Sorry to pass along this sad news.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58881862
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Sorry to pass along this sad news.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58881862
Also, Tony MacMahon passed on Oct 9th.
so sorry to see this. another of the great ones gone.
I had a few Chieftain's records and saw them live once, Paddy always had a jar by his side and would swing that pennywhistle like a pendulum while he talked about the tunes. It's his work with Mike Oldfield on "Ommadawn" that really struck a chord with me, at that young age of about 16 I first heard Ommadawn, and we couldn't figure out what instrument that was, it sounded like fiddle but it wasn't a fiddle, it sounded like some kind of reed instrument but nothing like we had ever heard. I also recall Paddy playing the ending tune in the movie - the Grey Fox- about one of the hole in the wall gangs elder days in Canada. Chieftains of course led to other Irish interests like Planxty and Bothy Band, not to mention Derek Bells classical efforts. I don't want to label him as the "Bill Monroe of uilleann pipes" but his contribution to the instrument and to traditional Celtic music will be recognized for many years to follow.
My friend Patrick Sky, who passed back in May, was great friends with Paddy, I believe going back to his Greenwich Village days in the 60s. I'm sure this contributed to his decision later to delve into Irish music and instrument building, handcrafting uillean pipes and investing in a penny whistle factory in Ireland. I hear Paddy would visit when the Chieftains were touring the States, but I never had the fortune to meet him. I've got a bunch of their records, though. Would give them a spin but they're in deep storage. They were a cut or two above most other Irish bands I've heard, which admittedly is a limited sample set. Still, it's easy to recognize greatness, in any form. RIP, Paddy Maloney.
And now for something completely different ... A jam session of sorts with The Chieftains, the Tuva throat singers from Mongolia, and Johnny Guitar Watson at Frank Zappa's house in 1993. :disbelief: As it says, raw footage, so it's unfocussed; there's a lot of set-up and chit-chat. Good stuff for the first half hour, then you might want to skip to 1:02 for more Chieftains. Around 1:15 the Tuva singers join in again.
Here's an excerpt:
Interesting that Zappa was fostering these cross-cultural musical explorations long before Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.
Yes, I remember videos of the them with Frank Zappa at the time, with Paddy telling Frank what to do!
Well, The Chieftains were different in that they carefully arranged their trad sets like pieces for a chamber music ensemble, while still playing with the drive and swing that had folks tapping their feet, as if they were in a pub session.Quote:
They were a cut or two above most other Irish bands I've heard
Nearest American equivalent I can think of was Tony Ellis and the Musicians of Braeburn.
Sad week for trad music as box player Tony McMahon died a few days ago as well. Oddly enough, when I heard about Tony's death for some reason the thought popped into my head wondering was Paddy Moloney still alive.
I must admit I lost interest in the Chieftains quite a while ago, but back in the early seventies their music meant a lot to me.
One of my favourite albums was Sean O'Riada's 'O'Riada Sa Gaiety'. We should not forget that Sean's band Ceoltóirí Chualann featured many of the original Chieftains, including Paddy, and the influence they had on the way the Irish presented their traditional music at this time cannot be overstated. Subsequently I think this influence spread to the way musicians all over the world presented their music, although they probably were mostly unaware of how important O'Riada and the Chieftains were to this approach.
So farewell Paddy. RIP.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%A1n_%C3%93_Riada
Paddy Maloney, like Sean seemed to be everywhere back in the day when I was learning Irish music. Even now, thanks to these discussions I find more about these musicians. Paddy worked as a session musician for all sorts of people, from Paul McCartney, to Sting and Stevie Wonder.
(And who knew that he would know Zappa and jam with Throat Singers?)
This sort of outsized collaborative effort made my interest wane as I wanted to learn traditional Irish music and did not need the distraction of these odd combinations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Moloney
It’s hard to imagine The Chieftans without Paddy Maloney but I hope there is a way they can keep it going.
Aside from that, I think The Chieftans with Sinead O’Connor version of The Foggy Dew is one of the most stirring tunes I’ve ever heard.
