What albums would you reccomend buying to have alisten to Pipes,Concertina,Fiddle or guitar? Or who should I watch out for that I may hear in Ireland that are good on these instruments?
For concertina have a listen to Niall Vallely's album "Beyond Words". He's a superb musician with some really cracking tunes on there.
For pipes go for Niall and Cillian Vallely's album "Callan Bridge" on which Niall plays concertina and his brother Cillian the pipes. No, I'm not on commission, I just think they're great albums!
The only fault I find with alot of new trad. music albums is that many musicians over do their own tunes. ie too many are featured. Although Niall does write tunes and there are a few on both of these discs it can be said that they don't really get in the way and most stand up on their own as very good tunes.
Buy these two.
Where does one start (or finish!) on this? There are so many great players and also choice is always a subjective thing. However, two I can immediately think of are:-
Concertina - Micheál Ó Raghaillaigh's CD, "The Nervous Man"
Fiddle - Gerry O'Connor's CD, "The Journeyman".
If you can't find these recordings, anything by Noel Hill (concertina) or Tommy Peoples (fiddle) could not be too highly recommended.
Across the Waters is a 4 CD set put out by Nimbus Records. It is a set of live recordings recorded at Cork University during various festivals. These recordings are what really got me hooked on ITM about two years ago. I bought the discs while attending a Celtic Festival. A vendor had the set in the rack and I had it in my hand when my friend told me that I would love it. I did.
If you are looking for a variety of tunes and also instruments, I would highly reccommend this set. It has tunes from America, Cape Breton, Donegal and England in all different styles from jigs and reels to strathspeys and hornpipes.
There are some familiar names on the disc too, like LIz Carroll, John Williams and Seamus Egan. I don't know if it is still in production, as the recordings were compiled in 1993, but if you can find it, it is very enjoyable listening.
Too many, but Davy Spillane & Kevin Glackin's "Forgotten Days" is a superb pure drop pipes and fiddle duet recording: they play very standard tunes with no accompaniment but it's very thrilling. Mick O'Brien & Kevin O'Reilly's "Kitty Lie Over" is also established as a classic pipes and fiddle duet album. You can actually listen to them playing for free: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/story/1015109.html (Wed. 4th August 2004) You can even listen to Micheál Ó Raghallaigh's concertina playing for free through the same page.
I personally worship and admire Mary MacNamara's East Clare style concertina playing. There's nothing groovy in her playing, but it's worth a listen if you're interested in simple, old-fashioned styles of Irish music. As said, Niall & Cillian Vallely's "Callan Bridge" is very nice one, and Colm and Hugh Healy's recent debut album "Macalla na hOige" is as good as it.
Lunasa, get The Kinnitty Sessions it is a great album. It has no Concertina but has Pipes and Fiddle and an added bonus of Kevin Crawford's Flute playing. Lunasa is one of the bands Cillian Vallely is in.
Danu, All things Considered not really much Pipes but great Fiddle and Flute and no Concertina.
The first three albums of Danu. The first two albums of Lunasa. The first three albums of Solas. "Decade" and "Midsummer's Night for Dervish". "Rubai" for Flook. Don't forget DVD's. "Water from the Well" for the Chieftains. Lake Effect on other albums of Liz Carroll teaming up with John Doyle, the ex-Solas (excellent) guitar player. The second album of Arcady. Teada. "Solas," a Burlington, Vermont live performance with the old Solas crew. "Midsummer's Night" new DVD for Dervish filmed at the Sibin pub in county Sligo. "Gael Force" has dance and music performances from the Chieftains, the Leahy family, Mary Black, Da Danann, Nomos, Altan, Clannad, and others. Sorry for leaving out many lesser known but excellent musicans, but this is my abbreviated list for starters. Best Wishes!
*Fiddle: Jesse Smith's "Jigs and Reels"
Oisin Mac Diarmada's "Ar An Bhfidil"
Tommy Peoples (anything really...) "High Part of the Road" and "Waiting for a Call"
*The "Tap Room Trio" is an excellent group of musicians (fiddle/guitar/flute)
*A nice box/fiddle duo is "Siobhan Peoples and Murty Ryan" on "Time on Our Hands". They're joined by a guitarist on that.
*An excellent fiddle/guitar duo is of course Liz Carroll and John Doyle.
