Press

Reviews (Live) (Phoenix PPCD102)

The Ticket, The Irish Times, Thursday 12th June, 2003
Hotpress, Vol. 27, No. 13, 16th July 2003
Danish/Irish Soc. Newsletter, August 2002

Live Reviews

The Irish Times, Tuesday, August 14, 2001
Irish Music Magazine, June 2001, Vol. 6 No. 10
Irish Music Magazine, Vol. 9 No. 1, September 2003

Press Articles

Evening Herald, Tuesday 6th November 2001
The Irish Examiner, Friday 20th April 2001

Reviews (Strings & Things) (Pressure IRE9802)

Folk Roundabout magazine, issue 127.
The Irish Times, Wed. 25th April 2001
FolkWorld (www.folkworld.de) Ausgabe 18, April 2001
Folk Roots, March 2001, No. 213
Mich Gulbrand Nielsen's Homepage (Penguin Rental Ltd.)
The Living Tradition, Issue 41, January/February 2001
Sunday Tribune, 17th December 2000

Reviews (Floor the Banjo) (Pressure IRE9801)

Irish Alphabet Stew

 

 

The Irish Times, Tuesday, August 14, 2001

Niall Ó Callanáin & Friends
The Cobblestone, Dublin

Bouzouki and flute make for cosy bedfellows. Niall Ó Callanáin knows this in his bones, so his tunes, each one more spirit-shockingly original than the last, reflect this. Paired with Kevin Shields on flute and low whistles, Ó Callanáin buries his bouzoukis, acoustic and electric, in the heart of the tunes, letting the opportunistic flute and whistles seize the moment wherever possible.

The set list might have whispered of hornpipes, jigs, reels and polkas, but the band were seldom pilgrims on a purely traditional path. Jazz colours dominated, led in no small measure by Fiona Kelleher, the Dido-esque guest vocalist. Add John Kearns on double bass and Jimmy Faulkner on sublime acoustic guitar and you’d be satisfied with the ensemble’s jazz credentials. Introduce Mario Ngoma, with rhythm sequences borrowed from African, American and, no doubt, Angolan music and you begin to get the full picture.

Siobhán Long

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Irish Music magazine, June 2001, Vol. 6 No. 10

Niall Ó Callanáin & Band
Dolan’s Warehouse Limerick
Wednesday April 25th, 2001

Niall Ó Callanáin’s debut solo album Strings & Things is a collection of original tunes within the traditional framework executed with subtlety and technical flair. How this music in its manifold aural delights would transfer itself to a live context was an interesting prospect. Seeing that musicians like Mario Ngoma and flautist Kevin Shields both of who played with Ó Callanáin on Strings & Things were in the touring band alongside guitarist Jimmy Faulkner whetted the appetite.

Walking into a sparsely attended Dolan’s Warehouse and seeing the band take the stage, I wondered on how the outcome would be on a big stage. Most of the venues played so far were of the intimate variety and the cavernous surroundings of Dolan’s may have proved problematic in the music reaching its target audience with maximum effect. I need not have worried for Niall Ó Callanáin’s music is equally at home in a big rock and roll venue as much as a quiet listening room. That said, the music does not loose its initial charm on the transfer to a big venue or with the protagonists on stage.

Opening with (Theme For) A Fond Millennium, the opening track on Strings & Things, the tall shaven headed ex Deiseal bouzouki player led his troops through their paces. Ó Callanáin’s bouzouki and Jimmy Faulkner’s guitar respectively led the way for flautist Kevin Shields and percussionist Mario Ngoma to lay evocative, yet different playing styles on top. Watching the four musicians on stage, I could not help but think that this is a group that has transcended the situation of being just four individual musicians recreating the sounds of an album which they are promoting - this is a band. Tight and efficient yet relying on each other and open to spontaneity, their interaction provided some sterling moments.

