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Fionnghuala video (live in Spain in 1990)
Thanks to YouTube use Astrowisk
Posted 64 days agoNightnoise video - The Cricket's Wicket
Posted 78 days agoMore videos
After such a long time with no Nightnoise video material, now we have another two, in a space of 24 hours. Thanks again to Luis García.
Time winds
Bridges (complete)
Posted 78 days agoTwo videos of Nightnoise live in Seville, Spain
At last, someone has posted two videos of Nightnoise live. They date from around 1990 and were recorded in Seville, Spain (and broadcast on Spain’s national TV channel, TVE).
Thanks to Luis Fernando García Marco for the info.
Posted 79 days agoÓmós - A Gig for Mícheál
Excerpts from the concert held as a tribute to Mícheál Ó Domhnaill in May 2007 in Dublin have been aired on Irish radio (The Rolling Wave, presented by Peter Browne). The format is Real Audio: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
The concert is to be released as an album (no dates yet).
Note to Nightnoise fans: it is primarily a concert of traditional Irish music. Nightnoise never took off in Ireland and most people there associate Mícheál with the Bothy Band, above all.
Posted 114 days agoRadio programme tribute to Mícheál Ó'Domhnaill
WNYC’s New Sound has re-aired a programme on Mícheál that was first broadcast in 2006.
Apart from tracks from The Bothy Band, Puck Fair and the Portland album he did with Kevin Burke, it contains that rarest of rare things: a recording of Nightnoise live in concert. It was recorded in 1989, when Billy Oskay was still in the group, and features a brief interview with the four followed by a set in which they play After Five, Nollaig, At The Races, Nightnoise, and The Cricket’s Wicket. The set starts about 26 minutes in and runs for about 18 minutes.
Considering you can get bootlegs of the likes of Bob Dylan going back to the 1960s, it’s hard to believe nobody ever snuck a tape recorder into a Nightnoise gig. Maybe Nightnoise fans are above that sort of thing. I do know that some radio stations have recordings (Spain’s national radio RNE 3 has a recording from a Valladolid concert dating from the Billy Oskay period – more on that later).
And Ireland’s national TV, RTE, has recordings of them when they moved back to Ireland, with fiddlers and even a cellist filing in the strings side of the equation (Johnny Cunningham had decided to stay in the US), but who knows if we’ll ever get to see that footage.
Meantime, check out the WNYC programme
Posted 118 days agoMícheál Ó'Domhnaill slideshow tribute
Thistle Radio have posted a lovely slideshow tribute to Mícheál Ó‘Domhnaill.
It consists of photos taken by Greg Duffy between 1981 and 1986; the soundtrack is Mícheál singing “Casadh an tSúgáin” (as recorded with the Bothy Band).
Those photos and many more can also be viewed at the Mícheál Ó‘Domhnaill official web site.
Thanks to Al Evers for the tip.
Posted 120 days agoNew Puck Fair album
Brian Dunning’s band Puck Fair has released a new album called “Forgotten Carnival”.
Review from Pitchfork Magazine:
Back with their first album in 19 years, Brian Dunning’s Puck Fair makes a comeback with “Forgotten Carnival.” The band is acoustic and the music is inspired equally by the driving rhythms of Celtic music with the freedom and spontaneity of jazz. Founded in New York in 1984 and reformed in Dublin, Puck Fair mainly plays original music by Brian Dunning as well as music by such artists as Van Morrison and John Coltrane.
Dunning has a breathtaking command of the flute, coupled with a most personal approach to jazz improvisation and traditional music. He returns here to the repertoire of one of his most successful projects, bringing him together with the versatile guitar of Sean Whelan, the infectious grooves of percussionist Robbie Harris, and two very special guests from Slovakia, violinist Stano Paluch and cellist Joef Luptak, for an evening of cross cultural tradition and innovation. The haunting, melodic atmospheres of this group are long overdue for discovery by fans of Enya and Clannad.
It’s available for purchase and download at the following:
MP3 format (no DRM)
Or if you prefer DRM :
You can listen to most of their first album “Fair Play” (a classic now out of print), on their MySpace page
Thanks to LFGM and A-Train for the links.
