Farewell to Evening Dances

Farewell to Evening Dances

Editorial Reviews
—Don Meade, Irish America
County Sligo is rich in both vocal and instrumental music, and this singing flute player is a master of both genres.

Product Description
Irish Traditional music from an outstanding singer, gifted flute player, lilter, and music composer, Colm O'Donnell, from Aclare, Co. Sligo. Slow airs, reels and traditional ballads accompanied on selected tracks by guitar, keyboards and bodhran.

Farewell to Evening Dances

Tracks:

The Road To Monalea/Up Spincin (Reels) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath
Ireland, My One True Love (Song) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath/Shane McGowan
John Feehily's/Cuigiu Lassies (Jigs) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath
The Trip To Athlone/The Blackthorn Stick (Jigs) - Colm O'Donnell/Shane McGowan
Cunla/The Frieze Breeches (Song, Jig) - Colm O'Donnell/Ted McGowan/Frank McGann
The Trip To Birmingham (Reel) - Colm O'Donnell
The Hungry Sea (Air) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath
The Boys Of Barr Na Straide (Song) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath
The Dublin Reel (Reel) - Colm O'Donnell/Shane McGowan/Shane McGowan
Paddy Cronin's (Jigs) - Colm O'Donnell/Seamus O'Donnell/Brian McGrath
The Bodhran (An Irish Drum) (Song) - Colm O'Donnell/Ted McGowan/Frank McGann/The L&G Chorus
The Maid Of Mount Cisco/The London Lassies (Reels) - Colm O'Donnell/Frank McGann
The Hill Of Knocknashee (Song) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath
Sherwood Forest/The Boys Of Bluehill (Hornpipes) - Colm O'Donnell/Shane McGowan
The Love Of My Heart (Song) - Colm O'Donnell
The Shaskeen/Jim Donahughe's (Reels) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath/Frank McGrann
The Battering Ram/The Besom In Bloom (Jigs) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath
Horses And Plough (Song) - Colm O'Donnell/Brian McGrath

Album Description

Irish Traditional music from an outstanding singer, gifted flute player, lilter, and music composer, Colm O'Donnell, from Aclare, Co. Sligo. Slow airs, reels and traditional ballads accompanied on selected tracks by guitar, keyboards and bodhran.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant, just brilliant........2007-02-23

This is probably one of the best "sleeper" CDs in my rapidly expanding Irish music collection. Superior flute and whistle playing, and his singing ... oooh. Lovely, unadorned style -- even a bit of lilting! -- that's anything but "Fauxrish." It's got a bit of leavening wit as well; the "Bodhran Song" is a hoot.

Indeed, this is the pure schtuff, genuinely and painstakingly presented, and I love it so.

Unsung Master of the Traditional.......2006-04-01

Wonderful, just wonderful music! This is the music of traditional Ireland as it was, and probably still is, in the small towns and farms where life has managed to stay relatively the same (despite the Celtic Tiger & E.U. infuences). Colm is in fact a small town farmer, working land his family has farmed for generations. His songs are heartfelt in the truest sense, especially when he sings sean-nos.

It's amazing, and incredibly sad, that someone so talented, a frequent All Ireland Championship winner for flute and singing, could be so unknown. This album isn't new (1999) but I just happened upon it, and am so glad I bought it. I listen to it at work, home, in the car, and don't ever tire of it. His voice, so touching and true, makes me take pause, no matter what I'm doing.

Raw, Powerful, and moving........2003-11-06

I originally bought this CD after sampling it from here on amazon, but was still more so amazed after listening to it. My appreciation for Colm's flute and whistle playing skills only grow with each listening venture. Many modern, yet great Irish flute players tend to overwhelm you with technical nuances, drowning you in their own virtuosity, and loosing much of the essence of the music. Colm on the other hand, seems to concentrate more on volume, rhythm, and voicing of his flute, to create a powerful, driving, yet lifting sound fitting both to the ear and feet. Colm does ornament, but in a seemingly more sporadic, effortless way adding a dimension to the music that is not achieved by many. Although I may be biased towards Sligo style flute playing, I am sure that others would have to agree that Colm's play is simply masterful in both technique and artistry. Lastly, though I am not as big a fan of singing as I am of flute/whistle playing, Colm does have an amazing voice. It is only unfortunate that you cannot hear more of the track listings here at amazon before purchase since I think that the songs that are offered do not accurately portray the majority of his singing on this CD. I sincerely hope my review may serve to help illuminate rather than obfuscate, and possibly implore you to purchase this CD; I think you will not regret doing so.

Farewell to Evening Dances-A most awesome CD by C. O'Donnell.......2003-10-03

This CD deserves much more than just 5 stars! It's a refreshing CD that really gets to your heart, and makes me want to pick up my flute and go to town. Here you will find really beautiful airs that has the power to make you get misty eyed, and some great reels and jigs to want to learn to add to your repetoire if you've never heard them, as you see-there are many Ive never seen before and I have a Irish Traditional Cd collection of over 50 currently! Buy this, you wont be dissapointed. I wont be surprised if some of his work shows up as part of the soundtrack for the next good Irish movie that comes along.

Might be my favorite Irish traditional CD!.......2003-01-04

It's one of the most enjoyable CD's I've heard, because it's full of very musical fluting and some wonderful un-forced singing (oh, quite a bit of whistling, too). There is a HILARIOUS song about a goat that wants to grow up to be a bodhran...I laughed out loud the first few times I heard it. The air he plays on track 7 makes me cry, it's so beautiful. And I love how he doesn't rush the fast tunes. Simply beautiful piece of work.

In recommending the CD to me, my friend wrote, "Colm's CD is absolutely fantastic....Colm's playing (to my ear) is some of the most "musical" of the "non-geezers", by that I mean when you listen to his CD "Farewell to evening dances" you get the distinct sense that he's not trying to bludgeon you with virtuosity, rather he's simply playing for the music, passing on his love of it."

I have listened to this CD about 40 times this week and I am thoroughly impressed with its musicality.

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