QUOTES, REVIEWS
"....the opening wail of uilleann pipes played by David Power which beautifully establishes the central opposition of inner pain and public fantasy!" - New York Times
`...his phrasing and meticulous employment of bent notes and timbral alterations cracked the heart of the tune wide open, making it unspeakably desolate, yet as beautiful as death itself." - Sydney Morning Herald
David Power is engaging with the canon of classical music in much more varied ways than earlier generations of pipers. Irish Times
"David power brings a breathtaking freshness to the set, his fluid, fluent playing as light as a feather." Irish Times
...a powerful interpreter of slow airs". The JMI Live Reviews
David Power`s experiments with time are rich and complex and yield a new and invigorating approach to uilleann pipe playing." Ellen Crannitch RTE LYRIC FM
The sound of the pipes typically evokes a multiplicity of emotions: sadness, joy, remorse, historical memory and more. Power’s abundant talent and technical prowess kindles all of these within a solid and sensitive musicality that is rarely heard."
`Spirit of adventure
In recent years, Waterford piper David Power has been quietly building a formidable reputation for pristine playing, forensic attention to detail and a wide-eyed spirit of adventure. Lately he’s been collaborating with composer Linda Buckley and with Camerata Kilkenny, and his work with Tóla Custy, Maeve Gilchrist and dancer Colin Dunne on Edges of Light reflect a musician who is fearless and meticulous in equal measure. Power headlines a concert tomorrow night with sean nós singer Nell Ní Chróinín, Martin Hayes, Eamon O’Leary on bouzouki and Marla Fibish on mandolin. Song, dance and music likely to intertwine in ways which won’t be repeated beyond the boundaries of this intimate festival.` Siobhan Long, Irish Times Gig of the week
In recent years, Waterford piper David Power has been quietly building a formidable reputation for pristine playing, forensic attention to detail and a wide-eyed spirit of adventure. Lately he’s been collaborating with composer Linda Buckley and with Camerata Kilkenny, and his work with Tóla Custy, Maeve Gilchrist and dancer Colin Dunne on Edges of Light reflect a musician who is fearless and meticulous in equal measure. Power headlines a concert tomorrow night with sean nós singer Nell Ní Chróinín, Martin Hayes, Eamon O’Leary on bouzouki and Marla Fibish on mandolin. Song, dance and music likely to intertwine in ways which won’t be repeated beyond the boundaries of this intimate festival.` Siobhan Long, Irish Times Gig of the week
The best trad music this week:
David Power and Tríona Marshall
Individually, these two musicians have been carving their own exceptional paths in traditional music. Piper David Power brings an intriguing mix of refined elegance and cool authority to his chosen instrument, while Tríona Marshall is a harpist who has balanced her contributions to The Chieftains with an impressive body of solo work. At this special lunchtime concert, they collaborate thanks to this year’s Temple Bar Tradfest on a programme where women musicians abound. Siobhan Long, Irish Times The best trad music this week
David Power and Tríona Marshall
Individually, these two musicians have been carving their own exceptional paths in traditional music. Piper David Power brings an intriguing mix of refined elegance and cool authority to his chosen instrument, while Tríona Marshall is a harpist who has balanced her contributions to The Chieftains with an impressive body of solo work. At this special lunchtime concert, they collaborate thanks to this year’s Temple Bar Tradfest on a programme where women musicians abound. Siobhan Long, Irish Times The best trad music this week
Irish Times - The Eighteen Moloney
"The sheer breadth of expression captured by Waterford piper David Power in his latest collection will be enough to stop many listeners in their tracks. The title is a reference to an Uilleann pipe chanter that Power received as a gift, made by Thomas and Andrew Moloney before the Famine. The chanter’s picaresque journey in the interim, through the playing fingers of Willie Clancy, Willie Rowsome and many others, fuels Power’s attentive and authoritative handling, which he describes as “large pulses of pressure between certain notes” and “an economical approach to playing”. Both his tune choices and playing style are stately and measured, with ample space to let each set breathe deep into the belly of the tunes. Power’s interpretation of slow airs, in particular, is a joy: Cailín Deas Crúite na mBó has that elusive lonesome touch that Martin Hayes has expressed so well on fiddle. A panoramic sweep of a collection." Siobhan Long, The Irish Times
Irish Times -Apples in Winter
Distilled to its essence, Apples in Winter is a glorious collection of tunes on pipes and fiddle from Waterford piper David Power and New Jersey fiddler Willie Kelly. At once stately and buoyant, the pair embark on their odyssey with equal measures of grace and danger.
Kelly’s fiddle strikes a tone as old as the hills, richly evocative of Patrick O’Keeffe on the air Stór Mo Chroí. Power’s piping reaches deep into the core of the tunes. His Ace and Deuce of Piping variation lends this majestic tune a renewed elegance, beautifully punctuated by his richly rhythmical pacing and wide-open tone.
Power’s solo whistle on The Chicago Reel and The Ashplant perfectly captures the simple elegance at the heart of this collection, one that will bear fruit in all seasons, not just winter. The Irish Times Siobhan Long
Kelly’s fiddle strikes a tone as old as the hills, richly evocative of Patrick O’Keeffe on the air Stór Mo Chroí. Power’s piping reaches deep into the core of the tunes. His Ace and Deuce of Piping variation lends this majestic tune a renewed elegance, beautifully punctuated by his richly rhythmical pacing and wide-open tone.
Power’s solo whistle on The Chicago Reel and The Ashplant perfectly captures the simple elegance at the heart of this collection, one that will bear fruit in all seasons, not just winter. The Irish Times Siobhan Long
`Edges of Light`
(If our society wasn’t such a mess in so many other respects, I think we’d all deserve a)
Pat on the back for supporting a culture that enables an organisation like Music Network to commission artists like Tola Custy (fiddle), David Power(pipes), Maeve Gilchrist (harp) and Colin Dunne (dance) to develop and tour a “show” like “Edges of Light” – the premier of which was last night in the Sugar Club, ahead of dates in Roscommon, Bray, Ennis, Dun Laoghaire, Clifden, Castlebar, Letterkenny, Birr, Portlaoise and Cork. (Just look at that list of places that otherwise would never be able to host a show like this!)
