Notable Box Music of 2008

Squeezebox & Harmonica
1

It’s been pretty quiet lately, so I’ll ask this. What are some good button accordion cds that have been released this year? I’d like to hear about either solo playing or with groups. Here in the backwaters of the midwest it’s hard to ferret out this information.

Thanks very much,
Jenny

2

Hey Jenny,
Good question! I was trying to think there and came up with only two :confused: They are both Irish as I don’t follow any other styles of music..

  1. Billy McComiskey Outside the Box
  2. Paudie O’Connor and John O’Brien Wind and Reeds
    Two great recordings which show a great depth and understanding of our musical tradition. But can this be it?? :astonished:
3

Thanks! Two are better than none at all, and traditional Irish is what I’m most interested in.

Jenny

4

Will Zarwell’s blog is the place to Look i’d say
http://irishbox.blogspot.com/

Or Clo Iar-Chonnachta
http://www.cic.ie/catalogue.asp?sel_subcategory=37&sel_category=6&type=1

These links might be handy in a sticky post.

5

hmmm…last year saw “the singing kettle” by chulrua, featuring paddy o’brien on box, patrick ourceau on fiddle and pat egan on guitar, as well as christy mcnmara’s “the house i was reared in,” but i can’t name a box fave from this year…i very much like paudie o’connor’s playing, but am less into the kerry dance forms…

6

Try going to my site at http://irishbox.blogspot.com/ and use your “Find” feature to search.
Will

7

Thanks for the links - plenty to look through on both. Will, I already had a bookmark to your excellent site, only must remember to check it more often.

Jenny

8

The new cd by Beoga, “The Incident,” is definitely on my best-of list.

9

As far as I know he hasn’t a recording out yet, but the player I’ve most enjoyed discovering lately is young Damien Mullane. Quite a few clips of him to be found on YouTube, including one by Comhaltas where he looks very young and ill at ease before the camera but plays a simply lovely version of the Gooseberry Bush. He looks a lot more assured these days and you can see him in action with Frankie Gavin and others on the 28 December 2008 edition of Geantrai on tg4.tv (under Ceol - Cartlann). Happily he is louder than Gavin in the mix - very refreshing playing, strong echoes of Daly and O Connor in 1920s mode.

I got Billy McComiskey’s Outside the Box and although I think he’s a tremendously exciting player I was a bit underwhelmed. It seemed to get better near the end when he cut out the low voice. :slight_smile:

10

I watched the Comhaltas clips Of Damien M. earlier this year and was also impressed with his playing, so will have to try to find the tg4 clip (aggravatingly slow to connect there with our server.) Not strictly accordion, but last night we saw the group Bua (formerly GanBua) and picked up their new cd An Spealadoir. The vocalist/concertina player is Brian Hart who gave the beginning box class I took. He’s got a lovely voice and the band seemed markedly improved and polished from the last time I heard them. I think their website is http://www.ganbua.com, from there you can link to sound clips on their myspace music page.