Celtic Crossover Notes:

1. (4:05) Jig of Slurs / Atholl Highlanders 

This set of fine Scottish jigs always starts our shows - but what's a Celtic music group without tradition?  Atholl Highlanders is a particular favorite, with its high-spirited supremely confident tone. Just the thing for marching into battle.
2. (4:16) Farewell / Four Green Fields   (lyrics)

Farewell is an old pipe tune we learned from Pat MacSwyney, another great musician and a former member of Highland Sun. It's actually a dirge, but we play it a bit faster to keep the accompanying song from killing the singers. Four Green Fields is a well-known song by Tommy Makem which laments the division of Ireland. Gretchen leads on this song, with Heather adding the harmony.
3. (2:33) The Gravel Walks to Grania's 

This reel comes from The Northern Fiddler, a great book of tunes and stories now long out of print. The tune is popular in many regions, with their associated regional variations, but we play it in the traditional Donegal style here.
4. (3:35) Donald McGilavry  (lyrics)

Donald McGilavry is a questionably historical character of the eighteenth century Jacobite rebellion. The song is of particular interest because it references common trades of the time, using them as similes for Donald's military prowess. Heather leads on the song, with Gretchen and Howard joining the chorus. Along the way we're treated to a brilliant fiddle solo by Linda; you can practically see the sparks flying as you listen.
5. (3:33) Patrick Street  (lyrics)

A jaunty song about a cross-dressing sailor's misadventures upon returning home from sea. Howard plays the part of the hapless sailor, not surprisingly...
6. (3:31) Trip to Duro / The Earl's Chair 

A pair of reels we learned from our friend and mentor Cait Reed, fiddler extraordinaire. Trip to Duro is also one of the tunes Howard performed with the Chieftains in March, 1995. As such, it's one of the catalysts that caused Highland Sun to be formed.
7. (2:40) Give Us a Drink of Water / Rattlin' Roarin' Willie   (lyrics)

These two slip jigs serve to tell the tale of Rattlin' Willie, a famous fiddler and swordsman. We are told that Willie was slain shortly after an altercation where he killed a rival fiddler, Robin Rool.
8. (3:51) The Scholar / The Maid Behind the Bar / The Merry Blacksmith 

This is one of those sets where if you let your mind wander over the titles of the tunes, it's liable to get you into trouble...
9. (3:11) Lark in the Morning / Tobin's Favorite 

The legend surrounding the Lark in the Morning tells of a fiddler's competition that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. On the verge of exhaustion, a fiddler stepped into the cool morning breezes and heard the song of a Lark. Inspired by the tune, he rushed back in, played the song, and won the contest!
10. (3:49) The Ash Grove  (lyrics)

This lovely Welsh song features Gretchen on vocal, Bill on penny whistle, with Linda leading on fiddle, Ken on guitar, and Howard on mandolin. Bill and Linda worked out an absolutely gorgeous duet here, a fine complement to the sensitivity of Gretchen's mellow vocal.
11. (3:43) Bucks of Oranmore / Dowd's #9 

"The Bucks" comes from the Gaelic word ("bochai") for "boys," and this tune is sometimes called the Boys of Oranmore, commemorating soldiers from the town in Co. Sligo. Dowd's #9 is a favorite session tune.
12. (3:39) The Blacksmith  (lyrics)

This song has an unusual ending for an Irish ballad as the maiden of our story doesn't kill herself for unrequited love.
13. (3:43) Auchindoun / Tam Lin  (lyrics)

This brooding song features Heather on the lead, with Gretchen joining in for added angst. The song itself recalls a typically bloody episode in Scottish history, where members of the MacIntosh clan, returning from a raid on an English garrison, discover that their own homes have been sacked by the English army. We follow up that desperate situation with another; Tam Lin is a character from an old Scottish legend. He was captured by the Queen of the Faeries, and doomed to spend the rest of eternity under her spell, but eventually was rescued by his true love.
14. (3:26) Rocky Road to Dublin  (lyrics)

The trials and tribulations of venturing forth to find gainful employment are regaled in this playful slip jig.
15. (3:24) Boys of Malin / High Road to Linton 

Malin is a small town on the Inishowen Peninsula in Co. Donegal and is not far from the northernmost point in Ireland. The High Road to Linton is of Scottish origin. Both of these tunes have traveled back and forth across the water many times over the years, melding and evolving as they went. The combination of Donegal and Highland styles defines the music of Highland Sun.
16. (4:29) Fiddler's Green  (lyrics)

Another well-known song, Fiddler's Green refers to a fisherman's Heaven, the metaphorical opposite of Davey Jones' Locker. Howard sings this one, with another lush fiddle harmony provided by Linda.
17. (4:05) Tongs by the Fire / Kid on the Mountain / Jump at the Sun 

This set of jigs has been our traditional closing set for the evening, and was collected from diverse sources. The Tongs by the Fire comes from the playing of Sean Keane and the Chieftains. Kid on the Mountain is a popular slip jig, often heard at sessions. Jump at the Sun comes by way of our friend Kate Price, a wonderful musician.

The Players:

All selections are traditional unless otherwise noted; arrangements Copyright © 1997 by Highland Sun. Four Green Fields written by Tommy Makem. Tam Lin written by Davey Arther.
 

Acknowledgements

Produced and Engineered by  John Hancock
Recorded and Mixed at The Pobble's Toes, Van Nuys, CA
Black & White Photography by Ray Camarillo
Color Photography by Howard Chu
Cover Painting, "Freeway Whistler," by Steve O'Loughlin (310-215-3896)
CD Graphic Design by  Peter Underwood
 

Online Audio Notes