Issue 30 2/2005
CD
Give Away to celebrate FolkWorld's 30th issue
This is FolkWorld's 30th issue, which we are rather proud of. In the last 30
issues, FolkWorld has presented probably more than 2,000 CD reviews, hundreds
of articles, and has remained overall on the pulse of time of the European folk
music world. Through FROG, it has established itself as one of the biggest data
bases of European folk music on the internet.
To celebrate the occasion, we give away three copies of the brilliant CD of the Irish singer Bríd Ní Mhaoileoin. Bríd has been introduced in an interview in the last issue of FolkWorld - click here for the interview. Thanks to Bríd for providing the competition CDs!
To enter the CD competition, answer the following question: When did the first ever issue of FolkWorld come out? We will draw the winner in April 2005.
Photo: Bríd Ní Mhaoileoin
Martyn Bennett 1971 - 2005
Scotland. We are sad to hear of the loss of one of the most coulourful and innovative
musicians of the Scottish roots music scene. Master musician and composer Martyn
Bennett has died following a long struggle with cancer. He passed away peacefully
in his sleep on Sunday the 30th of January 2005.
Martyn went beyond the boundaries of Scottish roots music with his very modern
rendition of traditional songs and tunes, and he has been and will be an inspiration
to many musicians. Scotland has lost one of its great innovators.
There has been a beautiful obituary written by Jim Gilchrist in the Scotsman:
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=118752005
Messages of condolence can be sent to martyn@musicscotland.com
which will be passed on to the family. If you want to find out about Martyn's
music, check out his website: http://www.martynbennett.com
Difficult
times for "La Musgaña"
Spain. It was just in the end of 2003 that here in Spain, the folk music fans
were all cheerful about the come-back of the band La Musgaña (www.folkworld.de/27/e/musgana.html).
However, right in the middle of the 2004 summer, we heard that the central member,
Enrique "Quique" Almendros had suffered a brain stroke while preparing a concert.
The sad news is that since that episode, he has got into a very deep coma. Chances
of recovery: unknown, if not very remote. It is truly sad to know about the
situation of such a young talented musician, but more than that, a really friendly,
humorous and generous person. He has not just contributed with his great skill
(mainly playing traditional wind instruments) to the recovery and spreading
of the medieval and traditional Spanish music. He has also become a teacher
especially for his beloved "gaita charra y tamboril" (pipe & tabor), in dedicated
courses as well as in folk music schools. Our best hopes and wishes for Quique's
family, friends, and his two colleagues from La Musgaña: Jaime Muñoz and Carlos
Beceiro.
St Valentine's
Folk Festival
Britain. St. Valentine's Folk Festival in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, is
one of the earliest in 2005, on the weekend of February 11th - 13th. Dave Emery
explains: "It is a charity event in aid of the National Children's Home. The
festival is homespun. We have kept costs to a minute but have a superb line-up
of over 50 acts. As well as folk concerts across all three days, the festival
includes blues, skiffle, Celtic music, dance, ragtime, jazz, stories, poetry,
world music, singarounds, ceilidh, a folk walk and open stage."
members.lycos.co.uk/valentinefolk/
10
years Flook
England. One of the most stunning Celtic bands of the last decade is celebrating
its 10th Anniversary in 2005. Flook have been celebrated a number of times in
FolkWorld; their last CD was voted No. 1 by FolkWorld's editors, and they even
played at the wedding of one of FolkWorld's editors!
To celebrate Flook's Tenth Anniversary year, the band plans to have "a
big birthday bash in November, in fact 10 of them! They'll be happening in major
cities around England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales." The band is also heading
into the studio in February to start work on their new album.
More info at Flook's website, www.flook.co.uk
TradTunes.com
Scotland. Alan Kennedy of Uist Media informs us: "We wanted to make you aware
of TradTunes.com, the world’s first digital download store dedicated to Celtic,
traditional and roots music. It was just launched by Scottish company Uist Media
Group, based in Glasgow. In additional to thousands of legal downloads from
the Celtic music world’s big names, the site features a weekly hosted radio
show, Radio TradTunes, with interviews, performances, and new release information."
www.TradTunes.com
Malinky with new line-up
Scotland.
One of the rising stars of the Scottish folk scene, Malinky, are heading for
a major line-up change. The award-winning Scots folksong band will play their
final performances with singer/songwriter/guitarist Karine Polwart and Leo McCann
(button box/whistle) in a tour in Scotland and England in Mid February.
