Calan bring together the remarkable talents of 5 young musicians giving a fresh and ‘cool’ sound to traditional Welsh music. With their contemporary and lively approach they breathe new life into the old traditions. Sparkling melodies, foot tapping tunes and a spirited and energetic performance of Welsh step dancing. They blast their way through some of the old favourite reels, jigs and hornpipes with fast paced and uplifting arrangements before melting into some of the most beautiful and haunting songs.
Four of the members met up in Sweden in 2005 while taking part in Trac’s Wales-Sweden exchange programme, visiting the Ethno summer school. They are all in their teens and early twenties, and come from different parts of Wales – the Lleyn Peninsula, Swansea, Bryn Mawr, Newport and Bangor.
Patrick Rimes - Fiddle, pipes and whistle – twice junior Celtic fiddle champion he is a multi instrumentalist who’s been called the rising fiddle star in Wales
Bethan Williams-Jones - accordion, piano, vocals and champion step dancer. Nominated in 2007 for the coveted Bryn Terfel Scholarship
Llinos Eleri Jones - learned her craft from the traditional players in Wales giving Calan that magical ingredient - the sound of the Welsh harp
Angharad Sian Jenkins – is not only folk player. Her talents are also being sought out by rock bands and singer songwriters. She recently toured Ireland, Holland and Brittany
Chris Evans (Chris ab Alun) - brings a mixture of traditional rhythms and a hint swing guitar to give the over all sound and racy feel.
Track Listing: 01.Y Jigiau (The Jigs) 02.Rhif Wyth (Number Eights) 03.Set Y Golomen (The Pigeon) 04.Blodau'r Flwyddyn (Flowers Of The Year) 05.Calan 06.Pibddawns Arfordir Ffrainc (Coast Of France) 07.Y Gog Lwydlas (The Grey Cuckoo) 08.Manamanamwnci (Manamanamonkey) 09.Deio I Dywyn (Deio Went To Tywyn) 10.Alawon O Ganada (Canadian Tunes) 11.Y Pibddawnsiau (The Hornpipes) 12.Calan (Bonus Track Including Bass And Drums) 13.Rhif Wyth (Bonus Track Including Bass And Drums) 14.Y Gog Lwydlas (Bonus Track Including Bass And Drums)
Track Listing: 01. Playhouse Medley (Eating Bonnach/ Drowsy Maggie/ Drunken Landlady) 02. No More Good Times 03. One For Jeffy (Lovat's Restoration/ Jig Of Slurs/ Angela Cameron/ Mrs. George Johnston Of Byker) 04. The Marquis Of Huntly's Snuff Mill 05. Three Reels (Trad/ Trad/ Jenny Picking Cockles) 06. Willie C. 07. Trip To Sligo 08. Highland Queen/ Sweeps Hornpipe/ Trad Hornpipe/ Devil And The Dirk 09. Proud Spirit
Track Listing: 01. Banks Of The Roses 02. Flow Time 03. Didn't Hear The Train 04. Flower Basket Medley 05. Song For Peace 06. Isle Of my Dreams 07. Looking Back 08. Row Row Row 5 09. Ian Hardie Set 10. My Heart's In The Highlands
Track Listing: 01. We Celebrate 02. Darling Be Home Soon 03. When I'm Away From You 04. Closer To Paradise 05. Chase The Man 06. Dancing We Would Go 07. In The Wink Of An Eye 08. Frostbite 09. Caledonia 10. Jigs: The Dusty Windowsill/ The O'Keeffe's Of Dublin 11. Mo Nighean Dubh (My Black Haired Girl) 12. Am pige Ruadh (Mouth Music)
Track Listing: 01. Myopic 02. Seallaibh Curaidh Eoghainn 03. The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan 04. Going Down The Road 05. Oh My 06. She The Ocean 07. 17 08. Turquoise Shoes 09. The Question 10. Falling 11. Part Of Me 12. All Or Nothing 13. Goin' Back
Track Listing: 01. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 02. Children's Winter 03. Carol Of The Bells 04. Ann Am Baile Ri'oghail Dhaibhidh (Once In David's Royal City) 05. Singing In The Streets 06. Christmas Comes But Once A Year (Christmas In Carrick) 07. Christmas In Killarney 08. Snowplow Set 09. O Holy Night 10. Galician Carol 11. O' Come Divine Messiah 12. Taladh Chriosda (Christ Child Lullaby) 13. Party In Washabuckt 14. Auld Lang Syne
Track Listing: 01. Don't Call Me Early 02. Rattlin' Roarin' Willie 03. Second Hand News 04. Longest Day 05. Queen Of Argyle 06. Misty Moisty Morning 07. By Northern Light 08. Everytime 09. Racket In The Attic 10. Come High, Come Low 11. Nancy O 12. Tullochgorum
About the musician: One of the UK’s most expressive and dynamic musicians, Aidan O'Rourke is a fiddle player and composer from Oban on the West Coast of Scotland. He is a member of BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winning trio, Lau and supergroup Blazin’ Fiddles and was recently voted ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’ at the Scots Traditional Music Awards.
