KARAN CASEY
One of the most influential
– and most imitated – voices in folk music, Karan Casey
is a natural innovator. More than a decade ago American audiences were
introduced to Casey fronting the Irish “supergroup” Solas.
Following their groundbreaking early releases Casey struck out on her
own. That decision was based on an independent spirit determined to
control her touring schedule and committed to maintaining a family life.
That family has now grown (her second child, Áine, was born in
May of 2006), as has her solo discography.
As well as touring constantly throughout North America and Europe with
her own band, Karan has been involved in many other varied projects
and collaborations. A frequent guest on Garrison Keillor’s ‘A
Prairie Home Companion’, Casey joined their December 2006 broadcasts
from New York’s Town Hall. 2006 also saw her spotlighted on the
Solas “Reunion” CD, and as a guest vocalist for another
well-known Irish group, Lunasa, as well as joining Peggy Seeger in a
special “Songs of Conscience” program at Glasgow’s
Celtic Connections Festival. In the first half of 2007 she has appeared
with the legendary Liam Clancy and was involved in a DVD project in
New York with Mick Moloney and Paul Wagner. Last summer has seen more
performances with Solas and Lunasa, as well as collaborations with pianist/composer
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and with Breton
guitarist Gilles le Bigot’s ‘Voix de la Terre’ project.
New ventures for 2008 include The Vallely Brother’s Big Band,
Karan and Seamus Egan’s new project involving Aoife O’Donovan
and Lau, and Niall Vallely’s “Turas na dTaoiseach/Flight
of the Earl’s” event, which was premiered in Belfast’s
Grand Opera House in November 2007 and is to be repeated during 2008
in Louvain, Belgium.
Casey began 2008 with critically acclaimed appearances at the renowned
Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow and will be touring in the US
throughout February and March.
Karan recently released her fifth solo album entitled “Ships in
the Forest”. Produced once again by Donald Shaw, the new album
focuses largely on the traditional repertoire. The album was recorded
at Karan’s home in County Cork and features the members of her
current touring band, Caoimhín Vallely (piano), Kate Ellis (cello)
and Robbie Overson (guitar) along with some special guests, including
Kris Drever and Niall and Cillian Vallely.
Niall Vallely
Armagh-born Niall Vallely has established
himself in recent years as one of the most original and distinctive voices
in Irish music. A former member of Cork-based band NOMOS, he has been
acclaimed throughout the world as one of Ireland's greatest concertina
players. Niall began learning the concertina at the age of seven, taught
by his parents Brian and Eithne Vallely, founders of the Armagh Pipers'
Club, and over the years he has developed a unique approach to playing
the instrument.
A resident of Cork since 1988, Niall completed a degree in music at U.C.C.
in 1992. As a student he was involved in various musical projects with
composer/pianist Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin.
In 1992 Niall was featured on the highly acclaimed BBC/RTE television
series 'A River of Sound', and had a track included on the Virgin album
and BBC video that accompanied the series. In 1990 Niall formed NOMOS
who went on to become internationally recognised as one of the most important
Irish bands of recent times. They recorded two critically acclaimed albums,
before splitting up in 2000. In more recent years Niall has been performing
in a solo capacity and with musicians such as Karan Casey, Tim O’Brien,
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Paddy Keenan,
Mel Mercier, and others. In 1999 he released his debut solo album, “Beyond
Words”, and in 2003 “Callan Bridge” (Compass Records)
with his brother Cillian on pipes. Over the past number of years Niall
has also established as an accomplished record producer. Credits include
Cork traditional band North Cregg’s first two albums, singer-songwriter
Barry Kerr’s “The World Looks Away”, Karan Casey’s
“Chasing the Sun” and “The Seal Maiden” and Caoimhín
Vallely’s “Strayaway”.