One of Strings & Things most commendable traits was the accessibility of the music contained therein. This is music that can travel and be appreciated without prior knowledge or experience of traditional forms. It is quality original music, which works on its own terms and creates its own unique atmosphere. The tunes on Strings & Things breathe with new life and energy and Ó Callanáin’s melodic suss coupled with Faulkner, Shields and Ngoma’s combined ingenuity makes for a magical result. If the Strings & Things live show comes your way, don’t miss a very special treat.

John O’Regan

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Irish Music Magazine, Vol. 9 No. 1, September 2003

The Cobblestones
Friday June 13th, 2003

Twice in June I got there [The Cobblestones], and the first time was for a bouzouki player. Niall Ó Callanáin is exploring the shadowy land between Irish music and jazz. Fruitful territory too, since both traditions stress the importance of individual playing and extemporising in solos.

It was a very civilised occasion, and the only time I’ve seen music stands and sheets with dots on them on that stage. For the launch, Kevin Shields, who normally plays flute and whistles, was unavailable, and Brian Dunning stepped in at short notice, and with great effect.

The riffs were neatly laid out between him and Jimmy Faulkner on guitar, and there was very tasty backing from Martin Curry on bass and Mario Ngoma on percussion. The atmosphere was exactly like what you’d find on the vinyl LPs of the Modern Jazz Quartet, with an attentive audience purring with discreet ripples of applause at the exquisite craft of the playing. Wild Fleadh this was not. But a worthwhile musical experience it certainly was.

John Brophy

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Press Articles

Evening Herald, Tuesday 6th November 2001

Never mind the bouzouki

It’s well over 30 years since Johnny Moynihan of Sweeney’s Men brought a bouzouki back from his holidays in Greece, and by now the instrument has joined other imports such as the banjo and the accordion in the accepted pantheon of traditional Irish music.

Dublin man Niall Ó Callanáin first began playing bouzouki in the early 1980s. He’s best known for his work with the sadly short lived trad/jazz crossover group Deiseal, but he’s toured and recorded with everyone from Fred Finn to Donal Lunny.

BACKING

Millions of viewers around the globe saw him backing singer Eimear Quinn in the Eurovision Song Contest; he’s also a respected producer, with credits including female rock duo D’Goya, singer/songwriter Lorraine Jordan, and most recently, Cork balladeer Jimmy Crowley.

Since the launch last April of his debut solo album Strings and Things, he’s assembled a new band that mixes jazz and traditional music in a more adventurous fashion than his previous efforts.

Joining Ó Callanáin at the Cobblestones this Saturday will be singer Fiona Kelleher, guitarist Jimmy Faulkner, flute and whistle player Kevin Shields, percussionist Mario Ngoma, and John Kearns on double bass.

“All the instrumental pieces are my own compositions - some from the album and some new pieces, all with a jazz-orientated flavour” Ó Callanáin explains.

SOLO

“There’s also some unusual finger-picking on solo bouzouki, and those are all new pieces - it’s basically exploring the bouzouki from a different angle.

“Then there are Fiona’s songs, which include a lot of jazz standards and traditional songs.”

Ó Callanáin met Kelleher during an album production project in Cork, and the two immediately struck up a musical rapport: “We found that we had the same interests in jazz and traditional music”

Sarah McQuaid

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The Irish Examiner, Friday 20th April 2001

Weaving a deep tapestry of sounds
Niall Ó Callanáin is pushing out the boundaries of music,
says Paul Dromey

The bouzouki has become an integral part of Irish traditional music, ever since its initial incorporation by Johnny Moynihan of Sweeney’s Men in the late 60’s. Its profile was further raised through the playing of exponents such as Donal Lunny and Alec Finn of Dé Dannan and, within a short period of time, it had become ubiquitous. In 1993 an elegant group called Deiseal emerged and, although the trio remained together for just three years, their innovative and adventurous approach to the music - not least by bouzouki player Niall Ó Callanáin - has had a major influence on those who followed in their wake.

Niall Ó Callanáin continues to explore and expand the musical possibilities pioneered by Deiseal. His album Strings & Things (Pressure Records) is a remarkable production on which he is joined by many of Ireland’s leading traditional and jazz exponents. It’s a collection of new self-penned traditional tunes, placed in an unusual setting in which he plays a wide range of musical instruments resulting in a sound that is fresh and exciting. Strings & Things is at heart new music from an old tradition, coloured by strong jazz influences; and with something of the laid back feel of a film soundtrack.

