most jaw dropping tracks?

Eldarion · Post by **Eldarion** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 7:31 pm

Here's a few more of my favourites:

Seamus Egan - Mason's Apron/My Love is In America
Seamus Egan - Flaubert's Lilt

both from "When Juniper Sleeps". Seamus Egan's Mason's/America is played on a banjo - the first time I've ever liked banjo playing (I think the nice backing really helps too). Its so weird that despite being such a masterful flautist, Seamus Egan only releases a relatively little amount of flute pieces per CD.

Altan (Ciaran Tourish) - The Windmill (in between their Tommy People's set)
Mary Bergin - Richard Dwyers/Miss McDonald's

Lunasa (esp in "Merry Sisters"), McGoldrick and Flook are really jawdroping in the arrangement sense. I really love the way they add contemporary sounding riffs, chord progressions and interesting accompaniments, like trumpets and disc-scratching, which makes the music extremely palatable and very cool. Of course they're technically flawless too.

However Matt Molloy and his Mason's Apron still tops the charts for me in technical impressiveness. I hear that Martin Hayes' "Live in Seattle" album is pretty impressive too. Musicians tend to need to show their technical side in "Live" performances I guess.

For slow stuff:

Scartaglen (Connie Dover) - Chuaigh Me 'Na Rosann
I think this is the best vocal air that I've ever laid ears on. The way she does those vocal ornamentations and her tone gets me everytime.

Lunasa - Inion Ni Scannlain from "Merry Sisters"
Paddy Maloney - Protected by Angels (OST Babe: Pig in the City)

Orison - The Butterfly
I feel this is the best rendition of the slip jig, despite being a little different from how trad playing people normally play it. Nice chord progressions.

OT: Btw Brent, your quote is from the Gingerbread Man from the movie Shrek, I believe.

[ This Message was edited by: Eldarion on 2002-02-05 01:51 ]

jackorion · Post by **jackorion** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 10:03 pm

I'll put up three tracks that come to mind right now. Two of which have already been mentioned but the third, all time mind blower for me, has not.

1. Lunasa, Morning Nightcap. It's just such a joyous tune. The celt equivalent to a great rock n roll anthem. Gets the hairs rising!!

2. McGoldrick and McSherry, Doinna. Third track of First Light. If Lunasa doesn't get the hair standing up, this does!!! It's just plain freaky.

3. Bert Jansch, Reynardine. Guitar and Vox. I can't even begin to discribe what this track does to me. Anyone interested in guitar should buy this right away. Anyone interested in scotish folk should buy this right away. This man is simply amazing. The album is called "Rosemary Lane" some trad and some originals. Makes my jaw drop everytime.

Jack "Scratchin the surface" Orion

ChrisLaughlin · Post by **ChrisLaughlin** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 10:14 pm

Yeah, JackOrion, that Morning Nightcap set blew me away the first time I heard it so I decided I had to learn it. I can play it, though it certainly sounds nowhere near as good as the Lunasa version. I'm not quite sure what my choices for most jaw-dropping tracks are... I'll get back to you all on that question, but that Morning Nightcap set is indeed fantastic.
Best,
Chris

Post by **Dale** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 11:23 pm

Somebody ought to compile a master list of all of these for the newsletter. That'd be so fine.

Dale

kardshark87 · Post by **kardshark87** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 7:40 am

Eldarion,
I know...But "unknown" sounds better than "the gingerbread man that is being tortured in the movie Shrek"

So in case anyone was wondering where the quote came from...Now you know!

Brent

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 10:06 am

I thought of another jaw-dropper, for pure emotional power, slow one this time:

Frankie Kennedy "Dobbin's Flowery Vale", last track on the Harvest Storm ablum (iirc). It's a slow air followed by a slow reel, played on a Bb-Flute. I have seen as the reel as The Drogheda Lasses, Eddie Moloney's Favourite, Mary Of The Grove, or Paddy Doorhy's. Kennedy plays the reel with a strong dotted feeling, almost B2 G>B E>BG>B | A2 ... The liner says that Kennedy learned the tune from a BBC recording of Robert Cinnamond of Glenavy, Co. Antrim.

Eldarion · Post by **Eldarion** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 6:41 pm

Dale, I'll list down all the tunes listed here after the thread dies down and email it to you.

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 10:28 pm

Here's an odd one, which I hope won't get me stoned by my C&F bretheren.

