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Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts

29 Jun 16 - 06:18 AM (#3798234)
Subject: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: GUEST,Aaron

Hi all,
Not sure if this is an appropriate topic for Mudcat (I'm sure I'll be informed either way soon enough ;-) but I've been asked as part of an academic interview to collate what I consider to be:

Top five albums that feature 'Celtic' bouzouki.
Top ten bouzouki tracks.
Top twenty bouzouki players.

This is not for a press 'interview', rather for an academic paper which will be used to point young aspiring players in the right direction. Given that musical taste is so subjective I would like to throw these questions out to the greater musical community to make sure that these 'young aspiring bouzouki players' get as broad a range of suggestions as possible and not just my personal opinions.

It would be great if you could add a little about why you like an album/track or player and of course, you don't need to fill all three lists but if you have any opinions I'd be very happy to hear them and add them into the mix and who knows I might even discover a new bouzouki hero or 'desert island' bouzouki track for myself along the way!
In anticipation, thank you for your time.
Best wishes,
Aaron


29 Jun 16 - 07:11 AM (#3798239)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Stilly River Sage

Seems to me this is the perfect venue to ask such a question!


29 Jun 16 - 07:34 AM (#3798246)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: gillymor

1.Planxty- Planxty (aka the Black album) Featuring Donal Lunny and Andy Irvine
2. The Bothy Band-The Bothy Band. More Donal Lunny.
3. Dervish- Midsummer's Night. Michael Holmes, zouk, with Brian
   McDonagh, mandola some wonderful interplay between the two.
4. DeDannan- Hibernian Rhapsody.Feat. Alec Finn
5. Gerald Trimble- Crosscurrents

This is just top of the head. Tons more.


29 Jun 16 - 10:22 AM (#3798253)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: bubblyrat

Bouzouki ?? Just try the Real Thing and listen to Cat Stevens singing "Ruby My Love" ;the bouzouki playing is great (and VERY "Greek" even if Stevens ( aka Yussef Islam these days)comes from Cyprus , not Greece !!


29 Jun 16 - 11:18 AM (#3798257)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: GUEST,Mark Bluemel

Try some Nancy Kerr and James Fagan for a non-Irish approach to the "Celtic" 'zouk.


29 Jun 16 - 05:09 PM (#3798318)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Helen

gillymor,

Is there any bouzouki on any of The Pogues' songs?

I just looked through the wiki articles for each album and the bouzouki is not mentioned. I thought The Limerick Rake had bouzouki on it but the instruments listed in the article for the whole album show Jem Finer on banjo, and Terry Woods on cittern and mandolin.

There are some brilliant examples of Finer's and Woods' and other musicians' use of that style of instrument on a lot of songs by The Pogues.

Helen


30 Jun 16 - 03:13 AM (#3798374)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: GUEST,Pete Kiddle

Anything by Andy Irvine, Jamie McMenemy or the occasional Paul Brady(Welcome Here Kind Stranger album) have all been a life long inspiration to me.


30 Jun 16 - 08:43 AM (#3798416)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: clueless don

Many fine bouzouki players in Irish music - Donal Lunny has already been mentioned, and then there's Alec Finn. But I want to make special mention of Eoin O'Neill, both with the Ceili Bandits and on other recordings.

Don


30 Jun 16 - 09:29 AM (#3798425)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: GUEST,Pete Kiddle

1. 'The Road To Kerrigouarch'h'-Jamie McMenemy (+ Battlefield/ Kornog)
2. 'Andy Irvine and Paul Brady' (+ Planxty, and Andy solos)
3. 'Skylark' - Gary O'Briain
4. 'Feadoga Stain' - Mary Bergin and Alec Finn
5. 'Bouzoukispelman' - Ale Moller (+ Filarfolket).I know he is Swedish,but you put 'Celtic' in quote marks, and he is highly influential, not to be missed.
    Other players, Johnny Moynahan, Niall O'Callanain, Fintan McManus, Donal Lunny, and, of course, that Aaron Jones.


30 Jun 16 - 09:32 AM (#3798426)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Stu

Albums:

1) Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn
2) Planxty - The Well Below the Valley
3) Eoin O'Neil - In Session
4) Cran - Music =From the Edge of The World
5) Martin Tourish and Luke Ward - Clan Ranald


30 Jun 16 - 10:26 AM (#3798431)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Stanron

I'm not quite sure what an 'academic interview' is but you might want to go easy on the word Celtic. Technically the music is traditional music from Scotland, Ireland and, perhaps, England and Wales, given a modern re-interpretation. The extreme Western Coast of Europe also has a related association.

