Most of my Irish music collection features whistle music, but I’d like to get a better feel for what is posible with the Irish flute. Can you recommend a few good CD"s? I am especially interested in recordings which are not over-produced. Thanks.
](Dittos.
Yup.
Also, Mike Rafferty’s “Speed 78” is good.
what they said!
I would endorse this with the caveat “recordings that are not entirely overproduced”. The odd overproduced couple of tracks are present on each and every one of the WFO CDs, althogh the majority of the tracks on these CDs are great.
Now, for a flute CD on which every track is great, the most recent example I’ve heard is Marcas O Murchu’s new one, Turas Ceoil, on Clo Iar-Chonnachta.
I prefer O’Murchu’s first CD.
Doesn’t anybody listen to the divine MM anymore?
Fourthing this. You aren’t going to find anything better for getting a broad idea of what is possible on the flute.
Goodgawd, who’s MM? You mean the rap singer?
The Divine Miss M? When did Bette Midler do an Irish flute CD?
I didn’t even know she played flute…
There’s a joke in there somewhere, regarding one specific kind of flute and perhaps a dead president or golden-voiced singer, but I for one ain’t gonna go there…
…and his brother…
is that close enough for Irish?
I think it’s popular now for people to dismiss MM (Matt Molloy), but really he’s essential listening if you’re looking to see “what is possible with the Irish flute.” His first album (the black album) titled simply “Matt Molloy” is a classic and is just flute and bouzouki. His second one, “The Heathery Breeze” is equally brilliant, and the other essential one in my opinion is the recording he did with Sean Keane, “Contentment is Wealth.” His style has spawned hundreds of imitators, but it’s worth going back and listening to him as a reference to get the real thing. People will still be listening to Molloy 100 years from now, no doubt.
Other suggestions include Conal O’Grada’s “The Top of Coom,” another must-have for any flute player’s collection. Any of Harry Bradley’s albums would fit the bill as well; the man’s a genius and has one of the most distinctive flute styles you’ll hear today. Seamus Tansey’s early recordings and anything by Catherine McEvoy would also be important to have. Kevin Crawford’s “In Good Company” etc…There are many others to recommend…if you do a search or browse through this forum you’ll find other threads here where people have mentioned their favorite flute players and recordings.
Also if you want to go further afield to see what can be done with the “Irish flute,” get any of Jean-Michel Veillon’s recordings.
How’s that CD of Molloy, Keane, and O’Flynn? I saw it recently but budget limitations led me to leave it behind. I ended up with PJ Crotty’s CD with Tom Cullinan instead, which I’d recommend here. I also ended up with “Music from Coleman Country Revisited,” which I’d recommend very strongly for its great tracks of Peter Horan and Seamus Tansey on flute and Jim Donoghue on whistle, as well as Tansey’s amusingly eccentric track introductions…
A mixed bag, I’d say…overall it doesn’t live up to its potential although there are some great tracks. Despite the title it doesn’t have the same fire as the Molloy/Keane album.
Yeah, I like it and the second one too!
MM’s great
Yes, yes, yes… No further comment necessary.
Eddie Cahill’s CD “Ah Surely” is available from Ossian as part of “Sligo Masters” which includes this CD and “The First Month of Spring” by fiddler John Vesey.
Cahill’s distinctive Sligo flute stylings are worth the price. Wonderful stuff!
Question: Does anyone else think it would be more than a little helpful to have a “CD Recommendation” Sticky thread? This subject comes up fairly often, and there’s so much good stuff out there, and more being produced monthly, that inevtably mention of some really good recordings are left out each time the subject comes up. Would be nice to have one thread at the top, for instant access and as a place to add new recommendations.
Loren
P.S. How come the UP forum’s instrument picture thread is sticky and ours isn’t? Bad enough we had to suffer a name change to that thread…
Actually that’s James Cullinan (fiddle) who along with his wife Carol (piano) played with PJ Crotty on that CD, called “Happy to Meet”. I agree that it’s a great one. PJ Crotty sadly died much too young only a couple years after this one was done.
Another great album along these same lines (great fiddle and flute duet, nice Clare tunes) is Peadar O Loughlinn and Maeve Donnelly’s “The Thing Itself”. Peadar is still playing great, last I heard, at 80 or thereabouts. I should only wish to play half as well as him at my own age (52), much less at his!