Trad music concert, it isn’t. It has a theatrical quality (though less than, say, Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh’s and Nic Gareiss’s show from a few years back,’Mice Will Play’) and is presented in a series of movements with different moods and modes. The inspiration behind the production – given to the artists by Music Network, and explained fully by Ellen Cranitch in her programme essay – is Dublin Mean Time (which came to an untimely end in 1916), and you can see various takes on the idea of time being alluded to in the different pieces that make up the 80 minutes or so. But, thankfully, the theme is mostly just that: a thread; the show is really about music above all else.
Simply by force of his physicality, Dunne almost steals the show at times. His pendular movements set everything in motion (and – with whistling chorus – bring it to a close), and he has dug deep to create his amazing sequences (for which at times he uses delays and special microphones to contribute fully on the audio side), but the musicians have done their own digging and Dunne takes plenty of rests to let the instruments be heard.
Their basic music material includes newly composed pieces by Gilchrist and Custy, traditional jigs and reels etc., a powerful rendition of ‘Eibhlín, a Rúin’ by Power (with harp accompaniment coming in), and intros, outros and bridges to connect with the dancing and unify the various ‘movements’ that make up the entire. Between (to oversimplify!) the pin-point accuracy of Power’s playing, the liveliness of Gilchrist’s and the immersiveness of Custy’s, the music alone is a pure pleasure. It is given a further lift by the particular interactiveness of this show, the way the musicians respond to one another … as if this tendency in them had been somewhat heightened by how fundamental it is to Dunne’s art.
There are surprises too: whistling solos and duets and chorus, a “wireless” playing John McCormack’s meltingly beautiful version of ‘Dawning of the Day’ (– who can resist?), Power playing hurdy gurdy, Gilchrist reading a Tennyson poem (‘Be near me when my light is low’) and responding musically, and of course Dunne’s very personal take on / reinvention of traditional dance moves.
As a show developed in a very short time, it hangs together remarkably well: sections in which the creative collaborative “workshop” material dominates and sections in which the performers interact through their repertoires and the tradition, all framed and fed by the theme. None of the musicians had worked together before, but being such talented artists they could well have “delivered” by just finding some common ground and rehearsing it out. They have, however, been given (and risen to) a bigger challenge by Music Network’s enlightened and timely (!) commission, and I think we need to see traditional music being presented in this manner more often. It lifts both audience and performers out of the familiar, and makes us all pay more attention and hear and see and think afresh about the music.
And finally, the audience at the Sugar Club clearly loved it: the performers were begged to play more but obviously didn’t want to given that it was a “show”, and as an alternative came out for three rounds of bowing by the loud and steady applause.
Pat on the back for supporting a culture that enables an organisation like Music Network to commission artists like Tola Custy (fiddle), David Power(pipes), Maeve Gilchrist (harp) and Colin Dunne (dance) to develop and tour a “show” like “Edges of Light” – the premier of which was last night in the Sugar Club, ahead of dates in Roscommon, Bray, Ennis, Dun Laoghaire, Clifden, Castlebar, Letterkenny, Birr, Portlaoise and Cork. (Just look at that list of places that otherwise would never be able to host a show like this!)
Trad music concert, it isn’t. It has a theatrical quality (though less than, say, Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh’s and Nic Gareiss’s show from a few years back,’Mice Will Play’) and is presented in a series of movements with different moods and modes. The inspiration behind the production – given to the artists by Music Network, and explained fully by Ellen Cranitch in her programme essay – is Dublin Mean Time (which came to an untimely end in 1916), and you can see various takes on the idea of time being alluded to in the different pieces that make up the 80 minutes or so. But, thankfully, the theme is mostly just that: a thread; the show is really about music above all else.
Simply by force of his physicality, Dunne almost steals the show at times. His pendular movements set everything in motion (and – with whistling chorus – bring it to a close), and he has dug deep to create his amazing sequences (for which at times he uses delays and special microphones to contribute fully on the audio side), but the musicians have done their own digging and Dunne takes plenty of rests to let the instruments be heard.
Their basic music material includes newly composed pieces by Gilchrist and Custy, traditional jigs and reels etc., a powerful rendition of ‘Eibhlín, a Rúin’ by Power (with harp accompaniment coming in), and intros, outros and bridges to connect with the dancing and unify the various ‘movements’ that make up the entire. Between (to oversimplify!) the pin-point accuracy of Power’s playing, the liveliness of Gilchrist’s and the immersiveness of Custy’s, the music alone is a pure pleasure. It is given a further lift by the particular interactiveness of this show, the way the musicians respond to one another … as if this tendency in them had been somewhat heightened by how fundamental it is to Dunne’s art.
There are surprises too: whistling solos and duets and chorus, a “wireless” playing John McCormack’s meltingly beautiful version of ‘Dawning of the Day’ (– who can resist?), Power playing hurdy gurdy, Gilchrist reading a Tennyson poem (‘Be near me when my light is low’) and responding musically, and of course Dunne’s very personal take on / reinvention of traditional dance moves.
As a show developed in a very short time, it hangs together remarkably well: sections in which the creative collaborative “workshop” material dominates and sections in which the performers interact through their repertoires and the tradition, all framed and fed by the theme. None of the musicians had worked together before, but being such talented artists they could well have “delivered” by just finding some common ground and rehearsing it out. They have, however, been given (and risen to) a bigger challenge by Music Network’s enlightened and timely (!) commission, and I think we need to see traditional music being presented in this manner more often. It lifts both audience and performers out of the familiar, and makes us all pay more attention and hear and see and think afresh about the music.
