Tina Jordan Rees – Beatha

742

It’s unusual to be reviewing an album from an established artist when I’ve not previously been aware of them. But Tina Jordan Rees has, until now, largely built her considerable reputation composing and performing Irish dance tunes, a world with which I’m not at all familiar. So, getting to know her music through Beatha has been a really happy accident, a plunge into an album of the most joyous, energetic music I’ve heard in a long while. Tina composed all the tunes and plays the whistles, flute and piano. She’s joined on the album by Lea Larsen on bodhrán, Seán Gray on acoustic and electric guitars and James Lindsay on double bass. If these names are familiar, you’ll likely have correctly surmised that Beatha was largely concocted in Glasgow, produced by the ubiquitous Euan Burton at GloWorm Recording.

Originally from Lancashire, where her initial enthusiasm for music stemmed from piano lessons given by her father, Tina joined a local Comhaltas group, took up the tin whistle and began her love affair with Irish dancing. Eventually, this led to her beginning a degree in Irish Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. In 2009 she moved to Glasgow, initially on a one-year Erasmus student exchange, but chose to stay and complete her degree at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. With this background, she has roots planted firmly in both the Irish and Scottish traditions, and this amalgam does much to define the style of her compositions.

For many artists, the music they’ve released over the last few months has been a reaction to the enforced career break of 2020/21, and the exuberance that runs through Beatha likely owes much to this effect. But, having been diagnosed and then cured of a potentially life-ending condition in the couple of years before Covid, Tina has a far more personal reason for wanting to celebrate the joys of living. With Beatha, a word that means life in Scottish and Irish Gaelic, she’s sharing that celebration with us all. 

There are ten pieces on the album, all instrumental, each piece a set of two or three tunes. Sleeve notes give a title to each tune, and whilst, by themselves, they can be a bit cryptic, each comes with a line or two of explanation. Reading these explanations is like glimpsing into Tina’s life. With one exception, they highlight joyful memories of family, friends, pets, and places. And that one exception? Ugly Sea, refers to the unpleasantness that social media can sometimes bring into any of our lives. In fairness though, it seems Tina freed herself of the ugly memory before writing the tune; it shares the lightness and spring in its step that characterises the entire album. Tina uses the phrase “life-affirming” in the headline of her press release, and I’d say that was utterly appropriate.

The album opens with a sequence of acoustic guitar chords from Seán, soon joined by Tina’s whistle and a lively rhythm from Lea’s bodhrán, immediately setting the mood for the album. This first tune was inspired by an acrobatic squirrel using all his tricks to steal bird food, and it’s that overflowing joie de vivre that’s been injected into the whole album. The combination of guitar, whistle or flute and bodhrán inevitably brings to mind that powerhouse of the genre, Flook. It’s a testament to the expertise of the Beatha musicians that their music stands up proudly to that comparison; if you enjoy Flook, you’ll enjoy Beatha. But don’t for a moment think that’s the limit of what they can offer. Tina writes her music for whistle, flute and piano, and when the piano comes to the fore, the music shows another, equally powerful, side. With the two-tune set, Copenhagen Cycles / Visits from Stanley Tina plays both piano and whistle, sometimes both contributing to the melodies and, at other times, the piano takes a more background role, content to add chord sequences. This contrast between the whistle/guitar and whistle/piano combinations adds another really pleasing texture to the sound. So far, I’ve not highlighted James’ contribution on double bass. And that’s probably how it should be; James shows again what makes him such an in-demand presence in Glasgow’s recording studios, adding just as much, but equally, just as little as the arrangement needs.

With four albums of Irish dance music released previously, Beatha may not fit the classic idea of a debut album. But with its more adventurous music, its timing with respect both to Covid and Tina’s illness, and the extent to which these tunes stem from her life experiences, one can understand why she sees this release as marking a new beginning. For the listener, it can be a sneaky peek at the little things that have brought pleasure into someone else’s life, sunsets, squirrels, cycles, knitting… Or, more simply, an expertly crafted suite of upbeat tunes that raise the spirits and celebrate the small pleasures that can enrich anyone’s life.

Order via Bandcamp: https://tinajordanrees.bandcamp.com/

Website: http://tinajordanrees.com/