Sometimes the good and the bad mingle, and we get....life.
Our friend Ms. J. passed over on Thursday, and our friend Mike D.'s brother died on Friday, we're very sad to say. Our condolences to the families of our friends. We're thinking of you. We wish we had done more. We wish we could do more. Anyway, thanks for letting us be there a little bit for you.
_________________________________________
At the same time, there's a few really wonderful things happening right soon. Let's talk about them:
September 11, 2007 at 7:30 PM Free Concert featuring Brendann Begley & Caoimhin O Raghallaigh
Skidmore supergrrl Kyle Carey has organized another amazing concert up at Skidmore (her home turf) tomorrow night in the Spa of the Case Student Center, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs. You can catch a free concert featuring Breandann Begley and Caoimhin O Raghallaigh. (See the description below for info, and visit www.stateofchassis.com for more about them.) An open session will follow, so bring your instruments.
For directions: http://cms.skidmore.edu/map/directions.cfm
Breandann Begley-A button accordian player from the small village of Brandon on the Dingle Peninsula of West Kerry, Breandann hales from a famous musical family that included his brother Seamus. who partnered up with Steve Cooney and revolutionized the Irish music scene with a percussive guitar technique. Many believe that Breandann is the better accordian player, he just wasn't lucky enough to team up with Cooney...who's to say!
Caoimhin O Raghallaigh-Pronounced Key-Veen. An Irish-speaking Dubliner, Caoimhin has a phD in astro-physics, builds illium pipes, and plays fiddle like he was born in the 1920's...and guess what...he's about 25, with crazy hair to boot. While archiving old recordings at Trinity College, Caoimhin mimicked the style of the players. Bottom line...all the old players in Ireland are crazy about the kid, he has a style similar to the infamous Paddy Cronin, and I've never heard anything like him before. You have to hear it yourselves folks to believe it!
I hope we see you there!!!! Bring your instruments! And your Irish tunes!
_____________________________________________________________
October 7, 2007 in Troy, NY Empty Bowls: A Fundraiser for Capital Region Food Pantries
Potters make and donate bowls and restaurants donate soups. For $10 you can get a bowl and try different soups. All proceeds go to the food banks. Last year they got over 1200 bowls! Please support it if you can!
I'll put up a link once I get it from Colleen, our slow session co-leader. She won't be around on Wednesday, because she'll be making this whole bowl thing possible! You Rock, Colleen!
9.10.2007
9.05.2007
Eight Days a Week [or seven days 'til session day!]
Hey, Sessioneers, it's one week 'til session day! Next Wednesday, September 12!
Here's the list to be working on for this month:
Swallowtail Jig (jig)
Swallowtail Reel Swinging on a Gate (reels)
Margaret's Waltz Southwind (waltzes)
Colerain (jig)
Boys of Ballisodare Five Mile Chase (reels)
Josephine's (waltz) + listening party -- bring a recording of this if you have one!
Also, you'll want to review these tunes from August:
Inisheer (waltz-ish slow tune)
Contentment is Wealth (aka Carty's Jig)
King of the Fairies (set dance)
Out on the Ocean (reel)
Kesh Jig Stool of Repentence (jigs)
Father Kelly's (reel)
Tonra's (jig)
And, finally, did you beg, borrow, or steal a trad Irish recording and listen to it? If not, you still have time! We just borrowed a CD from our friend KDawg: a recording by Traonach, a band from Ithaca. Interesting stuff with nice accompaniment and pleasant arrangements in some cases. I think the weakest piece of the CD may simply be some mixing issues. I wouldn't put the CD at the top of my list, but I enjoyed listening to it. They've selected nice tunes, and have a really nice musical vision. By the way, Traonach will be at the 1st Annual Joe Banjo Burke Festival on Oct. 5-8, 2007 in East Durham. Check out the line-up: www.joebanjoburke.org.
Overall, my goal in listening to this CD was to listen critically. I was thinking about what I want to hear in CD. How does the music flow from track to track? Are there good solid changes? Creative changes? What instrumentation? Are they getting repetitive in their ornamentation or phrasing? Are they rushing? Going too slow? What would I do with that tune? And it is all with the intention of learning from your peers, and getting better at the music!
Critical listening changes as your ear improves. At first, you can't tell when the music shifts from one tune to the next. As you get more familiar, you can hear that. As you improve further, you get interested in the arrangements and the tune versions. Pretty soon, you're listening to to the CD for the 40th time, and are surprised to hear a tune you already play that you didn't hear before. Finally, you're listening to tunes to pick up ornaments, variations, or arrangements so you can use them when you're playing.
Where are you on this scale? Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing your tales of great joy and discovery! Send me an e-mail if there's any topics you want to see on the blog.