And finally, the audience at the Sugar Club clearly loved it: the performers were begged to play more but obviously didn’t want to given that it was a “show”, and as an alternative came out for three rounds of bowing by the loud and steady applause.
The Irish Echo - Apples in Winter
Last Wednesday, the Irish Arts Center hosted uillean piper David Power and fiddle player Willie Kelly, who had been out on tour in support of their new fiddle and piping duet album “Apples in Winter.” It was, from all indications, a brilliant night of music, which shouldn’t surprise as the album – which has been spending some quality time in my player – is exceptional and one that will delight fans of “pure drop” traditional music who favor a vibrant and carefully wrought sensibility. Simply put, it’s what this album has in spades.
Kelly is something of a celebrity in the world of New York’s Irish music. A brilliant player, he was born in the Bronx and learned from some of New York’s legendary greats, including Martin Mulvihill, Mike Rafferty, Jack Coen, Charlie Coen, and Joe Madden. And while it’s the Sligo influence that seems to dominate conversations about New York fiddle playing, Kelly’s clearly heeded the lessons of the East Galway/Limerick players from whom he learned. Apparent, too, is his passion for the Co. Clare giants Martin Rochford and Paddy Canny, players with whom he was also fortunate enough to have met and played. The result of this experience is a player whose music is lush, authoritative, and never strays too far from a tune’s inherent beauty.
If ever there was a kindred musical partner, Kelly seems to have found it in Power. A Co. Waterford native, Power spent years learning from Tommy Kearney, and later from the likes of Jimmy O’Brien Moran, Willie Reynolds, Breandán Breathnach, Ronan Browne, MacDara MacDonncha and Peter Carberry. His achievements include winning of the Oireachtas Piping competitions in 1992, performing on Broadway in the Eugene O’Neill play “A Touch of the Poet,” and touring with Masters of Tradition (Mairtín O’Connor, Seamie O’Dowd, Cathal Hayden, Iarla Ó’Lionard, Steve Cooney, Denis Cahill and Martin Hayes) as a featured performer. He’s also a member of the group Pipers Union and has three solo albums to his credit, including the critically lauded “Eighteen Moloney” (2014). Like Kelly, his playing is beautifully fashioned and incredibly attractive.
The chemistry these two share is apparent from the first track, “The Flax in Bloom / ….” There, the duo play with great flair, something that gives these well-known tunes a sense of freshness. The same can be said of “Apples in Winter / …,” a jig track on which the two musicians play as if with one mind and shows the great intuition each has for the other’s music.
Other standout tracks include the set dance and hornpipe “Bonaparte’s Retreat / Callaghan’s” and the jigs “Bímís ag Ól / …,” both of which are magnificently rendered and throughly engaging, but honestly it’s hard to single out tracks as they’re all excellent.
The album includes some lovely solo features. Kelly’s playing is outstanding on tracks like “Ambrose Moloney’s / …” and “Ard an Bhothair / …,” but it’s on the air “Stór mo Chroi” where he best showcases his consummate talent and great good taste. Power’s solo playing is similarly strong on tracks like the long dance “Ace and Deuce of Piping” and “The Chicago Reel / …” (on which he plays whistle!), but again it’s in his air “Úr Chnoc Chein Mhic Cháinte” where he, like Kelly, makes a statement about how this music might be best approached. It’s brilliant piping and brilliant music overall.
A quick note on the production: the album was recorded at Noreside Music in Yonkers, which did an exceptional job bringing forward the richness of in the music of the two players, both in isolation and together. The result is a striking blend that seems to put the listener right between the two players – great stuff all together.
There’s a magic to “Apples in Winter” that will resonate with people who love and admire traditional Irish music played with a stately air and a gentlemanly touch. Power and Kelly obviously prefer to put the music’s elegance first, but there is a vigor in their playing that completes the package and brings energy to the tunes they’ve selected. Fans of duet recordings, like Kelly and Mike Rafferty’s majestic “The New Broom,” or Peter Carberry and Padraig McGovern’s superb “Forgotten Gems” will want to rush out and get this one, but it’s an absolutely brilliant recording that will have universal appeal, and one I cannot recommend more highly. " Daniel Neely
Kelly is something of a celebrity in the world of New York’s Irish music. A brilliant player, he was born in the Bronx and learned from some of New York’s legendary greats, including Martin Mulvihill, Mike Rafferty, Jack Coen, Charlie Coen, and Joe Madden. And while it’s the Sligo influence that seems to dominate conversations about New York fiddle playing, Kelly’s clearly heeded the lessons of the East Galway/Limerick players from whom he learned. Apparent, too, is his passion for the Co. Clare giants Martin Rochford and Paddy Canny, players with whom he was also fortunate enough to have met and played. The result of this experience is a player whose music is lush, authoritative, and never strays too far from a tune’s inherent beauty.
If ever there was a kindred musical partner, Kelly seems to have found it in Power. A Co. Waterford native, Power spent years learning from Tommy Kearney, and later from the likes of Jimmy O’Brien Moran, Willie Reynolds, Breandán Breathnach, Ronan Browne, MacDara MacDonncha and Peter Carberry. His achievements include winning of the Oireachtas Piping competitions in 1992, performing on Broadway in the Eugene O’Neill play “A Touch of the Poet,” and touring with Masters of Tradition (Mairtín O’Connor, Seamie O’Dowd, Cathal Hayden, Iarla Ó’Lionard, Steve Cooney, Denis Cahill and Martin Hayes) as a featured performer. He’s also a member of the group Pipers Union and has three solo albums to his credit, including the critically lauded “Eighteen Moloney” (2014). Like Kelly, his playing is beautifully fashioned and incredibly attractive.
The chemistry these two share is apparent from the first track, “The Flax in Bloom / ….” There, the duo play with great flair, something that gives these well-known tunes a sense of freshness. The same can be said of “Apples in Winter / …,” a jig track on which the two musicians play as if with one mind and shows the great intuition each has for the other’s music.
