I’ll start this week with a hearty congratulations to the great Jimmy Crowley, who, in addition being a brilliant singer, has fascinated readers with his writings and research in “Songs of Cork,” a column in which he presented and discussed its songs for the Rebel County’s publication (unrelated to this one) “The Echo.” It was announced last weekend that Crowley has made the doubtless difficult decision to bring this facet of his career to a close. After 22 years and 1,125 songs, he’s left readers with an extraordinary body of work that tells a detailed and expansive story about Cork’s history, its people and about songs in general.
Crowley isn’t hanging it all up. His plan moving forward is to “channel all his energy into other projects,” including a new album, a novel, and a screenplay, all of which I, personally, look forward to seeing. But it’s still bittersweet to see this bit of work come to an end, particularly since it led to some excellent recordings as well as the brilliant book “Songs From the Beautiful City: The Cork Urban Ballads” in which many his column’s songs and annotations were compiled. (See my column about it previously in the Irish Echo here.)
An admirable effort by any measure, “Songs of Cork” had an amazing run and I look forward to the ways in which Crowley’s work will be performed and interpreted by himself and others. Congrats, Jimmy, on the fine and substantive legacy you’ve left!
In the media player this week is “Odyssey” by Tara Breen (fiddle), Pádraig Rynne (concertinas, sound design), and Jim Murray (guitars). A continuation of the group’s 2021 album “Nasc,” the approach here remains very much in line with the progressive sound the group is known for and is steeped in the real virtuosity that has defined each member’s professional career. This is high octane music that Irish music lovers will want to check out.
Breen is a gifted fiddle player. She has multiple All-Ireland titles to her name and has performed with bands such as Ciorras, Ríanta, The Trí-Tones, and Stockton’s Wing, and in 2014 she toured with The Chieftains. Rynne (padraigrynne.com), with whom she recorded the album “Avalla” in 2019, is one of the music’s top concertina players. He’s behind groups like Guidewires and Notify, and he has been involved with projects like Dán, Atlantic I/O, and the Atlantic Arc Orchestra and is one of the key players in what one might call “modern traditional” music. Murray (www.jimmurraymusic.com) is one of Irish music’s first call guitarists and has performed with the likes of Altan, Mary Black, Seamus Begley, and Sharon Shannon, Sinead O’Connor, Steve Earl, and Shane McGowan.
Joining the trio here on select tracks are Evan Powell (Fender Rhodes piano and organs) and Brian Morrisey (bodhrán, shaker), both of whom add to the overall sound substantially.
“Odyssey” is an album with great, complex vision. Stylistically smooth and musically sophisticated, these three musicians execute with superb precision and at a high level with one foot firmly placed in the tradition. But this isn’t an album full of “old session favorites,” rather, it features a tasteful selection of tunes from deep but more recent experience, a couple that were written by Rynne and Murray, but the lion’s share coming from a fascinating array of more contemporary (and some not exactly quite so contemporary) composers, including Joe Liddy, Lucy Farr, Séan Keane, Josie McDermott, Charlie Lennon, Matt Molloy, and others. The treatment these tunes get is complex and nuanced, moving them away from the trappings of straight traditional playing into a new place that suits this group’s vision.
A representative example of what I mean is “The Room is in Darkness / The Treasures Money Can’t Buy,” a pair of fabulous tunes by Aidan O’Rourke and Michael McGoldrick, respectively. The track starts out slow and with each turn of the tune another layer of instrumentation is added. With the shift to the second tune, the character changes. The rhythm becomes harder, bass guitar enters, and the Rhodes becomes more apparent. A trio of tunes by Molloy, Liddy, and Lennon, “Sirius Reel / The Garavogue / Pedalling Patterns,” comprise a track with a similar approach. Straightforward in a way, it’s full of small touches, layers of arrangement, and changes in direction that make it something more involved, entirely.
Then there are more adventuresome tunes, like “Mount Ievers” and “High 5’s.” The former, a Rynne composition, is a tune in 7/8 time, a thing that shouldn’t concern the casual listener, but gives this track a signature “wobble” that adds excitement to a once again involved arrangement. The latter, a composition of Murray’s, is in 5/8, which once again gives the track its own feel that while reminiscent of the jigs and reels we’re all accustomed to hearing is its own thing entirely.
The group brings in some outside influence here as well. “Vals til mor og far” is a lovely waltz by the Danish composer Rune Barslund, and as sweet as it is, I prefer “Palmira,” a gorgeous tune composed by Asturian musician Fernando Largo. The band makes great hay with both.
“Odyssey” is a thoroughly modern album that will attract discerning ears. The tunes are great and the arrangements frame them in a most attractive way. Breen, Rynne, and Murray have developed the group’s sound nicely into this second album, and once again offer fans of modern traditional music something that works beautifully. Fans will definitely want to check this one out. For more information and to buy, visit here.