Niall and his Strings & Things band (the great jazz/swing guitarist Jimmy Faulkner, Kevin Shields on flute and whistles and Angolan percussionist Mario Ngoma) visit Letterkenny Arts Centre tonight, Dundalk’s Spirit Store tomorrow; Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick, on April 25th; The Lobby, Cork, April 26; The King’s Bar, Waterford, on April 27 and Dublin’s Cobblestones on April 28.

“Strings & Things is an amalgamation of many musical ideas I’ve picked up along the way,” Niall Ó Callanáin told me recently. “Fellow Deiseal members Cormac Breatnach, Paul O’Driscoll and I had overlapping interests in both traditional and jazz and those ideas naturally emerged in the group sound. Since those days I’ve worked as a session musician on quite a diversity of albums, from traditional to rock. Through the rock sessions, I learned a great deal about studio techniques.

“I’m classically trained and have an interest in all kinds of music, but particularly enjoy working with harmonies. I’m eager to explore the concept of using a lot more jazz techniques on the bouzouki. The way I approach the bouzouki is not necessarily a conscious thing, I play what feels right at a particular time. For instance, I wouldn’t impose experimental techniques when playing in a traditional session. The integrity of pure tradition is as important to me as any experimentation.

“On Strings & Things, the melodies are quite simple and straightforward and I’d like to think that many of them will be played by other traditional players. One or two tracks date back to Deiseal days and beyond. Attending Irish-speaking primary and secondary school in Dublin meant that traditional music was all around. By the time I left school in the early 80’s, I knew that it was what I wanted to do.

“Méristem was the first successful group I was part of, along with Máire Breatnach, Cormac Breatnach and Steve White. That was an exciting time. Donal Lunny had formed The Celtic Orchestra, which I was involved with at one stage. That became the Donal Lunny Band and both Cormac and Steve were part of that line-up. Méristem evolved from those ideas and the initial band was a seven-piece which also included Steve Cooney and Ronan Browne. Deiseal lasted from 1993 to 1996 and we released two albums, The Long Long Note and Sunshine Dance."

Ó Callanáin has drawn freely from a diverse well of musical experience to produce the album. “Strings & Things has a lot of layering - the arrangements and the way a melody can be developed is as important as the melody itself. I see it as a kind of tapestry on which I played a lot of instruments but that would be impossible to reproduce on stage. I will be using some bass and percussion backing tracks but I’m lucky to have players of the calibre of Jimmy, Kevin and Mario by my side.”

Paul Dromey

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Folk Roots, March 2001, No. 213

One of the quietly creative and gifted people of Irish music, Niall Ó Callanáin has made a niche for himself as a composer and producer and bouzouki player par excellence. A main stay of many inventive Dublin bands including Devenish, Meristem and most of all the groundbreaking Deiseal, his rhythmic expertise has guided many a project.

He now steps out with his debut solo album Strings & Things. Strings & Things is a collection of original tunes of varied gestation some going back to previous bands with others of more recent vintage. Compiling a selection of his self-penned pieces in this manner neatly encapsulates some of the musical thoughts in Niall Ó Callanáin’s head. He covers the standard traditional tune forms in a contemporary setting and idiom such as the jigs 5 Ramps and a Rumblestrip, the slip jigs Piper’s Crutch and hornpipes as in Soporific. With musicians like Máirtin O’Connor and Máire Breatnach along, the results are always pleasant and melodic placing the focus firmly on the tune and its individual attributes. The Rumblestrip is a case in point where Breatnach and O’Connor express the tune’s individual twists and cadences but never detract from the overall nature of the piece. The Otter highlights Ó Callanáin’s subtle use of electric and acoustic bouzoukis and bouzouki effects with Mario Ngoma’s exotic percussion. The relaxed arrangement of Soporific allows for pleasurable moments from Breatnach’s fiddle and Ó Callanáin’s bouzouki and mandolin while Groove and Reel with its mellow jazzy opening blends Wes Montgomery like guitar effects and traditional music to devastating effect. The slow air Spirit of Oriel possesses a lilt more associated with Breton music and Irish strains where Breatnach’s viola and Ó Callanáin’s waves of bouzouki effects add the necessary misty atmospherics.