After six years, founder member of the group Karine Polwart is moving
on to pursue a new opportunity as a songwriter, with support from an independent
publishing company, underlining her five nominations in the 2005 BBC Radio 2
Folk Awards. At the same time, Leo McCann leaves Malinky following the
birth of wee Eoin McCann in November 2004. Leo will continue performing music
on a freelance basis and also pursue his long-postponed career in social work.
The band recently premiered the new lineup at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival.
The new lineup features existing members Steve Byrne (vocals, guitar, bouzouki),
Mark Dunlop (vocals, bodhrán and whistles) and Jon Bews (fiddle, vocals), alongside
Fiona Hunter (vocals, cello) and Ewan MacPherson (mandolin, mandola, guitar,
vocals).
The final Scottish concerts with Polwart and McCann will be/have been Edinburgh
on 11 February 2005 (Pleasance Cabaret Bar) and Aberdeen on 12 February 2005
(The Lemon Tree). Some of the proceeds from the Edinburgh gig will go to Marie
Curie Cancer Care in memory of the late Martyn Bennett and the producer of Malinky’s
first album, Davy Steele, both of whom were cared for by the charity. A short
English tour will also take place the following week in recognition of the band’s
fan base down south.
Malinky said, “We felt it important to give fans in various corners of the country
the chance to make it along and bid farewell to Karine and Leo, who’ve contributed
so much to the success of the band through the years. The final Edinburgh concert
at the Pleasance Cabaret Bar is particularly apt for us since it was there the
band had its first ever performances in floor spots at Edinburgh Folk Club.
We’re also thrilled at the positive reception the new lineup has had from fans,
promoters and our record company alike – we’re looking forward to a great year
ahead.”
Moothie Madness in Kingussie
Scotland.
The humble mouth organ proved a popular attraction at the 'Strath Spé Away'
dance festival held in Kingussie in the Scottish Highlands, 12-14th November.
World-renowned piper, Allan MacDonald of Glenuig, better known for his in-depth
research on Ceòl Mòr, the classical music of the Highlands, shifted musical
and social scales by playing and teaching the harmonica with groups of eager
students.
Allan said: "I came to teach two of the most disparaged and possibly least understood
instruments in our tradition. The moothie and the bagpipe may be very different
instruments but people's reactions to them can be pretty much the same. They
either love them or hate them!"
Many pipers have been known to carry a moothie around for fun but the wee instrument,
sometimes called 'a band in a box', has had its serious uses too. Births and
marriages have been celebrated to the sound of the harmonica when the fiddle
or the pipes weren't available and it's music has even been used at funerals
and wakes. The harmonica has also been very much used as a dance instrument
and so it's inclusion in a dance festival is very appropriate.
Piper and dancer Elspeth Buxton explained: "Nowadays the mouth organ doesn't
have the respect it deserves. People have forgotten about it and have moved
on to other things. Myself and Sandra Robertson, who organises the annual 'Strath
Spé Away' dance festival, decided we had to make a space for the moothie and
we were delighted when Allan MacDonald agreed to lead two moothie workshops
over the weekend. We had a great response with over a dozen players turning
out and it's something we'd like to see being developed again locally."
The 'Srath Spé Away' weekend was hosted by the popular dance group 'Dannsa'
and events included concerts and ceilidhs as well as classes covering a range
of traditional and modern dance styles from Hip Hop to Highland. Over 200 participants
attended, some from as far away as Indonesia, Thailand and Norway.
John McCusker and Kate
Rusby on the telly
UK. John McCusker and his wife Kate Rusby could recently be heard
regularly on British television. The new series of the Scottish comedian Billy
Connolly, "Billy Connolly’s World tour of New Zealand" featured music
composed, produced and performed by John McCusker, and has been televised over
the last few weeks. . The series is available on DVD and there is also a CD
of the music, “Billy Connolly’s Musical tour of new Zealand”.
Kate Rusby was heard on British TV on Christmas Day. Kate was asked to write
two songs for a new, 30 minute, animation called 'Jack Frost' , from a book
of the same name by David Melling, telling the story of a boy lost in an enchanted
forest.
Farewell
to performing Tom Paxton
USA. One of the important persons of the folk scene of the last century will
be doing a UK Farewell Tour this year, celebrating a career that spans forty
years.His first visit to the UK was in 1965. On Part 1 of his Farewell Tour,
Tom will also appear at the BBC Folk Awards where he will be honoured with a
“Lifetime Achievement in Songwriting.”
