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Contents

Andrew Murray - Hell Or High Water (BCM 001)

Since launching his solo career, the press have been falling over themselves to lavish praise on former De Danaan vocalist Andrew Murray's new CD and the extensive tour which accompanied its release.  The same words are repeated over and over again to describe his voice; warm, deep, resonant, rich, luxurious ... and indeed Murray's voice possesses all of these qualities, and more.  His sonorous tones and deliberately low-key delivery call to mind other fine singers, Len Graham, Tim Dennehy and Murray's fellow county-man, Sean Keane.  And yet Murray is, like all fine singers, "his own man"; a slave to no style or category.

His musical intelligence is keen as a blade, allowing him to sing songs from the Irish and Scottish traditions alongside contemporary songs and yet have the album gel prefectly, anchored by his velvety voice and unrushed delivery.

Among the highlights are a superb rendition of Lord Franklin and a masterly reading of Richard Thompson's The Poor Ditching Boy.  However many singers will be grateful to Murray for the first ever recording of Thomas Moore's Little Miss Kelly.  On first hearing, a deceptively slightish ditty, Murray's highly-swung delivery grows and grows.

Accessible enough to become a best-seller and yet with so much honesty, ruggedness and understated passion to satisfy the demands of the connoisseur.

Available from Copperplate (who now accept PayPal!) on http://www.copperplatedistribution.com

Track listing (with Murray's notes): 

1. Castle Garden - Traditional song learned from the singing of Len Graham.
2. The Poor Ditching Boy - Written by Richard Thompson
3. Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards) - Written by Tom Waits.
4. Lord Franklin - Song about Franklin's doomed search for the North West Passage
5. Black Muddy River - Written by Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead).
6. Little Miss Kelly - Written by Thom Moore, never recorded before; Thanks Thom.
7. I Wish My Love was a Red, Red Rose - Traditional Irish song.
8. Another Story - Written by Dougie MacLean.
9. Green Grows the Laurel - Traditional song I learned from the singing of Len Graham.
10. Slow Song - Written by Kevin Doherty. Thanks Kevin.
11. Jock O Hazeldene - Old Scottish song that was adapted by Walter Scott.
12. The Father’s Song - Written by Ewan MacColl.
Pay The Reckoning, October 2005

Pay The Reckoning's Mini-Reviews, July-September 2005

John Doyle - Wayward Son (Compass Records 7 4408 2)

Co-founder of Solas, and inspiration for countless guitar players ever since, Doyle's 2005 solo outing showcases his ability as an interpreter of song, as an accomplished melody player and as a composer of fine tunes.  The guest list reads like a who's who of traditional and folk music ... Alison Brown, Liz Carroll, Casey Driessen, Stuart Duncan, Seamus Egan, Kenny Malone, John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick, Tim O'Brien, Kate Rusby, Linda Thompson, Danny Thompson and John Williams.

Details from http://www.compassrecords.com

Track list 

1. The Gallant Poacher
2. Jack Dolan
3. The Glad Eye/The Journeyman/The Wayward Son
4. Captain Glenn
5. Bitter The Parting
6. Old Bush/Expect The Unexpected
7. The Apprentice Boy
8. Tie The Bonnet/Monaghan Twig/A Fair Wind/The Convenience Reel
9. The Month Of January
10. Little Sadie
11. Eddie Kelly's/Reavy's Tribute To Coleman
12. The Cocks Are Crowing

Niamh de Burca - An Ait a Bhfuil Do Chroi (Gael Linn CEFCD 186)

De Burca's cultured voice oozes from the speakers, swathed in multi-textured, polished accompaniment by a "cream of the crop" of Irish musicians.

Featuring James Blennerhassett (double bass), Maire Breatnach (fiddle, viola, backing vocals), Seamus Brett (piano, keyboards, box), Danny Byrt (percussion), Mick Giblin (guitar, backing vocals), Mark Kelly (guitar), Mick O'Brien (pipes, whistles),  Jim O'Leary (vocals, backing vocals), Fergal O Murchu (backing vocals) and Bill Shanley (guitars).

More information at http://www.gaellinn.com

Track listing 

1. Faoilean
2. My Johnny Was  A Shoemaker
3. Nansai 'Mhile Gra
4. Seal Tamall ar Strae
5. The Fairy Boy
6. Sile Ni Ghadhra
7. If I Never Spend A  Morning Without You
8. Barr a tSleibhe
9. Farewell Dearest Nancy
10. De Bharr na gCnoc
11. Ye Lovers All
12. Here's  A Health

Caoimhin Vallely - Strayaway (Own Label CVCD001)

One of the talented Armagh dynasty, Caoimhin gives us a thoughtful and dazzling display of musicianship.  Although the piano is forever associated in many people's minds with a strict backbeat to keep solo musicians "on-course", Caoimhin is one of a handful of players who've moved the piano from the background into the full glare of the limelight.

As adept at anchoring others' tunes as he is supremely in control "in the driving seat", Vallely's album will certainly be an inspiration to those pianists who wish to explore to the full the instrument's potential as a melody instrument.  For the rest of us, we'll be content to listen to a skilled and sensitive musician give us his personal take on the tunes.

Brothers Niall (concertina) and Cillian (pipes) share a few tunes with Caoimhin.  Elsewhere, Brian Morrissey (bodhran), Paul Meehan (guitar) and Martin Leahy (drums) lend their support. 

More information at http://www.caoimhinvallely.net

Track listing: 

1. The Strayaway Child
2. The Drunken Sailor
3. The Bunch Of Keys/Farewell To London
4. Sean O Duibhir a' Ghleanna
5. Paddy Fahy's/The Abbey Tavern/The Braes Of Busby/Ryan's Rant
6. Unapproved Road/Slieve Russell
7. Paddy Kelly's
8. Take A Message To Julia/The Long Distance Runner
9. The Whistler Of Rossleigh
10. The Kitchen Piper/Corise's Goose

Micheal O Suilleabhain - Micheal O Suilleabhain (Gael Linn CEFCD 046)

This re-release of O Suilleabhain's 1976 debut solo recording still retains its ability to stop the listener in his or her tracks.  Using a variety of keyboard instruments (clavichord, harpsichord, piano, pedal organ and mini-moog), O Suilleabhain aimed to apply these to Irish traditional music and to emulate the techniques of the players of native instruments, chiefly the harp and the pipes, in his playing.

O Suilleabhain has, of course, gone much further since in exploring further this experimental approach to Irish traditional music, both in his artistic and his academic careers, where he remains capable of creating controversy.  And yet even a cursory listen to the eponymous debut reveals that while O Suilleabhain may have played controversial instruments, his playing was very measured, elegant and true to the tradition.

More information at http://www.gaellinn.com

Track listing: 

1. Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine
2. Salamanca
3. The Wexford Carol
4. Miss Hamilton
5. Jockey To The Fair
6. Sui Sios fa mo Dhidean
7. Le hais na Siuire/Cois Abha Moire na nDeise
8. The Long Note
9. Cailleach an Tuirne
10. The Downfall Of Paris
11. The Lovely Banks Of The Suir
12. Lady Iveagh
13. The Old Copper Plate
14. Oiche Nollag
15. The Wild Geese

Various Artists - Live From The Katharine Cornell Theatre (KCT Concerts KCT1)

Highlights of seven concerts held at The Katharine Cornell Theater (we defer to the American spelling in this piece!) in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts from May 2002 through December the same year, featuring Paddy Keenan and Tommy Peoples with Billy Kelly, Teada, Sean Tyrrell with Fergus Feely, Liz Doherty with Dave O'Neill, Niall and Cillian Vallely with Donal Clancy, Liz and Yvonne Kane with John Blake and finally Tommy Peoples with Billy Kelly.

The album is, of course, a collection of highlights and the quality of the playing and singing comes as no surprise.  However in addition to the excellence of the music per se, the collection is remarkable for the manner in which the many artists, each with their own unique take on the music, sit so comfortably - so naturally! - alongside each other.

Proof that Irish music really does travel well!

More information from KCT concerts, email on kctcd@earthlink.net  The album is available for purchase from Ossian USA http://www.ossianusa.com

Track list: 

CD1
1. Paddy Keenan - Johnny's Tune
2. Teada - Tom Roddy's/The Old Firm/The Chicken That Made The Soup
3. Billy Kelly - The Holy Ground
4. Tommy Peoples - Fisherman's Island/The Hunter's House/Johnny Cronin's
5. Niall and Cillian Vallely - Once In A Blue Moose/Over The Moor To Maggie
6. Liz Doherty - Le Tourment/Pacific Avenue/Betty Anne's Jig
7. Liz and Yvonne Kane - The Jug Of Punch/Fred Finn's/Maghera Mountain
8. Sean Tyrrell - Satisfied Mind
9. Tommy Peoples - The Frieze Breeches/The Lark In The Morning
10. Teada - Micho Russell's/Bill Harte's/The Green Gates
11. Paddy Keenan and Tommy Peoples - The Monaghan Twig/The Killavil/The Boyne Hunt
12. Liz And Yvonne Kane - The Bee's Wing/In Memory Of Michael Coleman
13. Sean Tyrrell - The Angels Whisper
14. Paddy Keenan - The Factory Girl/The Man Of The House
15. Teada - The Cordal Jig/Winnie Hayes'
16. Niall And Cillian Vallely - Muireann's Jig

