Issue 7 12/98

Two News pages
FolkWorld. This time the news items need more space - because of this, we have decided to have two news pages. The links to aditional news in German language are on the bottom of the second news page.

Win with FolkWorld!
FolkWorld. Another reason to visit FolkWorld: From this issue on, you can win in every new issue several CDs and other folk items. This time, in FolkWorld's own competitions you can win CDs with German folkhippop, Italian roots music and a special selection of 3 CDs. As a resident of Germany additionaly you can win several Euro-Canadian CDs from our sponsor Magnetic Music. Good Luck!
Click here to find a listing of all current FolkWorld competitions.

Scottish Folk at its best
Germany/Scotland. Germany's Scottish Folk Festival tour in January promises to become the best-ever Scottish music tour in Germany representing the current best crop of Scottish music with all directions of Scottish music. It will feature one of the most sought-after bands from Scotland, the Scottish trance band Shooglenifty, then the traditional young and energetic band Deaf Shepherd, the folk-jazz harp-guitar duo Bachue Café, and finally Scottish singer/songwriter Jim Malcolm. Find out more at the SFF homepage

The FolkWorld CD Top Ten 1998 (compiled by the editors)
A selection of the personal highlights of 1998. Always a difficult task to choose the ten best ones. Here are the editor's three best and their seven, also highly recommended, follow-ups. In our opinion, these CDs are all a 'must' for collectors of European Music CDs.

1. The best of 98: Pancho Alvarez "Florencio, O Cego Dos Vilares"
   A fascinating and brilliant CD from Galicia, Northern Spain. Pancho Alvarez is multi instrumentalist (more than 10 instruments on this CD) and an excellent singer. All material is played and sung just by Pancho himself (exception are two guest singers on one track), still the sound of the album is much more like a top class band with much practise to play together. .
   The music and songs on this album are representing the repertoire of the blind Florencio. Music and song of the blind have a long tradition in Galicia, but this tradition died many years ago. Florencio, born in 1914, was a blind musician and singer who went to the fairs of Galicia and Asturias to present there his music. He was one of the last, or maybe even the last, blind fiddlers of this old tradition.
   Pancho uses a lot of material from Florencio, wanting to recover the style that was used by the blinds on the fairs. The listener gets a spectacular insight into old traditions presented in a modern and up to date way. A very fresh, lively sound with many facettes - for FolkWorld it's the best album of 1998!
   Read the full FolkWorld review

   

2. The second best of 98: Yggdrasil "Herrelaus"
   Norwegian band playing exciting Nordic music with a modern feeling. The tunes are mostly based on (Hardanger) fiddle and clarinette, backed by percussion and guitar; some songs add another flavour. You might file Yggdrasil under Norwegian Trance Music; the music is dark and beautiful with the typical Scandinavian flavour. Another top band carrying the flag of the new, modern and cool side of the Scandinavian folk music scene.
   Read the full FolkWorld review
   

3. The third best of 98: Carlene Anglim & Alistair Gittens "Mellow Frenzy"
   Carlene's fiddle playing is simply stunning , playing with a deep feeling for the music. Her musical partner Ali gives subtle, innovative guitar accompaniment. Together their sound is huge, exciting and moving. Just very few fiddlers (like Martin Hayes) can match with the deep knowledge, virtuosity and excitement of the playing of this 22 year old girl. Just amazing!
   Read the full FolkWorld review
   

4. Ambrozijn "Alea" A highly enjoyable mix of Flemish and French songs and tunes from this Belgian four-piece band.
   Read the FolkWorld review

5. Kepa Junkera "Bilbao 00:00 h" An impressive collection of tunes, songs and guests (!), from the Basque Country (Spain), based on Kepas accordeon. With an impressive booklet.
   Read the FolkWorld review

6. Seelyhoo "leetera" The second album of this young Scottish band. Modern tunes, Gaelic songs - one of the Scottish bands for the next millenium.
   Read the FolkWorld review

7. Ned Ludd "a zero ore" Fresh Italian Roots Music.
   Read the FolkWorld review

8. Keep it up - Simon Thoumire, Eilidh Shaw, Malcolm Stitt, Kevin MacKenzie Young Traditional Scottish Four Piece with charme.
   Read the FolkWorld review