Tonight I'll raise a glass (of red wine) to both of these musicians. Here's Tony playing a few of my favorites.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jill McAuley
I came across the Chieftains in the mid-70's, shortly before the movie, Barry Lyndon, launched them to international fame. I saw them in a packed concert at Ottawa's National Arts Centre soon after the movie came out, and enjoyed both their exciting musicianship, and Paddy's warmth and humour. After a couple of years though though, their music was "too much of the same" for me. As with many groups, perhaps they used up their best and favourite tunes on their early albums. I also felt that all those "The Chieftains with..." records and concerts were downright gimmicky, and often didn't work well. So I too lost track of them over the years. Furthermore, I hold mixed views on Paddy Maloney's and Sean O'Riada's highly successful roles in converting Irish folk dance tunes into jazz-influenced concert pieces. It's a complex topic, and would likely bring out many conflicting opinions among fans of Irish music -- I alone have conflicting opinions. However, they were and are an excellent collection of musicians, their arrangements are gripping, and Paddy, as front man, was most enjoyable. They're definitely a highly influential band. Chieftains 5, with all the instruments on the cover, is my favourite album. For today, Slainte to the Chieftains, and blessings to the memory of Paddy Maloney, and to non-Chieftain Tony MacMahon as well.
Attachment 196827
Paddy ran a tight ship, and their deeply traditional music always had a Classical sheen, with the fun never too far away,
like the warning to the Dancers of "Round The House, and Mind the Dresser"
Paddy's mournful piping on Laments like "The Wailing of the Hags at the Slaughter" will live forever.
Interestingly, the first tune these guys play is one I know as O'Neill's Cavalry March, which is the very first track on O'Riada Sa Gaiety, by Sean O'Riada, and I think the next tune is also what Sean followed it with. Extraordinary. It seems like Tony's own nod to O'Riada.Quote:
Originally Posted by DougC
Tying this thread together quite nicely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=162v8SeJ1XE
Interesting to note that the kind of ensemble playing that the Chieftans played a part in popularising would be something that Tony MacMahon later lamented as moving people away from the appreciation of solo players.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranald
A legend passes. Living outside of Philly, the Chieftains played the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day for several years and filled the Kimmel Music Center's Verizon (Big) Hall. My wife and I got to see them a couple of times there. I grew up listening to tapes my Mom and Dad had of the Chieftains (my favorite was Celtic Wedding with th great bhodran and lots of the bombard).
Anyhoo, in like 2004 we saw them and had Meet and Greet tickets. We had the Down the Old Plank Road DVD and my then 3 year old daughter was IN LOVE with the Canadian Fiddler and Dancing twins on that disk. We watched it a lot (No Cailuou in our house). So, my daughter pretty much knew Paddy and the the Boys. So when Paddy came into the room, my daughter just bolted from my side and ran full speed into Paddy's arms. For a frightful moment, I was afraid she was gonna knock him down and kill ITM right there. Well, he just scooped her up and popped her on his hip and said how thankful he was that parents were showing their kids the old ways to keep the music alive. I treasure that moment and having had the chance to hear them play in person.
RIP, Paddy! May the Pub be always full of music and the craic good.
Jamie
Nice story. I'm curious who the Canadian fiddler was. I looked up "Down the Old Plank Road" on Wikipedia, and saw only Irish and American fiddlers listed -- I think they were referring to a CD though. I have a videocassette called, "Cape Breton Island: The Video." My preschool (at the time) daughter was a great fan, and loved to see and hear Jeff MacDonald singing a Gaelic song. She always referred to him as "the nice man". When he entered the Folklore program at Memorial University, a couple of years after me, she was thrilled. Jeff was pleased too -- I don't think he had many infatuated fans. (The video is good for music and scenery, but presents a romanticized Cape Breton, in which everyone lives in the country, farms with horses, speaks Gaelic, etc. In truth, most of the population lives in "industrial Cape Breton, a region with an important role in the development of Cape Breton fiddling as fiddlers and pianists from all over the island met there and shared their tunes and styles.)Quote:
Originally Posted by JEStanek
It would appear that his name was Paddy Moloney. He probably got accustomed to the mispelling over the years…
Oops -- at least I spelled "Tony MacMahon" right.Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulBFree
I've been listening to the Chieftains pretty much my entire musical career. Really my first exposure (that I can remember) to traditional Irish music. It was sad hearing of his passing.
Hey! The Brothers are the Pilatzke Brothers Jon plays Fiddle and dances and Nathan dances. They were part of the regular crew with the Chieftains and not highlighted guests on the CDs. If youre really old like me, you may remember a Folgers ad from the 90s with Cara Butler (Jon's spouse), and also toured with the Chieftains when I saw them and my daughter almost killed Paddy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranald
Jamie
Am I old enough to remember that commercial? I'm old enough to remember, "You'll wonder where the yellow went/When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent."
The Pilatzke Brothers are from the Ottawa Valley region where I live. I wasn't aware of them before, though I may have see them in contests when they were young lads. I have seen and heard heard two members of their group, "The Step Crew". Julie Fitzgerald, is from this area, and used to go to the now-defunct "By The Canal Fiddle Camp" that my daughter often, and I once, attended. Shane Cook taught at the same camp, and won many fiddle contest across Canada.