CD2
1. Tommy Peoples - The Fairest Rose
2. Teada - Rossinver Braes
3. Sean Tyrrell - Cap And Bells
4. Liz Doherty - Mouth Of The Tobique/French Canadian Reel
5. Paddy Keenan And Tommy Peoples - The Ace And Deuce Of Piping/Dunphy's Hornpipe
6. Liz And Yvonne Kane - The Ducks In The Oats/Jig For Jimmy/Paddy Fahey's
7. Niall And Cillian Vallely - Molly From Longford/Argyll Lassies/Jenny Dang The Weaver/Malfunction Junction
8. Billy Kelly - Aye Fond Kiss
9. Teada - Cherish The Ladies
10. Tommy Peoples - Candles/The Morning Thrush
11. Liz Doherty - Johnny Sunshine/The Blue Lamp
12. Niall And Cillian Vallely - The Gold Ring/Dan Collins' Father's Jig
13. Liz And Yvonne Kane - Kusnacht
14. Billy Kelly - Jack Tar
15. Paddy Keenan And Tommy Peoples - Reavy's/Paddy Taylor's
16. Teada - Michael Hynes'/Peter Horan's/The Flannel Jacket
Pay The Reckoning, October 2005

The National Symphony Orchestra Of Ireland - Sean O'Riada's Mise Eire (Gael Linn CEFCD 080)

Another in the series of Gael Linn's re-releases of classic recordings, O'Riada's monumental film scores for the films Mise Eire (d. George Morrison, 1959), Saoirse? (d. George Morrison, 1960) and An Tine Bheo (d. Louis Marcus, 1966) demonstrate that he was as adept at capturing the musical pulse of the nation as names such as Vaughan-Williams or Sibelius, each of whom in their time famously drew inspiration from the folk music of their respective home countries.

The "repackaging" of the native music of Ireland for a symphony orchestra was an ambitious - some might say foolhardy - task.  However O'Riada's certainty of touch extracts maximum dramatic impact from the music and avoids sentimentality and histrionics.  The music thus presented is a long way from the hearth and home, but it retains its power to stir the heart and to conjure up its own images.

Available in the UK via Copperplate http://www.copperplatedistribution.com

Elsewhere, via Gael Linn http://www.gaellinn.com  

Track listing

Mise Eire
1. Mise Eire (I Am Ireland)
2. Mionteama (Link Theme)
3. Cogadh na mBorach (Boer War Theme)
4. Sochraid Bachelor's Walk (The Funeral Of Bachelor's Walk Victims)
5. O Donnabhain Rosa os Cionn Clar (O'Donovan Rossa Lying In State)
6. Oglaigh na hEireann (Irish Volunteers' Theme)
7. Cois Uaigh Dhiarmaid Ui Dhonnabhain Rosa (By O'Donovan Rossa's Graveside)
8. Lamhach na dTaoiseach (The Execution Of The Leaders)
9. Eiri Amach (Insurrection)
10. Athshuaimhneas Cois Life (Peace Returns To The Liffeyside)
11. Mionteama (Link Theme)
12. Cathair Bhriste (Dublin Devastated)
13. Teama na nOglach (Irish Volunteers' Theme)
14. An Asgard (The Asgard Sequence)
15. Mise Eire

Saoirse?
16. Saoirse? (Freedom?)
17. Kelly The Boy From Killane
18. An Ceol Sochraide (Terence McSwiney Funeral Sequence)
19. Who Fears To Speak?
20. Na Dubhchronaigh (Black And Tan Sequence)
21. Cloigini Luchaire (Joybells)
22. Ceal Mairseala (Step Together)
23. Mionteamai (Link Themes)
24. Saoirse? (Freedom?)

An Tine Bheo
25. An Tine Bheo (The Living Fire)
26. A Nation Once Again
27. An Tine Bheo (The Living Fire)
28. Ceol An Phiarsaigh (Pearse Theme)
29. The Grand Old Dame Britannia
30. Who Fears To Speak?
31. Mionteamai (Link Themes)
32. God Save Ireland
33. Ruairi Mac Easmainn (Roger Casement Theme)
34. An Tine Bheo (The Living Fire)
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Macalla - Mna na hEireann (Women Of Ireland) (Gael Linn CEFCD 110)

Among Gael Linn's latest batch of re-releases is 1984's seminal "Macalla" project.  Initially conceived as one of Ireland's contributions to that year's International Women's Day, the line-up included many who have since gone on to become household names in the trad world.  At the time, many of the artists featured in Macalla were relatively unknown - the power, sensitivity and soulfulness of this recording ensured that the spotlight would, however, fall on many of the participants in subsequent years.

There have been many debates in recent years as to whether Irish music is gender-biased.  There is certainly no shortage of female artists of influence in previous generations.  However the number of female artists of note is swamped by the much greater presence of men.  There are any number of reasons why this should have been the case and you don't need a PhD in sociology to begin to list these. Suffice to say that a form of music which relied almost up until the present generation for its transmission on protagonists being able to "get out and about" places women - traditionally seen as being more tied to the home - at a disadvantage.

However it must always have been the case - musical talent and the love of music being non-discriminatory - that throughout the history of Irish Traditional Music, as many women as men were good musicians (or had the potential to be so).  And so, in a sense, this album serves as a reminder of the obvious (that female musicians are as brimming with talent as their male counterparts) and, one suspects, as a testament to previous generations of musical Irish women who found it difficult to get the recognition which they may have deserved.

Mostly based in Dublin, the women of Macalla came throughout Ireland and the range of music and variety of musical styles in evidence reflects their diversity.  The songs are sung in a "choral" mannerArtists involved in Macalla at the time of the recording were: 

Seosaimhin Ni Bheagloich - vocals
Mary MacNamara - concertina
Roma Casey - fiddle
Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh - fiddle/vocals
Mary Corcoran - fiddle
Maire Ni Chaoimh - fiddle
Siobhan Ni Chaoimh - fiddle
Patsy Broderick - piano/synthesiser
Mary McElvaney - fiddle
Siobhan Breathnach - harp/vocals
Mary Clare Breathnach - vocals
Brid McElvaney - fiddle
Clare Eustace - fiddle
Pearl O'Shaughnessy - fiddle
Mairead Ni Ghallchoir - vocals/bodhran
Joan McDermott - vocals
Nora M. Ni Loinsigh - vocals
Roisin Gaffney - vocals
Ursula Kennedy - vocals
Maureen Fahy - fiddle
Clodagh Mc Grory - flute
Edel McWeeney - fiddle
Catherine McGorman - flute

Available to purchase in the UK via Copperplate http://www.copperplatedistribution.com

In all other areas, go to http://www.gaellinn.com 

Track listing
1. An Cailin Aerach
2. O'Dowd's/The Union Reel
3. Mna na hEireann
4. An Seanduine Doite/Paddy Canny's
5. Bhi Mise La
6. Blackberry Blossom/Lord McDonnell/Vincent Broderick's
7. Highlands/The Congress Reel
8. Eibhlin Gheal Chiuin
9. Cobbler's/Strop The Razor
10. Taimse 'gus Maire
11. The Chancellor/Paddy Sullivan's
12. Aililiu na Gamhna
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Paddy Glackin - Glackin (Ceol ar an bhFidil le Paddy Glackin) (Gael Linn CEFCD 060)

It's one thing to be acclaimed as the best player on one's chosen instrument ... quite another to earn the accolade as the best traditional musician of one's generation.  Such has been Paddy Glackin's lot; in many senses a tremendous achievement, although in others, no doubt, a millstone.

On the basis of this re-release of Glackin's 1977 solo debut, it's not difficult to see why the trad world reacted so warmly and so unanimously to Glackin's emergence.  A master of tone and ornamentation, Glackin strikes a stirring balance between incisive attack and acutely intelligent subtletly in a manner which overlays the driving Donegal style with a sense of lyricism and romantic abandon.

Featuring his father, Tom, and brothers Kevin and Seamus on several tracks and accompanied on occasion by Micheal O Suilleabhain on harpsichord, this recording mostly sees Glackin play solo and sets a high standard to which the remainder of his recorded output has lived up.

As for the "best musician" tag ...  Well, here at Pay The Reckoning we have little time for such sterile labels.  Glackin's as good as it gets; end of story.  To those who would perpetuate the endless (and meaningless) search for the best, we'd say stop the measuring and comparing and do yourselves a favour.  Wrap your ears around this record and give yourself over to the music.  You won't regret the experience.

Available in the UK via Copperplate http://www.copperplatedistribution.com

Elsewhere, visit Gael Linn's website http://www.gaellinn.com 

Track listing
1. Pat Tuohey's Reel/Old Cuffe Street
2. Sean O Duibhir an Ghleanna
3. The Boys Of Malin/The High Road To Linton
4. The Duke Of Leinster/The Morning Dew
5. The Hare In The Corn/Padraig O'Keeffe's Jig
6. Bonaparte's Retreat
7. McFadden's Reel
8. Miss Patterson's Slipper
9. Top It Off/The Sunny Banks
10. The Cup Of (Overdrawn) Tea/John Doherty's Reel
11. Cherish The Ladies
12. The Pinch Of Snuff/The Wild Irishman
13. Julia Delaney's Reel/Mother's Delight
14. The King Of The Pipes/Arthur Darley's Jig
15. The Gravel Walks
16. Red-Haired Charles
17. The Boyne Hunt/Single Jig Gan Ainm
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Jugopunch - Where Are We Now? (Punchmusic, PM007)

Staffordshire-based, Jugopunch have been described by one prominent critic as sounding how Irish folk music should sound.

