Customer Reviews

Down the Line

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I think this album is really fantastic--I've always felt that Ciarán Tourish is the best fiddler in the world, and he shows it on this CD. But it's not just a CD for fiddle aficionados--the album is nicely balanced with some fiery traditional tunes, a really well-known slow air on the whistle (Ciarán is also dynamite on whistle), a couple of slower fiddle tunes, and in-between these are some songs. At first, I didn't know how I'd like having all these songs in there (after all, I was craving to hear Ciarán on the fiddle, mostly), but I think the album really works very well, and I'm impressed by the mix. I particularly think this album will appeal to those whose tastes are broader and not limited to just "hard core" trad.

The album leads off with a great set of tunes on fiddle, with some fiendish whistle-playing thrown in on the last tune of the set, "Paddy Taylor's," which is the only one of the three I was personally familiar with (Ciarán credits Dermie and Tara Diamond with giving him these tunes). There are two other tracks with sets of trad tunes, including a very fine rendition of "Lucy Campbell's" paired with "The Flogging Reel" at the end of the CD. Near the end Ciarán also does a fine set including "Molly Bán," a tune I really like, along with "Flowers of Edinburgh" and "Famous Ballymote."

My favorite track on the whole CD is also a trad tune played by itself (as it stands on its own very well), and that's "Lord Gordon's." As with the other fiddling, the thing that stands out about Ciarán's playing, in my opinion, is the pure precision of his playing, what sounds to my ear like sheer perfection in fiddling, including just the right amount of ornamentation (some players put in not enough ornamentation, some put in so much you can't hear the underlying melody, but Ciarán gets it just right, in my opinion). I love "Lord Gordon's," and I think it really, really demonstrates why Ciarán is the best Irish fiddler alive today.

He also does two tracks consisting of tunes Ciarán composed himself, "Carlisle Bay Waltz" and "Oldtown"--the former is a lovely waltz, and my wife's favorite track on the album, and the latter is kind of jazzy and jaunty.

One standout track for me, my second favorite on the CD, is Ciarán's lovely rendition of "Port na bPúcai" (spelled "Bpúcai" on the CD and the cover--a typo, or do I have it wrong?). This is a tune that supposedly was "taken from the air" by a Kerry fisherman (who also happened to be fiddler) from the island of Inishvickillane (that's the story I've heard most often, anyway) as he and two mates rowed back home across the water. It's roughly translated as "Song of the Fairies" or of the "Pookas" (some have also suggested this fellow actually heard, through the bottom of the boat, the song of humpback whales), and Seamus Heaney wrote a lovely poem about the fiddler getting this tune off the wind. Ciarán does it here on whistle, and it's truly beautiful.

The songs come from guest artists, and it's an impressive lineup. Paul Brady performs "Dreams Will Come," of course one of his own songs, and though I don't always like Paul Brady's contemporary stuff, I do really like this one. Maura O'Connell contributes a fine song in Irish, "Slán le Mhaigh." There's also a very nice song from Tim O'Brien, "Are You Tired of Me, My Darling?," and it is a really beautiful rendition with backing vocals from Alison Krauss and some particularly fine dobro-playing from the great Jerry Douglas.

Throughout the album, there is fine backing on guitar from Arty McGlynn (though Paul Brady does the guitar work on the last set of tunes), and very fine percussion work from Jim Higgins. Other contributors include Neil Martin on cello, Phil Cunningham on accordion, Percy Robertson on pedal steel, and on the track with Tim O'Brien there is Darrell Scott on guitar, Kenny Malone on percussion, and Viktor Krauss on bass.

Overall, as I say, this is a really nice album of trad tunes balanced by songs, with beautiful whistle playing and what in my opinion is the best fiddle-playing ever.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get it!

Altan's other fiddler, Ciaran Tourish, has released a CD that focuses on the music he loves, and as such, it has a far more personal feel and direction than most Irish fiddle solo CDs. Ciaran loves Allison Krauss and Union Station, and the track with them is one of the highlights of this disc. You could see him working with them seamlessly. Even Paul Brady is good on this disc. I tend to think Brady kills the momentum of any disc on which he appears, but even his inept lyrics on the second track do not deter the feel of this disc. Brady and Arty McGlynn are the guitarists throughout most of the disc.
The music plays to all of Tourish's strengths and moves along wonderfully. I was surprised when it was over. I'll return to this a lot. Hopefully, the experience will propel his contributions in Altan further along and keep that band fresh. The LOCAL GROUND CD is the best post Frankie Kennedy CD they've released, and you'd hope that a solo project like this will encourage Tourish to hone an ever finer edge with Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and her colleagues.

I have been an Altan fan for years, and without hesitation can say Local Ground is not only the best CD for Altan and its band members, but one of the very best Irish traditional music CDs in recent years. While there are a few tracks with simple guitar back up that got my full attention, I was much more fascinated with Ciaran's work with Altan and early Ciaran with solo ("naked")fiddle on the Fiddlesticks CD, a lovely early recording of a fiddle festival at the College University Cork.