Other standout tracks include the set dance and hornpipe “Bonaparte’s Retreat / Callaghan’s” and the jigs “Bímís ag Ól / …,” both of which are magnificently rendered and throughly engaging, but honestly it’s hard to single out tracks as they’re all excellent.
The album includes some lovely solo features. Kelly’s playing is outstanding on tracks like “Ambrose Moloney’s / …” and “Ard an Bhothair / …,” but it’s on the air “Stór mo Chroi” where he best showcases his consummate talent and great good taste. Power’s solo playing is similarly strong on tracks like the long dance “Ace and Deuce of Piping” and “The Chicago Reel / …” (on which he plays whistle!), but again it’s in his air “Úr Chnoc Chein Mhic Cháinte” where he, like Kelly, makes a statement about how this music might be best approached. It’s brilliant piping and brilliant music overall.
A quick note on the production: the album was recorded at Noreside Music in Yonkers, which did an exceptional job bringing forward the richness of in the music of the two players, both in isolation and together. The result is a striking blend that seems to put the listener right between the two players – great stuff all together.
There’s a magic to “Apples in Winter” that will resonate with people who love and admire traditional Irish music played with a stately air and a gentlemanly touch. Power and Kelly obviously prefer to put the music’s elegance first, but there is a vigor in their playing that completes the package and brings energy to the tunes they’ve selected. Fans of duet recordings, like Kelly and Mike Rafferty’s majestic “The New Broom,” or Peter Carberry and Padraig McGovern’s superb “Forgotten Gems” will want to rush out and get this one, but it’s an absolutely brilliant recording that will have universal appeal, and one I cannot recommend more highly. " Daniel Neely
Robert McMillen, The Black Box, Belfast Out to Lunch
Getting out of the way of the music
The Black Box was filled to the rafters yesterday afternoon for a gig where two masters of the tradition, fiddler Martin Hayes and Waterford piper David Power, took the audience to the other side of reality with music to make the heavens swoon.
Hayes has been to the forefront of stretching the tradition in whatever way his sensibilities and intelligence take him, as a solo fiddler, with a guitarist, mostly Denis Cahill and more recently with supergroup The Gloaming but how would he fit in with David Power's piping?
Almost flawlessly - tuning problems aside - is the answer and in all kinds of situations, from languid jigs to rollicking reels, the pair braided together a sound that lifted 21st century hearts with music that could would have enlivened an 19th century house ceili, replete with clay pipes, jugs of póitín and the sounds of the Irish language.
The Black Box audience might not have caroused like tipsy pre-famine farmhands but their foot-tapping and whoops of pleasure added to a great atmosphere.
Hayes occasionally looks as if he is entering a trance-like state while playing and at times it seemed as if fiddle and musician become one entity but he likes to think of it as himself getting out of the way and letting the music take over.
His playing is like that of a great actor who can change a mood by the tiniest movement of an eyebrow. Hayes can play gossamer light notes than can change a mood or a direction or fire you up with music that has the urgency of a runaway train, curly hair and fiddle flying into the air.
At times, it looked as if David Power's pipes were like a fishing rod, trying to haul in a dervish-possessed bradán feasa.
The link to the 19th century was reinforced by the chanter Power uses. Called the 18 Moloney because it is 18 inches long and eas made by the Moloney brothers in Boutle 1825.
“This is the sound of pre-famine Ireland,” he told us about the tone coming from this great intrument as he went into The Ace and Deuce of Piping. His Cuaichín Ghleann Neifín also displayed an aspect of our culture that doesn't get due recognition, the slow air sympathetically played on the uilleann pipes. To finish the afternoon gig, Martin and David chose An Cúilfhionn which was breathtaking in its beauty before the duet rocked the house with another set of fiery reels. Well done to Out to Lunch and An Droichead for another memorable afternoon.
Getting out of the way of the music
The Black Box was filled to the rafters yesterday afternoon for a gig where two masters of the tradition, fiddler Martin Hayes and Waterford piper David Power, took the audience to the other side of reality with music to make the heavens swoon.
Hayes has been to the forefront of stretching the tradition in whatever way his sensibilities and intelligence take him, as a solo fiddler, with a guitarist, mostly Denis Cahill and more recently with supergroup The Gloaming but how would he fit in with David Power's piping?
Almost flawlessly - tuning problems aside - is the answer and in all kinds of situations, from languid jigs to rollicking reels, the pair braided together a sound that lifted 21st century hearts with music that could would have enlivened an 19th century house ceili, replete with clay pipes, jugs of póitín and the sounds of the Irish language.
The Black Box audience might not have caroused like tipsy pre-famine farmhands but their foot-tapping and whoops of pleasure added to a great atmosphere.
Hayes occasionally looks as if he is entering a trance-like state while playing and at times it seemed as if fiddle and musician become one entity but he likes to think of it as himself getting out of the way and letting the music take over.
His playing is like that of a great actor who can change a mood by the tiniest movement of an eyebrow. Hayes can play gossamer light notes than can change a mood or a direction or fire you up with music that has the urgency of a runaway train, curly hair and fiddle flying into the air.
At times, it looked as if David Power's pipes were like a fishing rod, trying to haul in a dervish-possessed bradán feasa.
The link to the 19th century was reinforced by the chanter Power uses. Called the 18 Moloney because it is 18 inches long and eas made by the Moloney brothers in Boutle 1825.
“This is the sound of pre-famine Ireland,” he told us about the tone coming from this great intrument as he went into The Ace and Deuce of Piping. His Cuaichín Ghleann Neifín also displayed an aspect of our culture that doesn't get due recognition, the slow air sympathetically played on the uilleann pipes. To finish the afternoon gig, Martin and David chose An Cúilfhionn which was breathtaking in its beauty before the duet rocked the house with another set of fiery reels. Well done to Out to Lunch and An Droichead for another memorable afternoon.