9. Maite Dono "Corazón de Brief" Young Galician poetic singer.
   Read the FolkWorld review

10. Cordelia's Dad "Spine" Cool American band with a traddy album.
    Read the FolkWorld review

Ireland meets Mongolia
Ireland/Mongolia/Italy/Germany. The Northern Irish folk band Craobh Rua (photo) and the Mongolian ensemble Egschiglen have met in Italy this summer, being booked for the same concert. They had lots of fun collaborating during that night; enough to think about further collaborations. There might be some concerts with both Egschiglen and Craobh Rua in April in Germany, as both bands are touring that month. Who knows, maybe the organisers' interest is big enough to have regularly theme concerts "Ireland meets Mongolia".
For German Dates you can contact Peter Braun at peter.braun.lu@t-online.de

An Irish success
Germany/Ireland. This year's Irish Folk Festival tour of Germany proved that there is still a potential for this prestigious, 24 year old package tour: Though generally recession and low interest for culture make life for folk musicians difficult in Germany, the Irish Folk Festival attracted this year many visitors, with several sold-out concerts. Brian MacGrath had his solo banjo part (Johnny Og Connolly could not make it to join the tour), followed by the duo John Faulkner & Eoin O'Riabhaigh. Highlight of the concerts was for many the appearance of Susan McKeown and her Chanting House - she was in superb shape, and was always celebrated with huge applause. The second half of the nights featured the Irish traddies Dervish who had to turn up the gear following this superb act. Now, again on the way up, the Irish Folk Festival can look positively to its 25th birthday in 1999.

"A wonderful piece of sonority and dream. I am hearing this CD as a desperate man. It is fantastic."
The music of Xenos can not be easily compared to that of others. What other CDs are there of this music ? Selected from the music played at Rom (or Gypsy) weddings in Macedonia, this is raw energy controlled by the masterfull hands of drummer Fuat Sazimanoski. Hear the mysterious and seductive sax solos of Anne Hildyard, and try to seperate the voices of twins Anne and Lee. Sophie Chapman wraps the music in her accordion, and Rob Bester underpins it with his funky fretless bass.
Australian based, the band has been 'traveling the world' via the inflight music channel on QUANTAS airlines, but hope to really tour in Germany in 1999.
"New Moves" is available from Verlag der Spielleute; Reichelsheim, or direct from XENOS, Rob Bester, PO Box 1144, Preston 3072, Vic., Australia for 35 DM or 20 USDollar including postage.
Further infos from

10 years Folkworks - Lottery Award
England. Folkworks, Newcastle based organisation for folk music projects, are celebrating their 10th birthday this December. Over the past ten years, Folkworks has run hundreds of projects offering people of all ages the chance to participate in music, and employed hundreds of folk performers as teachers. Now they have gained the Arts For Everyone Lottery Award of 100.000 Pounds Sterling for a range of exciting new initiatives under Folkworks Training and Youth Project.
At the moment, the project addresses as one of their concerns that although there are fantastic young perfomers coming to the fore through the work of a number of organisations, the audience for these performers, and traditional music in general, do not in the main include large numbers of young people. this in mind, Folkworks will be setting up three year long traineeships for young people designed to give direct experience of event organisation. Ros Rigby, Co-director of Folkworks, says: "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to help develop younger audiences which will hopefully benefit not only folk music but the wider arts scene."
FolkWorld congratulates Folkworks for their first ten successful years, and wish a lot of success for their new project - it's also the aim of FolkWorld to help to develop younger audiences for folk music!
Folkworks celebrate in a Birthday Bay in form of a Christmas Ceilidh, on Friday 18 December; "a ceilidh full of surprises". Taking place at Wallsend Memorial Hall, Station Rd., Wallsend.
Infos on the Bash as well as on Folkworks in general: e-mail; Homepage; Tel. 0191 222 1717.

