after not doing so for quite awhile. She is clearly a brilliant player technically, but how far off the trad path has she gone/strayed?
She's long played all sorts of music. People who first hear her not as an Irish fiddler, but just as an eclectic musician, find no fault in her musicianship.
And she can still play pure drop trad as well as anyone. She just had broad tastes and the chops to play all of it. Not everyone's cuppa joe, but my hunch is that she's happy.
Yes she's moved on to incorporate other genre's of music in her playing but she's still one of the best trad players you'd ever want to hear---She has come by our seisun on occasion and she blows us all away---and...she's probably one of the nicest, most sincere people you'd ever want to meet! All the kids around here adore her too.
Eileen Ivers' 'Wild Blue' was the first solo fiddle recording I bought. I was blown away by it at the time. I suppose you could say it's no longer my 'cuppa joe' - too much froth and chocolate - but it drew me in strongly enough to want to find more, and I was ultimately led to the neat stuff. Years later, hearing a live recording of Eileen with (E. Coast) Seamus Egan at the Cork Folk Festival (track 1 on this CD http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/676), far though it may be from the pure drop, there's still something special happening there in her (and his) playing. There are scores of musicians consciously trying to bring outside influences into Trad, but, although her music might sometimes grate on my now more refined trad tastes, I can't think of many who carry it off as well as she does.
If you read my original message, I was not dissing her music, nor approving of it for that matter, just asking how much her music diverges from trad. I would be hard pressed to even define trad so the whole issue is kind of slippery for me...but that's why I defer to the wisdom of y'all.
I met her a few years ago...she's very down to earth and very nice. She play's that fiddle like it's a easy for her as drawing a breath...apparently she has found a "need" to expand her music. I'm not real fond of fusion music but I'll take her over the stuff Paddy Maloney does. Fair play to her I suppose...it would be nice if she'd treat us to a "pure drop" disc every now and then.
What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
I happened to listen to some of her playing today after not doing so for quite awhile. She is clearly a brilliant player technically, but how far off the trad path has she gone/strayed?
(I will run for cover now)
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by crazy_fingerz
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
I have no opinion, but your thread title sounds like Jerry Seinfeld: "What is the deal with airline food anyway?"
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
She's long played all sorts of music. People who first hear her not as an Irish fiddler, but just as an eclectic musician, find no fault in her musicianship.
And she can still play pure drop trad as well as anyone. She just had broad tastes and the chops to play all of it. Not everyone's cuppa joe, but my hunch is that she's happy.
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by Will CPT
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
SWFL -- good catch, 'twas intended
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by crazy_fingerz
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
LOL, another one of his I like: "Have you seen these people doing ___? Who ARE these people?"
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
Excellent musician.
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
Does she wear a poofey shirt.
I don't think she has to worry about shrinkage. ;o)
# Posted on June 19th 2008 by Bodhi
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
I think she's great. Perhaps my favorite fiddler. I tend to have more liberal, less "pure drop" tastes though.
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by rob_handel
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
I've never heard the expression 'cuppa joe' before.Cuppa rosie and cuppa char yes,but not that one.Where does it come from?
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by dafydd
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
Slang for "coffee" .
As in "Cuppa Java."
"Hava cuppa joe, soldier."
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by Rook
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
Yes she's moved on to incorporate other genre's of music in her playing but she's still one of the best trad players you'd ever want to hear---She has come by our seisun on occasion and she blows us all away---and...she's probably one of the nicest, most sincere people you'd ever want to meet! All the kids around here adore her too.
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by fiddlefamily
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
Eileen Ivers' 'Wild Blue' was the first solo fiddle recording I bought. I was blown away by it at the time. I suppose you could say it's no longer my 'cuppa joe' - too much froth and chocolate - but it drew me in strongly enough to want to find more, and I was ultimately led to the neat stuff. Years later, hearing a live recording of Eileen with (E. Coast) Seamus Egan at the Cork Folk Festival (track 1 on this CD http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/676), far though it may be from the pure drop, there's still something special happening there in her (and his) playing. There are scores of musicians consciously trying to bring outside influences into Trad, but, although her music might sometimes grate on my now more refined trad tastes, I can't think of many who carry it off as well as she does.
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by granama
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
djembes and shakers and electric basses and 90 mph and horrid blue fiddles and fuzz boxes and ..........
I still love her bits.
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by llig leahcim
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
Must admit that when I bought WIld Blue, I wasn't sure.
Anyway, Crazy, your own bio says you 'like all sorts of music' - so What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
Not my fave fiddler, but her Maudabawn Chapel (on Wild blue)is one of my fave versions.
# Posted on June 20th 2008 by domnull
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
domnull - Zing
If you read my original message, I was not dissing her music, nor approving of it for that matter, just asking how much her music diverges from trad. I would be hard pressed to even define trad so the whole issue is kind of slippery for me...but that's why I defer to the wisdom of y'all.
# Posted on June 21st 2008 by crazy_fingerz
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
Great fiddler. Different tastes in music from my own, but yeah, her fiddling is fecking awesome.
# Posted on June 21st 2008 by TheSilverSpear
Re: What is the deal with Eileen Ivers?
I met her a few years ago...she's very down to earth and very nice. She play's that fiddle like it's a easy for her as drawing a breath...apparently she has found a "need" to expand her music. I'm not real fond of fusion music but I'll take her over the stuff Paddy Maloney does. Fair play to her I suppose...it would be nice if she'd treat us to a "pure drop" disc every now and then.
# Posted on June 21st 2008 by Chef Paul