Music of the Isles: Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Santiago seems to have found a balance. Here they have focused on the music of northwest Spain, the region of Galicia that is often referred to as more Celtic than Spanish. Their original journeys were instigated by their meeting Galician bagpiper Carlos Nuñez (who has played for many years with The Chieftains, as well as doing recordings with Ry Cooder, Sinead O'Conner, Dulce Pontes, and Spanish rock singer Luz Casal), but soon they were encompassing the Galician influences in Europe and the New World, and by the time they finished they had brought in the talents of Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos in music from Cuba, Mexico and the U.S. southern border. They try their hand at flamenco and Cuban son. Some of this works, some of it falls to "world-mix" muddiness. But bravo to them for the attempt. The Spanish rooted tracks work best, and they introduce the world not only to the prodigious talents of Carlos Nuñez but also to some of the styles and musicians much less known from the Basque region, as well. There's enough brilliant moments to highly recommend Santiago. - CF

Further Adventures: The Galician music of Milladoiro is featured on a number of Green Linnet Records... Superb new music from the Basque lands comes from Benat Achiary's many albums (Silex/Harmonia Mundi)...The Basque accordion is the focus of Trikitixia! (Erde Records) and includes the musicians featured on Santiago in their own rite... On the World Wide Web, look for The Galician Music pages at http://www.clip.dia.fi.upm.es/~boris/gaita/... and the City Of Santiago has its own information,. photos and sound clips at http://www.santiago.jet.es/

The band that has most defined our American concept of modern Scottish folk music is probably BATTLEFIELD BAND. On Across The Borders (Temple Records, Scotland, via Rounder) this quartet is captured live this time out in a set roaring numbers on bagpipes, fiddles, guitar, flutes and keyboards recorded at Queen's Hall in Edinburgh and distills their style nicely. But the extra spice is added by a host of guest artists. Long time mate Alison Kinaird joins them on Scottish harp. Legendary County Sligo flautist Seamus Tansey plays off Battlefield wind-man Iain MacDonald in a brilliant duet of reels. Yorkshire singer Kate Rusby and California bagpiper Eric Rigler also make showings. Perhaps the most curious moment in the show is the battle of the bands between the Battlefield boys and Glasgow country rockers The Radio Sweethearts (a side project of BB member John McCusker), clearly won by the country bagpiping solo that punctuates the last verses. Another live one from the Battlefield Band has been long overdue, but as always, worth the wait. - CF (sound sample available)

BLOWZABELLA
Vanilla
(Green Linnet)

It's those bagpipes again! In the good Celtic tradition, a sad story to go with it. Like Rare Air did last year, Blowzabella has released one of their most adventurous records ever, and then broken up! More's the loss, because from the opening chaos of "'Spaghetti Panic" through heart-wrenching love ballads back to a live plate of "Spaghetti," this bond has yanked the roots out of the ground and grafted them onto all manner of strange new branches. At the core of it all are those most medieval of instruments, the hurdy-gurdy and the bagpipes, cranked and wheezed by Nigel Eaton and Paul James, both with a drone that could freeze the bone. Swayne and Freya's saxophones add a hot jazzy tone and Ion Luff's bass supplies a funky moan. But this band's strongest point is still its ability to keep alive the old traditions of Flemish, Breton and Celtic music. Jo Freya's vocals on "La Belle C'est Endormir" are bittersweet, and the folk tunes are lively and never dated. They also extend the ancient into the future on cuts like "Beanfield/Monster Cafe," eight minutes of electro-Breton rhythms played out on acoustic (except for the bass) instruments. It pounds out a jig one minute, and then swings the next, but never quite lets go of the taproot of folk music. Excellent! - CF

ROGER ENO Swimming
Gyroscope/Caroline
Here's a peculiar little recording, made by one of the techno- ambient king-pins and what have we here? Irish folk tunes, country dances and singing? This is a sentimental and thoroughly charming album from an innovator who has chosen to slow down a bit and write some romantic, funny and sweet album of deceptively simple songs, simply played (everything, of course, by Eno, from synths to concertinas).

PEADAR Ó RIADA
Winds- Gentle Whisper
Bar None

This month we go a little further afield and find the music of a cultural experimenter, composer, church choir master and agronomist, Peadar Ó Riada; son of Sean Ó Riada, one of the leaders of the folk revival in Ireland in the 60s.

The music here is very deep in the tradition, using both the moods and melodies of ancient Irish music, but what comes of it is far from a revivalist's vision of the past. This music is a new as the CD it's pressed on. He uses the old sounds as a base, then laminates it with classical European and middle eastern music, avant garde and natural ambiance. His vision is almost global, yet never hints at anything except his Irish home.

On Winds- Gentle Whisper he works with a strong ensemble of fiddlers, chamber musicians and a poet, building a sound of depth and intensity that conveys the sorrow, joy and frivolity of real life lived in a real world. These are neither the ambient musings of contemporary "Celtic" nor the barrel-house pyrotechnics of the professional ceili band, but personal expressions, each unique and unflinching in its honesty.

ANDY IRVINE
Rude Awakening
Green Linnet

Andy Irvine has always been acclaimed as a singer, musician and, occasionally, as a song writer. He has founded or participated in some of the legendary bands of Irish modernism, including Planxty and Patrick Street. For the first time, on Awakenings, we get to really zoom in on his song writing. Maybe it's because he's had years to get them all together, but you will be amazed at his scope and vision. These are songs in the image of American writers who simply and directly told their stories. The album is a collection of heros and anti-heroes from all over the world. "Never Tire Of The Road" is a dust bowl ballad a la Woody Guthrie, a tale of the "wobblies" travelling the depression era landscape, holding on to hope as they look for the light at the end of the tunnel. "The Whole Damn Thing" recounts a meeting with Sinclair Lewis, who warns, "Decline and Fall are waiting in the wings, and at the final curtain call as the critics wait to spring, you may doubt the wisdom of the whole damn thing." The musical juxtapositions are sometimes quite unusual. "Viva Zapata" tells the Mexican revolutionary's story to an Irish sounding tune. The tale of socialist union organizer "James Connelly" is sung as a somber and moving ballad, played out on Irvine's bouzouki and Bill Whelan's keyboards. The whole set is personal,incisive and poetic. Rude Awakening should finally put Andy Irvine into the ranks of songwriters like Paul Brady and Ron Kavana. Highly recommended. - CF

PATRICK STREET
Cornerboys (Green Linnet)

Marta Sebestyen credits P.S. founding member Andy Irvine with bringing her into the world of Irish music, as he and his cohorts have done for decades in the dozens of band and solo projects they have created. This quartet (with newest member Ged Foley on the guitar and smallpipes) seems to be able to sum up a thousand different ideas of what "Irish" music is in a single set of songs. Jigs, reels, slides and polkas offer the dancing segment of the show, while this album is heavily punctuated by Irvine's singing of both traditional and original songs. Each Patrick Street album seems to have one central focus, and this time around it's Irvine, blowing the harmonica, writing the tunes and songs, and singing his heart out. Jackie Daly's accordion is as smart as ever and fiddler Kevin Burke once again proves himself one of the grand masters. Together they prove (again) the vitality of good music played straight, with real fire.