David Francey and Craig Werth

David Francey is recognized as one of today's finest singer-songwriters. Born in Scotland in 1954 he now lives in Canada. He is often accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Craig Werth.
Many thanks to my friend Tom for sending me the links.

Websites:
http://www.davidfrancey.com/
http://www.craigwerth.com/

www.myspace.com/davidfrancey

Tribute to Donal Lunny

What a tribute: Here are some Tunes with Donal Lunny, John McSherry, Davy Spillane, Liam O'Flynn, Andy Irvine, Christy Moore, Nollaig Casey, Paddy Glackin. Three Bouzoukis altogether on stage. Andy Irvine is playing his old Stevens Bouzouki. Haven't seen him playing it for a long time.


Not my cup of coffee, but some of you might like it: Here's "Dirty old Town" featuring Donal, Gilles Servat, Ronnie Drew, John McSherry, Nollaig Casey

Jig: Lark in the morning

A new video from Kyle. This time he plays the jig "lark in the morning". I like his style of playing melody and drones altogether.

The Ballad Of Reynardine

Kyle is playing the arrangement of Andy Irvine. He does a really good job. Really Inspiring!

Cittern and Sitar combination

A live recording with Pandit Harvinder Singh Sitar and Anders Falk Cittern. I really like this combination of the two instruments, although there is no celtish influence in the music.

Gerry O'Connor, Manus Lunny & Vinnie Kilduff - Moving Cloud

A tune called Moving cloud vividly performed here with 2 bouzoukis, banjo and mandolin on the Late Late Show Christmas 1993.

Bailliekins - Step It Out Mary

Good man bailliekins has posted a new video featuring his Octave Mandolin. This time it's the Song Step It Out Mary, originally by Sean McCarthy. He has rewritten it a bit and has added some verses. Really nice tune.

Tralee Trembles

BmoreBusker is playing a tune which he says is originally by Terry Woods and maybe Ron Kavana and from a collaboration album called LILT - For the children. Fine playing, nice tune.

Paddy's day

Keith enjoys us here with a set of tunes: Boys of Bluehill, Chief O'Neills and Drowsy Maggie. He writes: Mando is by Freshwater - very beaten up when I got it. have just stripped it back to the wood and refinished it. New set up partially complete. Still needs work on the bridge saddle, and the string gauges sorting out, then final fettling to suit. Enjoy!

Steve Smith plays Mariners Ward on his 1914 Gibson K2 Mandocello

What a nice tune played on a legendary instrument. Steve is playing a original composition from his Other Places, Times and Lives album. For more information look at: www.desertnight.com

Post No. 300! - Irish Bouzouki improvisation

Just back from a lovely weekend in Bonn where I attended on a bouzouki workshop with Michael Lempelius (http://www.myspace.com/palmlempelius) I found this nice video. Joynergy is just fooling around on his bouzouki which is made by luthier Juhn Hullah. Does anybody have some information about this luther?

Bob Vasile and Jane Peppler

Bob and Jane are a couple playing cittern and fiddle. Here they are with the following tunes:
Flying Home to Shelley (Paul Gitlitz), Paddy on the Landfill (Rob Hayes), Music for a Found Harmonium (Simon Jeffes)

Tim Browne - Step It Out Mary

Tim Browne has posted a new video. A trad song played together with Eoin Jordan on bouzouki at the Trades Union Hall, Kanturk, Co. Cork, Ireland on October 15th, 2008.
Tim's website:
www.tbrowne.net



And here is Mosed Bridge-The Girl From Glashakeenleen

Bailliekins - Daleman's Litany

Another fine song from Bailliekins. Unfortunately he does not give any information about the song.

Arpeggio Intro on Bouzouki

nandyfer gives us the chance to look at his right hand while he is playing the arpeggio intro to a song from the group "Quenda Folk". I couldnt't find lots of information about the band but this myspace site:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=396608145

If you have more information please leave a comment.

Beth Patterson - new videos

Yippie! Found new videos from Beth Patterson, one of my favourite bouzouki players. I have mentioned her many times before. First here's her version of Heather on the moor, a song made famous by Paul Brady.


And here's Darling Please:


Hard Times Come Again No More


Musique A bouche

Cittern, Sitar and Nyckelharpa

Here's an interesting mix of indian music played live at Umea Folk Music Festival on Feb, 20th 2009. Pandit Harvinder Singh, Sitar - Anders Falk, Cittern - Daniel Pettersson Swedish Nyckelharpa. The cittern actually only plays a drone, more or less.