Catalan singer Lidia Pujol
This album features Lidia Pujol, a very interesting Catalan singer whose background ranges from rock to opera. She has been working with Puck Fair for some years now, having appeared with them in concert in Dublin in 2006.
Posted 129 days agoSkara Brae videos on YouTube
Five segments of video on YouTube. They feature Skara Brae, the group founded by the O’Domhnaill siblings with Daithi Sproule long before Nightnoise.
This seems to be the TG4 programme of the Skara Brae reunion concert a few years ago.
Thanks to Luis Fernando García for the tip.
Posted 179 days agoRidiculous pricing
I have set up a Google alert on Nightnoise. It sends me an e-mail every time it finds a new page that refers to Nightnoise. The finds are generally pirate MP3 download sites, where you can get an entire album for less than a dollar.
That is in stark contrast to the 99 cents per track charged by the iTunes Music Store (which only has “At the End of the Evening”, “Shadow of Time”, “Something of Time” and “Nightnoise Pure” for sale), and 89 cents at Amazon’s MP3 Downloads store (which has no Nightnoise music at all only 2 albums: “Something of Time” and “Shadow of Time”, plus 2 albums by the Japanese electronic band called Nightnoise).
But it gets worse. Today Google sent me a new alert, and the link takes me to Amazon’s physical record store where they have 6 used copies of “Nightnoise” by Billy Oskay and Mícheál Ó‘Domhnaill, an album that has been out of print for well over 10 years. The prices range from $47.79 to $95.00.
There is absolutely no reason why this album shouldn’t be available as MP3 from a legitimate online music store, at a reasonable price. And Nightnoise fans ought to be able to lay their hands on this album from a legitimate source, while creating revenue for the artists.
Who wins in this situation? Scummy pirate download sites.
Who loses? The artists, their heirs, and the record companies themselves.
Conclusion: idiocy on the part of Windham Hill. (If anyone has a better explanation, I’ll be delighted to publish it).
Posted 281 days ago"They were the most elegant group, inspiring to us."
Harp guitarist John Doan, flute duo Meadowlark (Rick Cyge and Lynn Trombetta) and violinist Allen Ames are playing a winter solstice concert at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona, on 21 December 2007.
Lynn Trombetta (quoted above in the title) acknowledges their debt to Nightnoise, and the concert is dedicated to our favourite group.
Posted 345 days agoSony-BMG merger
The BBC reports that the Sony-BMG merger has been approved by the EU authorities (after it had been overruled).
What has this got to do with Nightnoise? I am informed the whole merger story is the reason why only 3 Nightnoise albums are available on iTunes Music Store and only one track on the new Amazon MP3 store. Since Sony had (has?) plans for its own online music store, all electronic sales of BMG music (BMG owns Windham Hill) have been on hold since the merger got under way over 3 years ago.
The result is that Nightnoise, and many other artists, have lost potential online sales since the records are no longer available in the shops, and you can’t download the tracks either. (Well, of course you can, but not in any way that benefits the artists – I mean Usenet and BitTorrent, not to mention those Russian sites :-).
A case in point is the “Nightnoise” album by Billy Oskay and Mícheál Ó‘Domhnaill, but “The Parting Tide” and “A Different Shore”, both by Nightnoise, are also unavailable.
So this may be a sign that Nightnoise’s full catalogue of music may eventually be available for sale online, but don’t hold your breath. The music business has shown in the past that artists’ interests are the very last thing on its mind.
Posted 415 days agoOld articles from the New York Times
The NYT has dropped its paywall on articles from 1981 onwards. Below are links to some articles that reference Nightnoise (surprisingly few):
2003 Johnny Cunningham, 46, Celtic Fiddler
Obituary.
1996 A new age company feels good about a campaign intended to give it a new image
For instance, in No. 27, to promote “A Different Shore” by the Celtic group Nightnoise, an announcer told how large wooden goblets on a “huge medieval dining table” came to life and started “to chant in unison.”
1995 Dreams and Meditations From the Realm of Experience O Gravity, O Light
Mr. Haisma was a street dweller in “Five Short Dreams,” a suite of dances set to music by Ry Cooder, Mickey Hart and Nightnoise, with a text by Karen Kiwus and a sound score by Mr. Haisma
1991 For Irish, it isn’t Folk, it’s just Music, and it’s here
Article about Tríona playing live with Patrick Street, including interview and profile.