DAVID POWER - My Love is in America
Claddagh Records CCF37CD
Precision piping it ain't, but it more than makes up for that in richness of tone and blitheness of spirit. David Power has taken his time before making a debut CD: gone is the teenage technical perfection, the slavish obedience to the tune, and the desire to play at speeds which render the regulators redundant. Instead, this recording showcases a measured and relaxed approach to the Irish piping tradition, teasing the meat off the bones of some great old tunes, to provide a veritable feast for the ears. A glorious romp through ‘Madame Bonaparte’, a gutsy swagger on ‘Saddle the Pony’, and the full gamut of emotions and effects on the classic ‘Fox Chase’: that's just first impressions.
There's real depth to the slow airs ‘Tomorrow is St Patrick's Day’, ‘Women of Loughrea’ and ‘The Bonny Bunch of Roses’, helped by the beautiful mellow tone of David's flat pipes playing two semitones below concert D. The hornpipes are also something special, an under-rated form which sparkles here as David does full justice to ‘ Bantry Bay ’ and ‘Standing Abbey’. And of course there are plenty of reels and jigs served up piping hot: ‘Boys of the Town’, ‘The Green Mountain’, ‘Cailleach an Airgid’, and a rousing finish with ‘George White's Favourite’.
A notable characteristic of this CD is that all accompaniment is provided by the drones and regulators of the uillean pipes: this is a true solo recording, but David Power is so adept at accompanying himself that the absence of other musicians is never felt. Few of today's pipers can make better use of the instrument's accompaniment potential than this young man. Add some fascinating sleevenotes and the usual high standard of Claddagh production, and My Love is in America makes a powerful impression on all fronts.
Alex Monaghan
Claddagh Records CCF37CD
Precision piping it ain't, but it more than makes up for that in richness of tone and blitheness of spirit. David Power has taken his time before making a debut CD: gone is the teenage technical perfection, the slavish obedience to the tune, and the desire to play at speeds which render the regulators redundant. Instead, this recording showcases a measured and relaxed approach to the Irish piping tradition, teasing the meat off the bones of some great old tunes, to provide a veritable feast for the ears. A glorious romp through ‘Madame Bonaparte’, a gutsy swagger on ‘Saddle the Pony’, and the full gamut of emotions and effects on the classic ‘Fox Chase’: that's just first impressions.
There's real depth to the slow airs ‘Tomorrow is St Patrick's Day’, ‘Women of Loughrea’ and ‘The Bonny Bunch of Roses’, helped by the beautiful mellow tone of David's flat pipes playing two semitones below concert D. The hornpipes are also something special, an under-rated form which sparkles here as David does full justice to ‘ Bantry Bay ’ and ‘Standing Abbey’. And of course there are plenty of reels and jigs served up piping hot: ‘Boys of the Town’, ‘The Green Mountain’, ‘Cailleach an Airgid’, and a rousing finish with ‘George White's Favourite’.
A notable characteristic of this CD is that all accompaniment is provided by the drones and regulators of the uillean pipes: this is a true solo recording, but David Power is so adept at accompanying himself that the absence of other musicians is never felt. Few of today's pipers can make better use of the instrument's accompaniment potential than this young man. Add some fascinating sleevenotes and the usual high standard of Claddagh production, and My Love is in America makes a powerful impression on all fronts.
Alex Monaghan
Review of David Power’s new CD “Cuaichín Ghleann Neifín
by K. Pádraig O'Kaine
My iPod has nearly 10,000 selections on it and I usually have it on shuffle mode. On more than a few occasions a set of tunes will start playing and a piper playing in such a way catches my attention. I look down expecting to see a name that I would associ- ate with yesteryear and to my pleasant surprise it is once again David Power.
David Power is a musician that I have been familiar with for a few years now. I first heard his playing via a recording a concert-goer made of his performance at the Seattle tionól. On this particular recording I heard an absolutely astounding piece of music. David played what I would describe as the quintessential version of “The Foxhunters.” It was a moment in time where eve- rything came together. One huge moment where sound, melody, momentum, energy, and emotion were forged into one entity that traveled from the brain, heart, and soul of the performer, through the reeds, and out of the tone holes to then course through the air, and dissolve onto the aural palettes of the audience. Luckily, those notes and their rhythms were not lost forever. It was from this experience that my interest was piqued. When I heard of David Power’s second release (The Little Cuckoo of Glen Nephin) I was eager to hear it.
“Cuaichín Ghleann Neifín” has 13 tracks and a lovely booklet with hearty amounts of infor- mation for every track performed. A brilliant air player in every respect, David has included 5 airs on this effort.. His pacing, articulation, and under- standing of the architecture of the melody are evident on every track. Jigs, Reels, and Hornpipes populate the rest of the tracks.
Standard fare such as “Col. Frazer,” “The Collier’s Reel,” and “The Wise Maid” might provoke the track- gazer into questioning, “these...again?” Worry not! These settings are always interesting providing the listener with lovely variations where one might not expect.
There will be no mistaking David for an “open” style player. His deft use of chanter closure defines helps to enhance the definition of the phrases and also produces more lift and interest. For more information about what closure is, please take a look at http://www.skep.com/britton/articles.htm
As well as executing aggressive triplets, lots of 2nd octave E shivers and backstitching, David makes nice usage of legato triplets as well as more fluid passages. There is also tasteful and rhythmic regulator vamps throughout.
Like the Seattle recording, this recording too is a snapshot in time, recorded in one sitting. There are no overdubs and what you hear is what David played that day. There is a human quality to this venture sans slickness. This solo pipe recording was played on a full T set of Alain Froment pipes pitched in C, which were custom made for David. Some traditional recordings apply copious amounts of reverb. This recording however, is dry. David told me his chanter reed is set fairly open. Aside from being difficult to blow, the open reed gives the chanter a bright muscular sound and response of a concert chanter, as opposed to the more typical dark muted flat chanter sound.
