Old Bridge Music

Out of Court

1 Out of Court
2 The Harper's Chair/ The Cherry Blossom
3 Will You Meet Me Tonight On The Shore?
4 Frieze Britches
5 Lady Gethin
6 A Sore Point
7 The Graf Spey
8 Tuirne Mhaire
9 The Eclipse/ The Hurricane
10 The Old Bridge
11 The Wild Geese
12 The Lakes Of Champlain
13 Stroll On!

Out of Court

£8.99£12.50

An effervescent mixture of baroque-influenced Carolan, sizzling Irish dance music, haunting songs and 17th century Irish harp airs, interspersed with original compositions featuring some dazzling jazz-influenced pyrotechnics. Guests include legendary uilleann piper Liam O’Flynn; Máire’s gifted fiddle-playing sisters Nollaig (Cherish the Ladies, Planxty, Coolfin, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra etc.) and Mairéad; revered bassist Danny Thompson (Pentangle); and mandolin maestro Simon Mayor.

Scroll down for Reviews and Tracklist.

SKU: OBMCD03 Categories: ,

Description

In 1991, Máire and Chris released Out of Court (their third album together), an effervescent mixture of baroque-influenced Carolan, straight-down-the-line Irish dance music, haunting songs and a 17th century air from the ancient Irish harp tradition, interspersed with original compositions that exhibit some dazzling jazz-influenced pyrotechnics. Star guests include legendary uilleann piper Liam O’Flynn; Máire’s gifted fiddle-playing sisters Nollaig (Cherish the Ladies, Planxty, Coolfin, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra etc.) and Mairéad, whose distinctive, subtle and very traditional style is featured on one track; revered bass player Danny Thompson, renowned in jazz circles and known to folk music fans since his early days with Pentangle; and mandolin maestro Simon Mayor.

Musicians
Máire Ní Chathasaigh Irish harp, vocals, tin whistle
Chris Newman guitar, mandolin, electric bass
Liam O’Flynn uilleann pipes
Nollaig Casey fiddles
Danny Thompson double bass
Simon Mayor mandolin
Mairéad Casey fiddle

Tracklist

1. Out of Court; 2. The Harper’s Chair/The Cherry Blossom; 3. Will You Meet Me Tonight On The Shore?; 4. Frieze Britches; 5. Lady Gethin; 6. A Sore Point; 7. The Graf Spee; 8. Túirne Mháire; 9. The Eclipse/The Hurricane; 10. The Old Bridge; 11. The Wild Geese; 12. The Lakes Of Champlain; 13. Stroll On!

Review Extracts

“Displays a stunning array of techniques and moods and some supreme musicianship in performance and arrangement. The scintillating jazz-influenced title track opens the album in fine fettle…

Nollaig, Liam and Danny provide impeccable backing for one of the most haunting tracks Will You Meet Me Tonight on the Shore? But it’s Máire and Chris’s own expertise on their particular instruments together, ensemble, and solo that are rightfully allowed to dominate the feel of the record. Máire’s exquisite solo rendition of the air The Wild Geese and Chris’s solo performance of a self-composed jig and a Scott Skinner reel blend in smoothly amongst the ensemble tracks to complete one of the most refreshingly innovative releases in recent years.”

FOLK ROOTS (England)

 

“An album of sheer delight… Máire’s mission is to prove that the harp is far more versatile than commonly believed. Few can rival her ability to play so many different styles with equal facility. Just as accomplished, Chris’s nimble fingers always make sparks fly and together they’re a formidable partnership. They really make this party swing – appropriately, as the title track and Stroll On!, both originals, could be straight from the swing era.

The former features a superb fiddle solo from Nollaig Casey and a scintillating burst from Simon Mayor’s mandolin…Various styles are sandwiched in between. Particularly impressive dance-tunes are Máire’s self-penned slip-jigs The Harper’s Chair/The Cherry Blossom and A Sore Point, played by the Chris Newman Trio (i.e., Chris on guitar, mandolin and bass)… Carolan is represented by the elegant Lady Gethin, whose baroquishness contrasts starkly with the majesty of the older The Wild Geese, played as a harp solo. An excellent mix of frivolous and more heavyweight material.”

TAPLAS (Wales)

 

“Gloriously adventurous offering from Máire Ní Chathasaigh, a scholarly Irish harpist, in truly inspired union with Chris Newman, a quirky English master of the acoustic guitar…

(It is) of course a showcase for their startling virtuosity; but it adds variety through songs; gloriously adventurous and jazzy sounds from Newman’s 1930 Martin guitar; and sterling assistance from Danny Thompson and Simon Mayor among distinguished session musicians.”

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (England)