King Chiaullee, Reel: Ode (Mister Major Records, 2003)
Various Artists, Mammyk Ker (Kesson, 2002)
Rambling House, Demo EP (self released, 2003)
It's time, once again, to take a listen to some of the small label and self-released discs coming our way from Celtic music's farthest frontiers. This week there are two from the smaller Celtic heartlands -- the Isle of Man and Cornwall -- and one from the other 'side' of the world -- Brisbane, Australia.
The Manx CD is Reel: Ode by King Chiaullee, a group that I first encountered at the Lowender Peran Festival last October. Actually, that encounter was utterly unavoidable, as these five young guys seemed to be everywhere, whether performing on the concert stages, accompanying dancers on the streets or galvanising the hotel bar session at all hours of the day and night. Their appetite for playing music was seemingly limitless, an impression that's merely confirmed by the contents of this, their second CD. King Chiaullee are Adam Rhodes (fiddle), Matthew Kelly (guitar, mandolin), Gilno Carsewell (whistles, clarinet, glockenspiel), David Kilgallon (fiddle, piano, vocals and double bass) and Russell Cowin (bodhrán, double bass, glockenspiel and guitar). In addition to this bewildering assortment of instrumental skill, Rhodes, Kelly, Carswell and Kilgallon are also credited as composers.
The music, almost entirely instrumental, is an intoxicating mixture of traditional Manx, original compositions and tunes borrowed from the Irish and Scots repertoires (oh, and a bit of Bartok!) The Manx material will, for the majority of listeners, provide most of the surprises, both in the unfamiliarity of the music itself and the band's impressively uninhibited attitude to arrangement and performance. While King Chiaullee have clearly listened to and learned from their better known Irish and Scots contemporaries, their music declares its separate, Manx identity 'loud and proud'. Mammoth tune sets of frightening collective complexity sit alongside short, sparsely arranged showcases for individual talent. This band is very young, very talented and, as previously stated, has an insatiable appetite for playing. Now and again this cocktail can result in the music being a little frenetic (as on 'Atholl Highlanders') but, hell's bells, it's audacious, intelligent and very exciting!
The emergence of a young Manx trad band with energy and musical muscle is long overdue on the Celtic scene, and King Chiaullee are certainly that. What gives cause for even greater celebration is the fact that they're developing into a band with real 'personality' as well as real talent. That personality manifests itself all over Reel: Ode in the form of joyous humour. Whether it's the sound effects of the pool balls being racked before the band 'break' into the opening number, the quirky tune titles ('That tune we wrote in Cornwall'), or the sudden, wonderfully daft arrival of banjo-ukulele and trombone in 'The Mason's Apron', this is clearly a group that's loving every moment of what they do. While Reel: Ode is a very fine representation of 'what they do', it also throws up some intriguing musings as to what they might do next. For all their knockabout humour and 'go for it' approach, King Chiaullee have willingly grasped the burden of expectation as 'flag-flyers' of their Island's musical reinvigoration. In this respect, they're comparable to a young Silly Wizard or Chieftains, but is Manx music capable of capturing the imagination of audiences in the wider world? If you're an adventurous CD buyer or the promoter of a Celtic Festival, I suggest that King Chiaullee currently offer the best possible way of finding out!
Before I turn my attention to the Cornish CD, Mammyk Ker, it's worth considering for a moment just where and what Cornwall actually is! For the majority of folks 'up country' (e.g. anywhere East of the river Tamar), Cornwall is generally regarded as either the Westernmost county of England, or, along with Devon, as part of a vaguely defined rural time-warp region called 'the West Country'. The Web site of Dalla, one of the bands featured on this CD, tells it rather differently...
'Cornwall is a small Celtic land (roughly the size of Luxembourg or Brunei) jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean halfway between Ireland and Brittany. It is a small land with a giant history. A history with its roots firmly in Celtic culture, but also an extremely cosmopolitan history buzzing with a host of other influences, due to ancient maritime links with, and waves of emigration to and from, all parts of the world.'
While the debate about whether Cornwall's political identity should be as Nation, Duchy, County or Region can continue away from the confines of a GMR CD review, what is relevant here is that Cornwall, undeniably, has a unique and palpable cultural identity. The assertion of that identity is most powerfully expressed through the revival of the language and, of course, music, dance and song.
While there's an abundance of Cornish musical talent, very few artists are full-time professionals or tour widely beyond Cornwall. Recent years have seen a proliferation of self-released CDs, which is where Kesson comes in. Kesson is a successful initiative that both releases recordings by the band Anao Atao and acts as an independent distributor for other artists. Mammyk Ker is a compilation of tracks from some of the best CDs available in Cornwall.