Hmmm ... now there's a statement!  We were pondering it's meaning as we dropped Jugopunch's latest 11-track CD into the carousel and hit the play button.  What emerged was music that sounded like Jugopunch should sound.  Irish folk music is a broad church and will continue to evolve in its own diverse way, incrementally here and there, in leaps and bounds in other places.  There's plenty of room within that broad church for Jugopunch whose original songs explore a melancholy vein of losers in love and losers in life.  Loss and regret vie with memories of the innocence and insouciance of childhood as central motifs in Jugopunch's songs.  Inevitably, the protagonist(s) need something to take the edge off the resulting pain or angst and thus "I could never see it, I could never understand/Why you turned so cold, like the whiskey in my hand" (Cold), "A quarter to midnight and what do I see/Through the bottom of this empty glass?" (The Dark Waltz) and "So you pour yourself a brandy, to help you through the night/But it only seems to do the trick, when you take it by the pint" (Red Eyed Boy).

With such themes and with old-timey/"Americana" and rock influences sitting alongside the dominant folk music structures, it's little wonder that Jugopunch have been compared with The Pogues.  Such comparisons are, however, somewhat unfair.  It's now almost twenty years since MacGowan's crew burst on to the scene and while their endeavours may have made it somewhat easier for Jugopunch's sound to become acceptable to a wider audience, their core following will no doubt have been attracted in any event to the band's dark and anxious folk-rock.

Jugopunch are Paul Dunn (harmonica, whistles, melodica, vocals), Cara Beech (drums, percussion, vocals, egg), Andrew Tranter (vocals), Stephen Dunn (tenor banjo, guitar), Pete Davegun (guitar, percussion).

To order the album and to find out about the band's forthcoming gigs, visit http://www.jugopunch.com 

Track listing
1. Cold
2. Blackheart
3. Fiver On The Horses
4. MTA
5. Summer In Mayo
6. The Dark Waltz
7. Sweet Nancy Rose
8. Thunder In The Sky
9. Red Eyed Boy
10. Fur Traders
11. Lower Than The Lowest
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Tony O'Connell And Andy Morrow (with Arty McGlynn) (Tocam 001)

O'Connell (concertina) and Morrow (fiddle) team up with guitar maestro McGlynn for a superbly accomplished debut recording, which will surely rank as being among the most exciting CDs of 2005.

Original tunes by Carl Hession, Mick O'Dwyer, John Faulkner, Paddy Davey, Tom McElvogue, Tom Fleming, John  Martin, Paddy O'Brien and Michael Finn are presented alongside rarities from the tradition as well as a liberal sprinkling of trad standards.  The unison playing is remarkably tight; the occasional solos by either O'Connell or Morrow are soulful and mature.

As ever, McGlynn's playing is tasteful and enterprising. McGlynn is one of the few backers in Irish music who manages to anchor musicians rock-solidly while at the same time taking some incredible risks with the structure of his accompaniment.  Yet again he brings a new dimension to the work of supreme traditional musicians.

Visit http://www.musictocam.com for more information. 

Track listing
1. The Rambles Of Mike/The Loughing Spoons/The Bluebells Are Blooming
2. Joe Tom's
3. My Former Wife/Paddy In London/Headwood Crossing
4. Tom McElvogue's No. 3/The Heights Of Muingbhatha/The Boy In The Boat
5. The Drunken Sailor
6. Kiely Cotter's/Paddy Jerry's
7. Castle Kelly/Devils Of Dublin/Hare's Paw
8. Sliabh Gallion Braes
9. The Mill House/The Thrush In The Storm
10. Ride A Mile/Dusty Miller/Sport Of Chase
11. Dean Brig Of Edinburgh/The Christening/The Wind That Shakes The Barley
12. Stormy Night/The Maid At The Well/Gallagher's
13. Fred Finn's/Larry's Favourite
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Mike Rafferty - Speed 78 (Larraga Music Project MOR1302)

Rafferty's collection of tunes on flute and pipes has an intimate and personal flavour, the whole endeavour hanging together particularly well as a summary of a lifetime's playing.  The tunes come from many sources, but the musical influences of his youth get special mention in the sleeve notes.  In particular, the Ballinakill Ceili Band - whose impact on the music has, of course, been tremendous - are name-checked often.

Rafferty's generation, it could be argued, have a different relationship to the music than the current generation of musicians.  In our current media-swamped environment, Irish music has never been so readily available and finding tunes never more easy; a quick search on the web and all but the most obscure tunes are available in dozens of settings!

Not so when Rafferty was learning the music; he learnt his tunes from other players or from the odd 78 (hence the collection's title).  And, no doubt, passed many a tune on in the same fashion.  To select a couple of dozen tunes from this long-term accumulation of music over several decades and two continents must have been no small task.

This is a record that will serve as an inspiration for many years to come. It's unhurried, unhurriable pulse beats beneath sensitive and meaningful playing; Rafferty doesn't waste a note, nor a pause.  But please don't imagine that because Rafferty's music is imbued with seriousness, it must be dull or heavy.  Far from it!  The music abounds with charm, with grace and, on occasion, with a certain amount of mischief.

Rafferty has been fortunate to enlist the support of Mary Rafferty (accordion), Donal Clancy (guitar, bouzouki), Willie Kelly (fiddle), Joe Madden (accordion) and Felix Dolan (piano) - an intergenerational band of musicians, some of whom learnt their music with Mike, some who learnt it from him.

Beautiful stuff and one to treasure!

More information from http://www.raffertymusic.com 

Track listing
1. Kevin Moloney's/The Scotsman Over The Border
2. The Shaskeen/The Green Blanket
3. Tomgraney Castle/McMahon's
4. Story about first learning to play (caint)
5. The Collier's Reel/St. Ruth's Bush
6. I Have A Bonnet Trimmed With Blue
7. Story about my mother (caint)
8. Cormac O'Lunny's/The Braes Of Busby
9. Pauline O'Neill's/Cuil Aodh
10. Last Night's Fun/The Abbey
11. Sliabh na mBan
12. The Piper's Despair/Peg McGrath's
13. Story about Joe Madden (caint)
14. Ballyoran
15. Collier's Jig/The Lark In The Strand
16. The Bower/Jenny Picking Cockles
17. Queen Of The Rushes/Father John's Jubilee
18. Story about my father's uilleann pipes (caint)
19. Garrett Barry's/The Woods Of Old Limerick
20. Young Tom Ennis/Jerry's Beaver Hat
21. Story about thinking of tunes (caint)
22. Ceo na gCnoc/Father Newman's Reel
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Danu - When All Is Said And Done (Shanachie SH 78061)

We suspect that the title is fairly tongue-in-cheek.  All will never be said and done when it comes to this immensely talented group.

The latest CD, which follows closely on from the recent "Up In The Air" where the individual members of Danu "fly solo", marks yet another milestone in their continuing evolution from a group of session-buddies to one of the tightest and most influential musical ensembles in the Irish traditional music world.

For many traditional groups, this is a difficult stage of their career.  They've attracted the critical acclaim, they've won the support and respect of the hard-to-please core audience and they've begun to infiltrate the consciousness of the larger "popular" musical audience.  Where next?  At this juncture, many bands start to go off the rails, diversifying perhaps so that they lose the trad audience but never quite making it as "contemporary" artists.

Thankfully, Danu are well-aware of the secret of their success and stick to the plot.

That having been said, the album features two contemporary compositions - Paul Brady's "Follow On" (from which the CD's title comes) and Bob Dylan's "Farewell, Angelina".  The latter works particularly well, presumably because Dylan based his tune on the air from traditional American folk songs which in turn borrowed from an older Scottish air "Farewell To Tarwathie".

As far as the traditional material is concerned, let's just say that although you may know what to expect, your expectations will be met and then some!  As ever the playing is energetic, yet soulful. The arrangements within each set are subtle, yet highly colourful. Individual instruments have opportunities to carry certain tunes and yet no member of the band outshadows another.

A special bonus is Gerry "Banjo" O'Connor's appearance on the penultimate set.  O'Connor makes no effort (nor should he!) to tone down the unorthodox elements of his banjo style and this creates an interesting dynamic.  Very few bands could accommodate O'Connor's playing; Danu have not just accommodated him on this track, but assimilated him!

Distributed in the UK by Copperplate, http://www.copperplatedistribution.com

Elsewhere, the album is available direct from Shanachie, http://www.shanachie.com

Up to date information on Danu at http://www.danu.net 

Track listing
1. The Highest Hill In Sligo/Garrison Road/Reichswall Forest
2. Follow On
3. The Peacock's Feather/The Old Copperplate/The Boy In The Gap
4. O Dheara, 'Sheanduine
5. Dermie Diamond's Barndance/John Doherty's Pipe March/Around The House And Mind The Dresser
6. Farewell, Angelina
7. Sean Ryan's Reel/The Coachman's Whip/Casey's Reel
8. An Cailin Deas Cruite na mBo
9. Willie's Fling/The Kilfenora Jig
10. Only Nineteen Years Old
11. Ard a Bhothair/Sean Tiobrad Arann/The Heathery Breeze
12. I'll Mend Your Pots And Kettles O/The Spinning Wheel
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Noel Hill agus Tony MacMahon - I gNoc na Grai (Gael Linn CEFCD 114)

Continuing its series of re-releases of classic recordings, Gael Linn has re-issued one of the highpoints of its illustrious catalogue.  Originally recorded in October 1985, live in Dan Connell's pub in Knocknagree, Hill, MacMahon and the assembled audience of dancers and attentive punters storm their way through an evening of quality music.

