About Colm O'Donnell's fantastic CD

About two months ago, Loren suggested that I get Colm O’Donnell’s CD, Farewell to Evening Dances, and I did. Well, like a moron, I didn’t listen to it until today, and I can’t believe how freakin’ cool it is! It’s one of the most enjoyable CD’s I’ve heard, because it’s full of very musical fluting and some wonderful un-forced singing (oh, and some whistling, too - hee hee). There is a HILARIOUS song about a goat that wants to grow up to be a bodhran…I laughed out loud the first two times I heard it. The air he plays on track 7 makes me cry, it’s so beautiful. And I love how he doesn’t rush the fast tunes. Simply beautiful piece of work. I did a search to see what’s already been said and I have a few quotes about it. I just love it, anyway, and so I want to share my enthusiasm. :slight_smile:

On 2002-11-28 09:27, Loren wrote:
Colm’s CD is absolutely fantastic…Colm’s playing (to my ear) is some of the most “musical” of the “non-geezers”, by that I mean when you listen to his CD “Farewell to evening dances” you get the distinct sense that he’s not trying to bludgeon you with virtuosity, rather he’s simply playing for the music, passing on his love of it.

Might be a bit too much reverb in the mix, but that aside, I think you’re really missing out if you pass that CD up.



On 2002-12-20 19:38, Tom_Gaul wrote:
I’ll have to agree with Loren on the worth of Colm O’Donnell and the CD “Farewell to Evening Dances”. Every whistle player should have that one just to hear him play “The Maid of Mount Cisco”…the whistle playing and the many variations he puts in to the piece are great. Add to this “The Dublin Reel” and his singing and lilting in “Cunla” and I feel I got my moneys worth from that CD. I’m afraid reverb is a fact of life in most modern recordings and it’s often over done. Add sound engineers to Bodhran players as suitable targets!



On 2002-08-08 09:03, Kevin Popejoy wrote:
There’s a nice bit of lilting on Colm O’Donnell’s “Farewell to Evening Dances”. If you don’t have this one you should. Very fine whistle, flute, and singing throughout.

Go get it (from http://www.bogfire.com)!!

:slight_smile:

I agree, it’s great.

Yes, usually on Irish CDs I think of the songs as just filler, but Colm’s songs are great – and the flute and whistle playing superb. It’s a wonderful album.

I just listened to it for the first time yesterday, too. I agree it’s terrific, but I also agree with Loren that the music might have profited from a slightly less reverby, polished production.

On 2002-12-31 08:32, colomon wrote:
usually on Irish CDs I think of the songs as just filler

Wow. There are so many heartbreakingly beautiful songs in the Irish tradition. You are missing out.