Concert archief

Stichting Folk Groningen - Concert archief
datum zondag 6 januari 2008
plaats De Oosterpoort
aanvang 20.15 uur
entree euro 19,00
voorverkoop kassa de oosterpoort 050 - 3680368 www.de-oosterpoort.nl
weblink http://altan.ie 
 
extra info De Ierse topband Altan brengt al ruim twintig jaar op internationale podia de traditionele muziek van Donegal, het ruige, Iers sprekende noordwesten van het land. Nu zijn ze eindelijk ook in Groningen te horen met hun mix van aanstekelijke, snelle reels, jigs, highlands en hornpipes. De instrumentals worden afgewisseld met fraaie, vaak in het Gaelic gezongen songs en ballads. De band bestaat uit zes gerenommeerde muzikanten waaronder zangeres en fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, gitarist Dáithí Sproule en trekharmonicaspeler Dermot Byrne.
 
english about the band...... Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh was born and raised in the Donegal Gaeltacht of Gaoth Dobhair. Her first language was Irish, and from her earliest years she was surrounded by music and song. Now one of the leading exponents of Donegal fiddle music, she received her start on the instrument from her father, Francie, a great fiddle teacher with a wealth of unusual local tunes, many learnt in turn from his mother, Roise. She also received tuition and inspiration from fiddler, Dinny McLaughlin, who was a frequent visitor to the home when she was young. Mairead has always had an equal love of singing and again learnt many songs from neighbours and friends in Gaoth Dobhair. As well as her work with Altan, Mairead over the years has presented traditional music programmes on radio and television, including the classic radio show, "The Long Note" and the television series, "The Pure Drop". Dermot Byrne, also a native of Donegal, guested on two Altan albums, "The Red Crow" and "Island Angel" before joining the band in 1994. Like Mairead, Dermot had music from his father, Tómas O Beirn), from the Gaeltacht area of Teileann, and heard all the great Donegal fiddlers, the Doherty's, Cassidy', and Byrne's from his infancy. With this start, Dermot was a renowned accordion player before he reached his teens, he has played and recorded with many great musicians including Seamus and Manus McGuire, Frankie Gavin and Pierre Schrye, and he also has his own solo recording. Ciarán Tourish is from Buncrana, in east Donegal, also the home of Dinny McLaughlin, and so, though he started on the whistle, he had the great advantage of Dinny's teaching near at hand. In addition to his mastery of the dance music tradition, Ciaran's quick ear and a love of harmony and counterpoint have led to his always being in demand as a valued collaborator on non-Altan (and even non-Irish music) projects with a wide range of musicians and singers, including Matt Molloy, Mary Black, Maura O'Connell, Martin O'Connor, Dolores Keane, De Danann, and American musicians Jerry Douglas and Tim O'Brien. Ciarán Curran is a native of Kinawley, Co. Fermanagh, an area rich in music and song, and brings his strong family musical tradition to bear on an instrument relatively new to Irish traditional music, the bouzouki. Ciaran's uncle, Ned Curran is a great fiddle player and has given the band unusual tunes. Ciaran was introduced to a lot of traditional music and musicians by his friend Cathal McConnell (flute player with The Boys of the Lough) from whom he also learned many tunes. Another friend of his, fiddle player Ben Lennon from Co. Leitrim taught him much about the rhythms involved in traditional music. Ciaran has worked with Co. Antrim singer Len Graham, with fiddle players Ben Lennon and Seamus Quinn and with singer Gabriel McArdle. Mark Kelly's earliest musical inspiration were rock and jazz. Born and raised in Dublin, his mother was a jazz singer. All members of the band listen widely to other musics, in Mark's case, Steely Dan, rhythm and blues and country in particular, but Mark brings more of those subtle and sometimes adventurous influences from other traditions to his actual work on guitar arrangements for Altan. It was the O'Brien family of Coolock whom Mark met on holidays in 1975 in the Connemara Gaeltacht of Tir an Fhia who first sparked Mark's interest in Irish traditional music, from which he was led to the challenges of bringing what he already knew to creating new arrangements for the old music. Dáithí Sproule is the very much the commuting guitarist: born and raised in Derry, he has lived for many years in Minnesota. After first inspirations from the Beatles, Daithi's first traditional Irish songs were learnt from his friend, Sean O hEili and from singers in the Gaeltacht of Rannafast. Daithi's first album was with Triona, Maighread and Micheal O Domhnaill (Skara Brae) Daithi got seriously into accompanying the instrumental music when he began to sit in on the traditional sessions in the Four Seasons in Capel Street in Dublin the the 70's, where he received a great grounding in the traditional music of the whole country (and very much including Donegal tunes) from the fiddle-playing of John Kelly, Senior, and his sons James and John. Daithi first went to the US to record and tour with James Kelly and accordion-player, Paddy O'Brien, and since has recorded and performed with many wonderful musicians, including Tommy Peoples, Seamus and Manus McGuire, Liz Carroll and Billy McComiskey (in the group Trian) and Peter Ostroushko.