I'll add my 2 cents in support of the "Across the Waters" 4-cd set. (No one linked it yet - this is only one of them -"ITM from England" : http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display.php/843)
A friend burned it for me, but I really want the original (bad burn on some tracks). It was also highly instrumental (pun intended) in my intro to ITM. I've learned quite a few tunes from this set. A lot of the tracks really sound just like the best session you've ever been to, with all the big-name people playing together. Quite impressive.
For the MP.3 literate, go to www.emusic.com. You can get 50 free tunes downloaded. They have a fairly good ITM selection:
Leo Rowsome - King of the Pipers - this man is amazing on UP. He makes extensive use of regulators, and a lot of the tunes have an almost pipe organ like quality to them
Paddy Carty - Traditional Music of Ireland. Great flute playing. The accompaniment is a fairly unimaginative plonk-plonk I-V on a banjo, but if you can get past that it's great playing.
All the Solas albums
Two Danu albums
One Matt Molloy album
Three Laurence Nugent albums - Flute
The following is a "bargain basement" CD you can find at Borders for 5.99. It's called, simply, Jigs & Reels. (Although that's a total misnomer) The playing is quite good, consisting of flutes, pipe, fiddle, and I believe box too.
Albums to buy?
Albums to buy?
What albums would you reccomend buying to have alisten to Pipes,Concertina,Fiddle or guitar? Or who should I watch out for that I may hear in Ireland that are good on these instruments?
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by eurbanjo
Re: Albums to buy?
For concertina have a listen to Niall Vallely's album "Beyond Words". He's a superb musician with some really cracking tunes on there.
For pipes go for Niall and Cillian Vallely's album "Callan Bridge" on which Niall plays concertina and his brother Cillian the pipes. No, I'm not on commission, I just think they're great albums!
The only fault I find with alot of new trad. music albums is that many musicians over do their own tunes. ie too many are featured. Although Niall does write tunes and there are a few on both of these discs it can be said that they don't really get in the way and most stand up on their own as very good tunes.
Buy these two.
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by tommy_wintle
Re: Albums to buy?
Where does one start (or finish!) on this? There are so many great players and also choice is always a subjective thing. However, two I can immediately think of are:-
Concertina - Micheál Ó Raghaillaigh's CD, "The Nervous Man"
Fiddle - Gerry O'Connor's CD, "The Journeyman".
If you can't find these recordings, anything by Noel Hill (concertina) or Tommy Peoples (fiddle) could not be too highly recommended.
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by Bannerman
Re: Albums to buy?
Across the Waters is a 4 CD set put out by Nimbus Records. It is a set of live recordings recorded at Cork University during various festivals. These recordings are what really got me hooked on ITM about two years ago. I bought the discs while attending a Celtic Festival. A vendor had the set in the rack and I had it in my hand when my friend told me that I would love it. I did.
If you are looking for a variety of tunes and also instruments, I would highly reccommend this set. It has tunes from America, Cape Breton, Donegal and England in all different styles from jigs and reels to strathspeys and hornpipes.
There are some familiar names on the disc too, like LIz Carroll, John Williams and Seamus Egan. I don't know if it is still in production, as the recordings were compiled in 1993, but if you can find it, it is very enjoyable listening.
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by June5th
Re: Albums to buy?
Oops. I misspoke. The title of the CD set is "From A Distant Shore." It has "Across the Waters" included in it.
At any rate, I think it is still available on Amazon or possibly at Barnes and Noble. I would say get it.
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by June5th
Re: Albums to buy?
Are these younger generation musicians? I really like groovy types of playing-----This may break it down more,thanks.
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by eurbanjo
Re: Albums to buy?
Niall Vallely is not so much groovy as 'scary'. I think he puts WD40 on his knuckles(!)
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by Ottery
Re: Albums to buy?
Too many, but Davy Spillane & Kevin Glackin's "Forgotten Days" is a superb pure drop pipes and fiddle duet recording: they play very standard tunes with no accompaniment but it's very thrilling. Mick O'Brien & Kevin O'Reilly's "Kitty Lie Over" is also established as a classic pipes and fiddle duet album. You can actually listen to them playing for free: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/story/1015109.html (Wed. 4th August 2004) You can even listen to Micheál Ó Raghallaigh's concertina playing for free through the same page.