Svends attractions in Denmark
Denmark/Ireland. Some good news from Svend Kjelsen's Roots Music Agency Denmark: Svend's Irish band ErrisLannan's (photo) new CD titled "All About Time" has just been released and they played 12 concerts in Denmark/Scandinavia in November. Right now Svend is working at DE DANNAN's 25 Years Anniversary Celebration World Tour, an Eleanor Shanley-Tour '99, an Iarla O'Lionaird-Tour '99 plus a couple of other things. At the same time, he is now also managing a good few Danish bands like Sorten Muld, Kætter Kvartet, Phønix and DUG.
Contact: Roots Music Agency Denmark/ Svend Kjeldsen

Wolfstone - chaotic news
Scotland. First came the good news from Scotland's folk rockers Wolfstone: They are back and no longer officially split. (They have officially called it a day a year ago because of trouble with their label Green Linnet; FolkWorld reported). As their agent John Boocook said, rehearsals for a new Wolfstone album are imminent with songwriting well underway. The recording will take place over December/January. Green Linnet have no release date yet. The recording will be made in Glasgow. Wolfstone will tour the UK, Mainland Europe and Scandinavia and the US.
Then the news that was quite a shock for most Wolfie fans: Ivan Drever, the excellent singer/songwriter, will not feature in the new line-up of Wolfstone. He is to continue working as a duo with Duncan Chisholm and as a solo artist. Ivan offered to record the new album with the band but the band declined. He offered to contribute four numbers to the new album these have also been declined.
The whole mess is because of personal problems... Ivan is happily working away at his next solo album and buying decorating materials.
What will be Wolfstone like in future? Or will this be the beginning of the final end of Wolfstone? We will keep an eye on developments...
You might try to get more news from Ivan's agent John Boocock

Celtic Connections 1999
Scotland. Europe's biggest festival for Celtic folk music is held again in January in Glasgow. As always you can be sure to find some of your favourite Celtic artistes in the programme of Celtic Connections, which is held between the 15th and 31st of January. News of the festival is that it will now be incorporating a heavy educational package, a community involvement package, mini-festivals and Scottish tours to the whole agenda. Danny Kyle's Open Stage for new and non-professional performers will continue following last years success. There will be an award given called 'Danny'.
Just to mention two handful of acts to be seen at Celtic Ceonnections 99: Ceolas, La Bottine Souriante, Wolfstone, Kepa Junkera, Carlos Nunez (photo), Jock Tamson's Bairns, Michael McGoldrick, Kavana McNeill Lynch Lupari, Eleanor Shanley, MacKenzie.
To Register for a Festival Magazine (price £1) call 'The Information Hot Line' on 0141 353 4137. The programme is also online at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall homepage.

Death of Paddy Clancy
Ireland. CDIreland's David Hamill reports: Irish music fans were saddened this November to hear of the death of 76 year old Paddy Clancy, the oldest of the world renowned Clancy Brothers, who passed away on Wednesday November 11th at his home in Carrick-On-Suir in County Tipperary after a long battle with cancer. As a member of The Clancy Brothers in the 60s, with partner Tommy Makem from County Armagh sharing billing with the family combo, they came together in New York, singing to pay the rent on a Greenwich Village theatre where they had been staging Irish plays. Success soon followed. Shortly they were playing larger venues and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show shown coast to coast established their reputations. The Clancy's first toured Ireland in 1963 and were an immediate sensation, selling copious quantities of albums and selling out every venue they played. In 1964 their record sales accounted for 30% of all record sales in Ireland, a most incredible figure never likely to be repeated. Failing health in recent years meant that Paddy was not as active as he wanted to be, yet when the opening stages of the Tour De France were held in Ireland while the French hosted the closing days of the 1998 World Cup, Paddy was still entertaining as he headlined an open air concert in his hometown. Paddy is survived by his widow Mary, children Leish, Rory, Orla, Maura and Conor, younger brothers Liam and Bobby and sisters Joan and Peg.
His funeral took place after 12-noon requiem mass in Carrick-On-Suir on Friday followed by the removal of his remains to the local Faugheen Cemetary where he was buried. His hometown came to a standstill as over 2000 people attended his funeral. Among those in attendance were Ronnie Drew and Barney McKenna of the Dubliners, Paddy Reilly and Tommy Makem. Messages of sympathy were received from such luminaries as U2, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, The Chieftains, The Wolfe Tones and The Furey Brothers. As a true pioneer in the acceptance of Irish music around the world we extend our sincere sympathies to his family.
Information by the CDIreland Newsletter

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© The Mollis - Editors of FolkWorld; Published 12/98

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