Musical Heart Beat

Shadows and light - Adam took this while I was practicing...
#drum #irish #bodhran #shadows #light #newfoundland #music  @ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bic9rSeHNP5

p.s. it’s a silent film – intriguingly, Allison promises “Lots of sounds coming up in the next year ! :) xo”

Happy St. Patrick's Day

St Paddy’s jam with the band does my heart good   loves playing music with ye crowd #music #bands #jamsession #family #newfoundland

From the neat little town they call Corner Brook, Allison Crowe ties up the musical sentences with “Black Velvet Band”:

Newfoundland Vinyl 3

Raising a 'netful of music from Allison Crowe, here's "The Irish Rover", a traditional song popularized by Ryan's Fancy and others much-loved in Newfoundland and Labrador and well beyond.

This week brings the release of “Newfoundland Vinyl 3” - newest in the acclaimed series of albums refreshing folk, traditional, and popular music of Canada’s Atlantic coast. Waltzes, parlour songs, rousing tunes of land and sea emerge from Allison Crowe’s role as Musical Director with Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador’s hit show, “Newfoundland Vinyl”, at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival.

Newfoundland Vinyl 3 - album front and back covers

Black Velvet Band

“My favorite Irish song, beautifully covered for you today: Black Velvet Band ~ Allison Crowe,” declares Brian Ibbott, Mayor of Coverville on this - St. Patrick’s - Day.

(Coverville, geographically situated in Colorado, USA can be found online @ http://coverville.com )

“Black Velvet Band” is a lively song popularly recorded on both sides of the Atlantic. This recording is from Allison Crowe's "Newfoundland Vinyl" LP, her 11th album release on Rubenesque Records:

Black Velvet Band from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

Veteran folk music afficionado/reviewer, Muruch, based in West Virginia, in posting a review of this new album to the "No Depression" blog remarks on a feature in Allison's music that's always present - whether it's rock, gospel, jazz, grunge, classical, blues, folk, soul or other genres she's making: "What a voice, what a voice, what a voice!"

Of this song, Muruch notes: " 'The Black Velvet Band' " is a traditional Irish ballad about a man's chance encounter with a girl, which leads to his arrest and transport as a prisoner to Australia. The Dubliners may have recorded one of the more famous renditions of the song, but Allison's is the most stunning version I've heard and just may become the definitive version (as her cover of 'Hallelujah' - http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/hallelujah - has) over time."

http://www.muruch.com/2013/07/allison-crowe-newfoundland-vinyl.html

As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Allison Crowe's ongoing role as Musical Director of the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival each Summer since 2012. This perennial GMTF favourite’s conceived by TNL’s Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher.

Paddy McGinty's Goat

P’raps there is not yet a website for goat songs and lyrics – but there well could be – from Joni Mitchell’s “California” to Tom Cahill’s “Mobile Goat Song”- which featured last year on Allison Crowe’s first album of “Newfoundland Vinyl” songs – there’s plenty of music referencing the curious and clever creature to be herd… uh, heard.

“Paddy McGinty’s Goat” comes from the stable of the prolific English music hall+ songwriting team of R.P. Weston (1878 – 1936) and Bert Lee (1880 - 1946) – joined for this particular composition by Bob Adams and Bob Allen (aka “the two Bobs”). It was a worldwide hit for the Irish crooner, Val Doonican, in the swinging 1960s.

On the lovely isle of Newfoundland, it’s recorded by Jack Houlihan of Flat Rock, NL – a town with rich Irish heritage. It’s here now sung and played with characteristic kidding and joy by Corner Brook’s Allison Crowe on “Newfoundland Vinyl II”:

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii

Wexford Carol

The "Wexford Carol", a traditional Irish Christmas carol dating to the 12th century, is the fifth song heard on Allison Crowe's new album "Souling": The carol originates from Enniscorthy in County Wexford.

Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms - Allison Crowe Live - Jazzhaus Freiburg

Allison Crowe delivers one of her encore tunes acapella - on Mother's Day at Jazzhaus Freiburg, in Germany. (This being the latest, and, perhaps, last, in our live bootleg video series. At least until the next tour...)

This traditional aire takes its lyrics from the writings of Thomas Moore. An international hit at the beginning of the previous century for the great Irish tenor John McCormack (who recorded it in 1911 and, again, in 1935), and Australia's legendary coloratura soprano, Dame Nellie Melba (in 1909).

Allison Crowe's Celtic roots show when she performs "Believe Me If All (Those Endearing Young Charms)".

Recordings of this tune are found on Allison's "Live at Wood Hall" (http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/live-at-wood-hall) and "Tidings Concert" (http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/tidings-concert) albums.And, it's an "hidden" track closing her "Secrets" album (http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/secrets).

"Irish Music Daily" provides delightful background to this beautiful song @ http://www.irishmusicdaily.com/believe-me-if-all-those-endearing-young-charms

Believe Me If All

Traditional Irish Aire w. words by Thomas Moore
As performed by Allison Crowe

Believe me, if all those endearing young charms,
Which I gaze on so fondly today,
Were to change by tomorrow,
and fleet in my arms,
Like fairy-gifts fading away,

Thou wouldst still be adored,
as this moment thou art,
Let thy loveliness fade as it will,
And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart,
Would entwine itself verdantly still.

It is not while beauty and youth are thine own,
And thy cheek unprofaned by a tear,
That the fervour and faith of a soul can be known,
To which time has but made thee more dear:

No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets,
But as truly loves on to the close,
As the sun-flower turns to her god, when he sets,
The same look which she gave when he rose.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

March 17 nears...

There cannae be too much celebrating in life. Here's to a Happy St. Patrick's Day... Sláinte!!

Believe Me If All... ~ "Tidings Concert" (encore song 4)

From Allison Crowe's "Tidings Concert" - here's a song that's one of the first recorded tunes to reach 'round the world - from John McCormack's day to now :)