New Altan CD

New Altan CD

News of Altan's latest studio album, the Temple Bar Trad Fest line-up and concerts featuring Tommy Peoples, Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich, Laoise Kelly, Kevin Burke, Paddy Keenan, Alan Burke and Guidewires.

Altan’s first studio album in six years is about to be released. Called The Poison Glen / Gleann Nimhe (which also translates as the glen of heaven), it has five songs on it sung by Ní Mhaonaigh and there’s a definite simplification in the sound since the work they did with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Ní Mhaonaigh says: ‘We went back to the roots of the six members of the band, with only Harry Bradley (flute) and Jim Higgins (percussion) as guests on this one. I also wanted to have the voice more to the fore in terms of the sound, less produced so that we could bring the music into the listener’s room a little more.’

Ní Mhaonaigh is energised by the process and identifies some fresh musical potential in the direction they took with this CD: ‘There are a few experimental tracks here - both original pieces and unusual arrangements - which developed in the studio and show a potential which the band want to experiment with more.’

The album, from Compass Records, will be released in the USA on 28 February, in Ireland on 9 March, and in the UK on 12 March. The US tour will start in early March, and will be followed by dates in France (including Disneyland) and Norway.

altan.ie

Temple Bar Trad Festival

In a line-up this year that celebrates more than seeks out, the Temple Bar Trad Fest does open out a little on the closing night, Sunday, 29 January, with a double header presented by the Improvised Music Company and Earagail Arts Festival. The ‘special guests’ are Tarab - in which accordianist Francesco Turrissi, saxophonist Nick Roth, cellist Kate Ellis, flautist Emer Mayock, and percussionist Robbie Harris explore the links and fractures between Mediterranean and Irish traditional music through improvisation and rhythm. They are followed, neatly, by Donegal meeting Senegal, in the form of the trio Fidil joining up with kora player Solo Cissokho in an intriguing mix of string tradition and experimentation.

Other performances during the festival, which again this year was programmed by broadcaster Kieran Hanrahan, include a ‘Gala Benefit for The Pecker Dunne’ in Dublin City Hall hosted by Mannix Flynn and featuring Tony MacMahon, ‘The Dubliners 50th Anniversary Concert’ in Christ Church Cathedral (twice), Cor Chuil Aodha, Frankie Gavin, Tommy Sands, Inish Turk Beggers, Ralph McTell with Orlaith Keane, Moya Brennan and Cormac de Barra, Edel Fox, Cathy Jordan, and starting things off, tomorrow, Wednesday, 25 January Michael McGoldrik (With Ed Boyd and John Jo Kelly), Noel O’ Grady (presenting an evening of Irish Culture in Song and Story), Mick O Brien and Lisa O Neill.

Meanwhile, the Irish Film Institute will be screening a series of connected films. ‘The Dubliners in the Rare Oul Times,’ Saturday, 28 January at 12.00pm consists of a series of rarely seen films including a 1967 pop video made by Peter Whitehead for BBC’sTop of the Pops. The second programme on Sunday 29 January at 12.00pm includes a screening of La Rêve Celtique (The Celtic Dream), a 1978 film directed for French television by Frederick Rossif, produced by Tom Hayes and scored by Jon Vangelis; and Bodhrán, a 30-minute 1974 documentary directed by Tom Hayes exploring the history and popularity of the drum.

templebartrad.com

Other concerts coming up

Tommy Peoples, Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich and Laoise Kelly are back on the road together in an extension of their recent Music Network tour. See them at Glór Ennis on Thursday 2 February (ring Sinéad 065 6845370), Ionad Cultúrtha Baile Mhúirne on 3 February (call Bríd Crannitch 086 3834893) and Kilteel Hall, Kilteel, Co. Kildare on 4 February (call Mary Ryan 087 2421753).

Kevin Burke is the guest of the Craobh Naithí Comhaltas branch on Saturday, 4 February. He will be performing in the Divine Word Parish Centre, Marley Grange, Rathfarnham at 8pm. He will then be playing for the Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin Comhaltas branch in Derry on 11 February in a line up also featuring Paddy Keenan, Alan Burke and Guidewires.

Published on 24 January 2012

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