Live in Palma [Live]

Dervish | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 11, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1997
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Label: Compass Records
• ASIN: B000067F7T
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,732 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > International Folk
  • #32 in Music > Indie Music > World Music > Europe
  • #68 in Music > Folk > British & Celtic Folk > Irish Folk

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Packie Duignan's

2. Intro

3. Spailpí Fánach

4. Slip Jigs

5. Intro

6. Sheila Nee Iyer

7. Intro

8. The Trip to Sligo

9. Intro

10. The Hungry Rock

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. I Courted a Wee Girl/Josefin's Waltz

2. Intro

3. Drag Her 'Round the Road

4. Máire Mhór

5. Intro

6. I Buried My Wife and Danced on Top of Her

7. Intro

8. The Hills of Greenmore

9. Intro

10. The World's End

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Dervish's music was born in countless pub sessions and house parties in County Sligo in Ireland. On Live in Palma, recorded in Spain in 1997, the band members bring the intimacy and electricity of those informal gatherings to CD. Accordionist Shane Mitchell, flautist Liam Kelly, and fiddler Shane McAleer form the melodic heart of the band, and they negotiate the twists and turns of the liveliest reel with aplomb. Mandolin player Brian McDonagh and bouzouki player Michael Holmes provide the driving but still sprightly rhythm, and on selections like "The Trip to Sligo" and "The World's End," they create a complex harmonic framework that is contemporary but still rooted in the old traditions. But as good as the instrumentalists are, the star of the show is vocalist Cathy Jordan, who sings in both Gaelic and English. Her specialty is love songs, and the selections include "Ar Éirinn ní Neosfaiin Cé Hí," a rare ballad that turns out happily; "Edward by Lough Éirn's Shore," a tragic song that gets a lovely a cappella reading; and "Sheila Nee Iyer," a funny tune about a pompous suitor whose high-flown language drives away the girl he is pursuing. Dervish are one of the finest traditional Irish bands to emerge from the 1990s, and Live in Palma shows them at their very best. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, November 10, 2002

By 

R. PC "rando7" (Midwest USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live in Palma (Audio CD)

This set of 2 CDs would appeal to most fans of traditional Irish music. I am not a huge fan of most Irish ballads but Cathy Jordan is awesome, I believe her voice would appeal not only to traditionalists but also to those with more mainstream tastes. Their instrumentals are great and for me were the highlight of this set. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was I did not care for so much talking between songs. After repeated listenings the banter gets a bit tiresome, after all, who wants to hear them sing Happy Birthday to some guy named Felip again and again? Still, that's what the skip button on CD players is for, if you are looking for great Irish traditonal music done in a very accessible way, then look no further.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is no better intro to Dervish than this, August 2, 2002

By 

DC Gal (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live in Palma (Audio CD)

Any song of Dervish takes me back instantly to my first trip to Ireland in the spring of 2000, when our tour leader played it on her cassette deck in the van. This is a band capable of generating enough power and energy and passon with their sets of jigs and reels to blow the roof off the barn. The very same band in turn can bring a tear to your eye and a lump to your throat with a heartbreaker like "I Courted a Wee Girl," a song that contains one of the most hummable melodies ever put on disc. In Ireland I bought one more CD of theirs, Midsummer's Night, which I enjoy very much, but this live album captures the Dervish vibe perfectly and is in fact also a top-notch recording--the quality of the sound is superb. I don't typically like live albums, but this is a delightful exception. I predict you will love the patter between Cathy and the audience, and you will buy other Dervish CDs, and you will seek them out when they come to your town to soak up a little of the Dervish magic in person.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent live album of a top Irish group, August 1, 2006

By 

Ian Martyn "Musician" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live in Palma (Audio CD)

This is an excellent live album by one of my favorite Irish traditional music groups, Dervish. All of the musicians are in fine form and playing excellently. Cathy Jordan's voice is of particular note here, as her soaring vocals in both Irish and English are the delight of the album. The tunes are also excellently performed.

One really nice feature of this live album is that the talking is separated from the actual songs and tunes. This is useful if you don't want to hear the band talking, but I recommend that you listen to the inter-song banter at least once. Cathy says some really funny things. "Girls, if you have one man in your life, you'd better get another, so if one leaves you, you still have one left."

Note: this was recorded shortly before the departure of Shane McAleer (to New Zealand, of all places) and is the last album of Dervish's with his fiddle playing.