1987 New Age music booms softly
Windham Hill releases a passable album now and then, lately ‘‘Nightnoise’‘ by Billy Oskay and Micheal O Domhnaill, which treats Celtic melodies as new-age duets, but that could be considered a modern folk album.
1986 Weekender Guide
Posted 423 days agoThe World Music Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting the finest in traditional and contemporary music from around the world, needs $75,000 to continue its programming, and some friends have joined forces to help the institute meet its bills. Tonight and tomorrow night at 8, the Washington Square Church, 135 West Fourth Street, will present benefit concerts for the institute. Tonight’s program features traditional and Celtic music by the group Nightnoise, which includes some of the most respected musicians in the flourishing Celtic music movement. Triona Ni Dhomhnaill (vocals, clavinet, synthesizer) and Micheal O’Domhnaill (guitar, vocals) are both veterans of the Bothy Band, the seminal Celtic revival group. The quartet is rounded out by the violinist Billy Oskay and the jazz flutist Brian Dunning
Nightnoise trivia: Windell
The track “Windell” on the “At the End of the Evening” album is named after Billy Oskay’s son. Windell Oskay is also credited with assisting on the recording of the clocks at the beginning of “Timewinds” on the “Something of Time” album.
That was then.
Windell recently featured in Wired for building a 3D fabricator that uses sugar as its raw material.
More information at his evilmadscientist site
Posted 436 days agoLocal composer inspired by "Snow on High Ground"
Medford, NJ-resident composer Stephen Majewski has released “Tamarac”, a soundtrack for the area where he lives. He says he took up the piano again after hearing “Snow on High Ground”:
Around Christmas of 2002, Majewski heard “Snow on High Ground,” an instrumental piece by Nightnoise, composed by Triona Ni Dhomhnaill. Primarily a solo piano composition, the song re-inspired him. Determined to play at that level, he enrolled at the New Jersey School of Music for a year before beginning to compose his own pieces while self-studying the piano.
Check out his web site
Posted 438 days agoNew site in memory of Micheal O'Domhnaill
http://www.michealodomhnaill.com/. And there’s a memorial concert on 24 May.
A gig for Mícheál – Ómós
The concert is on 24 May in Vicar Street, Dublin. The line-up is amazing:
- Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
- Paddy Keenan
- Donal Lunny
- Matt Molloy
- Paddy Glackin
- Mick Hanly
- Noel Hill and Tony Linnane
- Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
- Mary Black
- Moya Brennan
- Brian Dunning
- Mairtin O’Connor and Cathal Hayden
- Dáithí Sproule
- Conal Ó Domhnaill
- Jimmy Crowley
and other special guests
Concert proceeds will go to the Irish Traditional Music Archive.
Forthcoming CD
Friends of Mícheál have set up the Mícheál Ó Domhnaill Trust Fund. More details on the site
Posted 587 days agoMore videos on YouTube
Two videos of Mícheál Ó‘Domhnaill on YouTube, from 1979
Casadh an tSugáin with Kevin Burke and (?)
Loving Hannah with Mary Black.
Again, thanks to Luis for drawing this to my attention.
Posted 596 days agoJohnny Cunningham concerts online
There are four concerts by Johnny Cunningham available at the Kennedy Centre#.
Thanks to Luis Fernando García for the link
Posted 609 days agoPhotos at Johnny Cunningham site
The Johnny Cunningham site is back online. Check out the “News” section for some photos of him and Mícheál.
Posted 613 days agoRadio show in memory of Mícheál O'Domhnaill
New York Public Radio’s New Sounds programme did a special one-hour tribute to Mícheál in July 2006. You can hear the full programme, which includes a brief interview with the members of Nightnoise in 1989 (i.e. including Billy Oskay) followed by a live recording of some Nightnoise tunes: After 4/Nollaig/At The Races, Nightnoise and The Cricket’s Wicket. The show is in RealAudio format. Get it here
(Thanks to Carme for the link).
Posted 676 days ago