Since the early 1990s Niall has been working at composing traditional-style
tunes. As well as recording these on his own albums, his tunes have been
performed by leading acts such as Lunasa, Sharon Shannon, Mike McGoldrick,
and Liz Carroll, while some of them have become ‘standards’
in sessions throughout the world. In more recent years he has been expanding
the scope of his compositions to embrace larger scale forms and instrumentation.
“The Singing Stream” written for four sets of Uilleann Pipes
was commissioned by the William Kennedy Piping Festival and had performances
in 2002 and 2003. “40” was written for the 40th Anniversary
of the Armagh Pipers’ Club and performed by over 100 members of
the Club in Armagh’s Marketplace Theatre in 2006. In 2007 Niall
composed an original score for the BBC TV documentary “The Flight
of the Earls”. Some of this music formed the basis for his most
recent work “Flight-Imeacht” – a 20minute piece for
traditional instruments (pipes, concertina, flute, percussion), chamber
orchestra and piano. This was premiered in Belfast’s Grand Opera
House at the Belfast Festival in 2007 and was performed again at the Irish
Institute for Europe in Leuven, Belgium in February 2008.
Cillian Vallely
A gifted Armagh-born uilleann pipes and low whistle player, Cillian comes from the same talented musical family as his brother Niall Vallely, concertina player with the group Nomos. Cillian has spent most of the recent past touring in the US, performing with bands such as New York-based ‘Whirligig’, Paddy O’Brien’s ‘Chulrua’ and with Clare fiddler Seamus Connolly. He was featured as uilleann pipes soloist in the Broadway production of ’Riverdance’ and toured with Tim O’Brien in "The Crossing." Cillian and Niall have recently released their album “Callan Bridge” on Compass Records.
Caoimhín Vallely
Caoimhín Vallely was born in Armagh into a family steeped in traditional Irish music:
"My parents and uncles have been playing and teaching music in Armagh since the late sixties. I started playing music at the age of 7 when I began tin whistle lessons at the Armagh Pipers Club before moving on to the fiddle. At the same time I began going to classical piano lessons with Romeo Forte and after a while started experimenting with traditional music on the piano. On leaving school I went to study music at University College Cork. It was here I learnt about, and was exposed to, a very wide range of different music. I was able to play with musicians and groups as diverse as the University Symphony Orchestra, The Baroque Music Ensemble, the Modern Music Ensemble, various jazz groups, as well as with traditional musicians from all over the country. On completion of a B.Mus degree I moved on to the University of Limerick where I studied for an M.A. in Traditional Music Performance. This course allowed me the opportunity to concentrate solely on piano performance with help from some of the leading teachers in Ireland, including Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, who was also the head of the faculty. I have played and recorded with many different bands and individuals over the past thirteen years. While still only seventeen and living in Armagh, I joined the band Upstairs in a Tent, where I played alongside Brian Finnegan (now of Flook) and Kathryn Tickell. Later, while studying in Cork, I co-founded the band North Cregg. This band went on to record three albums and toured extensively all over Europe and into America. More recently I have recorded on albums and performed with groups such as - Nomos, my brothers Niall and Cillian Vallely, Karan Casey, Alan Kelly, Conor Byrne and Méabh O’Hare, Martin Meehan, Barry Kerr, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and Mel Mercier. My most recent recording has been with my new band Buille which features my brother Niall, guitarist Paul Meehan and Brian Morrissey on bodhrán. I am also currently a full time member of the Karan Casey Band with whom I have just recorded a new album titles "Ships in the Forest". As well as performing music full-time, I have also been teaching music extensively. I taught fiddle at the Armagh Pipers Club, and also tutor piano on the M.A. course in Traditional Music Performance at the University of Limerick and on the music degree course at the Dundalk Institute of Technology. Outside the traditional music world I have performed with Dublin-based contemporary music ensemble – Crash; I have worked regularly as an external examiner for the London College of Music; and also worked as Musical Director for the Belfast based theatre company, Dubbeljoint. My debut album Strayaway, released in 2005."