In an academic environment you might want to point out that the historical origins of the music are most probably Norse.

The Celtic civilisation, which once spread from Turkey to the Atlantic, was mostly eradicated by the Romans by 400 AD. The bits the Romans missed were over-run by the Vikings 400 years later. I would guess that by 1000 AD there was no Celtic culture left.

The use of the word in it's current context appears to have originated in America. It is a kind of convenient label but in an academic circle it could be judged lazy.


30 Jun 16 - 10:51 PM (#3798530)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: gillymor

Helen,

CBOM is an acronym for Cittern, Bouzouki, and Octave Mandolin as they are all very closely related. The modern day Cittern in "Celtic" music is basically an Irish bouzouki with another course of strings.
Here's an informative (or confusing) article on CBOM's by an outstanding player, Robin Bullock.

Woods plays Cittern on The Recruiting Sergeant Medley, Thousands are Sailing, South Australia/Red Haired Mary, The Limerick Rake, Lullaby of London and a lot of other songs and tunes for The Pogues.

Rod


01 Jul 16 - 01:14 AM (#3798542)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Helen

Thanks Rod,

I was starting to think that I had misheard the instrument in all of those songs.

Helen


01 Jul 16 - 06:28 PM (#3798667)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: ollaimh

pete kiddle, eah "welcome here kind stranger" is a fantastic if rather forgotten album. i have it on casdsette(remember cassettes). and the old album with paul brady and andy irvine together, the one with the blue cover has somegreat tunes with great bouzouki tracks


06 Jul 16 - 03:27 PM (#3799288)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Helen

Hey Aaron,

How did the academic paper go? I'm interested in the bouzouki pieces you decided to include.

I know Mudcat was down a lot, over a couple of weeks,so you may have had problems getting back onto this thread.

Helen


06 Jul 16 - 08:50 PM (#3799317)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: gillymor

Yep, Paul Brady is such a great singer and guitarist you forget he could play the snot out of the bouzouki and mandolin. Wearin' The Britches


07 Jul 16 - 03:37 PM (#3799417)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Helen

Eeee-yewww! Is that the technical term for brilliant musical ability?

:-D

Helen


08 Jul 16 - 07:15 AM (#3799447)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: GUEST,Pete Kiddle

I know he's Scottish, not Irish, but there are reasons I've put Jamie Mcmenemy and Kornog at the top of my list. Check him out on the dreaded You Tube.


08 Jul 16 - 07:46 AM (#3799455)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: gillymor

I agree, McMenemy and Kornog are top notch.

Andy Irvine & Co. performing The Blind Harper . I didn't know this one was in his repetoire, Youtube is really a marvelous resource.

"Eeee-yewww", didn't that outfit just get brexited by those limeys, Helen?


09 Jul 16 - 01:01 AM (#3799482)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Helen

That's snot the EU I meant.

Peter, I think Aaron, the originator of the thread wanted to know about Irish bouzouki playing, so the bouzouki is Irish but the players and the tunes they play don't have to be Irish.

I'm just hoping Aaron comes back to check out the thread.


01 Nov 16 - 05:51 AM (#3817507)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: GUEST

Hi all,
Firstly apologies for taking so long to reply to the responses. Summer touring took a grip and the inbox grew ever longer...
Some great replies and many suggestions will go into the 'recommended listening' list for students. Thank you.
A great Greek suggestion too but was looking specifically for 'Celtic' style playing as the course is based in Scotland. And thanks for the history lesson ;-) I dislike the umbrella term 'Celtic' too but just wanted to save time and be clear (as mud) that I was just looking for suggestions from the Scots, Irish, English, Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Asturian, Manx and Galician cultures without having to spell it out ;-)
Happy too with the 'related instruments' recommendations too - especially as a cittern player myself.
I'll use this in correlation with the many professional players I asked and try to make as fair and balanced list as I can so the student get a good cross section of styles, techniques and approaches and hopefully, before long, they'll be able to "play the snot" out of their respective instruments ;-)
I'll post the lists here too...
Best wishes and kind regards,
Aaron


01 Nov 16 - 02:50 PM (#3817601)
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Greatest Bouzouki Parts
From: Helen

Thanks for the update Aaron. I'm looking forward to seeing the list.

Helen