The network pre-empted the Chieftans for a speech on the war from Colin Powell. Grrr! Will they ever learn that music has more power than war?
I caught them by accident, 'cause Emeril was cooking Irish food. Poor old boys, they seem to be dwindling down to nothing as the years go by. Three long-term members were not with them: Derek Bell, their harpist who died a few months ago; Sean Keane, their extaordinary fiddler who was with them up until recently; and Martin Fay, a fiddler and of the founding members who seems to have retired. These three were replaced by three younger members who not only play (fiddle and guitar) but dance as well.
They weren’t pre-empted here in upstate NY and wasn’t that a Sindt that was being played in the first number?
Just got mine last week. I love it! The whistle of champions! Guess I have no excise now.
And the Chieftains performed well. Loved the dancing!
Mike
I’ve seen the chieftains on three different shows
the past two days and it indeed looks like a Sindt
whistle that is being used…
I saw them on some show with a woman hosting it that had blonde very tangled looking hair who was just a tad toooooo bubbly for me…late night, you know…on WB. One should not bubble too much that late at night, I’m of the opinion anyway. I have no idea who the woman is, but the show was so dumb it made my head pound.
But the Chieftains were great! And everyone in this woman’s audience got their CD…which I would have liked…but I’d rather be baked in an oven than have to endure that show again.
K
They were great:
The had many guest performers most notably the Canadian team of Jon and Nathan Pilatzke and there Ontario style of step dancing. Jon also plays the Fiddle these guys are high energy.
All individual performances buy the Chieftains were superb and Matt Molloy got the most lively response for his amazing Flute performance.
They are promoting there new CD so they had two Nashville Vocalist and guitarist and Allison Moorer on Vocals.
They also had a Cellist and vocalist Caroline Lavelle who was great.
They was a harpist who’s name escapes me.
They have been touring for 3 months with this group and seem to be loving every minute of it.
The show also featured Donny Golden and Cara Butler as well as the Golden school of Dancing.
Set Dancers from the Tara Circle in Yonkers performed to introduce anyone who was not familiar with Irish Set Dancing.
Was Seán Keane’s absence a once-off thing, or has he left as well? Martin Fay did provide some of the group sound, but he was always more of a violinist than a fiddle player, so they can survive without him. But if SK is gone then Paddy Moloney is the only original member left. Calling themselves the Chieftains in those circumstances is getting close to misleading advertising 
It was right and proper that Matt Molloy got the attention which he deserved, it seems to me that he’s a world-class flute player transcending musical genres, and frankly I prefer his playing to that of the man with the golden whatsit.
Sean Keane was there he was great.
Jon Pilatzke also played fiddle when he was not dancing up a storm with his brother and Donny Golden and Cara Butler.
I saw them on Conan O’Brien with Earl Scruggs a couple weeks ago. Sean Keane was there but noticed the lack of Martin Faye. I thought one of the young guys was Ashley MacIsaac since he’s a frequent session fiddler for them and because the one was doing some kind of rubber-leg-thing that Ashley does all the time.
And yeah, I thought Paddy’s whistle looked like a Sindt. On Dale’s interview with Paddy he said that he broke his Generation that Mary Bergin gave him and since Mary’s a Sindt player now, maybe she gave him that too? I didn’t get to see the Regis&Kelly performance so I missed Matt’s playing. He’s a great boon to that band and to Irish flute playing in general.
Cheers,
Aaron