It's a pity that there aren't more recordings which capture the energy that an appreciative pub audience generates.  Experience the buzz that permeates this CD and others such as "Paddy In The Smoke" and you'll surely agree that studio recordings seem sterile in comparison.  Irish music is meant to be listened to; studio recordings are only half the picture.  A well-timed whoop of encouragement or, conversely, the sudden dampening of background chatter indicate moments of particularly exciting musicality.  The listener at home feels at one with the audience, sharing their reactions, his or her listening pleasure enhanced by this bond of camaraderie with the nameless and faceless folks in the intimate audience at the time the recording was made.

MacMahon is alleged at one stage - reportedly when bemoaning the fact that he hadn't taken up the pipes - that there isn't a pit in Ireland big enough to hold all of its accordions.  Well, on the basis of his playing throughout this CD, then when someone's dug this fathomless pit and the accordion-chucking commences, some brave soul ought to leap in and rescue at least one accordion and hand it back to MacMahon.  For the man is practically peerless when it comes to extracting every ounce of music from the box, as exemplified by his playing of Port na bPucai - his signature tune.

Hill, of course, is no less a player on the concertina.  But while both musicians are top-drawer players on their own account, when playing together their evident sense of pleasure in each other's company elevates the music.  This is not just good music, it's bloody good crack into the bargain.  Good crack had by the select band of dancers and listeners one Autumn night in 1985 but, thanks to Gael Linn, good crack that we can all share second-hand at any time we choose.

Distributed in the UK by Alan O'Leary's mighty Copperplate outfit http://www.copperplatedistribution.com

In all other parts of the world, visit Gael Linn direct on http://www.gaellinn.com 

Track listing
1. The Humours Of Castlefin Set
2. The Ash Plant Set
3. Port na bPucai
4. Young Tom Ennis Set
5. The Pure Drop Set
6. The New Custom House
7. An Fainne Oir
8. Cooley's Jig Set
9. The Old Concertina Reel Set
10. The Ace And Deuce Of Piping
11. The Green Groves Of Erin Set
12. Paul Halfpenny
13. The New Mown Meadow Set
14. The Trip To Athlone Set
15. Aisling Gheal
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Johnny Murphy And Friends - Tuned In (Murphy Records MCD001)

Johnny Murphy hails from Armoy, County Antrim - home to that legendary fiddler of years gone by, "The Shadow", Sean McLaughlin.  And therefore it's fitting that Armoy should give rise to yet another self-possessed and soulful fiddler in Murphy, whose energy combines with a sensitivity of touch to produce exhilarating music.

As is common in the far north, Murphy draws on both the Irish and Scottish traditions for inspiration, nimbly adapting his bowing and fingering to the separate demands of tunes from both countries and putting his personal mark on them.

The CD has a rough-hewn quality that will have instant appeal to those who tire of much of the overblown, overproduced and overarranged music that masquerades as Irish Traditional Music nowadays.  Many of the tracks have a "one-taker" feel to them and, as a result, the CD has a purpose, a drive and an intimacy that are sadly lacking in many current recordings of Irish music.  And yet, for many of us, those very qualities define the essence of the music - music that demands to be played directly to the listener and which has no need for tricksy arrangements or studio enhancements.

Nice to hear some widely-played tunes sit alongside some rarities (such as Josephine Keegan's hornpipes," Cross The Fence" and "The Bieir Piper"), some locally-made tunes (e.g. Jim McKillop's "Maeve's Reel" and Leslie Craig's - of Haste To The Wedding - "Craig's Marchh") and two set sof his own compositions (a reel set - Back To 26/The Shamrock Pot/Break Your Bow Arm - and a set of jigs - Wee Man Oliver/Farewell To Padraig Lynch/Poor Boy's Story).

Fair play, then, to your man Murphy for a great value CD which showcases a fine player giving his attention to some fine tunes.  Who could ask for anything more?  (Except, of course, for a return vist before too long!)

Likely to be a hard one to track down on the web, so we suggest that you give the folks at Glens Music a shout if you can't get your hands on a copy.  Go to http://www.glensmusic.com 

Track listing
1. The Galway Reel/Beare Island/Siobhan O'Donnell's
2. Siobhan O'Donnell's No 1/Siobhan O'Donnell's No 2
3. Cross The Fence/The Bieir Piper
4. Maeve's Reel/Gerry Cronin's/Dinny Langtree's
5. The Boys Of Lough Gowna/The New House/The Cruel Mother-In-Law
6. Cuz Teahan's/Gan Ainm
7. Denis McMahon's/Barney From Killarney/John McGurran's Polka
8. Come By The Hills
9. Back To 26/The Shamrock Pot/Break Your Bow Arm
10. Coleman's/Langstrom's Pony/Minds Of Two
11. The Silver Spire/The Gravel Walk/The Boys Of Malin
12. Ned Of The Hill
13. Wee Man Oliver/Farewell To Padraig Lynch/Poor Boy's Story
14. The Man Of The House/Camden Town/The Holly Bush
15. Planxty Maguire
16. The Mill Brae/The Spoot O' Skerry/The Auld Fiddler
17. O'Kane's March/Craig's March
18. Splendid Isolation/The Galway Rambler/Port Load Of Kelp
19. Jig Of Slurs/The Atholl Highlanders
20. The Galtee Ranger/Glentown/O'Callaghan's
Pay The Reckoning, June 2005

Gerry O'Connor - No Place Like Home (Myriad Media MMCD002)

As the title suggests, this album marks a return to his roots for Gerry "Banjo" O'Connor, following his recent more experimental forays into other musical forms.  His peregrinations appear only to have whetted his appetite for the oul' stock as the opening track, The Bag of Spuds/The Copperplate, is a blue riband example of fiercely ornamented pure drop playing and sets the tone for the remainder of the CD.

O'Connor is without doubt Ireland's leading exponent of the tenor banjo.  If Barney McKenna is Ireland's answer to Earl Scruggs - i.e. both represent the first great popularisers of the banjo within Irish and American old-timey/bluegrass respectively, then O'Connor is Ireland's answer to Bela Fleck - i.e. the musician from the next generation who based his music on the foundations established by the past masters, but took the music further into unbroken ground, creating a personal musical universe out of imagination, instinct and peerless technique.

Having blazed trails into virgin territory, O'Connor's latest musical adventures are centred on the music of his native Tipperary and hence the album's dedication to Paddy O'Brien, Sean Ryan and Tom Billy Murphy.  The result is proof that there's as much good music in O'Connor's own back yard than in the whole wide world.

We mentioned technique earlier.  O'Connor's technique has been much-analysed - even by himself in a number of tutoorial CDs and DVDs.  O'Connor allies stock-in-trade Irish banjo adornments - picked triplets, etc. - to techniques from the five-string world - cross-picking, playing in high positions, etc.  In the process he has opened up a new range of expressive potential.  Yet while he has mastered this mesmeric fusion of techniques, he's content to give the music room to stand on its own; notably on a few occasions he lets single notes ring out on the third part of "Banish Misfortune" where the temptation of many a lesser player would be to crowd the phrases in question with ornaments.

On "No Place Like Home" O'Connor proves yet again that when it comes to the tenor banjo, he's in a class of his own.  There are other young turks who promise to take the banjo off on other tangents and create their own unique musical visions.  However when the history of the Irish banjo is written, O'Connor will surely warrant a chapter to himself as the first great innovator.

O'Connor is joined by Brendan O'Regan (bouzouki, mandolin, guitar), Tommy Hayes (bodhran, percussion) and Damien Evans (bass).  Together the four musicians box and cox like exhibition prizefighters; the sound is tight and cleanly arranged, yet brimming with the infectious sense of danger and fun that comes from the spontaneous instincts of players at the top of their tree.

More about O'Connor at http://www.gerryoconnor.com

The album is available in the UK via Alan O'Leary's mighty Copperplate distribution company.  Go to http://www.copperplatedistribution.com 

Track listing
1. The Bag of Spuds/The Copperplate
2. Tom Billy's Jigs
3. Billy in the Lowground/The Temperance Reel
4. No Place Like Home
5. Thomond Bridge/Sean Ryan's
6. Paddy O'Brien Selection
7. Colonel Fraser
8. Banish Misfortune/The Trip to Killarney
9. Brendan O'Regan's Reels
10. Ruby's Birthday
11. Really Green Reel
Pay The Reckoning, May 2005

Solas - Waiting For An Echo (Shanachie 78060)

You never quite know what to expect from Solas.  While they're capable of belting out some great traditional music and song, they're just as likely to veer into more unfamiliar territory, harnessing contemporary arrangement techniques and studio effects to create music that goes beyond trad boundaries.  In the process they lose the odd die-hard, but doubtless pick up many fans who are bowled over by their combined talent and imagination and who may not care a jot whether or not the music's in keeping with a narrow definition of trad.

Well, the die-hards can come out from behind the sofa!  No need to peek through your fingers!  "Waiting For An Echo" marks a return to a more straightforwardly acoustic Solas.  Sure, there's the occasional sample in evidence and you'll hear arrangements which occasionally nod in the direction of folk-rock, but on the whole this is a prime example of "new trad", brimming with energy and vim, by turns subtle and fragile and devil-may-care boisterous.