I personally worship and admire Mary MacNamara's East Clare style concertina playing. There's nothing groovy in her playing, but it's worth a listen if you're interested in simple, old-fashioned styles of Irish music. As said, Niall & Cillian Vallely's "Callan Bridge" is very nice one, and Colm and Hugh Healy's recent debut album "Macalla na hOige" is as good as it.
There're tons of great fiddlers, but I'm now itching to get James Kelly's recent solo recording: http://www.claddaghrecords.com/www/product.asp?pID=1773&cID=16
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by slainte
Re: Albums to buy?
Lunasa, get The Kinnitty Sessions it is a great album. It has no Concertina but has Pipes and Fiddle and an added bonus of Kevin Crawford's Flute playing. Lunasa is one of the bands Cillian Vallely is in.
Danu, All things Considered not really much Pipes but great Fiddle and Flute and no Concertina.
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by Why Bother?
Re: Albums to buy?
Pipes and 'tina don't get much better than this:
http://thesession.org/recordings/display.php/61
'tina and fiddle doesn't get much better than these:
http://thesession.org/recordings/display.php/209
http://thesession.org/recordings/display.php/27
Enjoy!
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by octogreg
Re: Albums to buy?
The first three albums of Danu. The first two albums of Lunasa. The first three albums of Solas. "Decade" and "Midsummer's Night for Dervish". "Rubai" for Flook. Don't forget DVD's. "Water from the Well" for the Chieftains. Lake Effect on other albums of Liz Carroll teaming up with John Doyle, the ex-Solas (excellent) guitar player. The second album of Arcady. Teada. "Solas," a Burlington, Vermont live performance with the old Solas crew. "Midsummer's Night" new DVD for Dervish filmed at the Sibin pub in county Sligo. "Gael Force" has dance and music performances from the Chieftains, the Leahy family, Mary Black, Da Danann, Nomos, Altan, Clannad, and others. Sorry for leaving out many lesser known but excellent musicans, but this is my abbreviated list for starters. Best Wishes!
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by CeolCairdeas
Re: Albums to buy?
*I second Michael O Raghallaigh's "The Nervous Man" for concertina. It's fabulous.
*Pipes & fiddle: Caoimhin O Raghallaigh & Mick O'Brien's "Kitty Lie Over" (Beautifully done.)
*Fiddle: Jesse Smith's "Jigs and Reels"
Oisin Mac Diarmada's "Ar An Bhfidil"
Tommy Peoples (anything really...) "High Part of the Road" and "Waiting for a Call"
*The "Tap Room Trio" is an excellent group of musicians (fiddle/guitar/flute)
*A nice box/fiddle duo is "Siobhan Peoples and Murty Ryan" on "Time on Our Hands". They're joined by a guitarist on that.
*An excellent fiddle/guitar duo is of course Liz Carroll and John Doyle.
Hope this helps!!
# Posted on February 26th 2005 by fiercefiddler
Re: Albums to buy?
Stor Piobaireachta-(Sean McAloon), its a great album, my lastest obsession.
you can't go wrong with the old stuff.
and i think this topic has been discussed a few times before.
# Posted on February 27th 2005 by bmcclat
Re: Albums to buy?
I'll add my 2 cents in support of the "Across the Waters" 4-cd set. (No one linked it yet - this is only one of them -"ITM from England" : http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display.php/843)
A friend burned it for me, but I really want the original (bad burn on some tracks). It was also highly instrumental (pun intended) in my intro to ITM. I've learned quite a few tunes from this set. A lot of the tracks really sound just like the best session you've ever been to, with all the big-name people playing together. Quite impressive.
# Posted on February 27th 2005 by FyfferGuy
Re: Albums to buy?
For the MP.3 literate, go to www.emusic.com. You can get 50 free tunes downloaded. They have a fairly good ITM selection:
Leo Rowsome - King of the Pipers - this man is amazing on UP. He makes extensive use of regulators, and a lot of the tunes have an almost pipe organ like quality to them
Paddy Carty - Traditional Music of Ireland. Great flute playing. The accompaniment is a fairly unimaginative plonk-plonk I-V on a banjo, but if you can get past that it's great playing.
All the Solas albums
Two Danu albums
One Matt Molloy album
Three Laurence Nugent albums - Flute
The following is a "bargain basement" CD you can find at Borders for 5.99. It's called, simply, Jigs & Reels. (Although that's a total misnomer) The playing is quite good, consisting of flutes, pipe, fiddle, and I believe box too.
# Posted on February 27th 2005 by wormdiet