Niall Ó Callanáin’s tunes possess the usual rhythmic qualities of traditional music but there is also present an extra sense of space and time and innovation realizing that this is a new millennium. The fact that the aural sound of the tracks is extremely radio friendly and easily accessible makes for an effort destined for a much wider potential audience. If traditional music is to survive and flourish it must grow and develop and align its pace with the latest innovations in the contemporary world.

Strings & Things is one of those quietly inventive albums that recognize the music’s sense of place and its application in today’s world. It is also a collection of sweetly beguiling tunes bulging with melodic power and hypnotic strength.

John O’Regan

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Mich Gulbrand Nielsen's Homepage www.danskirsk.dk

After having played on numerous CD’s, bouzouki player Niall Ó Callanáin has finally released strings & things, a CD in his own name. About time, says I. Why should we have to wait for so long for this fine CD? Ó Callanáin is well known in Irish traditional music circles for his fine bouzouki playing and rightly so. This CD, however, is by no means a traditional Irish CD. All the tunes are composed by Ó Callanáin himself and that should not be held against him - on the contrary. His background in traditional Irish music shines through on most tunes, but there’s a mix of influences from other genres too, especially from jazz. A bouzouki, in Irish music, is used mainly as a backing instrument. This is the case here too, but on several tracks Ó Callanáin shows his skill on guitar, mandolin, and bass too. He is joined by a fine selection of Irish musicians who all help to make this a great CD. It would be a shame to call this a solo bouzouki album. It is rather a very complex CD made by a great bouzouki player with the help of a flute player (Kevin Shields), a fiddler (Máire Breatnach), an accordion player (Máirtín O’Connor), and a percussionist (Mario Ngoma). Ó Callanáin must have had great fun when he was naming the tunes on the CD. One is called "(Tune for) A Fond Millennium", another is called "The Piper’s Crutch" (in my dictionary crutch can mean two things!?). It is a CD of happy music and I can only recommend it. Pressure IRE9802 (08-02-2001)

Mich Nielson

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The Living Tradition, Issue 41, January/February 2001

There is a lot of very fine music on Strings and Things played by first class musicians. Niall himself plays acoustic and electric bouzoukis, bouzouki effects (?), acoustic guitar, mandolin and bass. His fellow Musicians are Máire Breatnach on fiddle and viola, Mario Ngoma - percussion, Máirtín O’Connor - button accordion and Kevin Shields on flute and whistles. Between them this talented bunch produce exciting and attractive music of what I like to call the “busy” kind. By that I mean there is always a lot going on, so it helps to pay attention. Not to say that this is a difficult CD to listen to, it is not. Indeed you can listen to Strings and Things at whatever level you like, but as with most things the more you put in the more you get out.

Niall composed all the tunes. There are jigs, hornpipes, polkas etc. and very good they are, but this is not your average “folky” stuff. The arrangements are elaborated and expressive and on occasion a little fussy. Even so, I think other musicians will pick some of the tunes up in time, Soporific (hornpipes) for example.

A well produced, well played album of good tunes that will reward the attentive listener. The “mixture” may be a little rich now and then, nice though.

Danny Saunders

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Sunday Tribune, 17th December 2000

A Bid for independence by highly-regarded bouzouki and guitar accompanist who here presents sit-down, compositions that explore, and bridge between, Irish traditional, rock and other nations’ folk music idioms. Máire Breatnach (fiddle), Kevin Shields (flutes, whistles) and Máirtín O’Connor (accordion) realise his key solos......Clean, jazz extemporisation wanders far afield, but base is regularly touched. “Spirit of Oriel” is a sensitive air, “Soporific Hornpipe” is a convincing tune, as are “The Piper’s Crutch” slipjigs, even if familiar.