Just because 2009 is rapidly approaching, does not somehow make this 2007 release “out of date.” This is a CD not to be missed. I really enjoy David’s approach to playing, recording, and preserving the tradition while not keeping it stagnant. I highly recommend adding David Power’s “Cuaichín Ghleann Neifín” effort to your collection.
by K. Pádraig O'Kaine
My iPod has nearly 10,000 selections on it and I usually have it on shuffle mode. On more than a few occasions a set of tunes will start playing and a piper playing in such a way catches my attention. I look down expecting to see a name that I would associ- ate with yesteryear and to my pleasant surprise it is once again David Power.
David Power is a musician that I have been familiar with for a few years now. I first heard his playing via a recording a concert-goer made of his performance at the Seattle tionól. On this particular recording I heard an absolutely astounding piece of music. David played what I would describe as the quintessential version of “The Foxhunters.” It was a moment in time where eve- rything came together. One huge moment where sound, melody, momentum, energy, and emotion were forged into one entity that traveled from the brain, heart, and soul of the performer, through the reeds, and out of the tone holes to then course through the air, and dissolve onto the aural palettes of the audience. Luckily, those notes and their rhythms were not lost forever. It was from this experience that my interest was piqued. When I heard of David Power’s second release (The Little Cuckoo of Glen Nephin) I was eager to hear it.
“Cuaichín Ghleann Neifín” has 13 tracks and a lovely booklet with hearty amounts of infor- mation for every track performed. A brilliant air player in every respect, David has included 5 airs on this effort.. His pacing, articulation, and under- standing of the architecture of the melody are evident on every track. Jigs, Reels, and Hornpipes populate the rest of the tracks.
Standard fare such as “Col. Frazer,” “The Collier’s Reel,” and “The Wise Maid” might provoke the track- gazer into questioning, “these...again?” Worry not! These settings are always interesting providing the listener with lovely variations where one might not expect.
There will be no mistaking David for an “open” style player. His deft use of chanter closure defines helps to enhance the definition of the phrases and also produces more lift and interest. For more information about what closure is, please take a look at http://www.skep.com/britton/articles.htm
As well as executing aggressive triplets, lots of 2nd octave E shivers and backstitching, David makes nice usage of legato triplets as well as more fluid passages. There is also tasteful and rhythmic regulator vamps throughout.
Like the Seattle recording, this recording too is a snapshot in time, recorded in one sitting. There are no overdubs and what you hear is what David played that day. There is a human quality to this venture sans slickness. This solo pipe recording was played on a full T set of Alain Froment pipes pitched in C, which were custom made for David. Some traditional recordings apply copious amounts of reverb. This recording however, is dry. David told me his chanter reed is set fairly open. Aside from being difficult to blow, the open reed gives the chanter a bright muscular sound and response of a concert chanter, as opposed to the more typical dark muted flat chanter sound.
Just because 2009 is rapidly approaching, does not somehow make this 2007 release “out of date.” This is a CD not to be missed. I really enjoy David’s approach to playing, recording, and preserving the tradition while not keeping it stagnant. I highly recommend adding David Power’s “Cuaichín Ghleann Neifín” effort to your collection.
"Perhaps it was jet lag, or maybe it was the thrill of the moment, but when I heard David Power play at Dillon’s Bar in Dungarvan, Ireland I found myself holding my breath; I didn’t want to miss a single note.
I admit it; I’m not an experienced listener of Irish music. The only Irish bands I can think of are the Chieftains and The Masters of Tradition - oh, and Flogging Molly, but they’re from the USA. Heck, I’ve never even seen Riverdance. So, as you can see I haven’t the slightest clue about the music. Sure, I’m not unfamiliar with music in general, and I have a great appreciation of musicianship. Never-the-less, you’ve been warned.
A couple of weeks ago David sent me a copy of his newest CD the eighteen Moloney. I’ve listened to little else since I got it in the mail. It’s a solo recording with David playing the uilleann pipes - and what an exciting recording it is!
The title of the album comes from the chanter he’s using for the recording. It was made before the Great Famine in Co. Clare by Andrew and Thomas Moloney. From what I’ve read it’s been used by some pretty notable players throughout history, and it was referred to as the 18 Moloney. So, it would be like playing a mandolin that had been used by Bill Monroe, Jethro Burns, and Dave Apollon.
So, history aside, how was the recording?
There are places of peace in this recording. There are places where you’ll tap your foot and want to dance. There are, as well, melodies that energize me; I feel stronger - maybe even braver - just by listening. It’s hard to explain, and maybe I shouldn’t try, but there are musical lines among these tunes that move me emotionally - not sadness, but it’s as if the music reaches ancient or genetic memories. So, like I said, it’s hard to explain. There are truly ancient tones on this recording. If you’re a fan of Irish music, then you will - without a doubt - enjoy the eighteen Moloney. If you're a fan of a skilled musician doing what he does best, you'll enjoy this recording." Jim Pankey
I admit it; I’m not an experienced listener of Irish music. The only Irish bands I can think of are the Chieftains and The Masters of Tradition - oh, and Flogging Molly, but they’re from the USA. Heck, I’ve never even seen Riverdance. So, as you can see I haven’t the slightest clue about the music. Sure, I’m not unfamiliar with music in general, and I have a great appreciation of musicianship. Never-the-less, you’ve been warned.
A couple of weeks ago David sent me a copy of his newest CD the eighteen Moloney. I’ve listened to little else since I got it in the mail. It’s a solo recording with David playing the uilleann pipes - and what an exciting recording it is!
The title of the album comes from the chanter he’s using for the recording. It was made before the Great Famine in Co. Clare by Andrew and Thomas Moloney. From what I’ve read it’s been used by some pretty notable players throughout history, and it was referred to as the 18 Moloney. So, it would be like playing a mandolin that had been used by Bill Monroe, Jethro Burns, and Dave Apollon.
So, history aside, how was the recording?