Best,
The Trad
Here's the list to be working on for this month:
Swallowtail Jig (jig)
Swallowtail Reel Swinging on a Gate (reels)
Margaret's Waltz Southwind (waltzes)
Colerain (jig)
Boys of Ballisodare Five Mile Chase (reels)
Josephine's (waltz) + listening party -- bring a recording of this if you have one!
Also, you'll want to review these tunes from August:
Inisheer (waltz-ish slow tune)
Contentment is Wealth (aka Carty's Jig)
King of the Fairies (set dance)
Out on the Ocean (reel)
Kesh Jig Stool of Repentence (jigs)
Father Kelly's (reel)
Tonra's (jig)
And, finally, did you beg, borrow, or steal a trad Irish recording and listen to it? If not, you still have time! We just borrowed a CD from our friend KDawg: a recording by Traonach, a band from Ithaca. Interesting stuff with nice accompaniment and pleasant arrangements in some cases. I think the weakest piece of the CD may simply be some mixing issues. I wouldn't put the CD at the top of my list, but I enjoyed listening to it. They've selected nice tunes, and have a really nice musical vision. By the way, Traonach will be at the 1st Annual Joe Banjo Burke Festival on Oct. 5-8, 2007 in East Durham. Check out the line-up: www.joebanjoburke.org.
Overall, my goal in listening to this CD was to listen critically. I was thinking about what I want to hear in CD. How does the music flow from track to track? Are there good solid changes? Creative changes? What instrumentation? Are they getting repetitive in their ornamentation or phrasing? Are they rushing? Going too slow? What would I do with that tune? And it is all with the intention of learning from your peers, and getting better at the music!
Critical listening changes as your ear improves. At first, you can't tell when the music shifts from one tune to the next. As you get more familiar, you can hear that. As you improve further, you get interested in the arrangements and the tune versions. Pretty soon, you're listening to to the CD for the 40th time, and are surprised to hear a tune you already play that you didn't hear before. Finally, you're listening to tunes to pick up ornaments, variations, or arrangements so you can use them when you're playing.
Where are you on this scale? Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing your tales of great joy and discovery! Send me an e-mail if there's any topics you want to see on the blog.
Best,
The Trad
9.04.2007
Concert for Jerry Holland
Okay Traddies, I'm going to share an e-mail from a really great person and fantastic singer and musician, Julee Glaub. For those of you who don't know her, she is a staff person for the children's programming at the Catskills Irish Arts Week, and she performs in a duo with amazing guitarist/singer Mark Weems. So, she's writing to everyone to tell us about a benefit to help a musician friend: Jerry Holland. And since his name came up in the comments section of this blog, I thought I might share her message with y'all.
The Trad
Dear Friends,
I am honored to be asked to participant in a benefit concert for fiddler Jerry Holland in Boston next weekend. The past several years I have gotten to know Jerry when we were both teaching Celtic Week at the Swannanoa Gathering in NC. He is a good soul and an amazing fiddler and has been very sick in the last months with cancer. It has been wonderful to watch the traditional music community all over the globe gather around him emotionally and financially.
Seamus Connolly dreamed up a concert in Boston on Sunday Sept. 9th in Jerry's honor. I hope to see you there. If you are unable to attend, but would like to contribute to the Jerry Holland fund, please visit http://www.jerryhollandfund.org/
Please note concert information below.
All the very best,
Julee Glaub
----------------------------------------------------------Center for Irish Programs, Boston CollegeGaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture SeriesFall 2007 Eventshttp://www.bc.edu/gaelicroots ----------------------------------------------------------Sunday, September 9Boston University, Harvard University, and Boston College will co-sponsor abenefit concert for fiddle player Jerry Holland at Boston University.Details are available at http://www.concertforjerry.org/
The Trad
Dear Friends,
I am honored to be asked to participant in a benefit concert for fiddler Jerry Holland in Boston next weekend. The past several years I have gotten to know Jerry when we were both teaching Celtic Week at the Swannanoa Gathering in NC. He is a good soul and an amazing fiddler and has been very sick in the last months with cancer. It has been wonderful to watch the traditional music community all over the globe gather around him emotionally and financially.
Seamus Connolly dreamed up a concert in Boston on Sunday Sept. 9th in Jerry's honor. I hope to see you there. If you are unable to attend, but would like to contribute to the Jerry Holland fund, please visit http://www.jerryhollandfund.org/
Please note concert information below.
All the very best,
Julee Glaub
----------------------------------------------------------Center for Irish Programs, Boston CollegeGaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture SeriesFall 2007 Eventshttp://www.bc.edu/gaelicroots ----------------------------------------------------------Sunday, September 9Boston University, Harvard University, and Boston College will co-sponsor abenefit concert for fiddle player Jerry Holland at Boston University.Details are available at http://www.concertforjerry.org/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