My all-time most heart-stopping recording is off of one of those generic Celtic CD's you can buy at flower shops and such..."Celtic Mystery," I think it was called.

I know, I know, I ought to be ashamed of myself. Just humor me for a moment.

Most of the CD was quite generic; the cheese factor was high. But there's one track, in the midst of all the junk. I believe the name was "The Foxhunters." It was a slip jig, nicely arranged for guitar, pipes, bodhran, mandolin, and perhaps a fiddle...and right in the middle is one of the most breath-taking whistle solos I've ever heard. Simple, elegant, from the heart.

Wonderful.

I've long since returned the CD to the friend from whom I borrowed it, but I'm still haunted by that tune; I still aspire to playing like that. Just goes to show that beauty comes in the oddest places...

Tom

_________________
"The worse the experience, the better the story."

[ This Message was edited by: WyoBadger on 2002-02-06 23:31 ]

Graphics Guy · Post by **Graphics Guy** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 10:35 pm

UMMM Matt Molloy with the Chieftains playing
"The Dunsmore Lassies" Sounds more NA than Celtic in the beginning. I dont know which album its on...But rest assured ..I will find it. Heheheh

Dan

Eldarion · Post by **Eldarion** » Thu Feb 07, 2002 1:23 am

"Dunmore Lassies" the Chieftains rendition is found on their "Long Black Veil" album I believe.

I think not all "Celtic (fill in the blanks)" CDs are sucky. I tend to find Narada's "Celtic (something)" compilations pretty good. In fact one of my favourite CDs is Narada's "Celtic Odessey". Sounds cheesy, but has good music in it.

Graphics Guy · Post by **Graphics Guy** » Thu Feb 07, 2002 1:53 am

Talk about timing...Just as I found it you
tossed in the name...You're right "Long Black Veil" And yep...I'm buyin it heheheh

Firefly · Post by **Firefly** » Fri Feb 08, 2002 12:26 am

On 2002-02-06 23:28, WyoBadger wrote:
Here's an odd one, which I hope won't get me stoned by my C&F bretheren.

My all-time most heart-stopping recording is off of one of those generic Celtic CD's you can buy at flower shops and such..."Celtic Mystery," I think it was called.

I know, I know, I ought to be ashamed of myself. Just humor me for a moment.

Most of the CD was quite generic; the cheese factor was high. But there's one track, in the midst of all the junk. I believe the name was "The Foxhunters." It was a slip jig, nicely arranged for guitar, pipes, bodhran, mandolin, and perhaps a fiddle...and right in the middle is one of the most breath-taking whistle solos I've ever heard. Simple, elegant, from the heart.

Actually, I also have this album (on tape, however). And I completely agree with you - the rendition of "The Foxhunters" is incredible - the manage to turn that tune into such a frolicking, joyous outing. So, I heartily agree that this is a track to be listened to - I think you can pick up the tape/CD at chain stores like Meijier's for about $9.00

I actually thought the entire album was quite nice. If we're thinking of the same record (and I believe we are, as "Foxhunter's" is the standout track), then I thought the album was nicely done, with good, though not amazing musicians, in a traditional fashion.

As to "cheese factor," I bought that album as a Senior in high school. My roomate, bless her heart, actually embraced my habit of playing celtic music while falling asleep. We're listening, almost in dreamland, and I hear her groggy voice: "Birds are singing at 2am?" to which I responded "No, this is the album with the cheesy nature sounds, remember?" But if you can ignore the cheesy nature sounds, it's a good CD for the price!

~Firefly

pixyy · Post by **pixyy** » Wed Feb 20, 2002 4:41 am

Just have to post this one:

Jeroen

Jon-M · Post by **Jon-M** » Wed Feb 20, 2002 8:32 am

Laurence Nugent playing The Smell of the Bog, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and Emmet's Double: his whistle bops, sings, and growls (who would ever have thought you could growl on a whistle?!).
Jon Michaels

Eldarion · Post by **Eldarion** » Wed Feb 20, 2002 8:07 pm

Growling on whistles is actually not very hard to do. Willie Clancy did it on his The Morning Dew/Woman of the House set. All you need to do is make a gargling sound at the back of your throat when you play. Or say "etre" in French, emphasizing the "re", or simply growl. What this does is that it makes the piece of flesh (epiglottis) covering your windpipe vibrate, giving a growling sound to your playing.

Incidentally, I read you could sing/hum when you play the whistle, though the effect is not so good.