Dominique Rivière - The Foggy Dew

Dominique posted a new video. Here he's playing a mandocello tuned EADG, just like the top 4 strings on a guitar. His website: http://riviere.auzeau.org

Tim Browne

Today I discovered Bouzouki Player, Fiddler and singer Tim Browne from the area Duhallow / Sliabh Luachra. I contacted him and finally got the chance to listen to some of his recordings. First here's a video:





If you look at:
http://www.reverbnation.com/timbrowne
you can listen to some of his songs and tunes.

Official website:
www.tbrowne.net

beir sult - enjoy

Bouzouki shapes

With a little help of "chordhouse" I made this list of shapes for the most needed chords. You can find the possible position of the fingers and therefore figure out possible chord shapes. I hope someone will find this useful. You can download it here.

My Heart's Tonight In Ireland

What fun they must have had. A great video!

New Fylde Bouzouki for John

John, a new player of the Irish Bouzouki joins us with a short tune on his lovely Fylde. Hope to see and hear more of him in the future.

Banwarth & Mignotte

A new video by Jean Banwarth together with Jérémie Mignotte on funky flute. They are playing a funky reel. The video is really short, but really good.

Jérémie Mignotte on myspace:
www.myspace.com/jeremiemignotte

Jean Banwarth:
http://www.myspace.com/jeanbanwarth

and
http://banwarth.free.fr/

Grian playing Old Time Tunes

Who is this man? He likes playing old time tunes on his zouki. First one is called Greasy Coat:



Second set: King of the Pipers/Pipe on the Hob



Julia Delaney

Julie Fowlis - Biodh An Deoch Seo 'n Laimh Mo Ruin (backstage at the Union Chapel)

A new video from Julie! My heart skips a beat whenever I listen to her songs or watch her videos. She's simply the best female celtic singer.

Karl Nesbitt - A Bouzouki tutorial

Here's a little bouzouki tutorial from Karl Nesbitt. He demonstrates the accompaniment for the A-part oth the Salamanca reel. He is accompanied by Tommie Conniffe on the Accordion.


Nice finger picking on the bouzouki here from Karl Nesbitt. Two tunes: Ag Fagainnt Slan & The Battle of Aughrim.


Off-topic, but really good, here's a bodhran tutorial from Karl. Seems he likes Apple computers, just like me.



If you like the videos, here's his website:
http://www.karlnesbitt.com/

Here you can have a listen to his CD, but it is currently out of stock.
http://cdbaby.com/cd/nesbitt

ANDY IRVINE – 23/01/09 - LIVE SHOW AVAILABLE ONLINE THROUGH THE INTERNET!

I found this message on this blog: http://branawen.blogspot.com/:

There will be a show broadcasted by the internet! You may have online access at http://www.fmalas.org/
The gig will be on Friday 23th, January, at 23: PM(local time)
As a reference, in the UK that would be 2:00 AM

If anybody has the chance to record this event please let me know.

Acoustic Christmas Card 2008

Ok, a bit too late, but I just found that video and I think it's worth a look. So here are some christmas carols played on Bouzouki Fiddle and Bass. Gloria, in Excelsis Deo and Joy to the World.

Zac Leger and Joseph Sobol - Tunes

Wow, what a set! Zac and Joseph are playing Maid of Mt. Cisco and The Skylark. This one's really groovy.

Happy New Year to Everybody

So this is the start into another new year and I like to wish everybody on this planet all the best. Hope this will be a peaceful year for everyone of you.
If you have got anything to add to this blog feel free to inform me.

All the best

Klickie

2 new videos from Bailliekins

It's good man bailliekins again with 2 tunes on his fine bouzouki.

First one is called: The Swedish Jig


Second one is:
Bastard Elizabethan

Merry Christmas to all Bouzouki players and to everybody else, too

And so this is Christmas again.

I wish all of you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

I hope to find many interesting things to present and long to hear from you. So please comment!

All the best

Klickie

Irish Reel and Jig

Craigtoo is showing his right hand technique in the first video. Later on you can see his left hand technique, too.



In the second video you can watch him playing a jig.

O'Carolan

Craigtoo is playing an O'Carolan tune on his MacDonald 5 course zouk he learned from Roger Landes. No more information available.

Heather Frahn

Another female singer and bouzouki player. Heather is a sound artist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter from Australia. For more info look at her website:
http://www.heatherfrahn.com/

Forbesbell

What a great singer and player. I really like his playing of the cittern (a Fylde, isn't it?) and his singing.
The Black Leg Miner


Rothbury Hills, Hesleyside Reel


Boys of Blue Hill, Harvest Home


Redesdale Hornipe, Because he was a bonnie lad

Linde Nijland & Bert Ridderbos live on Indian TV

A live broadcast of Linde Nijland & Bert Ridderbos, a folkduo from the Netherlands (I think) anouncing their concert in Deheli on Nov 3rd. This was part of their tour through Serbia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and india to Bhutan.

