CLADDAGH RECORDS NEWSLETTER April 1998 Claddagh Records, Dame House, Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland phone/fax +1-353-1-679-3664. Retail and international mail-order. email claddagh@crl.ie (Finbar Boyle) http://indigo.ie/~claddagh/ BLACK BLACK BLACK. Cran. CC63CD. Claddagh's latest release. Cran are Ronan Browne (uilleann pipes, flutes), Sean Corcoran (bouzouki, vocals) and Desi Wilkinson (flutes, vocals). Each one of them has a formidable musical reputation in his own right. On their second album they mix a selection of instrumental tunes and songs in Gaelic and English. Kevin Glackin (fiddle), Triona Ni Dhomhnaill (clavinet and vocals) and the choral group Anuna join them for certain tracks. LANDMARK. Clannad. 74321560072. The latest in a long series of albums by the Donegal group, whose musical career goes back to 1970, and whose musical output ranges from traditional to New Age. THE CLARE SHOUT. Bobby Gardiner. BG 007. Twenty-five tracks of great old-fashioned melodeon playing and lilting. Some of it was recorded at home, some (the tracks with the set-dancing) in a pub and a hall, and some in studio. Mel Mercier accompanies Bobby on bodhran and the tracks with live dancing are heart-lifting. TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC FROM DOOLIN, COUNTY CLARE. Terry Bingham. OSSCD 108. Great concertina album, first time on CD. Terry is one of the musical family from Comber, County Down, but has lived in Doolin, County Clare for a long time. However, be aware that this album has previously been released on cassette as 'Terry Bingham' it is exactly the same album with expanded notes TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC FROM DOOLIN, COUNTY CLARE. Kevin Griffin. OSSCD 109. Incredibly, it has the same title as the above, from the same company. Smart boy wanted. This is a great banjo album. Kevin is a native of Doolin and has played music since he was a child. Again, this is a re-issue of an album that was previously available on cassette only. The notes have been expanded, but the music is as it was. WORSE THAN PRIDE. Kieran Goss. RTECD 213. New album of contemporary songs by the singer/songwriter from Newry. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE. James Keane. SHCD 78015. James Keane, from Drimnagh in Dublin, is one of Ireland's best-known accordion players. He has lived in New York for many years and on his latest album he's joined by many of his friends. These include Kevin Conneff (vocals, bodhran), Paddy Glackin (fiddle), Matt Molloy (flute), Garry O Briain (strings, keyboards), Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes, whistle) and Tommy Peoples (fiddle). An excellent album, it draws on James' years of playing , solo and in bands. BEGINISH. Beginish. INIS 001. Beginish is a new group consisting of Brendan Begley (accordion, vocals), Paul McGrattan (flute), Noel O'Grady (bouzouki) and Paul O'Shaughnessy (fiddle). Each of them is already highly regarded in his own right. On their first album, guest artists Triona and Mairead Ni Dhomhnaill (vocals), Arty McGlynn (guitar) and Colm Murphy (bodhran) join them. This is one of the strongest releases likely to appear this year THREE FROM TRAD. Triad. TRIADCD 1. Ceoltoir is an organisation that trains young musicians from all over Ireland in how to handle their careers =96 they must already have achieved a high standard of musicianship before they start the course. Three of last year's crop have made an album; Eamonn Galldubh (uilleann pipes), Tina Price (songs) and David Munnelly (accordion). KABILLY-TOUSEG. Mugar. 34502 2. This is a queer one! A group of musicians in Paris, experienced in both Berber, Irish and Breton music got together to make an album based around three flute-players, Michel Sikiotakis, Nasredine Dalil and Youenn le Berre . This kind of thing is not something I normally enthuse about, but it's very, very good. It's refreshing to hear somebody doing something genuinely experimental without the pomposity that's sometimes associated with innovations. These are musicians, not opportunists. THE GIFT. Gerry O'Sullivan. SHCD 78017. Gerry O'Sullivan has already recorded on the uilleann pipes for Green Linnet, but this is his first for Shanachie. There are Irish and American traditional tunes, some modern pieces and some baroque. TWO FOR TWO. Laurence Nugent. SHCD 78044. Laurence Nugent is a flute-playing member of a well-known Fermanagh musical family. His first album was very well received. The new one features also Pat Broaders (bouzouki), Kevin Burke (fiddle), Liz Carroll (fiddle), Jim Dewan (bouzouki), Sean O'Driscoll (guitar), Marty Fahey (piano), Ged Foley (guitar), Larry Gray (cello), Jackie Moran (bodhran). BUSHES & BRIARS. Susan McKeown. ALU 1008. This is Susan's second album, and on it she sings traditional songs such as Craigie Hill, In London So Fair, The Banks of Claudy and more. Guest musicians include Johnny Cunningham, Andy Irvine, Seamus Egan and Jerry O'Sullivan. A MUSICAL TRIP TO COLEMAN COUNTRY. Various Artists. CD CC002. The musical community in the Coleman area of Sligo/Roscommon have given their assistance to the establishment of the Coleman Heritage Centre in Gurteen. This is their second fund-raising album and it includes specially recorded music from The Swallows Tail Ceili Band, Seamus Tansey, John Carty, Seamus O'Donnell, Colm O'Donnell, Seamie Dowd,Tommy McGowan, Michael McDermott and more. Great music and song, and well worth having. There are a few compilations from a label called Reactive. They are The Essential Altan REMCD 500, IN GOOD COMPANY Kevin Burke REMCD 512, CELTIC FIDDLE REWCD 350 and CELTIC HARP REWCD 357. The harp and fiddle albums don't even say who's playing on them. There is also a fairly good compilation from The Living Tradition of Scottish and Irish stuff, called CELTIC CONNECTIONS features Dervish, Brian MacNeill, Altan, Boys of the Lough and more.