The opening tracks set the seal for the album, a blast of reels followed by Deirdre Scanlan's rendition of the trad song "The Silver Dagger", a dark and dangerous ballad with some exquisite, spare lines that will appeal to all those who are delighted by time-honed imagery, e.g. "My daddy is a handsome devil/He's got a chain five miles long/On every link a heart does dangle/Of another maid he's loved and wronged".

That, then is the album's pattern; sparkling tune sets and perfectly-delivered songs, contemporary and traditional.

"Waiting For An Echo?" ... Ah, that'll be the sound of you replacing the CD in in your player and listening again!

Available in the UK via Copperplate, http://www.copperplatedistribution.com (the rumour that Solas decided to record The Copperplate in the first set as a tribute to the estimable Alan O'Leary is surely a wind-up!?).  Elsewhere, visit Shanachie direct at http://www.shanachie.com. 

Track listing
1. The Hanover Reel/John James'/The Copperplate
2. The Silver Dagger
3. Tom Sullivan's/Mick's Polka/The Newmarket Polka
4. On A Sea Of Fleur De Lis
5. The Night Visit
6. The Coconut Dog/Morning Dew
7. Doireann's Waltz
8. Lowground
9. The Ballerina Jig
10. Erin
11. The Ploughman
12. Steven Campbell's/The Road To Ringussoon/The Bag Of Beer
13. Mi Pequena Estrella (Little Star)
Pay The Reckoning, May 2005

Various Artists - The Rough Guide To Irish Music, Second Edition (World Music Network/Rough Guides RGNET 1148 CD)

Geoff Wallis has set himself yet another daunting task in compiling this second collection of "the best" in recent(ish) Irish music.  To attempt to capture the essence of a musical scene which is as vibrant and diverse as that of the current Irish traditional network is no mean feat.  And yet this collection of a mere 22 tracks succeeds brilliantly in teasing out many of the strands that interweave to make up the fabric of the current Irish traditional music tapestry.  The collection is accessible to the casual and the "unititiated" listener as well as satisfying the traditional music obsessive.

In an album comprising highlights, it ill-behoves the reviewer to single out individual tracks.  And yet each listener, while appreciating the overall wash of the music in its entirety, will tune in to those pieces which home in to their particular sensibilities, whether it's the intricate interplay of Flook and Lunasa , the naked and sublimely raw simplicity of Lasairfhiona Ni Chonaola, the wild piping of Paddy Keenan, Paul Brady's masterful rendering of the timeless "Mary And The Soldier", Frankie Gavin's utter command of the fiddle, Helen Roche's soulful melancholy  or Matt Molloy's and Paul McGrattan's effortless combination of power and grace.  All are beautiful pieces of music in their own right, which - like the tip of an iceberg - bear testament to huge reserves of music just waiting to be discovered.

An ideal gift for the curious friend who'd like to delve into the music to find out just why it is so captivating!  Order up several copies for birthday and Christmas presents!

For more information, please go to http://www.worldmusic.net 

Track listing
1. G.D.'s : Hooper's Loop/Pressed For Time (Flook)
2. An t-Ull (Dervish)
3. The Night Cap/The Frost Is All Over (Frankie Gavin)
4. Liostail Me Le Sairsint (Maighread and Triona Ni Dhomhnaill with Donal Lunny)
5. The Morning After (The Prodigals)
6. Paddy Killoran's Highland/Hannah Mhici Mhicheail's (Seamus Quinn and Gary Hastings)
7. Antara/The Twirly Haired Girl/The Mountain Road (Paddy Keenan and Tommy O'Sullivan)
8. Bean Phaidin (Lasairfhiona Ni Chonaola)
9. Loughisle Castle (Ciaran O Maonaigh and Dermot McLaughlin)
10. Slieve Gallion Braes (Mary McPartlan)
11. Hughie Travers'/The Cat In The Corner (Seamus Creagh and Aidan Coffey)
12. Mary And The Soldier (Paul Brady)
13. A Stor Mo Chroi/The Primrose Lass/Miss McGovern's Favourite (Matt Molloy)
14. An Seanduine (Seamus Begley and Jim Murray)
15. Callaghan's/The Glen Cottage/Is Trua Gan Peata An Mhaoir Agam (North Cregg)
16. Taimse 'n Arrears (Cran)
17. The Cuil Aodha Slide/Dan Patsy's Slide/The Toormore Slide (Paul Moran and Fergal Scahill)
18. The Walrus (Lunasa)
19. As I Roved Out (Helen Roche)
20. The Lark On The Strand/The Geese In The Bog/The Eavesdropper (Paul McGrattan)
21. The Humours Of Castlefin/Nia's Dance/An Duidin (Altan)
22. Cam a' Lochaigh (Gerry O'Connor)
Pay The Reckoning, May 2005

David Munnelly - By Heck (Frea Records/Music & Words MWCD 4046)

By heck, indeed!

Here's an album that'll get your attention at first listen.  Melodeon and accordion (and piano) player Munnelly wears his heart on his sleeve and his heart lies in the music of "the golden age", when exuberance and a lack of cynicism combined to add an edge to Irish music which is often lacking in the more clinical and more cynical playing encountered today.  Munnelly  has no time for po-faced restraint; like a man possessed, he trots out a gleeful, purposeful intro, then tears into "The Cuckoo's Nest" with such pace and vigour that the listener's left gasping and wondering how he managed to fit so many intricate ornaments and curlicues into the tunes while maintaining such a uncomprising tempo and rhythm, so much so that the change to "The Silver Spire" comes as a shock - a further subtle build-up of energy and foot-tapping fun.  And then Munnelly's guru gets a nod as the rhythm shifts and Munnelly and co apply themselves to the infectious Kimmel's Jigs.

Energy and fun are Munnelly's stock in trade.  This is a great album to lift the spirits, brimming with unselfconscious musicality, at times playfully exploring those jazz tinges that coloured the Irish music of the 20s and 30s (some cheeky soprano sax from Richie Buckley and banjo from Paul Kelly enhancing the effect on, for example, Munnelly's own infectious barndance, the smileful By Heck).

But let's not give the impression that Munnelly is a one-trick pony.  His original composition, the slow air "Ar Boithrin na Smaointe" finds him in soulful mood.

A star-studded cast of friends lend their support.  As well as the aforementioned Buckley (who also provides tenor sax) and Kelly (who also plays mandolin and fiddle), Munnelly is joined by brother Kieran (flute, bodhran), Daire Bracken (fiddle), Gavin Ralston (guitar), Ryan Molloy (piano), Lloyd Byrne (drums) and Joe Csibi (bass, double bass).  His friends Helen Flaherty and Andrew Murray are invited along to sing, Flaherty giving us "The Garden Valley", Murray turning his attention to Richard Thompson's "The Dimming Of The Day" and "P Stands For Paddy".

Unpretentious, uplifiting music like this doesn't come along every day.  Hitch a ride on the Munnelly juggernaut and enjoy the journey!

More information from http://www.davidmunnelly.com and http://www.musicwords.nl 

Track listing
1. The Cuckoo's Nest/The Silver Spire
2. The Lark In The Mountain/Devlin's Favourite/The Cordal Jig
3. By Heck
4. The Dimming Of The Day
5. Galope a Eddie/Reel du Chat Graffigne/Joe Corimer's
6. Maguire's Fiddle/Paddy McGurn's
7. Anthony McDonnell's/Josie McDermott's/Johnny Henry's
8. The Garden Valley
9. The Poor Oul' Creathers
10. Ar Bhoithrin na Smaointe
11. Paddy O'Brien's/Mulligan's/Nothing Better To Do
12. P Stands For Paddy
13. Padraig O'Keeffe's/The Rattling Bog/An Spailpin Fanach
14. Last Orders
Pay The Reckoning, May 2005

Various Artists - Wooden Flute Obsession Volume 1 (International Traditional Music Society, Inc. ITMS0201); Various Artists - Wooden Flute Obsession Volume 2 (International Traditional Music Society, Inc. ITMS 0401)

Thank heavens for obsessives such as Kevin Krell, the Executive Director of the International Traditional Music Society!  Without them, Irish Traditional Music would be poorly documented, poorly researched, poorly served.

The Wooden Flute Obsession series (Volume 3 is being compiled as we write) is an attempt to capture the range, variety and, above all, the emotional impact of Irish music - traditional and contemporary - played on one of the trademark instruments of the "Irish sound".  It's all too easy to imagine the huge efforts - of will on the one hand; solid, tangible sweat and tears on the other - required to shepherd such a project through from the original idea to its final stages.  Thankfully Krell is up to the job and in the process has given the Irish Traditional audience an invaluable collection, showcasing players of great sensitivity and grace, lavishing their attention on superbly well-chosen sets and single tunes and ultimately proving the flute's versatility and expressiveness.

And this, of course, is Wooden Flute Obsession's real purpose - to get the audience's ear, to draw them into the music, to experience its power and appreciate why someone would spend a large part of their lives "obsessing" about the beauty of Irish music made on one particular instrument.

"WFO" doesn't set out to present the complete history of recorded flute music and there are factors - many of them commercial - which mean that some of the big names in Irish flute music may not appear in the series.  However many of the cornerstone flute players are present, as indeed are some lesser-known names.  This juxtaposition of the "famous" (in our little niche, in any event!) and those whose playing is less well documented is one of the key features of the collection to date and goes to prove that Irish Traditional Music is one of the most meritocratic musical forms; no lavish PR budgets, no featured appearances on MTV or the like - the player proves his or her mettle in front of his or her peers.  All of the players featured on WFO1 and WFO2 are worthy of their slot!