You can find more information about their journey at their blog:
http://roadtobhutanmusic.wordpress.com/



Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/lindenijland

Another fine Video:

Andy Irvine - Erin Go Bragh

This is the opening song of his concert in Nürtingen, Germany on Nov. 22nd 2008. It was a great night, Andy played as good as ever. So I hope you enjoy this video.

Andy Irvine - Bonny Woodhall, Germany 2008

My friend irishlike took this video of the rare song Bonny Woodhall, which Andy played on his tour in Germany in Nov. 2008. Unfortunately the video is rather short. But better than nothing.

Jim Richter - Octave Mandolin

Jim Richter is a mandolin player who has published a lot of mandolin videos at youtube. Here are two videos where he is playing his Will Kimble Octave Mandolin. It is tuned GDAE.

First a Pink Floyd cover of Wish you were here


And second a tune called Over The Waterfall


Look at his website for more information: http://www.jimrichter.com

Luke Ward Tara Breen Cathal King Sean McCarthy

This is irish trad music pure and clear. luke ward on bouzouki, tara breen on fiddle, cathal king on flute and sean mccarthy on pipes playing an amazing set of tunes. Thanks to aoifewho for posting it to youtube.

Planxty - The Jolly Beggarman

Another video post by bilko. This time it's Jolly Beggarman.

Cuanla

Baillekins posted this video. A traditional Irish lurve song! accompanied on Octave Mandolin and bouzoui. The sound quality is rather bad, but it's worth to have a look at it.

Andy Irvine on tour in Germany 2008

Andy is back on tour in Germany. Last time he visited us was in Oct. 2006, when I saw him in Kall/Steinfeld in an old Cloister. Today he will be playing in Nürtingen at Club Kuckucksei. I'm very curious which songs he is going to play this evening.

My friend Tom showed me links to some new videos from that tour:

The Braes of Moneymore:


My Heart's Tonight In Ireland


The Close Shave



Mother Jones


Thanks to the uploaders!

A guide to Octave Mandolin and Bouzouki

I just saw that I mentioned this book in one of my first entrys, but forgot to give it the credit it deserves. I think this is a real worthy publication. Lots of tunes included. Every tune is written down in notation and tab. You can find the melody lines plus backup for every tune. On the enclosed CD every tune is played with melody on one channel and backup on the other channel, so you can listen only to the line you want to practise. Very useful.
Most of the tunes are traditional Irish tunes. There are some original tunes from John and some american tunes and even 2 Jazz tunes to be found, too.

Unfortunately John's Website is down.
More Information and Samples on melbay.com

Here's a video by his band "The Wayfaring Strangers"

Planxty - 3 Slip Jigs

It seems like bilko is posting a new Planxty video every day. I hope this will go on for some time. Here's a great video in which Planxty are playing 3 Slip Jigs without names.

Planxty - Sally Brown, 1980 Abbey Tavern

You must have a look at this video,what a laugh. Bilko writes about this video: Christy springs this request for an old Sweeney's "Sea Shanty" on Andy which results in everyone cracking up!

Julie Fowlis photos Dorflinde, Germany published

While looking for some photos of Julie I found this photo stream by ceremony. He shot a lot of good pictures of Julie and her band at her only concert in Germany at the Dorflinde in Rüsselsheim. I was there and must admit it was a fantastic evening. So if you're interested here are the photos:

http://flickr.com/photos/lichtkrieger/sets/72157607959926067/

If anybody has got a live recording of this or other concerts of Julie please let me know.

Sea Side Shuffle

It seems as I am in the mood for Oldies. Today I came across an old favourite of mine: Sea Side Shuffle, I think this was 1973 by Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs, the band featured Jona Lewie, who later had hits like Stop the cavalry and Kitchen at parties. I had lots of fun playing that good old song. There are some mistakes in it, but who cares. Maybe I will post a better version some day.

Sorry, seems I had some troubles on uploading. Now it works. Don't take it too serious, it's all about fun!

Ruby Tuesday

A few days ago I found an old album by Melanie. I was about 10 years ago when I heard the song Ruby Tuesday for the first time. Years later I had the chance to listen to the original version by the Stones. I must say I was a bit disappointed. Melanie did a good job on that song.

I hadn't heard it for many years. So I took my Zouk and tried to play it. Well I think it works good on the zouk.