Blooming Meadows: The World of Irish Traditional Musicians

Rating:
Summary: Blooming Meadows: a Bountiful Harvest for Modern Irish Trad
Review: As a traditional musician I very sensitive to the way Irish folk music is presented to the population as a whole. The recent boom in popularity has put players through an astounding degree of attention and brought up some interesting questions and debates. Can the music remain representative of the tradition in the face of such publicity? The tradition is prized for its honesty both in its music and players. Some feared that fame would 'ruin' the down-to-earth asspects of the genre. Fintan Vallely, a talented flute player from an emmensly musical family, with Charlie Piggott, an amazing fiddle player bring forward a thrilling harvest of biographical material. Such personalities as Bredan Begley,Paddy Canny,Paddy Kennan,Maighhread NiDhomhaill,Micho Russell and many others are interviewed with sensitivity, appearing as old friends rather than stars placed on an unreachable pedestal. The stories are inspirational for the new player and sustaining for the traditional music veteran, I refer constantly to this book when writing or speaking on the topic of traditional music. The black and white photographs are in keeping with the sensitive, understanded nature of the book, making clear the bountiful harvest of modern Irish traditional music.