Gary Hastings (one of the players featured on Volume 2) says of Irish music in the sleeve notes to "Slan le Loch Eirne" (which he made with the estimable Seamus Quinn) that "this kind of stuff doesn't stick too well to shiny CDs and plastic tapes".  Well, Gary, whilst you may have a point generally, WFO is the exception that proves the rule.  For these are outstandingly good CDs, as listenable as they are "important", as lively as they are "worthy".  The music - and indeed the spirit of the music - has stuck, and stuck well!

Players from all over the world contribute their offerings to WFO and with such a wealth of talent on display, it's pointless to draw attention to one or other player.  However the compilation invites the listener to draw comparisons and note contrasts.  For example, it's interesting to listen to players such as Seamus Tansey and Matt Molloy, players who most other fluters would agree are among the most rounded and "complete" of their generation, with relative newcomers such as Barry Kerr, Michael McGoldrick or John Wynne.  Interesting too to compare the laid-back sound of, say, Anthony Quigney or Mike Rafferty with the sheer drive and verve of a player such as Skip Healy.  However one makes comparisons, the fact is that no player comes out of the process a winner or loser - everyone featured is equally deserving of his or her position alongside their fellow flute-players; all are true artists.

These albums deserve a place in every Irish Traditional Music afficionado's CD collection.  However, if you're a flute player, then these CDs need to be on constant rotation.

A very big thanks to Kevin Krell.  We're staggered at just how well his idea has translated into reality.

WFO1 and WFO2 may be difficult to track down in record shops, so why not order direct?  Go to http://www.worldtrad.org for details.

Track listing

Wooden Flute Obsession Volume 1

DISC ONE 

1. Garry Shannon (3:34 Reels) Windwood (The Fox on the Town/Lady of the Island/The Primrose Lass)
 2. Eamonn Cotter (3:36 Reels) The Golden Keyboard/Ambrose Moloney's/Jacksons
 3. Marcas Ó Murchú (4:22 Jigs) Maho Snaps/Get Up Old Woman & Shake Yourself/The Chicken That Made the Soup
 4. Michael McGoldrick (4:39 Reels) Teehan's (Terry Teehans/Her Long Black Hair)
 5. Catherine McEvoy (2:39 Reels) The Duke of Leinster/The Ladies Pantalettes
 6. Marcus Hernon (4:22 Air) The Invisible Corncrake
 7. Seamus Tansey (2:29 Reels) Mick Flatley's Delight/Ed Reavy's Favourite
 8. Barry Kerr (3:35 Jig/Reel) Ships in Full Sail/The Three Sisters
 9. Deirdre Havlin (3:21 Highland/Reel) The Mighty Clansmen (King George IV/Johnny Harling's Reel)
10. Noel Rice (2:15 Slip Jig) The Choice Wife
11. Josie McDermott (2:59 Reels) The Kerry Man/The Pigeon on the Gate
12. Laurence Nugent (3:56 Jigs) Old Hag You Have Killed Me/Pride of Erin Jig/The Monument
13. Mike Rafferty (2:02 Reels) The Hard Road to Travel/Shanks Mare
14. Loretto Reid (3:54 Waltz) Leon's Waltz
15. Liam Kelly (4:17) The Hungry Rock
16. Colm O'Donnell (3:10 Jigs) The Battering Ram/The Besom in Bloom
17. Jimmy Noonan (2:59 Reels) Courting Them All/Denis Murphy's Miss McLeod's/Billy Brocker
18. Hammy Hamilton (1:55 Reels) The Dark Haired Lass (Mick Hoy's)/Bonnie Anne
19. Turlach Boylan (3:52) Johnny's Wedding/Colonel Rodney's
20. Tom Doorley (2:12) Are You Ready Yet?
21. John Skelton (4:07 Air/Barndance) The Fire in the Hearth/Around the Fairy Fort

DISC TWO 

 1. Cathal McConnell (3:43 Jigs) Scotland-Ireland/The Hangover/The Fermanagh Curves 
 2. Niall Keegan (3:29 Reels) Dunmore Lasses/My Love is in America 
 3. John Wynne (3:41 Reels) The Ballinafad Fancy/Lady Anne Montgomery/The Millhouse 
 4. Martin Gaffney (2:21 Polkas) The Dark Haired Girl Dressed in Blue/The Merry Girl 
 5. Joanie Madden (5:31 Reels) Molly Ban/Paddy Lynn's Delite/Jack McGuire's/King of the Clans 
 6. Paul McGrattan (3:50 Air) Easter Snow 
 7. Mark Roberts (3:47 Jigs) Boys of the Town/The Rollicking Boys of Tandragee 
 8. Skip Healy (2:50 Reels) Silver Spear/Glen Allen/Bay of Fundy 
 9. Sylvain Barou (4:12 Reels) Clare's Reel/The Silver Reel/Brendan's Reel 
10. Grey Larsen (4:53 Jigs) The Walls of Liscarroll/Maguire's Kick/The Lark on the Strand 
11. Eoghan MacAogáin (2:54 Air) Sé Fáth Mo Bhuartha 
12. Fintan Vallely (4:01 Reels) Miss Chalmer's Reel/Brian Gibson's Rockforest Reel 
13. Hanz Araki (3:40 Hornpipes) The Plains of Boyle/The Ballyoran Hornpipe 
14. June Ní Chormaic (2:36 Reels, Live) Fred Finn's/Fr. Newman's Reel 
15. Micho Russell (2:32 Reels, Live) The Fermoy Lassies/The Reel with the Birl in It 
16. Seamus Egan (2:46 Reels) The Maid of Galway (medley) 
17. Terry Coyne (4:26 Reels) Contentment is Wealth/Tom Ward's Downfall/The Wild Geese
18. Matt Molloy (2:12 Reel) Drowsie Maggie 
19. Frankie Kennedy (3:10 Reels) The Cat That Ate the Candle/Over the Water to Bessie
20. Jean-Michel Veillon (3:29) Ton Per Bodouin/Dans Fisel

Wooden Flute Obsession Volume 2

DISC ONE 

1. Brendyn Montgomery (3:04 Reels) The Roscommon Reel/The Sweet Flowers of Miltown
 2. Damien Stenson (2:19 Reels) Miss McGuiness/Paddy Gavin's
 3. Tara Diamond (3:40 Jigs) The Sheep in the Boat/I Buried My Wife and Danced on Top of Her
 4. Billy Clifford (4:20 Hornpipes) Spellan the Fiddler/Madam If You Please/Grandfather's Thought
 5. Brian Lennon (3:08 Reels) Colonel Rodgers Favourite/The Happy Days of Youth/Lucky in Love
 6. Kevin Crawford (3:12 Reels) Hut in the Bog/Cregg's Pipes
 7. John Creaven (2:08 Jigs) Killavil/Miller's Maggot
 8. Mick Loftus (2:04 Jigs) The Boys of the Town/The Mist Covered Mountain
 9. Emer Mayock (4:07) The Fickle Lad/On the Strand/Ollistrum
10. Duncan Davidson (4:28 Slip Jig/Jig/Reel) Gan Ainm/Trip to Athlone/Zig Zag Road
11. Desi Wilkinson (4:35 Air) My Lagan Love
12. Mike McHale (3:04 Hornpipes) McGlynn's/Dunphy's Hornpipe
13. Claire Mann (3:10 Slip Jigs) Denis Ryan's/Guzzle Together/Paddy O'Snap
14. Brian Finnegan & Sarah Allen (3:28) Larry Get Out of the Bin/Elzic's Farewell
15. Dan Gordon (2:56 Reel, 3/2) Maid in the Cherry Tree/Jack is Hunting
16. Michael Clarkson (3:25 Reels) McGovern's Favourite/Cronin's
17. Elaine Jeffreys (2:12 Reels) Feeding the Birds/Mary McMahon's
18. Dermot Grogan  (2:48 Hornpipes) The Cliff Hornpipe/Gan Ainm
19. Tom McElvogue (3:27 Reels) Thrush in the Storm/The Cacodemon/The Watchmaker
20. Gary Hastings (2:06 Reels) Bonnie Anne/Hanley's
21. Harry McGowan (2:05 Jigs) The Mill Pond/Brendan Tonra's
22. Michael Hynes (3:53 Lullaby) The Cradle Song

