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The Living Tradition _________________ SOURCE Scottish CONTENT INSTRUMENTS
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| HOWLING AT RAVENS "Lovely Molly" HAR001 | ||||
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I am often surprised by the way
that turbo charged versions of traditional material can end up sounding
flat and unadventurous whiles a subtle nudge in one direction and a mixing
in of a fresh idea or two in the reworking of a tune can be so rewarding.
"Howling at Ravens" employ more than a few nudges and new ideas on their
CD, "Lovely Molly", not all of them subtle but rewarding none the less.
"Howling at Ravens", may be better known as Allan Moller,
uilleann pipes; Chris Knowles, Celtic Harp and bouzouki; Ben Walker, uilleann
pipes, flute, saxophone and keyboard. These three musicians share a combination
of experiences and influences from reed making and instrument repairs to
jazz and improvised music. The material they play here is mainly from the
Irish Tradition but includes many of Ben Walker's own tunes and also "Y
Pibyidd Du" and "The Delight of the Spinning Wheel" from the Welsh Tradition.
A band with two uilleann pipers could well be expected to always have the
pipes in the forefront of any of the settings. This, however, is not the
case. The harp and the flute both have the upper hand on many tracks as
will be heard on "The Morning Thrush" and "Planxty Donal O' Brian".
The playing is unhurried and well paced particularly on the
set tunes and slow airs, all of them given due weight and dimension. Among
these tunes and airs are "The Green Fields of Canada", "The Wounded Hussar"
and "Howling at Ravens", three of the best tracks I have heard all year.
Peter Fairbairn |
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