Sliabh Notes
(Click on the album title to head straight to the relevant review)
Ossian OSS CD 114; 47 minutes; 1999
Sliabh Notes is Matt Cranitch (fiddle),
Dónal Murphy (accordion), and Tommy O'Sullivan (vocals, guitar). The trio recorded their first album a few years ago
and called it Sliabh Notes – those who know Cranitch's recordings Take
a Bow and Give It Schtick will recognize his brand of puns – and,
like for Altan and Smokey Chimney before them,
the title of the album
has become the name of the band.
This is a mostly instrumental album,
with lovely solo and duet playing by the two leads. Lots of great polkas and
slides from Sliabh Luachra, which music is the focus of attention – Gleanntán
(found as Glountane in English) is Padraig O'Keeffe's hometown. There are also
some marvellous tunes with other origins: The Miller's Maggot, one of my
favourite jigs; the old Ballinakill classic Lady Gordon; Josie McDermott's The Baltimore Salute;
and, Joe Liddy's brilliant Palmer's Gate.
Cranitch, known for his playing of slow
airs, plays a wonderful Aisling Gheal. Singer Tommy O'Sullivan also does
a great job with the two songs, Tony Small's The Welcome and Jimmy
MacCarthy's The People of West Cork and Kerry. Several guest musicians,
among whom Steve Cooney (guitar, bass, percussion), John Larkin (banjo), and
Johnny McCarthy (flute), bring added variety to the instrumental texture. The
whole is well produced and presented. Highly recommended.
This review by Philippe Varlet was
originally written for his Celtic Grooves Newsletter and appears here by
kind permission of the author.
Click here for more information
about Ossian’s recordings.
Ossian OSS CD 130; 53 minutes; 2001
Taking its name from the mountain at its
centre, Ireland’s Sliabh Luachra region includes parts of the counties of Cork,
Kerry and Limerick. Thanks to the recordings of the late fiddlers Pádraig
O’Keeffe, Denis Murphy and his sister Julia Clifford, and the still
alive-and-kicking accordeonist Johnny O’Leary [Sadly, Johnny died in 2004.
Ed.], this one-time backwater is now renowned for the polkas and slides
which continue to form the core of the local dance music. Since their formation
some seven or so years ago, Sliabh Notes have become well-known as the modern
champions of Sliabh Luachra’s music and its fitting that the trio of Matt
Cranitch (fiddle), Tommy O’Sullivan (guitar and vocals) and Dónal Murphy
(button accordeon) each represents one of the region’s component counties.
Along Blackwater’s Banks is their third album (following 1995's self-titled
debut and 1999's Gleanntán) and, unquestionably, the strongest yet,
reflecting the trio’s status as one of Ireland’s best live acts. Significantly
too, Sliabh Notes are well respected amongst their fellow musicians and the
album sees guest spots for the ex-Bothy Band fiddler Kevin Burke, The
Chieftains’ Matt Molloy on flute, Colm Murphy on bodhrán and guitarist Steve
Cooney. The music throughout Along Blackwater’s Banks is scintillating,
seamlessly meshing Matt and Dónal’s often forceful, but never insensitive
playing, with the bedrock of Tommy’s accompaniment.
While many Irish bands play dance music, Sliabh
Notes play music for dancing, perfectly illustrated by the infectious beat of a
set of slides featuring the wondrous The Star Above The Garter or The
Blackwater Polka. There’s space too for Matt, one of Ireland’s foremost
exponents of the slow air, to demonstrate his intuitive skills on Amhrán na
Leabhar and for three songs from the extensive O’Sullivan repertoire - as
ever exquisitely delivered, The Star of Logy Bay is probably the cream
of this particular crop.
Detailed liner notes
source all the tunes and include the songs’ lyrics - an added bonus to an album
which thoroughly captures the magic and foot-tapping enticements of this
perfectly-formed trio.
This review by Geoff Wallis first appeared in fRoots
magazine – www.frootsmag.com.
For more information about Ossian recordings
– www.ossian.ie.
To contact Sliabh Notes – sliabhnotes@eircom.net.