Info: http://www.tompaxton.com
How did they celebrate
the battle of Trafalgar?
England. This question will be explored in a conference on Tuesday 15th March
2005 at Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, Camden, London NW1 7AY. During
this workshop/training day, teachers, folk animateurs, musicians and event organisers
will be able to acquire historically correct resources to use with all ages,
particularly children, in celebrating the Battle of Trafalgar.
The Battle of Trafalgar (21st October 1805) was a tremendous event in the life
of the Nation and 200 years on it will be celebrated once more. Dancing, music
and song were integral parts of local activities with news and stories of the
dramatic events. There would have been grand balls, patriotic concerts, village
dances, songs, music and broadsheets everywhere. To help those who want to find
out more, the organisation Tradamis have been working with top experts in this
period of history to produce a series of pamphlets on different activities.
These pamphlets have been produced to back up to the teaching that Tradamis
offers and will be useable by those with a little prior knowledge of the area
of work.
The one-day conference, held with the support of HMS Victory and the English
Folk Dance & Song Society, is aimed at all those who are interested in working
in this field, whether teachers, musicians or those who have other skills to
offer and, of course, anyone who is thinking of running their own events. Costs
will be £25 per person, and a full set of leaflets plus discount on many other
resources will be available to all participants.
Further information through http://www.tradamis.co.uk/trafix.htm
Anam
are back
Scotland. The internationally acclaimed, Highland based, Irish & Scottish band
ANAM have reformed, and played their first gig after a longish time of silence
at Glasgow's Celtic Connections Festival 2005. Since its formation in 1993,
Anam has been delighting audiences throughout the world with their eclectic
mixture of traditional and original songs and tunes, which are drawn not only
from the Scottish & Irish idiom, but also from other musical influences including
jazz, country, singer/songwriter, Eastern European and other world music.
Anam's new line up has some of the most acclaimed and skilled musicians and
singers (Gaelic & English) to come out of Scotland and Ireland in recent years.
The members, each of whom are well known in there own right, are: Brian Ó hEadhra:
vocals, guitar, bodhrán Fiona Mackenzie: vocals, bodhrán Gordon Gunn: fiddle,
mandolin Nuala Kennedy: vocals, wooden flute and whistles.
Malbrook nominated
Germany. Wolfgang Meyering & Malbrook have been nominated for German Folk &
Worldmusic Award RUTH 2005. After having been voted last year by FolkWorld as
the best album of 2003, the northern German project Malbrook of Wolfgang Meyering
has now been nominated in the categorie "Newcomer" (new Projects) for the German
Folk & Worldmusic Award "RUTH". The Award will be given out by Profolk e.V.
and the Tanz & FolkFestival Rudolstadt (the biggest Festival of this kind in
Germany, 25 000 visitors each year). The Awards in the categories German Roots,
Global Roots, Newcomer and the Honour Award will be given to the Aritsts at
the next edition of the TFF Rudolstadt 1-3 Juli 2005.
Flower of the West Concert
Scotland. An Lòchran, Glasgow’s Gaelic Arts Organisation, has drawn inspiration
from the book Flower of the West, written & collated by Skyemen Calum & Rory
MacDonald of Runrig, for two flagship Gaelic cultural events. Some of Scotland’s
foremost artists and musicians will come together to celebrate the work of Calum
and Rory MacDonald through song, film, poetry and visual art. The concert will
have a strong Gaelic content and will be performed by Phil Cunningham, Mary
Ann Kennedy, Karen Matheson, Donald Shaw, Catherine- Ann MacPhee, Mairi MacInnes
and Cliar amongst others well known musicians. The concert will take place at
the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow on 6th May 2005. Contact for tickets is 0141
353 8000.
Five-lingual album
Germany/Denmark.
A region where five different languages are spoken - who would have thought
of the Danish-German border region? Apart from the "official" Danish
and German languages, there are also three distinctive local dialects being
used. To showcase this fascinating subject further, two bands from the Danish-German
border region have recorded an album featuring songs in all five languages.
Drones & Bellows, more known for teh Celtic music, and the Dragseth Duo
present on "Hiimstoun" a mixture of newly composed and traditional
songs, celebrating the distinctive linguistic culture of this region, and celebrating
the fact that, even though five languages are spoken, still people live peacefully
together and understand each other. A fantastic project!
The CD is reviewed in German in this issue - with the CD review you will also
find the contact information for the album.
In the German news you can find as additional news:
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