A composer of flair and imagination, Aidan O'Rourke’s melodies have been recorded by many established artists and he has been commissioned by numerous arts organisations including the Dundee Rep Theatre, Folkworks in Tyneside and Tolbooth in Stirling, where he is the current musician-in-residence. Last year he made vital compositional and performing contributions to two new creative collectives. The first is Parallelogram, a genre-defying, beautifully anomalous nucleus of creative sound, which also features his Lau band mates Martin Green and Kris Drever in addition to Pete Wareham (Acoustic Ladyland) and Flook's Brian Finnegan (whistles/flute), John Blease (Drums) and Oli Hayhurst (Bass). The second is Cascade, a project that features Aidan alongside Andy Sheppard (saxophones), Sheema Mukherjee (sitar), Simon Thoumire (concertina) and Kuljit Bhamra (tabla/percussion) - musicians with international reputations for cross-genre and improvisatory work. Both of these collectives premiered at the South Bank Centre in London in the autumn of 2006 and were performed throughout 2007.
Other recent commissions include: Encore – a project involving some of the UK’s finest young musicians which toured extensively as the opening act for Blazin’ Fiddles and has been recorded for CD; Mantra Alba which featured the children of Dunfermline and welcomed the Dalai Lama to Scotland in 2004 and Sirius a work for 13-piece band that was commissioned by Celtic Connections New Voices series. Aidan’s musical style and expression is evident in this vast work which incorporates a wide variety of musical styles from ultra-traditional folk to jazz, roots and groove. The band featured some of Europe's top jazz and traditional musicians including Harald Haugaard, Charlie McKerron, Brian Finnegan, Colin Steele, Luke Daniels and Phil Bancroft and has not only been released on CD, but was chosen for performance by the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music (Odense, Denmark) as an example of how different musical genres can work together.
Aidan is much sought after as a teacher and session musician and has performed on over 80 albums, ranging from Runrig to Karine Polwart and Karen Mathieson. Always one who is keen to diversify, he has been a featured soloist in Donald Shaw’s spectacular “Harvest” concert and he also made his acting debut as a helmsman from Barra in the Highland Festivals theatre production The Seven Hunters.
In addition to his ongoing work with Lau and Blazin’ Fiddles, Aidan is also a member of the Colin Steele's Stramash and appears occasionally with Karine Polwart and Scotland's unofficial folk orchestra, The Unusual Suspects.
About the album: This music was originally commissioned by Celtic Connections Festival in 2003 as part of the New Voices series. A lovely full-sounding album of great themes and gorgeous playing.
Aidan writes.." Burning the brightest star in the sky, Sirius has been used for centuries as a key navigational tool for travellers. As a travelling musician it is often difficult to appreciate what you are experiencing on the road. The people I meet and the places I visit often merge together as a tour progresses. In writing this music I took the time to reflect on my experiences and to appreciate the people, the places and the many adventures. I've been travelling and touring since I was 15, which is half my life. In the midst of these journeys , one thing has remained constant: Sirius. To me, Sirius represents home.
