Recently Heard: Na Bi Gòrach

[ellyssian]

Port Righ - Na Bi Gòrach -- Don't Be Foolish

In the spirit of the disclaimer on the prior review, there's one here as well. tewok (Wayne) is also a Housemate, and, in addition to that, I've actually listened to Port Righ - Wayne and his wife Jo - perform live. At that event, Wayne came out into the audience and performed while piping and stood up on the picnic table behind us. He's also performed on my front porch, on this past Musical Day. My dad would have gotten a kick out of that - he was a big fan of the bagpipes - and, after he died, Wayne played a tune for him, and I value that performance highly.

As if the title in Gaelic didn't give it away, this album is filled with Celtic tunes, very much in a traditional manner. Yes, Frank, there is most certainly a reel present amongst the tunes. And one sea shanty that is wholly accurate in its description of the denizens of a certain curly hook-like bit of Massachusetts real estate.

Wayne - who insists he's only a semi-professional musician - plays bagpipes (both the shuttle pipes, which he brought along for Musical Day, and the highland pipes), sings, and plays the concertina. Jo plays harps and the drum, in addition to singing. Despite Wayne's protests, done in part to differentiate what he does from Jo's full time teaching music and performing, both excel at their craft.

There's excellent notes - and lyrics for those tunes what come with them - that describe a bit about where each piece came from, or, for the material written by Jo. The title track is, surprisingly enough given its title, a silly little piece penned by Wayne and Jo.

Some of my favorite tunes include the opening set, wherein a reel resides; Bidh Clann Ulaidh, where Jo sings with the pipes; and Cape Cod Girls, which is the aforementioned sea shanty.

For some odd reason, I like to listen to Celtic music in the fall, and this will get fairly constant rotation, alternating with lesser known performers such as The Chieftains and Loreena McKennitt.

Comments

[puddock.livejournal.com]

I like this cd too!

[tewok.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the kind words! We're very pleased that you're enjoying the CD. You made Jo's day (week, month, ...) by saying that Bidh Clann Ulaidh was one of your favorites.

It's also nice to see CCG properly identified as a sea shanty. My family refers to that as "the silly song." No accounting for taste... :)