A couple of years after the Beatles broke up, a new yet venerable genre of music was resurrected in the British Isles. Digging into the past, a handful of musicians rediscovered the beauty and soul-stirring songs of Scotland and Ireland - the lands of the Celts.
It's taken more than 20 years for Celtic music to attract an even broader audience, but after centuries of cultural domination by England, the Celts are delving into their musical past with religious zeal. In Scotland, among the bands that have come to the forefront are the Battlefield Band, the Tannehill Weavers and Silly Wizard; in Ireland, the top musicians include the Chieftains, Altan, De Denann and Clannad. From both of the two Celtic countries come the Boys of Lough.But Celtic music was slow to catch on in America, which is somewhat surprising since the roots of country and bluegrass music are to be found in the music of the Celts. Probably the biggest drawback for Americans in accepting Celtic music is that more and more of the vocal artists are singing in Gaelic, the ancient language of Scotland and Ireland.
About five years after the Celtic revival began, Temple Records was formed. The label recorded Scottish artists that other record companies had ignored or cast aside. Temple remains a small company, with only 50 releases in 15 years. But the artists are as diversified in Celtic music styles as there are tartans in Scotland, from traditional to contemporary.
Here's a look at several albums from this groundbreaking label:
- Various artists: "Temple Records: The Sampler." Probably the best way to get a taste of Celtic music is by giving this collection a listen. The production quality is impeccable. The sampler contains the beautiful and mellow clarsach (Scottish harp) music of Alison Kinnaird and Ann Heymann, the guitar-accompanied vocals of Arthur Cormack and Pat Kilbride, and a fiddle feast with the Fiddlers Five and Brian McNeil.
For fans of bagpipe music, there is Dr. Angus MacDonald, the Battlefield Band and Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band. Various traditional Celtic instruments also earn the spotlight, as do the haunting Gaelic vocals of Eilidh Mackenzie.
But the sampler isn't all traditional music. A contemporary sound can be found in the music of Jim Hunter, Peter Nardini and Mike Whellans, who, along with the Deaf Heights Cajun Aces, can seem a bit out of place on an anthology dominated by traditional Celtic music. Yet the variety does show the wide vision of Temple Records.
- Eilidh Mackenzie: "Eldeadh Na Sgeulachd." Mackenzie has captured a style of music long forgotten in the music world. This album reminds me of the traditional Scottish gathering called a ceilidh. This is when a group of friends and neighbors gather at someone's home and hold a mini-music and dance festival in the living room.
One neighbor brings a guitar, another a fiddle and yet another a harp, etc., and together an evening of musical magic is created.
The magic of this disc is in the Gaelic singing of Eilidh Mackenzie. Almost half of the 14 tracks are sung a cappella, a style common in Celtic music and almost forgotten in contemporary times.
Mackenzie sings with great emotion, and it doesn't matter that most listeners do not understand Gaelic. She has the voice of an angel. Just close your eyes and let the Gaelic touch your spirit.
Besides a cappella, other vocals are simply accompanied with a harp, a guitar, a fiddle or flute. The most lifting of the tracks are the title song, "I Hluralbh a chan eli mi sian" and "Puirt-a-beul," the latter being a showoff tune of great vocal nonsense accompanied by a snare, tenor and bass drum.
Mackenzie's simple style makes her unique in the Gaelic music world, reminding us of the beauty and musical quality of the human voice.
- Robin Huw Bowen: "Telyn Berseiniol Fy Ngwlad." This all-instrumental disc displays the musical talent of Bowen, as well as his passion for Wales' Celtic culture and history. Bowen is a crusader for the Welsh triple harp, a musical instrument of the early 18th century, played today by only a handful of musicians. Of them, Bowen is considered the best.
The title song best describes not only this album's Welsh identity, but the response all of the modern Celtic regions (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany) are showing toward their current and former ruler.
". . . Even if the English have trampled my country underfoot . . . the old tongue of the Welsh is as alive as ever," Bowen writes. "The poets have not been silenced by the ugly hand of treachery. Nor has the sweet harp of my land."
"Telyn Berseiniol Fy Ngwlad" was my first exposure to harp music. Of the 16 tracks, only two did I recognize: "The Ash Grove" and "All Through the Night," neither of which I knew to be of Welsh origin.
I found Bowen's album to be most beautiful and relaxing. In fact, my wife has confiscated it and said it's her favorite. If I'm nice she'll let me borrow it.
- Jim Hunter: "Fingernail Moon." Hunter is a bard of contemporary Scotland. He paints with lyrics vivid and passionate scenes of modern life. His slow music reminds me of Dan Fogelberg or Gordon Lightfoot, and his electric tunes have a touch of John Mellencamp. But this singer-songwriter definitely has his own style and voice. Why he hasn't been discovered in America is baffling.
The best electric tunes were "Irish Girl," "Long Walk in the Rain," "Midnight Train" and a haunting song titled "Limbo Ships." Of his slower tracks, "Cold Winter's Night" and "The Hungry I" were most moving.
This is an excellent album for fans interested in contemporary Celtic music.