Track Listing: 01.Falun Fine (outbound) 02.Bah Hamburg 03.Mangersla Beach 04.Lochaber Drive 05.The Santa Cruz Redwoods 06.Hinba 07.People’s Park 08.People’s Park (part 2) 09.Alyth 10.Falun Fine (return)
Musicians: Aidan O’Rourke – fiddle Harald Haugaard – fiddle Charlie McKerron – fiddle Gordon Gunn – fiddle Luke Daniels – melodeon Brian Finnegan – flute, whistles Phil Bancroft – tenor saxophone (soprano sax on track 3) Fraser Fifield – soprano saxophone Colin Steele – trumpet Marc Clement – guitar Foss Paterson – piano Ewan Vernal – double bass Mattie Foulds - drums
In 1983 at the National Mod in Motherwell Arthur Cormack, from the Isle of Skye, won the Gold Medal, the premier award for Gaelic singing. At 18 years of age he was one of the youngest ever to win this medal. This record demonstrates the fact that the Gaelic tradition is alive and flourishing in the hands of a young performer who not only loves and respects the songs, old and new, but also stamps his own character and enthusiasm on them.
"I find this album quite simply a delight to listen to ... this album is a remarkable and proud achievement." WEST HIGHLAND FREE PRESS "This album is one of the biggest, pleasantest surprises of 1984 ... a right little gem." TAPLAS " ... an absolutely incredible album by one of the best singers I have ever heard." FOLKS ON
Track Listing: 01.Failte Don Eilean Sgiathanach (Hail To The Isle Of Skye) 02.An T-Aodann Ban (Edinbaine) 03.Nuair Bha Mi Og (When I Was Young) 04.Puirt A Beul (Mouth Music) 05.Gruagach Og An Fhuilt Bhain (The Young Fair-Haired Maiden) 06.S E Mo Bheachd Ort A Bhais (My Opinions Of You, Death) 07.Thoir Mo Shoraidh Thar An T-Saile (Convey My Farewell Across The Sea) 08.Gillean Ghleann-Dai (The Sons Of Glendale) 09.Eilean A Cheo (The Misty Isle) 10.Carn Air A Mhonadh (The Cairn On The Moor) 11.Cumha Alasdair Dhuinn (Lament For Brown-Haired Alisdair) 12.Ho Ro Illean Na Bithemaid Tursach (Ho Ro Boys Lets Not Be Sad) 13.Mo Nighean Donn Nan Gobhar (My Brown-Haired Goat-Herder) 14.An Gaol A Thug Mi Og (The Love Of My Young Days 15.Nach Gorach Mi Gad Chaoineadh (How Foolish Of Me To Cry For You) 16.Oran Eile Air An Aobhar Cheudna (Another Song On The Same Theme) 17.Mo Ghaol An Te Nach Diobair Mi (My Love Who Would Not Forsake Me)
This is Arthur Cormack's 2nd CD. His singing has a beautiful musical quality, his diction is impeccable with a richness of Skye sounds and one becomes caught up in whatever he is representing. Such is the earnestness and sincerity of his style.
Track Listing: 01.Ruith Na Gaoith (Chasing The Wind) 02.O Mhairi E Mhairi (O Mary) 03.S Mor Mo Churam S Mi Ga Stiuireadh (Great Is My Sorrow As I Steer The Boat) 04.S Truagh Nach Do Dh Fhuirich Mi Tioram Air Tir (What I Pity I Never Stayed On Dry Land) 05.Tionndaidh Am Bat (Turn The Boat) 06.A Choille Ghruamach (The Gloomy Forest) 07.Gad Chuimhneachadh (Remembering You) 08.Gradh Geal Mo Chridh (Fair Love Of My Heart) 09.Oran An T-Saighdear (The Soldiers Song) 10.Mairi Ruadh A Dannsa An Nochd (Red-Haired Mary Will Be Dancing Tonight) 11.A Nigheanag A Ghraidh (My Beloved Girl) 12.Fhir A Shiubhlas Na Frithe (A Culloden Lament) 13.Loch Na H-Ob (Loch Na H-Ob) 14.An Cluinn Thu Mi Mo Nighean Donn (Do You Hear Me My Brown-Haired Girl)
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