| Coolfin |
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Donal Lunny (bouzouki, guitar, bodhran bass)
with Coolfin, who are:
Ray Fean (drums),
Roy Dodds (percussion),
Graham Henderson (keyboards),
Fionn O'Lochlainn (bass),
John McSherry (uileann pipes and whistles),
Nollaig Casey (fiddle and viola),
Mairead Nesbitt (fiddle);
with guest singers
Eddi Reader,
Marta Sebestyen,
Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill, and
Triona Ni Dhomhnaill;
and guest instrumentalists
Sharon Shannon (accordion),
Maire Breatnach and Sean Smyth: (fiddles).
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| Sound Bytes |
| With its echoes of the 1987 Donal Lunny Band and
Moving Hearts' "The Storm," Lunny's latest "Coolfin" is
certainly the product of a logical progression in his blending of
traditional and pop/rock/world-music idioms, but not necessarily a more
successful one. Once again, Lunny has surrounded himself with top-notch
musicians, the great John McSherry on pipes and whistles, Nollaig Casey and
Mairead Nesbitt on fiddles (with Maire Breathnach and Sean Smyth joining in
on one track), Sharon Shannon on accordion, Maighread and Triona Ni
Dhomhnaill on vocals, as well as the great Hungarian singer Marta Sebestyen,
and a number of other musicians (previously unknown to me) on bass, drums,
percussions, and keyboards. Overall, the sound is pretty close to that of
the 1987 live album, except for the addition of drums and bass, which at
times become tiresome. Once again, the tracks combine traditional dance
tunes and songs with new compositions by Lunny and Casey--although there
isn't anything quite as memorable as "The Tolka Polka" here.
The new percussion and bass-ladden texture is made obvious right from the
start on Lunny's own "Spanish Point," a typically sinuous melody
first presented on twin fiddles, then with added low whistle and pipes. It's
a lovely piece, although, like much of Lunny's original material on this
album, its meandering style deprives it from a distinctive character and it
ends up sounding too much like aimless "noodling." For dance fans, I
should mention that this track also features the taps of former
"Riverdance" star Jean Butler--you'll have to pay close attention to
hear them in the midst of all the percussion. The second track, probably the
most objectionable one of the album for me, features a female singer named
Eddi Reader who sighs and moans her way through "The Lowlands of
Holland," an otherwise wonderful traditional song. The pop vocalizations
are just too much.
The third track, entitled "Glentown," is a medley of four reels
including Tommy Peoples' celebrated composition and fiddling tour-de-force
"The Green Fields of Glentown." This tune was featured on Lunny's
1987 live recording, driven by Nollaig Casey's fiddle, as well as on Sharon
Shannon's first album. Once again, the "groove" is established with
bass and a host of percussions, with syncopated tinges of African pop (I was
reminded of the Malian singer Nahawa Doumbia's "Didadi"). McSherry's
superb piping opens up the set with "Miss Monaghan's," and Sharon
Shannon takes over for the next reel, "The Man of the House," with
McSharry switching to low whistle. The last time through, the fiddles (four
of them) take over on the last bar to transition into "Green Fields of
Glentown." The setting is the same one Casey played so well in 1987.
However, while the combination of four fiddles adds volume, the
quasi-symphonic sound achieved doesn't necessarily make the track more
appealing musically. The set concludes with "The Mountain Lark,"
with McSherry's pipes rejoining the fiddle quartet.
Nollaig Casey's excellent fiddling is showcased on the next track of two
reels which she composed, "The Mouseskin Shoe" and "Dancing in
Allihies." I especially liked the second tune, although both would
surely qualify for the "funky" list started on IRTRAD not too long
ago. This is followed by possibly my favorite track on the album,
"Moldavian Triptych," a suite of three Eastern European songs in
varied meters (the middle one is in 7/8) sung by the great Marta Sebestyen,
known for her collaboration with the Hungarian band Muszikas--as well as for
her participation in the more questionable (ethically if not musically)
world/techno album "Deep Forest." Marta's voice, which recalls at
times that of Galway singer Dolores Keane--in fact, she recorded several
songs learned from Keane on a recent album called "Kismet"--just
makes me melt. She could be sing Bing Crosby hits, I think I would still
listen to her. The instrumental accompaniment is arranged to perfection,
with low whistle following the voice on the soulful slow opening song, and
fiddles, pipes and strummed bouzouki taking over on the dance-like second
and third numbers. The last song progressively accelerate to a
Whirling-Dervish-like frenzy and leaves you panting for more. I only regret
there are no indications of what the songs are
The next track, "Butlers," is another fiddle-driven Lunny
instrumental which is pleasant enough to listen to but also suffers a bit
from the "noodles." It appears to have been though of as a dance
vehicle for the lovely Jean Butler, whose taps are heard once again faintly,
burried as they are in the midst of percussion sounds. This is followed by
the song "False Fly," apparently a version of the classic Child
ballad "False Knight on the Road." The lovely voice of Maighread Ni
Dhomhnaill leads, while Triona sings the harmonies. Perhaps another
deliberate world-music touch, Lunny's opening bouzouki riff reminded me of
the sound of the Tuvan banjo. The fiddle breaks, on the other hand, were
rather uninspired. The bouzouki starts things off again, briskly this time,
for the next instrumental, two polkas composed by Lunny. Except for the
thumping bass and, later, the drums and organ, this sounds so much like the
famous 1987 "Tolka Polka" set. Well, almost, none of the tunes are
quite as memorable as that "Tolka Polka."
The title track comes next, a set of slides starting out with Lunny's
"Coolfin," with some interesting accent patterns, followed by the
traditional "Nora Criona." Another Lunny slow reel,
"Kickdancer," comes next, showcasing McSherry's low whistle and
Spillane-style blues piping. I rather like the tune, particularly for its
nice rhythmic tricks in the second part. The Ni Dhomhnaill sisters are
featured again on the next track, for a lovely and this time rather
straightforward rendition of "Siul A Run." Maighread's lead vocals
are to die for here. The closing track, a Lunny composition called
"Lucky Lucky Day," starts off in slip-jig meter, with fiddle,
accordion, and whistle playing the lead. Midway through, though, while the
melody remains the same, the accent pattern changes to duple meter. Very
confusing for a while, but in an exhilarating sort of way. Welcome back, Mr.
Lunny. |
| Coolfin is available from The
House of Musical Traditions |
-- Philippe Varlet
The author is a Washington-area fiddler, fiddle teacher, and expert on early
Irish music in America.
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Site design by David Marcus © 1998 |
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