DISC TWO 

 1. John Kelly (2:51 Reels) The Bush in Bloom/The Old Road to Garry/Captain Kelly's 
 2. Peter Molloy (3:26 Jigs) The Cuigiu Lassies/Freehan's Jig/The Bride's Favourite 
 3. Peter Horan (2:50 Hornpipes) Lad O'Bierne's/Sean Ryan's 
 4. Gregory Daly (1:47 Reel) Trim the Velvet 
 5. Justin Murphy (4:07 Jigs) The Fly in the Porter/Contentment is Wealth/Gillian's Apples 
 6. Sharon Creasey (2:54 Hop Jigs) The Promenade/Michael Coleman's Hop Jig/Comb Your Hair and Curl It 
 7. Kevin Henry & Maggie Healy (2:25 Reels) Tom Ward's/The New Policeman 
 8. Mick Hand (3:27 Air/Reel) Sliabh geal gua na Feile/Tomeen O'Dea's 
 9. Leslie Bingham (1:54 Polkas) Standfield's Polkas 
10. Anthony Quigney (3:31 Reels) The Bellharbour Reel/The Torn Jacket/The Raveled Hank of Yarn 
11. Chris Norman (4:23 Highland Dances) What Would You Like?/Untitled/Untitled 
12. Michael Hurley (3:06 Jigs) Deirdre Hurley's/Michael Hurley's #8 
13. Peter Woodley (2:19 Air) Grey Dawn Breaking 
14. Michael Tubridy (2:55 Step Dance) The Blackbird 
15. Noel Lenaghan (3:34 Slip Jigs) A Fig For a Kiss/The Slopes of Slieve Gullion 
16. Sean Ryan (Chicago) (3:40 Reels) Saint Ruth's Bush/The Stolen Reel/Dan Breen's 
17. Nuala Kennedy (2:34) Da Sixereen/The Plagiarist/Buntata's Sgadan 
18. Thomas Bernard Ryan (1:58 Jigs) Brendan Tonra's/Killavil
19. Joe Skelton (3:13 Reels) Last Night's Fun/House of Hamill/The Blackthorn 
20. Caoimhín Ó Sé (3:25 Jigs) The Bould Thady Quill/Sean Coughlan's Jig 
21. Brendan McKinney (2:17 Hornpipe)  McGlinchey's Hornpipe
22. Zac Leger (7:09 Air/Reel) The Maid of Coolmore/The Shores of Lough Reagh
Pay The Reckoning, March 2005

Haste To The Wedding - For As Many As Will (Own label, no catalogue number)

The second outing for the County Antrim ceilidh band is an altogether more polished affair than their previous "Take To The Floor" (which, despite its rough'n'ready qualities was nevertheless possessed of no little charm).

Line-up changes lead to a more lush sound than previously with Jim McAuley on fiddle, Leslie Craig on accordion, Colin Urwin on snare, bodhran and occasional guitar, Pete Bouma on guitar and Gerry Rees on banjo and cittern.  McAuley and Craig get writing credits for, respectively, "Austen's Reel" and "Ballymac Set".  This confident tunesmithing further underlines the band's growing maturity.

However we suspect that Haste To The Wedding would shrug off such claims, as the band's key focus remains the straight-ahead, no-frills ceilidh music that first captured our attention.  And yes - that spelling, with the "dh"! - is intentional.  For Haste To The Wedding draw as much from the Scottish tradition as from the Irish, as indeed does much of the music to be heard in the North Antrim region.

Easy though it is on the ear, this music appeals equally to the feet and it's easy to imagine the floor swelling to the lads' insistent rhythms as they play time-honoured sets for the dancers.

Need some lively music for your next "do"?  Then why not email info@hastetothewedding.com?

Further information on the band at http://www.hastetothewedding.com

Track listing 

1. Jimmy Ward Set - Lake Shore/Jimmy Ward's/Harte's
2. Flying Scotsman - High Road To Linton/Fairy Dance/Roxborough Castle
3. Dark Island
4. Foula Reel - Wee Todd/Pete's Peerie Boat/The Market Town
5. Austen's Reel/Sheila Coyle
6. Strip The Willow - Hunting The Hare/Foxhunter's Jig/Back O' The Haggard/Redican's
7. Hares On The Mountain
8. Waltzes - Loch Lomand/The Rowan Tree/Bonny Gallowa'
9. Gay Gordons - Scotland The Brave/Lord Lovat's Lament/McCoskey Park/Linda McFarland
10. Dashing White Sergeant - Dashing White Sergeant/Far From Home/Mason's Apron
11. Winter It Is Past
12. Bridge Of Athlone - Mucking O' Geordie's Byre/Maids Of Dromore/Charlie Hunter/Buttermilk Mary
13. Ballymac Set - The Silver Birch/Geordie McCrae's Fancy/The Road To Ballymac
14. New York Girls
Pay The Reckoning, March 2005

Henry Marten's Ghost - High On Spirits (Own label, no catalogue number)

Direct descendants of the ballad groups of yore which mixed "popular" songs with great tune sets, Henry Marten's Ghost turn their back on pretentiousness and thumb their nose at "sophistication" to give us a second shot of the "straight, no-chaser" approach which they established on 2002's "Ireland - A Troubled Romance".

Padraig Lalor (vocals, guitar) delivers some fine performances as he spars with fellow band-members Piotr Jordan (fiddle), Jill O'Shea (whistle, melodeon) and Huw Rees (drums).  Tackling songs as well-known as those which appear on the CD is a risky business.  Henry Marten's Ghost succeed because they shed new light on the material; they're not content to recreate some "classic" version, but rather they re-interpret the songs, giving them a unique and unmistakeable "HMG" sound and feel.

So too for the tune sets.  Well-chosen tunes, played with vigour and attack and yet retaining that vital ounce of understatement.

The band aimed for the feel of a typical HMG gig.  Well, that being the case, a HMG gig is worth catching!  To find out where and when they're next on-stage, contact henrymarten1@aol.com

Website address http://www.hmg-irishmusic.com.  Nothing on the site at the time of writing about the new album.  However we're sure that that will be remedied in due course.

Track listing 

1. The Jolly Beggarman
2. A Man You Don't Meet Every Day
3. Raglan Road
4. Gan Ainm/The Lads Of Laois
5. The Wild Rover
6. Charlie Harris' Polka/The Finnish Polka/Jessica's Polka
7. Green Fields Of France
8. Star Of The County Down/The Monaghan Jig
9. Fields Of Athenry
10. Rights Of Man
11. The Irish Rover
Pay The Reckoning, March 2005

Eliot Grasso - Standing Room Only (Own label, no catalogue number)

It isn't often that a debut album by a traditional musician disproves an accepted truth; that it takes 21 years to play the pipes.  However Grasso's CD not only disproves this often-repeated "fact", it kicks it out of the stadium altogether.

Grasso first came to Robbie Hannan's attention as a stripling in his mid-teens (he's barely in his twenties at the time of writing) and, as he states in the liner-notes, Grasso's "... technique and tone had already developed to astonishing levels of excellence and richness and his repertoire was seemingly endless".

With that glowing recommendation, from one of Ireland's most respected pipers, any further endorsement by Pay The Reckoning is a tad superfluous.  However we couldn't let this CD pass without comment.  For here is a piper of tender years, from the other side of the big pond, who has applied himself assiduously to the far-from-easy task of mastering the pipes and in the process has found a unique and compelling musical voice.

The selection of tunes is top-drawer.  Grasso is equally content to take on "big" tunes such as "The Tailor's Twist" (which, incidentally, has long been one of our favourite hornpipes) as well as staple (and rather unfashionable) tunes such as "My Darling Asleep" and "The Blarney Pilgrim".  In the process he comes to own the grand tunes and reclaims those regarded as being somewhat "lesser".  For this latter fact he has earned Pay The Reckoning's grateful thanks; we've long-contended that some of those tunes which are sniffed at by the haughty do not deserve such treatment.  Grasso proves that these tunes have as much life, as much scope for lifting the soul, as those more hefty tunes which have become the focus of many players' plaudits.

Grasso demonstrates that he has a great gift for composing.  Tunes such as "O'Hare's Tilt", "The Grandmaster" and "The Chiaroscuro Jig" are well-made tunes, brimming with character and lift.

Grasso is supported on this collection by Jim Egan (fiddle), Patrick Mangan (fiddle), Zan McLeod (guitar, bouzouki) and Andy Thurston (guitar, mandola).

There's a poignancy in the album's title, which refers to the fact that the funeral of Grasso's teacher - Paul Levin - was well-attended.  A big funeral is a fine tribute to a life lived to the full.  But this album is a very personal tribute and one which any teacher of so gifted a student would surely have savoured.  Given his youth, we expect to hear a lot more from Grasso as he continues to forge his music and nurture further the seeds sown by Levin.  We wish him every success in his endeavours and look forward to his next recorded outings.

To find out how to get your hands on a copy of the CD, which so far isn't generally available in retail outlets, email Eliot direct on illenpypr@yahoo.com

Track listing: 

1. Miss Susan Cooper/The Sandpiper/Boys Of The Lough
2. My Darling Asleep/Hag At The Churn/Darby Gallagher's
3. Farewell to Kilroe/The Girl That Broke My Heart
4. O'Hare's Tilt/The Chiaroscuro Jig/Jig Of Quills
5. The Tailor's Twist/The Cuckoo's Nest
6. Quill And The Ivory/The Grandmaster/Belles Of Tipperary
7. The Blarney Pilgrim/Palm Sunday/Gan Ainm
8. The Satin Slipper
9. Barry's Trip To Paris/Hilda'sChoice/Tommy Peoples'
10. Garrett Barry's/An Rogaire Dubh/Frainc An Phoill
11. Dave Normaway MacDonald's Wedding/Toss The Feathers/The Monaghan Twig
Pay The Reckoning, March 2005

Darren Maloney - Who? (Own label CD001)

In his liner notes to this, his debut solo outing, banjo wizard Maloney states that he "... wrestled with the question of recording standard seisiun tunes or recent compositions."  In the end, he chose to "... do something that captured my music, my playing and my ideas".

And so we have a CD which is fearlessly experimental, harnessing the stock-in-trade of the Irish banjo virtuoso to a musical vision whose scope extends far beyond the boundaries of the dance music of Ireland.  Comparisons with Gerry (Banjo) O'Connor have already been drawn.  They are well-made. Like O'Connor and Tony "Sully" Sullivan, Maloney is one of a small handful of tenor banjo-players who seeks to extend the vocabulary of this often-reviled instrument.  Like O'Connor and Sully, Maloney's mastery of his instrument is second-to-none and this mastery enables him to travel deep into the virgin territory of his own wild musical imagination.

