Our Song of the Day is taken from ‘The Portable Herman Dune Vol 2’. Watch ‘Undiscarded Jacaranda’, one of the only Herman Dune songs ever written with a chorus in French, sung by his partner Mayon Hanania. This could easily become a timeless classic.
The celebrations for John McCusker’s 30th Anniversary as a professional musician culminated in an unforgettable gathering of musical friends at Celtic Connections including Michael McGoldrick, Ian Carr, Eddi Reader, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Roddy Woomble and more.
Josienne Clarke announces her new album Onliness (songs of solitude & singularity) and shares the music video for The Tangled Tree, one of her earliest compositions and also our Song of the Day.
Celtic Connections experienced an electrifying performance from Abi Sampa & Rushil – Orchestral Qawwali left the crowd cheering wildly, giving one of the longest-standing ovations I’ve ever witnessed.
Featuring Niamh Dunne, Karan Casey shares her latest album single ‘Sister I Am Here For You’, a song which celebrates the “profound beauty found in female friendship and camaraderie”.
Musically and lyrically, Every Acre is H.C. McEntire’s most complex work yet, at times impressionistic, at others painfully direct, it’s an album you need to immerse yourself in over repeated listens, but the rewards are immense.
Rachel Baiman has shared her new video for Self Made Man, a re-write of a John Hartford song that features on her new album “Common Nation of Sorrow”. Don’t miss her extensive UK/US tour this spring.
As far as Celtic Connections international musical collaborations go, the evening concert with Mali’s Trio Da Kali and special guests was fabulously varied and richly rewarding, fully utilising the alchemic opportunities that come from bringing different music traditions and cultures together.
Dave McNally shares some highlights from the 30th Anniversary Concert that kicked off Celtic Connections 2023, featuring an astonishing breadth of talent – it was a jubilant and moving three hour celebration.
With ‘Prize’, Rozi Plain lyrically reinvents the mundane and presents it as philosophical rhetoric. While the silky melodies and relaxed, walking-paced rhythms which define her music are very much present throughout this album, moments build into a groovy, excited triumph – it is brilliance.
Lauren Oxford’s wondrous eponymous debut somehow evaded my keen radar at the time of release. It would’ve effortlessly landed in my 2022 Top 10 if I’d heard it before then.
Billy Bragg, Oysterband, Breabach, Talisk, Jiggy, N’Faly Kouyaté, Daphne’s Flight, Spiers & Boden, and Leveret are among the first names announced for Shrewsbury Folk Festival.
