Sunday, 8 June 2008
Altan
Artist: Altan
Genre(s):
Celtic
New Age
Folk
Discography:
Local Ground
Year: 2005
Tracks: 13
The blue idol
Year: 2002
Tracks: 13
Another Sky
Year: 2000
Tracks: 13
Altan's Finest
Year: 2000
Tracks: 14
Live
Year: 1999
Tracks: 8
Runaway Sunday
Year: 1997
Tracks: 14
Best Of Altan
Year: 1997
Tracks: 16
Blackwater
Year: 1996
Tracks: 12
The First Ten Years: 1986-1995
Year: 1995
Tracks: 15
The Red Crow
Year: 1994
Tracks: 11
Island Angel
Year: 1993
Tracks: 13
Horse with a Heart
Year: 1993
Tracks: 12
Harvest Storm
Year: 1993
Tracks: 13
Altan
Year: 1993
Tracks: 13
Ceaol Aduaidh
Year: 1983
Tracks: 14
With their Northern Ireland-style counterpart piddling and piano accordion melodies accented by acoustic guitar and bouzouki, Altan has adult into one of the tip traditional bands in Ireland. The divine guidance for Altan was sparked when Donegal-born violinist and vocalist Mairéad Nà Mhaonaigh met Belfast-born flute participant Frankie Kennedy. Nà Mhaonaigh had erudite the traditional style of piddling from her father, Francie, world Health Organization had lettered it from his mother, Roise. Influential Irish violinist Dinny McLaughlin, world Health Organization frequented her puerility nursing home, added to her knowledge of the instrument. Kennedy, world Health Organization studied flute as a tiddler, was passing concerned in Irish music and made several trips to Ireland during school vacations. Meeting during an cozy block sitting, Nà Mhaonaigh and Kennedy began to play together at every chance. Although they both took jobs as trainee teachers at St. Patrick's College in Dublin, music remained their shared out passion.
In 1979, the deuce musicians made their recording debut as accompanists for Gaelic isaac M. Singer Albert Fry on his self-titled debut album. Two age later, Nà Mhaonaigh and Kennedy graduated from college and were married. Together with bouzouki player Donal O'Hanlan and Mairéad's comrade Gearóid Ó Maoinaigh, wHO played guitar, Nà Mhaonaigh and Kennedy formed a band, Ragaime. Although they recorded for RTE, the radical disbanded by the time that Gael-Linn released Nà Mhaonaigh and Kennedy's debut album, Ceol Aduaidh, in December 1983. One track on the album, "An Clar Bog Dell," featured Enya, then known as Eithne Nà Bhraonáin, on Prophet-5 synthesizer.
In 1987, Nà Mhaonaigh and Kennedy recorded their second record album as a duo, Altan, named after a lake in nW Donegal. Produced by Dónal Lunny, the record album featured accompaniment by Ciarán Curran on bouzouki, Mark Kelly on guitar, and Mairéad's sister Anna Nà Mhaonaigh, then a member of the all-woman mathematical group Macella. Shortly later the windup of the record album, the musicians agreed to continuing working unitedly. During the summertime of 1988, Altan began work on their low record album as a band, which now included Paul O'Shaughnessy on twin Falls play. Produced by Phil Cunningham and released in 1989, the record album, Gymnastic horse with a Heart, featured a more dynamic well-grounded than its predecessors.
As the band's touring schedule expanded, O'Shaughnessy and Kelly were forced by their day jobs to limit their activeness with Altan to transcription and performances close to home. During the band's U.S. tours, their places were taken by DaÃthà Sproule on guitar and Ciarán Tourish on fiddle. Altan reached top contour with their 1990 record album Red Crow, which received a NAIRD accolade as Best Celtic Traditional Album. Their next album, Harvest home Storm, released in 1992, received the award as good.
All news was not secure for the band, however. In 1991, Kennedy was diagnosed with cancer the Crab. Although he was hospitalized the following year, he recovered sufficiently to come back the band's tour. On September 19, 1994, he succumbed to his unwellness and passed away. Altan has continued to bring their euphony to the outside stage. Accordion player Dermot Byrne, wHO had played on Bolshevik Crow and on Altan's 1993 record album, Island Angel, united the mathematical group officially in 1994. 1996's Blackwater and 1997's Runaway Sunday were released on the Virgin label before the mathematical group jumped to Narada for 2000's Some other Sky. Numerous compilations and collections followed, as good as Profane Idol in 2002 and Local Ground in 2005, once again for Narada.