Fintan Vallely

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The Irish Times, Wed. 25th April 2001

(Traditional Choice ****)

***** Absolutely unmissable
**** A cut above the rest
*** Worth a listen
** Only if you must
* Avoid at all costs

He cut his teeth with the courtly jazz/fusion group Deiseal and, now that he’s run free of all leashes, bouzouki player Niall Ó Callanáin is flexing his muscles that some of us never even imagined he had. Strings & Things is his solo début, a work of a musician whose musical ear stretches well past the usual octave repertoire. At times driving, syncopated and with enough fire in its belly to launch a shuttle (the album ‘s kick starter, A Fond Millennium, is a full force gale), at others quintessentially trad (his duo of hornpipes, Soporific are anything but somnolent), and still others head-bendingly lateral in its thinking, this is music for folks who like theirs to have a full blood supply. There is occasional dissonance, no doubt fully intended, where strings flail and thrash with Máirtín O’Connor’s accordion, but conflict merely ups the ante in the midst of this fiery collection.

Siobhán Long

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FolkWorld - the online music magazine Ausgabe 18, April 2001 Link

Niall Ó Callanáin ist einer von jenen sympathischen Zeitgenossen, die mit ihrem immensen Talent nicht laut nach vorne drängen, sondern eher still im Hintergrund Großes leisten. Er war einer der kreativen Geister in dem herausragenden Folkjazz-Ensemble Deiseal, dem leider nie so recht der hochverdiente Durchbruch gelang. The Irish Bouzouki, die möglicherweise wichtigste Publikation über dieses Instrument, stammt aus seiner Feder. Er hat Eimear Quinn auf der Bouzouki begleitet, als sie '96 beim Eurovision Song Contest live vor einem Millionenpublikum "The Voice" sang - und gewann! Wem es bei den Instrumental-Alben von Phil Coulter oder Enya zu sehr trieft, der solllte mal Strings & Things auflegen. So nämlich kann und sollte zeitgemäße Instrumentalmusik auch klingen - wenn, ja wenn ein kreativer Könner und ein Mann von dezent-innovativer Gesinnung ans Werk geht. Reminiszenzen an die jazzig-schwebenden Klänge von Deiseal sind unüberhörbar und sicher auch voll beabsichtigt. Niall Ó Callanáin bezieht eine Inspiration primär aus der traditionellen Musik, versteht es aber zugleich mit viel Fingerspitzengefühl und treffsicherem Geschmack, seinen Tunes eine moderne Ausstrahlung zu verleihen. Daß die Ausnahme-Fiddlerin Máire Breatnach und Akkordeon-King Máirtin O'Connor genau die richtigen Verbündeten sind, um auf höchsten Level zu musizieren, überrascht Kenner natürlich nicht. Eine Überraschung jedoch - für mich zumindest - ist ein Mann namens Mario Ngoma, der mit seiner fast schon exotischen Percussion-Arbeit kongenial ins Bild paßt. Eine wunder-wunderschöne Platte!

Axel Schuldes

English Translation

Niall Ó Callanáin is one of those pleasant contemporaries, who does not force his immense talent, but produces some amazing quality on a quieter scale (in the background). He was one of the creative minds behind the excellent folk-jazz ensemble Deiseal, who unfortunately did not make the break. He is the author of The Irish Bouzouki, which is probably the most important publication on this instrument. At the ‘96 Eurovision, he accompanied Eimear Quinn on the bouzouki, for her winning song “The Voice”, live in front of an audience of millions. For those who find the instrumental albums of Phil Coulter and Enya too sentimental, you should turn to Strings and Things. This is how up-to-date instrumental music should and does sound, when approached with a discreet innovative attitude. The jazz undertones which can’t be missed, are reminiscent of Deiseal. This is probably intentional. Although Niall Ó Callanáin draws primarily on traditional music for his inspiration, much sensitivity and accurate taste lends a modern feel to his music. His use of the perfect alliance of top class musicians - the exceptional fiddler Máire Breatnach and accordion player Máirtín O’Connor - is no longer a surprise. However, at least I was surprised at the excellent fit of the almost exotic percussion work of Mario Ngoma. A beautiful album!