There are places of peace in this recording. There are places where you’ll tap your foot and want to dance. There are, as well, melodies that energize me; I feel stronger - maybe even braver - just by listening. It’s hard to explain, and maybe I shouldn’t try, but there are musical lines among these tunes that move me emotionally - not sadness, but it’s as if the music reaches ancient or genetic memories. So, like I said, it’s hard to explain. There are truly ancient tones on this recording. If you’re a fan of Irish music, then you will - without a doubt - enjoy the eighteen Moloney. If you're a fan of a skilled musician doing what he does best, you'll enjoy this recording." Jim Pankey
"For anyone in search of the raw majesty at the heart of uilleann piping, David Power's the eighteen Moloney is a recommended entry point into this great art. It is a beautifully paced recording throughout with a strong, emotive guiding hand on each set. His approach on most tracks is restrained, with his slow airs in particular benefiting from this approach. The mellow sound that he achieves throughout is beautifully balanced with nothing in the way of sharp edges or grunts that can sometimes distract. There are some outstanding tracks including The Cook in the Kitchen/Jackson’s/The Walls of Liscarroll, The Rainy Day/The Bunch of Keys and the glorious jigs Child of my Heart/Is it the Priest you want?
We have been blessed of late with some great piping albums, some with accompaniment and some not. David has chosen the latter form and he brings with him a tall tale regarding the chanter he uses on the recording, and hence the album name. The chanter was given to him as a parting gift by Mal Whyte and it was once referred to as the eighteen Moloney. It was made before the famine by Thomas and Andrew Moloney and it is believed to have passed through some interesting hands down through the decades. Owners included Pat Ward, Gildas O'Shea, Willie Rowsome, Jem Byrne, Sean Reid, Willie Clancy and Mal Whyte. Whatever its history, the music that David has recorded makes this album a highlight of the year so far. For those that appreciate the art of piping this is a must have." Trad Connect.com Tony Lawless on July 10, 2014
We have been blessed of late with some great piping albums, some with accompaniment and some not. David has chosen the latter form and he brings with him a tall tale regarding the chanter he uses on the recording, and hence the album name. The chanter was given to him as a parting gift by Mal Whyte and it was once referred to as the eighteen Moloney. It was made before the famine by Thomas and Andrew Moloney and it is believed to have passed through some interesting hands down through the decades. Owners included Pat Ward, Gildas O'Shea, Willie Rowsome, Jem Byrne, Sean Reid, Willie Clancy and Mal Whyte. Whatever its history, the music that David has recorded makes this album a highlight of the year so far. For those that appreciate the art of piping this is a must have." Trad Connect.com Tony Lawless on July 10, 2014
Read the latest chat about David`s new CD on the Chiff and Fipple blog
"......all of us discerning enough to be present at the Town Hall Theatre, were treated to one of the most amazing and wonderful concerts ever from ‘Pipers Union’. David Power was in superb form not only playing the uilleann pipes in his usual lyrical and rhythmically satisfying style but also singing with great gusto and sweetness and playing whistle and fiddle. Also in ‘Pipers Union’ is the gifted Ciaran Somers on flute, whistle, pipes, vocals and fiddle and the great Donal Clancy on guitar, bass mandolin and main vocals. Donal effortlessly equalling if not surpassing his father Liam without consciously copying him or being overpowered by his shadow." - May 2013 - Joe Power
The Frost is All Over
Tony MacMahon (accordion), David Power (uilleann pipes, whistle, fiddle, vocals), Dermot Bolger (poetry); Directed by John Comiskey, Produced by David Teevan/Ten42 ProductionsTradition : DL Festival, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin 2 August 2008
"Tony MacMahon is not afraid to go to the frontline and fight for his view of what Irish music should be and to denounce those who, in his view, trample over the values, human and musical, carried by tradition. Denunciation, on the one hand; near-mystical evocation of Ireland and its music, on the other: this would be enough for some people to go for the old purist/moderniser clichés or to imagine that MacMahon has been in favour of freezing, or seeking to reproduce, traditional music as it was at some ideal communitarian moment in the past.
In his own musical practice, however, though hugely respectful of tradition, MacMahon has not operated under the dead hand of his forebears. His debut recording for solo accordion in 1972 was not just a collection of the tunes that he liked playing at the time. It took the LP as a form that allowed a lengthy statement to be made and translated onto vinyl the possibilities one person – one artist – saw in the musical language he had inherited. That vision was realised with such intensity that it became something of a burden – and at times seemed to make it difficult for MacMahon to simply enjoy being a player. But in the musical journeys he produced for television, in his recording with Noel Hill of a joyous session in Cnoc na Graí and various other performances, recorded and unrecorded, we have had many opportunities to experience MacMahon’s pleasure in playing.
The Frost is All Over, the Saturday night event in the second Tradition:DL festival, was not a concert in the usual sense, with players casually presenting the music they play and, in theory at least, free to change the running order of tunes or to respond to the mood of the audiences. It is described as a traditional music multi-media performance project conceived by Tony MacMahon. It involves two musicians, a poet, a director (John Comiskey) and a producer (David Teevan/Ten42 Productions). It is therefore a deliberately conceived show, a statement about the music. What was interesting, then, was to see MacMahon make his statement through others – or trusting others to realise his vision.
The Frost is All Over was never tempted by flamboyancy or showmanship. Three men sat on stage and went about their business. As if to prove that musicians do not need to be stand-up or, in this case, sit-down comedians, neither musician said a word. Piper David Power was an excellent musical partner for MacMahon. His interest was in the tune, not in projecting his own persona, though he wasn’t shy about showing his piping skills and his command of fiddle and whistle. He was a powerful interpreter of slow airs, using more of the resources available on the instrument than certain contemporaries. (Have the compromises entailed in group playing worked their way into the heart of some solo playing today?) If we except ‘The Fox Chase’, which is an exercise in technical extravagance, Power did not go over the top but clearly knew the piercing effect of judiciously placed sliding notes, for example. MacMahon too gave himself completely to the music, whether Sonny Brogan’s jigs, ‘O’Neill’s March’ or playing a slow air. It should be unnecessary at this stage to comment on the fluency and variety of his playing, but maybe we need to deliberately salute playing that values elasticity of rhythm over mechanical energy.