While, in truth, both the musicianship and recordings here are of noticeably variable quality, there is interest and enjoyment to be had from every performance. Most encouragingly, there's a quite extraordinarily creative diversity in what is both a comparatively recent revival and (currently) small repertoire. Comparing and contrasting the styles of the different performers provides lots of fun. Pyba create a mediaeval sound with bagpipes, harp and drum while An Strik (aka Rob Strike) utilises keyboards and electronic rhythms. Aveladenn's classical training and jazz inclinations shine through their intricate arrangement for clarinet and flute, while The Bolingey Troyl Band (recorded live in a pub!) demonstrate exactly why they're regarded as Cornwall's premier, thumping, good-time folk dance band, with djembe and crowdy crawn (bodhrán) well to the fore. Anao Atao (one of Cornwall's two best-known bands) serve up a stunning live performance from Montreal Celtic Festival, while Dalla (the other) are represented by a track from their magnificent A Richer Vein. While the former band has strong links with Brittany and the latter with Ireland, both manage to apply their influences without compromising their 'Cornish-ness'.
Mike O'Connor sings one of the two songs on this CD, a typically well crafted original composition entitled 'Welcome'. The other is the traditional 'Maggie Mae'. This song, often associated with the late Charlie Bate of Padstow, is interpreted here by Cornish-American Jim Wearne in a style more reminiscent of the late Johnny Cash! Graham Ellaby is a solo fiddler who invests session favourite 'New Map Harth' with some surprising and inventive variations, while Ros Keltek perform an assured arrangement of Neil Davey's 'Ewon an Mor'.
Since the release of Mammyk Ker, the Cornish Celtic music revolution has continued apace. Several of the acts featured here are performing to a higher standard than they were in 2002, and some exciting new groups and artists have emerged in their wake. Get hold of this CD now, and you'll enjoy its successors all the more!
Finally, we come to an unassuming little CD that (unusually) came my way by direct courtesy of Green Man's Chief Editor, Cat Eldridge. It's a four-track 'demo' CD by an Australian band called Rambling House, whose membership (according to the booklet) comprises: 'Paul' (guitars, bodhrán), Sarah (vocals, flutes, whistles) and Mannie (bouzouki, mandolin, vocal). Normally, we don't review 'demo' CDs, but both Cat and I were sufficiently excited to make an exception in this case. Why so? Well, 'Paul,' it transpires, is none other than Paul Brandon, author of Swim the Moon, a novel that's very highly regarded at Green Man!
The first track, 'Deeper Well' (written by Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris & Dave Ohey), is ushered in by Brandon's mightily effective bodhrán playing and features stridently confident lead vocals, spot-on harmony vocals and an insistent bouzouki riff. A marvellous performance which grabs the attention of the listener. Another contemporary song follows, The Cranberries' 'Linger'. This is an ambitious selection for any singer, in so much as it inevitably invites comparisons with Dolores O'Riordan. While Sarah doesn't quite have a voice of O'Riordan's range, she soars convincingly in the higher reaches of the melody. There's an occasional slight suspicion concerning the pitching in her lower register, but it's no more than slight. I doubt that it'd even be an issue in live performance, or, come to that, if she'd been afforded the luxury of a few more 'takes' and bigger production. This 'demo' (to the band's credit) sounds like a very 'live', very honest recording. The track is beautifully arranged with some neat interplay between guitar, 'zouk and flute.
Track three showcases the traditional, instrumental leanings of the band on a set comprising three of my favourite Irish tunes -- the jig 'Out on the Ocean' and the reels 'Over the Moor to Maggie' and 'The Bucks of Oranmore'. The first tune is taken at a slow, stately pace, initially on mandolin with appropriately subtle guitar accompaniment. While the tempo shift in 'Ocean' is, to use the Australian vernacular, a bit 'shonky', the shift from jig to reels is executed with seamless aplomb, and 'Maggie' shows the band really hitting their stride. The band's version of 'The Bucks' is pretty impressive too, and motors along nicely, without being rushed. The CD's closing track is a cover of The Rankin Family's 'Turn That Boat Around', an excellent performance which features some memorable bouzouki and whistle.
Overall, this is a fine piece of work from a talented, versatile and engaging group. The CD isn't commercial available, and the criticisms expressed are almost certainly associated with recording on a 'shoestring' budget, rather than with musicianship. Rambling House should get lots of bookings on the strength of this 'demo'. Hopefully, Mr. Brandon will still find the time to write a book or two!
Further information about these CDs can be found on their Web sites:
King Chiaullee
Mammyk Ker
Rambling House