Axel Schuldes

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Reviews
Floor the Banjo (Pressure IRE9801)

Irish Alphabet Stew Link

Unusual certainly describes the debut release from Niall Ó Callanáin. "Floor the Banjo" (Pressure IRE 9801) is a 3-track preview of his forthcoming CD, and it's totally off the wall. All three tracks are based on traditional Irish reels and jigs: a hard rock version of "Paddy Fahy's Reel" leads into a humorous and engaging version of "The Eavesdropper" which is reminiscent of Wolfstone and Paul Mounsey. Finally we have a lente version of "Tom Ward's Downfall", another great tune given a hypnotic feel here. It's all very interesting stuff. Niall plays electric and acoustic bouzoukis, and is joined by Máire Breatnach on fiddle and Gay McKeon on uilleann pipes among others.

Alex Monaghan

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Reviews
(Live) (Phoenix PPCD102)

 

The Ticket, The Irish Times, Thu. 12th June, 2003

The bouzouki may have slunk off centre stage, but in the right hands it still shimmies with the best of them. Niall Ó Callanáin has never been a musician to jettison subtlety for the sake of a lazy three-chord trick. After his fine 2001 collection, Strings & Things, he’s decided to capture the Kodak moment with this louche live recording. Amid the mêlée of Ó Callanáin originals, the jazz influenced calculus-like pieces (Valhalla Adventure) merge like watercolours with the unashamedly traditional tunes such as 4 Course. Quibbles, if any, are that he yields too much ground to Kevin Shields’s flute, which although superb, is over-indulgent betimes. Challenging and cerebral, nonetheless.

Siobhán Long

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Hotpress, Vol. 27, No. 13, 16th July 2003

The Spirit Store in Dundalk appears to be the in place to record these days, to judge by the recent Rosey album and now this live release by bouzouki player Niall Ó Callanáin and his band. Blending traditional rhythms with jazz structures, the nine tracks - all composed and arranged by Ó Callanáin - do a great job of capturing the energy of the onstage interplay between the musicians. That said, among the strongest numbers are the three solo bouzouki pieces: “4 Course”, the delicate “Fairwater”, and “No Resolution” - the last of these recorded during the soundcheck on a borrowed instrument.

Sarah McQuaid

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Danish/Irish Soc. Newsletter, August 2002

It gives me great pleasure to review the new CD by Niall Ó Callanáin. It's simply called "Live" and a lot of the material is indeed live versions of tunes from his previous CD "Strings & Things". There are a good few new tunes as well and to keep in the spirit with "Strings & Things", all the tunes on the CD are written by Ó Callanáin himself. So is this Irish music? I think you would be in for a (pleasant) surprise if you buy this CD expecting to hear traditional Irish music. Of course Ó Callanáin is one of the best (if not the best) Irish bouzouki players of our times and a well sought-after player on the traditional Irish music scene today. He is now seeking new challenges by going "jazzy". So is this Irish jazz? Again that label wouldn't suit. The CD is definitely very jazzy and of course it has an Irish twang to it, but isn't there an African rhythm to be found too? …… and a bit of blues as well? In my opinion it doesn't matter what label we put on the music as long as it is good and good isn't enough in this case. It's brilliant! The CD is a joy to listen to and not only because of Ó Callanáin's superb playing, which really finds expression in the two solo bouzouki tracks, but also because of the master musicians he is surrounded by. Guitarist Jimmy Faulkner is a new addition to the "old" crowd: Kevin Shields on flute, Martin Curry on Bass and Mario Ngoma on percussion. It's a great mix of instruments for an Irish, African, jazzy, bluesy CD and there's no doubt the audience had a great night in The Spirit Store in Dundalk when the CD was recorded. If you want to be in for a treat you should buy yourself this great CD and I promise you that you will enjoy it as much as the audience that night. Copies can be bought from www.nialloc.com.

Mich Gulbrand Nielsen

www.danskirsk.dk

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