I just noticed upon signing in that Sylvain Barou is the most recent person to join the message board, very cool!
So, Welcome Sylvain! I hope we’ll get to hear a bit from you here before too long. In fact, as I type this I’m listening to the Wooden Flute Obsession CD (you all have that by now right?), and I’m enjoying your set of tunes on the second CD. I’ve been taken in particular by your composition “Clare’s Reel”, lovely tune indeed. Sylvain, would you care to share the history behind this tune? I don’t suppose you’ve got a transcription you could share? (Go easy on me Harry, I am working on learning by ear, but I’m still quite weak at the moment )
and thanks for your words about the track on WFOCD ! I am not so happy of the playing & the sound of my flute (it was my old lehart flute, I knwow play a great Tom Aebi 9 keyed Rudall) but I am very grateful to Kevin Krell for releasing it. This reel is a tune I wrote when I was 17, and it has several different names before I renamed it to Clare’s reel (why Clare, well I can just tell you it has no report with the county Clare !) it’s the first time it’s played as a slow reel, I used to play it very fast…It was composed after a great jazz bassline I heard on radio, so this tune was written after a backing and not before, I like the idea of composing tunes on existing accompaniment…
Loren, I can send you the score of Clare’s reel if you need it.
Concerning the last reel, I really love Brendan Ring’s compositions , and this reel was taught to me by friend & fiddler Oisin McAuley (now playing with Danu), it’s a great chance Brendan is living not far from my place now
Was the Aebi what you used on your recording with Sualtam? I’ll make no bones about the fact that yours is some of my favorite flute-playing around these days. “Sualtam” is an incredible album, though getting it here in the US is… well, complicated.
Yes thanks, a copy of the score for Clare’s Reel would be appreciated, if it’s not too much trouble. No rush though.
Thanks for the background info on the tune.
I too am a fan of Brendan’s compositions (and playing), I’ve mentioned his Troublesome Things CD here on several occasions. Much as I appreciate traditional tunes, I very much enjoy good original compositions, so it’s been nice finding both Brendan’s and your music recently. Please do let us know if you make plans to visit the states in the future.
Jamie, where did you find the Sualtam CD here in the U.S.?
Be forwarned: shipping prices like you will not believe (and perhaps tolerate). The damned S&H was actually more than the album - I wanted it that bad…
Sylvain! Welcome ! Now, like me, instead of playing and composing, you’ll be wasting half your time on this wonderfully addictive waste of time that is C and F! Catch you soon
thanks a lot for your reply.
No, the flutes I played on the CD are a Grinter in D (awesome instrument), a lehart in D, a Hamilton in Eb and a Lehart in Bb.
We are sorry for the price you had to pay for the CD, but in fact no record company in USA replied to us, as we wanted to distribute the CD there…I think that if we continue to get good reviews of the album maybe it will be easier for the 2nd CD (which we plan to record next year)to be released worldwide. But for the moment we are quite ignored by the record companies , (one of them even told us that they didn’t understand why non-irish musicians wanted to play & record irish music
Anyway I will be playing in California with Dan Ar Braz in March 2003, would be great to see you if you’re around…
Brendan, you’re absolutely right, I am not doing my daily practice job ! But these times I try to be cool with my next doors as they didn’t really like the biniou kozh reed making of last week
Eh bien, c’est de la merde… I’ll be at school in Texas in March. Figures, though - I’ve missed Lunasa for that same reason a grand total of six times, throw on three more for Danu, and one time apiece for Paddy Keenan and Solas, and I guess I can say that my luck is holding.
Now that’s truly cold, there - I wonder if a record company ever asked why in the hell a Columbian or a Canadian would want to play American pop music before. I’m guessing not…
Better luck next time, though. If you can wear a groove in a CD (can you?), I think “The 8th of October” might be about to go - so I for one will be looking forward to it.
On 2002-10-06 19:02, SylvainBarou wrote:
We are sorry for the price you had to pay for the CD, but in fact no record company in USA replied to us, as we wanted to distribute the CD there…I think that if we continue to get good reviews of the album maybe it will be easier for the 2nd CD (which we plan to record next year)to be released worldwide. But for the moment we are quite ignored by the record companies , (one of them even told us that they didn’t understand why non-irish musicians wanted to play & record irish music >
Anyway I will be playing in California with Dan Ar Braz in March 2003, would be great to see you if you’re around…
Sylvain,
You’ll also find me hanging out here, as well as on the Wooden Flute mail list (http://www.woodenflute.com). Note that the WFO CD was a part-time, volunteer project accomplished around a 60-hour regular work week. Now I’m out of a job after 17 years, so I’m interested in launching just about any other venture. If you’re having difficulty with distribution here in the U.S., I’d be glad to take a look at facilitating this.
Where in California will you be in 2003 - anywhere near Los Angeles?
BTW, Wooden Flute Obsession is scheduled for review in Songlines Magazine UK (Oct. 26), The Living Traditional magazine (November), recommended by Dale Wisely of Chiff & Fipple, and getting airplay and a plug on Radio na Gaeltachta. It’s also being promoted for airplay and reviews in the Northeast U.S., and a recent inquiry from the Irish Post in London.
Hello and Welcome Sylvain,
For any one interested or with access to it there is a nice piece on Sualtam in this months Irish Music Magazine. Also a couple of quicky interviews with Mary Bergin and John Skelton about what instruments they play and why.
Hey Sylvain- Welcome, and i just wanted to say how much I also like your playing. If its not too much trouble, i would also really like a copy of the tune you were going to send loren. Thanks
[ This Message was edited by: theweirdscotsman on 2002-10-13 15:45 ]
I hope we’ll get to hear a bit from you here before too long. In fact, as I type this I’m listening to the Wooden Flute Obsession CD (you all have that by now right?), and I’m enjoying your set of tunes on the second CD. I’ve been taken in particular by your composition “Clare’s Reel”, lovely tune indeed. Sylvain, would you care to share the history behind this tune? I don’t suppose you’ve got a transcription you could share? (Go easy on me Harry, I am working on learning by ear, but I’m still quite weak at the moment 
)