Given the innate conservative bent of the traditional music community, we've little doubt that some of our readers will give an involuntary shudder on reading the above.  However we'd ask you to rest easy.  Maloney's experimentation is entirely simpatico with the tradition; the guy's an insider, not some Johnny-come-lately dilletante, splicing "celtic" vibes to add lustre to otherwise bland musical fare.  When he gives us a few doses of the "pure drop" (for example on "An Geall Briste/The Piper's Despair" and "Johnny Leary's Jig/Con Cassidy's/McHugh's") he proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that this is his musical bedrock, the wellspring of his inspiration and fierce, sharply-honed, musical intelligence.

On top of those rock-solid foundations, Maloney adds layer upon layer of individuality.  Recent compositions by contemporary musicians such as Bela Fleck, Mike McGoldrick and Amy Cann fit hand-in-glove with his own compositions.  These range from tunes such as "Annaghmakerrig House" which are so true to the oul' stock that the presence of a composer's credit is a shock to the more obviously recently-crafted "Kandy Girls" and "Run Down".

As well as the choice of tunes themselves, Maloney also sets himself apart from the majority of banjo-players by virtue of his technique.  His playing is intensely vivid, never gaudy.  As noted above, this highly confident and supremely competent technique is the springboard which allows his imagination to take flight.  Only the most gifted player could pull off Maloney's musical high-wire act.

Ably supported throughout by his sparring partners Joe Brennan (guitar), Brian Fleming (percussion) and Richie Lyons (bodhran), credit is also due to Maloney's instruments - a Deering Maple Blossom, Swanelectro Mellowtone and his 1937 Abbott "Monarch No. 2".  Maloney's banjos sound incredible throughout and are evidently integral to his music.

On the strength of this album, we suspect that the title "Who?" will soon prove to be an amusing historical curiosity.  It can't be long before banjo players, indeed the entire Irish traditional community, will become very familiar with this rising star.

More information from http://www.darrenmaloney.com

Track listing 

1. Farewell to Whalley Range(Mike McGoldrick)/The First Pint (Colin Farrell)/Atholl's (Maloney)
2. Kissing Fishes (James Fagan)/Reel Des Cing Joumelles (Unknown)
3. Annaghmakerrig House (Maloney)/The Morning Room (Maloney)/The Black Cat (Maloney)
4. Catharsis (Amy Cann)/inP karoNg (Maloney)
5. Vonnie's Poem (Maloney)
6. An Geall Briste (The Broken Pledge) (trad)/The Piper's Despair (trad)
7. Ample Warning (Maloney)/Sergei's (Brian Carolan)
8. Trupenny (Maloney)/Kandy Girls (Maloney)
9. Singing In Irun (Maloney)/Maura On A Bicycle (Bela Fleck)/No. 39 (Maloney)
10. Johnny Leary's (trad)/Con Cassidy's (trad)/McHugh's (trad)
11. Happy-Go-Lucky (Maloney)/Graffiti Fridge (Maloney)/A Fridge Too Far (Maloney)
12. Run Down (Maloney)
Pay The Reckoning, March 2005

Garry Walsh - Uncovered (Ossian OSSCD134)

Flute and whistle maestro, Walsh - a native of Manchester - gives us a recording which shines brightly on two counts.  The first is his lyrical, graceful playing; Walsh is a stylist who adds beauty and charm to the music.  The second is the fact that many of the tunes on this collection have come to him from his grandfathers, John Walsh (fiddle, flute, piccolo) from Drogheda and John Joe Fahy (melodeon) from Skibereen, and are examples of the myriad of "local" tunes that haven't made it into the traditional canon.

Until, we now suspect, Walsh's CD is established among the cognoscenti as one the "must-haves" of recent times.

Walsh is aided and abetted in his exploration of past glories by Dave Hennessy (melodeon), Johnny Neville (guitar), Colm Murphy (bodhran, percussion), Clare Fitzgerald (fiddle) and Isla de Ziah (cello).  The CD captures some spectacular interplay, in particular between Hennessy and Walsh and Fitzgerald and Walsh; the sense of musical companionship bordering on telepathy runs through the CD as a constant thread.

As ever we spotlight individual sets with some reluctance; an album as fine as Walsh's is in many senses a highlight in itself.  However "Thugamar Fein An Samhradh Linn/Casey's" has given us cause to hit the repeat button from time to time.  As indeed has a mighty (and impishly quirky) hornpipe set "Narrow West Street/Butterley's Boat".

A modern classic, whose roots extend back through the generations, "Uncovered" is a collection whose importance cannot be underestimated, by a player whose passion, grace and technical flair cannot be doubted.

Available in Ireland via Ossian http:/www.ossian.ie and distributed in the UK by Alan O'Leary's estimable Copperplate Distribution http://www.copperplatedistribution.com

Track listing 

I. The Road to Naul / Laughing Molly - Jigs 
2. The Cross Legged Tailor / Under the Tholsel / Eileen Fahy's - Reels
3. Waiting For Me / Out the Buttergate / John Walsh's Jig
4. Around Lough Ine - Air
5. The Travelling Lamp / Cogar Na Gaoithe - Reels
6. Thugamar Fein An Sainhradh Linn / Casey's - Jigs
7. Narrow West Street / Butterley's Boat - Hornpipes
8. (Robbie's Welcome ) / The Windy Harbour / Gan Ainm - Reels
9. Back to Skibbereen / The Road to Cork - Jigs
I0. Clara's Reel. / Ciaran Jennings
11. (Gan Ainm) / Here's to Temperance /The Barrel of Monkeys - Jigs
12. (Felix Doran's) / Mother Hughes's Goose - Reels
Pay The Reckoning, February 2005

The Border Collies - Unleashed (Own label BC 001)

Just what the vet ordered!  (Sorry, folks ... the Border Collies' revelling in puns is addictive!  We'll endeavour to desist!)

The Border Collies, from County Sligo, play as Catherine McEvoy notes in the album's liner "... the music of Sligo ... in an uncluttered, relaxed, but tight ensemble".  Ah, yes!  The Holy Grail of ensemble musicianship - relaxed but tight.  A quality that many strive after, but few attain.

This elusive quality is evident from the very first set - "Martin Wynne's No. 3/The Abbey Reel/Corry Hilly/The Cloone Reel" - as the main melody instruments (banjo courtesy of Theresa O'Grady, Colm O'Donnell's flute and Declan Payne's piano accordion) join force for a fast, but at the same time languid, romp through through a fine blast of reels.

Elsewhere a laidback approach predominates, as Maria Lynn's bouzouki takes the lead on the intricate filigree of Peadar O'Riada's superb jig "Sport" with Colm O'Donnell picking up the baton - this time on whistle - in the second tune of the set, a four-part version of "King Of The Pipers".

Great tunesmanship, certainly, but the Collies are no slouches when it comes to songs. Colm O'Donnell's peaty, rugged voice does "Here's A Health To The Company", "The Tinkerman's Daughter" and Andy Stewart and Phil Cunningham's "A Lover's Heart" perfect justice. But his treatment of "Dilin O Deamhas" surpasses words!  Siobhan O'Donnell , the band's bodhran player has inherited her father's gift of a way with song - her harmony vocals on "A Lover's Heart" being a mere prelude for her rendition of "Wild Mountain Thyme" - a standard which she polishes till it gleams like a new penny.

So far the only member of the band who hasn't had a mention is the guitarist - a rock-solid presence throughout - Shanee McGowan and we couldn't let this review pass by without tipping our hat to his uncluttered, understated, spot-on accompaniment.

Not yet as widely-available as it deserves to be, if you can't get your paws (sorry!) on Unleashed, then an email to the band thebordercollies@eircom.net may point you in the direction!

Track listing 

1. Martin Wynne's/The Abbey Reel/Corry Hilly/The Cloone Reel
2. Here's a Health to the Company
3. John Brennan's/Mick O'Connor's/The Duke of Leinster
4. The Scotsman Over the Border/Willie Coleman's/Tom Billy's
5. Dilin O Deamhas
6. Sport / The King of the Pipers
7. A Lover's Heart
8. The Man in the Bog/The Luathradain's Jig
9. Wild Mountain Thyme
10. Paddy O'Brien's / The Whistling Postman
11. With a Love that's True 
12. Sailing into Walpole's Marsh/Cregg's Pipes/Gan Ainm/Draggin Across the Road
13. The Tinkerman's Daughter
Pay The Reckoning, February 2005

Johnny Connolly (le Charlie Lennon) - An Mileoidean Scaoilte (Clo Iar-Chonnachta, CICD 157)

So, there are those who'd argue that Connolly is the greatest melodeon player of all time.  Then there are those who are less inclined to make such a grandiose claim, but who say that he's certainly the best melodeon player of his generation.

Well, let's forget all this "best" nonsense ... it just gets in the way of the music and the enjoyment of the music.  To our mind there isn't any such thing as "best", there's "as good as it gets" and that's it.  And Connolly is certainly as good as it gets!

The first and foremost charm of this collection lies in its utter simplicity.  Connolly's box-playing and Charlie Lennon's usual highly sympathetic piano accompaniment are the bedrock of the album and on only two occasions is the mould broken, on "Emmet The Piper/The Frost Is All Over" where Lennon adds a dash of fiddle to the mix and "Boil The Breakfast Early/N