Steam

by John Williams

Overview

Concertina player John Williams hails from Chicago, but comes from a long line of Irish musicians with roots in County Clare; he has won five all-Ireland titles and was the first American-born musician to take first place in the senior concertina category. On his second solo album, he's joined by local fiddler Liz Carroll, guitarists Dennis Cahill, Randall Bays, and Dean Magraw, bassist Larry Gray, percussionist Paul Wertico, and his colleagues from Solas, Seamus Egan and John Doyle, for a set of traditional tunes played with equally high levels of energy and skill. Williams himself spends most of his time on concertina, but also plays button accordion, flute, whistles, and bodhran, and sometimes more than one at once, as on the multi-tracked slow reel set "Paddy Canny's Toast & Paddy Faheys." Elsewhere, the arrangements are more minimal: The jigs "Up in the Garret" and "The Old Tipperary" are bare-bones concertina and guitar (and beautiful in that setting), while the reels "Billy Brocker's," "The Old Dudeen," and "The Night We Had the Goats" feature Williams on whistles, Paul Donnelly on bodhran, and an unidentified drone; the result is vaguely eerie. This is a complex and lovely album. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	09/04/2001
Label:	GREEN LINNET
UPC:	0048248121521

Tracks

1. The New Custom House/Le Set de Americain/Harris Dance Tune Reels
2. John Brady's/The Hawk from Dundalk
3. Paddy Canny's Toast/Paddy Fahy's
4. Miss Hamilton
5. The Humours of Kilclogher/Mrs. O'Sullivan's
6. Tuamgrainey Castle/The Peterswell Hornpipe (Hornpipes)
7. Up in the Garret/The Old Tippeary
8. Seo Uile¿¿ Thoil/The Deer's March
9. Bill Harte's Rolling Down the Hill/John Brady's Reels
10. The Bridal Jig/The Handsome Young Maidens/The Lancers Jig
11. Billy Brocker's/The Old Dudeen/The Night We Had the Goats
12. Johnny O'Leary's and Patrick Maloney's Favorite
13. Within a Mile of Dublin/Seany Dorris' Reel/P.J.'s Pecurious Pachelbel

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Williams   Primary Artist,Flute,Drones,Bodhran,Tin Whistle,Button Accordion,Concertina,Low Whistle
Seamus Egan   Guest Artist
John Doyle   Guest Artist,Guitar
Larry Gray   Cello,Bass
Dean Magraw   Guitar
Liz Carroll   Fiddle
Jim DeWan   Guitar
Randal Bays   Guitar
Dennis Cahill   Guitar
Paul Donnelly   Bodhran
Paul Wertico   Percussion

Technical Credits

Micheal O Suilleabhain   Liner Notes
David Glasser   Mastering
Craig Williams   Engineer
Charlie Lennon   Composer
John Williams   Mixing,Arranger,Producer
Seany Dorris   Composer
Cornelius Lyons   Composer
Paddy Fahy   Composer
John Brady   Composer
Brad Wrolstad   Design
Traditional   Composer