CELTIC CHAOS
Chaos In The Kitchen
The name Celtic Chaos originates with weekly sessions held in a hotel near Eilean Donan Castle on the west coast of Scotland. The sessions offered an opportunity for musicians of all ages with a love for traditional Celtic music to come together to play a variety of jigs, reels, hornpipes, airs and strathspeys.
Celtic Chaos is a group of traditional Celtic musicians from Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, who took as an example the Scottish sessions for their first CD and entitled it Chaos In The Kitchen. But the Qualicum Beach musicians went a step further with their labour of love and all the proceeds from their first album will be donated to the British Columbia Cancer Foundation, Vancouver Island.
If you look at the CD cover of Chaos In The Kitchen, the top of the kitchen table tells the story... it’s total chaos. It leaves no doubt that there must have been a real session going on but from the smiling faces around the table, it looks like they were all enjoying the craic. The must have spent long hours drinking tea or maybe something stronger while perfecting the music for their first album.
Chaos In The Kitchen has the sound of an impromptu traditional session with the musicians playing for the pure joy of their music. Celtic Chaos play a variety of Celtic music from the jigs and reels of Ireland and Scotland to French-Canadian dance tunes with vocalist Thea Stavroff singing traditional songs from Scotland and Ireland.
Celtic Chaos is Dave Barta on accordion; Emma Beaton on cello; Joyce Beaton on fiddle and les pieds; Jane Good on percussion; Gordon Lafleur on Irish wooden flute and penny whistle; Jayne Lapper on guitar; and Thea Stavroff on percussion and vocals. Special guest artist is B.C. fiddle champ, Trent Freeman.
Tracks are Nine Pints; traditional Irish jigs; Les Lapins; Gaelic Air; Cumberland jigs; Bus Stop; Raglan Road; Mairi’s Wedding Set; Boda and Port Theatre.
To purchase Chaos In The Kitchen, or for bookings and information about Celtic Chaos, call (250) 752-1162, or e-mail: jbeaton@shaw.ca.
THE IRISH TENORS
Heritage
The Irish Tenors is a trio that need no introduction with over two million albums sold worldwide. Having appeared on several incredibly successful PBS specials and other national television shows, the Irish Tenors have become one of the best-known vocal groups in the world.
These award winning tenors - Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynon and Finbar Wright – in their new album Heritage, feature a collection of songs which speak to their Irish heritage, as well as folk songs and roots music from other traditions that borrow from Celtic influence.
Between national television appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Regis & Kelly and 20/20, to name a few, along with relentless touring, the group has developed a tremendous and loyal fan base in North America and Europe. The Irish Tenors is currently one of the most successful Irish touring groups in the United States, and second only to superstar rock band U2.
Tracks on Heritage are: The Harp That Once Through Tara’s Halls; Red is the Rose; Off to Philadelphia; Golden Jubilee; Little Brigid Flynn; Fields of Athenry; I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen; My Heart Will Go On; The West’s Awake; Danny Boy; Song for Ireland; Dublin Medley; South of the Border; Whiskey in the Jar; The Parting Glass and bonus track, God Bless America.
The Irish Tenors album Heritage is available at all fine records stores. [N.B. World-famous Irish Tenor, Ronan Tynon is coming to Seattle on May 8, 7:30 P.M. at Benaroya Hall]
LUNASA
The Kinnitty Sessions
The musicians line-up on Lunasa looks like a who's who in the traditional music scene. Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honour of the Irish God Lugh, patron of the arts, Lunasa is indeed a gathering of some of the top musical talents in Ireland. It's members have helped form the backbone of some of the greatest Irish groups of the decade.
Bassist Trevor Hutchinson was a key member of The Waterboys, and later he, along with guitarist Donagh Hennessy, formed the dynamic rhythm section of The Sharon Shannon Band. Fiddler Sean Smyth is an all-Ireland champion who played with Donal Lunny's Coolfin. Kevin Crawford who is considered to be among the finest flutists in Ireland, played with the traditional group Moving Cloud. Piper Cillian Vallely is from the same talented musical family as brother Niall Vallely of Nomos.
Inspired by the legendary Irish group The Bothy Band, Lunasa use melodic interweaving of wind and string instruments, paring flutes, fiddle, whistle and pipes in often breathtaking arrangements. “I had a vision of the type of music I wanted to create,” says Sean Smyth, “In my books the most influential band was The Bothy Band who were flute, pipes and fiddle based.” The Kinnitty Sessions is their fifth album, was cut before a live audience at Kinnitty Castle in Ireland and then refined in a Dublin studio.
Tracks on the CD are Stolen Purse; Ballyogan; Punch; The Dimmers; Island Paddy; Sean in the Fog; Bulgarian Rock; The Wounded Hussar; The Walrus; Maids in the Kitchen and Tie the Bonnet. To purchase The Kinnitty Sessions and for more information about Lunasa, visit: www.compassrecords.com.
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