Im curious…an open question to the C&F community…what is the one CD that has most influenced your development as a whistler?
By this I dont mean what inspired you to take up whistling, but rather more from the technical side…what CD/recording either helped you to best connect with the “style” of tunes that impacted your whistling, or most helped you to really understand the technical stuff like ornamentation, etc.
Before starting whistling, I’d listened to a lot of the usual Chieftans stuff, and I’ve been listening to a lot of Mary Bergin, and a lot of other stuff is out there to listen to, but if each of you had to choose the one CD that most helped you develop as a whistler, I’d be curious to know if we’re all agreeing on the same four or five recordings, or if there is a wide range of stuff that really hits the spot.
Seamus Ennis The Pure drop [and all th RTE archive material]
Peadar O loughlin, Paddy Canny, PJoe Hayes/All Ireland champions
Tommy Peoples, anything but The Iron Man used to be a great favourite
Anything by Willie Clancy
Anything by Tommy Reck
Anything by Bobby Casey
Private recordings of Martin Rochford
hardly any whistle on those, crucial all for musical development. [there are heaps more ofcourse, private recordings of Joe Bane sprign to mind]
Interesting question.. The most obvious influence that affected my present whistling style is probably Josie McDermott. I first heard him on “Totally Traditional Tinwhistle”, then later got his CD “Darby’s Farewell to London”. He dusts his playing fairly liberally with triple tonguing, something which I try to do. Kind of adds a special crunchiness to the tune texture that I like. (as opposed to the total legato treatment)
Mary Bergin FDS 1&2 is also quite an educational whistle listen. I didn’t think so when I started out but when I listen to the CDs now, I realise that theres lots that can be learnt there. I like the way she ornaments with rolls, the way she plays the melody in a more complicated manner, and in a nice driving style.
The other whistle CD which I’m still trying to figure out ornament-wise is Sean Ryan’s “Take the air”. I have absolutely no idea what Sean Ryan is doing at all. Really nice textured tonguing style though, and someday I would really like to know what he is doing to achieve it.
I was first inspired to take up whistle playing when I heard Spider Stacy playing with The Pogues back in the 80’s.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until about a year ago that I found out where to get my hands on one… and I’ve been precticing religiously ever since.
I’m very influenced by John Sheahan and Ciaran Bourke of The Dubliners, and I also list Joanie Madden and Davy Spillane as major influences.
I also can’t leave Mick Woodruff out of my list of influences… I’ve picked up quite a bit of my playing style from him.
I first heard a cut from that on a CD called “An Irish Christmas” in which he plays Christmas Eve, The Old Bush, and The Scholar as a set. This made me want to play the whistle well then later I saw how the ornaments work (with generous help from Brother Steve). There are other good tracks on that record, including Tommy Potts, that are inspirational, if not whistling.
I later purchased the whole CD.
This is a sparse recording that may leave you wanting an undefinable “something”. It doesn’t have lush orchestration and perhaps not the pathos of solo recordings by fiddlers etc.It comes across to me as the product of a virtuosic but still developing musician who is making his “statement”. For all I know he has made other records.
But he establishes a reel playing style that has stuck with me. Its primarily a flute record but the styles for whistle and flute seem pretty similar for studying.
[ This Message was edited by: The Weekenders on 2002-05-05 12:51 ]
Fiddle and uilleann pipes most influenced my style [even if my execution of the tunes is nowhere near the standard they have]…Ennis, Kevin Burke, the Glackins, John Doherty. Some of my fingering on the whistle is directly from piping technique I got from Robbie Hannan…I try to play my whistle as if I was piping, I suppose.
The only whistler whose playing inspired me to work toward that perfection was the cassette/book combo put out years ago by Vinnie Kilduff.
I didn’t much like his video, but now that I’ve got his CD (Boys of Blue Hill), I’m amazing this chap hasn’t got them jumping in the aisles with solo work. He’s played with many groups as sit-in, but just the one solo CD.
Sigh.
(I should add that an old cassette of Sean Ryan is also an good influence…varied styles that make it intriguing).
Originally, it was seeing the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem on television in the Hootenanny era which made me aware of the whistle. Somewhat later the Canadian group Ryan’s Fancy had a t.v. series that was broadcast on a Hamilton, Ontario station that was easily obtainable by those of us living on the American side of Lake Erie. So, oddly, my early influences were t.v., not recordings or live performances.
The Chieftains made me aware that the whistle could play “the hard stuff” – I believe Chieftains 5 was my intro to the band. Then Mary Bergin’s Feadoga Stain (first volume) just blew me away and opened up the technical possibilities of the instrument. Cathal McConnell of the Boys of the Lough made me aware of the relationship between whistle and flute. L.E. McCullough’s first couple albums when he was still in Pittsburgh showed that you could write brand-new traditional Irish tunes (and give them ludicrous names); though I’ve never done any real composing myself, it was a valuable reminder that the repertoire is not “static”. Finally, Billy Novick’s albums such as Pennywhistles From Heaven and The New Pennywhistle Album opened up the whole world of music - jazz, pop, international, whatever – to the whistle. If I had to pick one most influential recording, though, I’d have to go with Mary Bergin.
Tom Bingham tomandceil@bigsplat.net
I agree with you, I love Lothlorien.
Haven´t bought their record yet but I certainly will soon.
Of all whistle music I have heard, I like Lothlorien, Michael Woodruffs “Hector the Hero” and that american pair of guys “brodgnadr”%%//¤#¤ bards", most of all.
The Tidy Cottage by Turlach Boylan (went to a Glen Road concert in the area first; where I got the CD)
Song of the Irish Whistle 2 by Joanie Madden
Fire in the Kitchen by the Chieftains (it gave me an idea as to how many different groups view the celtic music)
Thanks for all the great input everyone…anyone else have any truly inspiring CD’s they’ve heard, ones that REALLY and DIRECTLY and SIGNIFICANTLY impacted their playing, and ones that havent been mentioned? :>
Kev
On 2002-05-06 16:48, Pan wrote:
Of all whistle music I have heard, I like Lothlorien, Michael Woodruffs “Hector the Hero” and that american pair of guys “brodgnadr”%%//¤#¤ bards", most of all.
/Peter
Thanks Peter, uh…must confess my ignorance, but who the frell are “brodgnardr”%%//# bards"? If they are a group, Im not acquainted with their work. I’d love to know.
On 2002-05-06 16:48, Pan wrote:
Of all whistle music I have heard, I like Lothlorien, Michael Woodruffs “Hector the Hero” and that american pair of guys “brodgnadr”%%//¤#¤ bards", most of all.
/Peter
Thanks Peter, uh…must confess my ignorance, but who the frell are “brodgnardr”%%//# bards"? If they are a group, Im not acquainted with their work. I’d love to know. >
Joannie Madden…She helped me realize that the whistle was a lot more than jigs and reels played as fast as you can. Every time I listen to “Songs of the Irish Whistle” I get inspired all over again.
I would have to say the chieftains 8 got me into whistling the most. They really show what depth the whistly truly has. Through beautiful airs like An Speic Seoigheach, and The Job of Journeywork they display the romantic, melancholy side of the whistle. An they also display what sheer energy and joy can be achieve by the whistle in tunes like Dr. John Hart, Hornpipes, If I Had Maggie in the Wood, The Wind that Shakes the Barley/The Reel with the Beryle. And the intro to the sea image is probably the best intro I’ve ever heard.
“Renaissance of the Celtic Harp” by Alan Stivell. Over 30y old and still my most played CD(/LP as was!) - fastastic harp playing and lots of wonderful whistling, piping, etc.
