As a sort of corollary to the recent ‘Waste of Time’ thread, is there an ITM album that you knew nothing about, yet took a chance on, and it turned out to be one of your regularly-played favourites? Mine is ‘Armorica, by Nicole Rabata.
Chieftains, "The Film Cuts".
Gotta get a 30-piece orchestral section, right away.
And a full pipe band for backers.
(Tympani, Ah! tympani!)
Yes !
When I started out in ITM, I took a chance on an L.P. with these two Auld guys walking down a road with there instruments in cases, held in there hand’s…
Packie Duignan & Seamus Horan flute & fiddle …
’ Music from County Leitrim ’ (12TS339, 1978)
And I am really glad I did -
jim,,,
Frankie Gavin Fierce Traditional. Someone gave me a cassette copy of a copy saying "you might like this, if not you can just throw it out". The same person had given me a "Celtic mood music CD that I was absolutely not thrilled with so needless to say I was quite happy with Fierce Traditional and it remains one of my favorites.
Music From Sliabh Luachra Vol. 6 by Jackie Daly. Bought it because I saw him when Patrick Street came to Exeter just after they’d formed. I just spotted it in a rack in a record shop. I sat for hours late at night, everybody else in bed, playing along to it. I wouldn’t be playing this music now but for that album.
I bought a CD by a band with Joanie Madden for a silver flute player I know. It wouldn’t be the first pick for me but when we listened to it together I noticed that it had one of my all time favorite but rare reels. It was Consindine’s Grove I think, related to the Pride of Rathmore but different.
and it was a nice setting, I forgot to mention that, I got a copy for myself.
That CD that Máirtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden, Seamie O’Dowd out out last year called Crossroads. And no offense to Seamie intended, but there was one track that just had the fiddle and box playing reels, which just took my breath away. Marvelous!
This one :
https://thesession.org/recordings/3403
never heard better.
Journeyman, Gerry O’Connor - I bought it from the festival
shop after hearing him (and Giles Le Bigot) play a 40 min. set at the
(Australian) National Folk Festival in 2006. It was my first proper exposure
to real Irish Trad fiddling aside from hearing bits and pieces.
Not very useful as a model of how to play since it’s way over my head,
but it still inspires me. I’m still learning tunes from it and trying to decode
the technical bits.