Category Archives: Music

Aaron Copland’s Music for the Theatre

Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein are household names in the United States. Copland is perhaps the one American composer most U.S. citizens could identify if asked. Perhaps not as well known is the fact that Copland and Bernstein were friends … Continue reading

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The Tinker’s Own’s Old Enough to Know Better and Bending the Banshee’s Ear

The cover art for The Tinker’s Own’s most recent release, Bending the Banshee’s Ear, is exquisitely eerie. It blends a faint tracery of Celtic knotwork with a drawing of a lovely Banshee woman in fluttering tatters, and superimposes her over a … Continue reading

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Itzhak Perlman’s In the Fiddler’s House

From the formal opening triumphant strains of “Brave Old World” to the highly-varied, improvisational closing “Di Gayster,” this recording explores the nooks and crannies of Klezmer music. The brain-child of Michael Alpert, violinist for the group Brave Old World, this … Continue reading

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Belshazzar’s Feast’s One Too Many

Debbie Skolnik penned this review. If you are fond of dance-oriented traditional music, especially when liberally laced with accordion, then have I got a CD for you! Paul Sartin (oboe, violin, whistle and vocals) and Paul Hutchinson (accordion) are the two … Continue reading

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Theodore Bikel’s Treasury of Yiddish Folk & Theatre Songs

His website says ‘Perhaps only a cat with nine lives has had more than Theodore Abilene has had.’ So, let’s start off with why most of you will recognize that name — yes, he’s Tevye, the singing milkman in The … Continue reading

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Joshua Samuel Brown’s The World’s Best Brunches: Where to Find Them and How to Make Them

Sometime ago I review The World’s Best Street Food which is also from this publisher. It’s a superb book and this one is too. So let me detail this book and tell you why that is so. When I work … Continue reading

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Caiseal Mór’s Divine Passion, Vol. 1: Rain Water; Beautiful Hands

Caiseal Mór, an Australian fantasy author with twelve novels (and counting) to his credit, is also a composer and musician who is currently working on a series of trance albums, of which Divine Passion is the first. It bills itself … Continue reading

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Nightnoise’s Pure Nightnoise

Mike Wilson penned this review. Nightnoise was formed in the early 1980s by the recently departed Irish traditional musician, Micheál Ó Domhnaill and American violinist, Bill Oskay. They were soon joined by Micheál’s sister, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and flautist, Brian … Continue reading

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Nik Bärtsch’s Mobile’s Continuum

Swiss pianist and composer Nik Bärtsch makes what he refers to as “ritual groove music,” in at least a couple of different settings. One is his highly regarded electronic jazz ensemble Ronin or the Ronin Rhythm Clan, and the other … Continue reading

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Kathryn Tickell and Friends’ The Northumberland Collection

When I started out to write this review, I found myself at a loss for words. How do you describe “yet another Celtic music album?” Just what do you say about the umpteenth collection of traditional songs from England/Ireland/Wales/Scotland/all of … Continue reading

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