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Simon Mayor — Carolan
(Acoustics Records CDACS 082, 2023, CD / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2023-08-10

Carolan Cover art

Turlough O’Carolan (1670 - 1738) was a Celtic harpist, composer, and singer who lost his sight at the age of 18 from smallpox. His fame comes from his gift for melodic composition. Some consider him to be Ireland’s national composer. Unable to notate his own music, those that did failed to record the harmonies he must have used on his polyphonic harp, so we are left with only his beautiful melodies. In 1973, renowned mandolinist Simon Mayor saw the Irish group Planxty in concert, booked by Simon’s long-time musical collaborator Hilary James. Planxty played a couple of Carolan pieces, and Simon was hooked. 50 years later, Simon brought his love of Carolan’s music to fruition, deciding to go beyond mere harmonization by using varying tempos, key, and mode changes, and the harmonic sequences as the starting point for extemporization. Simon (mandolin, mondola, mandocello, violin, viola, and guitars), Hilary James (vocals, double bass, mandobass, and bass guitar), Florence Petit (violincello), and multi-track recording built these splendid tunes honoring Carolan, ranging from sprightly court dances to introspective laments. This album is a breath of fresh air that falls somewhere between The Chieftains and classical music. The music is timeless and well worth your consideration as a break from the more complex progressive music that graces our pages. Highly recommended.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Simon Mayor, Hilary James (Jones)

More info
http://www.acousticsrecords.co.uk/simon-mayor/carolan.html

 

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