I just picked up 2 CDs by Paddy Keenan… the first of which is “The Long Grazing Acre”, which is on the player as I write this.
I’m only at Track 4, the set of reels “O’Rourke’s, Spike Island Lasseis, Lord McDonald’s”.
How’s that for a description?
Get this CD! It’s a must have, and I can’t believe I waited this long!
The 2nd CD is ‘Ná Keen Affair’ - more on that when I’ve heard it.
I like the Long Grazing Acre. Currently I am listening to Fort of Jewels by Brian MacNamara…mighty stuff!
The breeze of my computer processor cooling fan as read your post and I type this note…
Seriously though, I’m revisiting old recordings I’ve made in Drumshanbo, other places in Ireland, and at various tionols. I must admit that I am astonished at how much more I hear in the music now that I’ve been playing and listening for over 7 years. You’ll hear no argument from me regarding the notion of listening being as important as actually playing!
Doc,
It’s interesting that you’d bring up listening to “old recordings”… I’m now listening to Track 8, the jigs “Sliabh Russell, Blarney Pilgrim, Clare Jig”…
in the liner notes Paddy says “these are jigs I’ve been playing for half a century, it seems!” And yet then he mentions that "Steve’s (Housden) guitar brings a whole new feel to it again."
You know, the great part is, he’s playing some fairly common tunes here, but they are just amazing in his style.
Man, this is inspirational stuff.
I’ve got O’Rourke’s from that recording on my voice mail of the cell phone. It’s a fun album that’s for sure!
I was just watching the video from our Tionol that is posted on the So Cal Pipers site. Mick and Caoimhín playing Dennis Murphy’s. One of the first fiddle tunes I learned off the Chieftains 4 (2???) album. I love their playing; the tunes just talk to me and some how connects. Really wonderful stuff.
Common tunes, but very uncommonly played. I’ve listened to Blarney Pilgrim a bunch of times. I’ve played it with some fiddle players and they always look at me funny when I hold on to some of the notes-- like that’s not the way its done…
Funny-I’ve had this discussion before with someone “younger” than myself. I keep telling him to go back to the early recordings of Keenan, The Chieftains to see where the music comes from. Keep going back and you can hear Leo Rowsome and the Dorans.
Good stuff
Well, I just got back from work where I was listening to Brian McNamara, Dickie Deegan, Dervish, Brian McNeill, Bakerswell, and the Bothy Band. I’ve misplaced my copy of Long Grazing Acre - guess it’s time to clean the room.
The wind blowing through the hole in me roof caused by the storm… :roll:
Uilliam
Much like Liam, the sound of the storm in the chimney, CD wise I listen To peadar O Loughlin and Maeve Donnelly’s The Thing Itself a lot, Claire Keville and John Weir’s An Tri as a Rian, PJ Crotty and James Cullinan’s Happy to meet. Don’t listen to a lot of piping anymore actually.
Ronan Browne- The Wynd Ye Know,
Declan Masterson - fairwater
Cran- lovers Ghost
Bruce Hornsby- Halcyon days
Richard Shindell- Vuelta
Just a small selection of what’s been played recently
Brian McNamara - Fort of the Jewels (Thanks JES mate)
BTW - are there any bands doing the arranged ballad thing a-la Bothy Band and Planxty or are those genres a thing of the past? Seems those two were the most influential in contemporary Irish music rather than the straight-down-the-line tunes bands. I learnt the art of patience playing in a group that tried to emmulate those cats - you know, preforming ballads where the piper sits and twiddles with his drone switch for 4 stanzas then comes in with a 16 bar ‘riff’ then sits and twiddles with same switch till the end of the song.
Had a hellava time trying to get tunes-only musos recruited who understood the concept of not-necessarily-playing-until-we-want-you-to-play-so-put-your-fiddle/flute-down-and-wait-till-the-3rd-verse-and-bridge/2nd-tune-the-drones-sound-for-16-bars-then-you-come-in concept of performance.
Cheers,
DavidG
Kitty lie over - as allways! The all time favourite album. Period. If you haven’t allready got it, shame on you.
Other than that it’s mostly older Paddy Keenan stuff, Willie Clancy, Seamus Ennis, Tommy Reck etc. And some of my own tionol recordings.
/Morten
Lately, I have been beginning my day while listening to Kitty Lie Over, puts me in a great frame of mind. It is fast becomming one of my favorite recordings! Someday, it may even replace the Johnboy and Billy, Big Show on the Radio. 
Keenan really rock 's indeed. Now listening M.Dunne “Legacy”, Calico’s both records, Pipers rock collection,Masterson’s tropical trad.,Barrys “mind the pipes”(really good one).
True, he just needs to ease up on the compression.
Currently enjoying
Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh - The Nervous Man
Siobhan Peoples and Murty Ryan - Time on Our Hands
David
Is it still stormy over there? I got home to California Monday night and I am happy to be back in the (temporary) sunshine. 
Last week I finally made it to the Cobblestone pub in Dublin to hear some tunes, and I bought the cd they have there, “The Cobblestone Sessions,” which is what I’m listening to these days. Some nice tunes on that…I’m also still learning tunes off of the Gay McKeon cd, which I keep revisitng every now and then.
Other than that…I have to guiltily admit I’m listening to Gwen Stefani.
Justine
Since I keep listening to the same CD over and over, thought I should chime in…
I made a mix for a old friend of mine who doesn’t listen to Irish music, and only knows the pipes from my playing and some old Willie Clancy recordings. Anything from a tape was digitized, then sent through CoolEdit to adjust the EQ and the gain so that the overall listening would be consistent.
Eric, I wouldn’t mind a copy of that on CD if you would be willing to make one for me. I can supply the CD/postage, what have you.