Fiddling with tradition

Wild Blue
Eileen Ivers
Green Linnet through Festival

Review by Morgan O'Keefe

In the fanatical circles of Irish traditional music buffs "innovation" is a very controversial topic. Fans of every style of "roots" music are fiercely protective of its heritage, tradition and authenticity. Little wonder, when the crude and insensitive juggernauts of the capitalist recording, broadcasting and advertising industries daily conspire to homogenise, distort and manipulate music for their own selfish ends.

On the other hand, if a music — like all culture — ceases to evolve and develop, it means it has little real connection with the contemporary world. It becomes a museum exhibit.

Eileen Ivers was the featured fiddle player in the sell-out Irish dance and music extravaganza Riverdance. With this album, Ivers skilfully and sensitively takes traditional Irish fiddle music and enriches it with a diverse range of the world's folk musics — African, blues, eastern European and bluegrass. While it may raise the eyebrows of fuddy-duddies who, King Canute-like, would like prevent Irish music changing, it is far from a surrender to commercialism.

While it ranges over diverse territory, it never strays far from the knees-up Irish jig and reel. But it is the contribution of percussionist Kimati Dinizulu that creates a unique Afro-Celtic fusion that is something more that the sum of its parts.

From GLW issue 275