Dermot Bolger’s name is not much associated with traditional music, though his writing has shown an awareness of the layers of earlier experience that almost literally underlie the sprawl of contemporary Dublin. His contribution was the real surprise in the package. Clearly he had taken this project to heart and (as he confirmed afterwards) had soaked up everything he could from conversations with MacMahon. What he offered us was not a paraphrase of MacMahon’s musical musings or a romantic overpainting of the world of traditional music. Instead, he engaged imaginatively with the material: there was an element of the litany to the relish he displayed for names and places (Vauxhall factories in Luton as well as the fields of Leitrim); there was no glossing over the harsh detail of Seamus Ennis’ life or the bewilderment and struggle that faced emigrants; and there were nice touches like the ‘notes taken down in evidence’ by Chief O’Neill (the Chicago policeman and collector of tunes). It is hard to tell how these poems would read on the page, but they impressed in themselves and in the way they spoke to the music and to the well-chosen and striking black-and-white images that were projected on a screen behind the performers.
This was a tightly structured homage to the music and the musicians; it had as much the quality and length of a television programme as of a live show (the audience would certainly not have objected to another thirty minutes of music); and the images were almost entirely of the past. But if there was something almost staid about the format, in the passage from one performer to another, there was plenty to enjoy in the performances and the particular atmosphere created by the mutual respect of the performers."BARRA Ó SÉAGHDHA
Tony MacMahon (accordion), David Power (uilleann pipes, whistle, fiddle, vocals), Dermot Bolger (poetry); Directed by John Comiskey, Produced by David Teevan/Ten42 ProductionsTradition : DL Festival, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin 2 August 2008
"Tony MacMahon is not afraid to go to the frontline and fight for his view of what Irish music should be and to denounce those who, in his view, trample over the values, human and musical, carried by tradition. Denunciation, on the one hand; near-mystical evocation of Ireland and its music, on the other: this would be enough for some people to go for the old purist/moderniser clichés or to imagine that MacMahon has been in favour of freezing, or seeking to reproduce, traditional music as it was at some ideal communitarian moment in the past.
In his own musical practice, however, though hugely respectful of tradition, MacMahon has not operated under the dead hand of his forebears. His debut recording for solo accordion in 1972 was not just a collection of the tunes that he liked playing at the time. It took the LP as a form that allowed a lengthy statement to be made and translated onto vinyl the possibilities one person – one artist – saw in the musical language he had inherited. That vision was realised with such intensity that it became something of a burden – and at times seemed to make it difficult for MacMahon to simply enjoy being a player. But in the musical journeys he produced for television, in his recording with Noel Hill of a joyous session in Cnoc na Graí and various other performances, recorded and unrecorded, we have had many opportunities to experience MacMahon’s pleasure in playing.
The Frost is All Over, the Saturday night event in the second Tradition:DL festival, was not a concert in the usual sense, with players casually presenting the music they play and, in theory at least, free to change the running order of tunes or to respond to the mood of the audiences. It is described as a traditional music multi-media performance project conceived by Tony MacMahon. It involves two musicians, a poet, a director (John Comiskey) and a producer (David Teevan/Ten42 Productions). It is therefore a deliberately conceived show, a statement about the music. What was interesting, then, was to see MacMahon make his statement through others – or trusting others to realise his vision.
The Frost is All Over was never tempted by flamboyancy or showmanship. Three men sat on stage and went about their business. As if to prove that musicians do not need to be stand-up or, in this case, sit-down comedians, neither musician said a word. Piper David Power was an excellent musical partner for MacMahon. His interest was in the tune, not in projecting his own persona, though he wasn’t shy about showing his piping skills and his command of fiddle and whistle. He was a powerful interpreter of slow airs, using more of the resources available on the instrument than certain contemporaries. (Have the compromises entailed in group playing worked their way into the heart of some solo playing today?) If we except ‘The Fox Chase’, which is an exercise in technical extravagance, Power did not go over the top but clearly knew the piercing effect of judiciously placed sliding notes, for example. MacMahon too gave himself completely to the music, whether Sonny Brogan’s jigs, ‘O’Neill’s March’ or playing a slow air. It should be unnecessary at this stage to comment on the fluency and variety of his playing, but maybe we need to deliberately salute playing that values elasticity of rhythm over mechanical energy.
Dermot Bolger’s name is not much associated with traditional music, though his writing has shown an awareness of the layers of earlier experience that almost literally underlie the sprawl of contemporary Dublin. His contribution was the real surprise in the package. Clearly he had taken this project to heart and (as he confirmed afterwards) had soaked up everything he could from conversations with MacMahon. What he offered us was not a paraphrase of MacMahon’s musical musings or a romantic overpainting of the world of traditional music. Instead, he engaged imaginatively with the material: there was an element of the litany to the relish he displayed for names and places (Vauxhall factories in Luton as well as the fields of Leitrim); there was no glossing over the harsh detail of Seamus Ennis’ life or the bewilderment and struggle that faced emigrants; and there were nice touches like the ‘notes taken down in evidence’ by Chief O’Neill (the Chicago policeman and collector of tunes). It is hard to tell how these poems would read on the page, but they impressed in themselves and in the way they spoke to the music and to the well-chosen and striking black-and-white images that were projected on a screen behind the performers.
This was a tightly structured homage to the music and the musicians; it had as much the quality and length of a television programme as of a live show (the audience would certainly not have objected to another thirty minutes of music); and the images were almost entirely of the past. But if there was something almost staid about the format, in the passage from one performer to another, there was plenty to enjoy in the performances and the particular atmosphere created by the mutual respect of the performers."BARRA Ó SÉAGHDHA