LIVE
FROM DUBLIN: A Tribute to Derek BellIrish music ambassadors The
Chieftains return to the U.S. for the annual winter tour, with the music
program to include songs from their new album, a tribute to one of the most beloved
Chieftains, the late Derek Bell. Live From Dublin: A Tribute
To Derek Bell (RCA Victor) is one of their best yet. Check back soon
for complete details about the tracks and the very special musical guests! •
• • The Concert Tour
This 2005 concert tour also
explores the Galician-Irish connection via Spanish guest artists Carlos
Nunez on Gaita, recorder, whistle and Bombard. His trio includes Francisco
Alvarez on mandolin/bouzouki and Carlos' brother Jorge (Xurxo) Nunez
on percussion and guitar - and voice! The Chieftains will perform some songs
from "Santiago," its 1996 album of music drawn from the Celtic region
of Spain known as Galicia, and the home of Carlos Nunez. Dancers on the
tour include the notable Donny Golden and Cara Butler, as well as
Ottawa Valley stepdancing brothers Jon and Nathan Pilatzke. Jon Pilatzke
also plays fiddle with the Chieftains, and Triona Marshall guests on harp. From
a press release: THE CHIEFTAINS HONOR FALLEN BANDMATE WITH ALBUM,
LIVE FROM DUBLIN: A TRIBUTE TO DEREK BELL January-March String
of Concert Dates Marks 31 Years of Touring In North America January 7, 2005
(New York, NY) - Irish music ambassadors The Chieftains celebrate the life and
legacy of one of its most beloved members this February 22 with the release of
Live From Dublin: A Tribute To Derek Bell (RCA Victor). Recorded live at
the Ireland's premier performing venues, the Gaiety Theater and National Concert
Hall, in the spring and summer of 2004, Live From Dublin honors the late, lamented
Derek Bell, the longtime bandmate who passed away unexpectedly in 2002 after recording
the group's 2002 Grammy nominated album, Down The Old Plank Road. Live From
Dublin features some of Bell's favorite songs, drawing on an array of global influences
that has become a Chieftains hallmark since their inception. It's a musical approach
that takes Celtic music as a reference point to explore an encyclopedic array
of sounds and styles from around the world. Songs include the opening medley of
traditional Irish reels, a Galician medley drawing on the Irish-Spanish connection,
the "bluegrass-greengrass" collaborative "Down The Old Plank Road,"
and "Ottawa Valley Dance," which features the Pilatzke brothers and
showcasing a Celtic-Canadian influence. One of the most touching moments
on the CD is the performance of "Derek's Tune," a haunting melody composed
by Chieftains founder Paddy Moloney. "For one year [after his death]
we left an empty chair on the stage in his honor," Moloney recounts. He was
a consummate, classically trained musician, equally adept at harp, oboe, hammer
dulcimer, keyboards and variety of other instruments. This album is both a way
of honoring his memory and continuing with the music that meant so much to him."
The
Chieftains will also embark on a 2005 North American tour, which begins on January
13 in Salt Lake City and runs through March 20 in Milwaukee. In breaking with
a longstanding tradition of performing in New York City on St. Patrick's Day (March
17), this time band will instead perform in Toronto. The tour includes
original members Paddy Moloney (Uilleann pipes, tin whistle), Matt Molloy (flute),
Sean Keane (fiddle) and Kevin Conneff (bodhran, vocals). They will be joined by
guest artists, including Sony BMG Spain recording artist Carlos Nunez (Gaita,
Recorder, whistle, Bombard) from Galicia, Spain, who first recorded and toured
with the Chieftains in 1990 at age 17. Nunez was considered the seventh member
of the Chieftains during the making of album Santiago, which landed the group
their 5th Grammy Award. He also performed with the Chieftains on the soundtrack
of the Charlton Heston film, Treasure Island. Nunez and his Spanish trio of Francisco
Alvarez (mandolin) and Jorge Nunez (percussion) will perform with the Chieftains
to explore the music of Galicia, the Celtic section of Spain. Other performers
include the notable Irish harpist Triona Marshall, the young Canadian acrobatic
dancing team of brothers' Jon and Nathan Pilatzke, along with Cara Butler and
Donny Golden, who will treat audiences to traditional Irish dancing. Other surprise
guests will appear in selected cities, to be announced. With a career that
spans forty-two years and forty-one albums, The Chieftains are not only Ireland's
premier musical ambassadors but also the most enduring and influential creative
force in establishing the international appeal of Celtic music. Six-time Grammy
winners and eighteen-time Grammy nominees, The Chieftains maintain an international
touring schedule that has brought them before literally millions of fans. Live
From Dublin: A Tribute To Derek Bell (RCA Victor) will be released on February
22. • • • Fans and soon-to-be fans of
Carlos Nunez will be delighted with the audio and videoclips from the new DVD
"Carlos Nunez and Amigos" which includes the Chieftains, of course!
Click here to check
those out, and click here to
go to the Carlos Nunez official site, Carlos-Nunez.com. •
• • Jon and Nathan Pilatzke and Cara Butler are involved
with an up-and-coming Celtic band in Toronto,
Quagmyre, and we're excited about their CD release in May. Click
here to preview the track 'The Dionne Quintuplets' via MP3 at their
website, Quagmyre.ca.
•
• • Winter Tour
1/13 Ausdat Auditorium Ogden,
UT (with Orchestra)
1/14 Abravanel Hall Salt Lake City, UT (with Orchestra)
1/15
Abravanel Hall Salt Lake City, UT (with Orchestra)
1/17 Celebrity Theater Scottsdale,
AZ
1/18 Christopher Cohan Center San Louis Obispo, CA
1/20 Arlington Theater
Santa Barbara, CA
1/21 Cerritos Center Cerritos, CA
1/22 Center for the
Arts Escondido, CA
1/24 Bass Hall Ft. Worth, TX
1/25 Walton Arts Center
Fayetteville, AR
1/28 Orchestra Hall Minneapolis, MN (with Orchestra)
1/29
Orchestra Hall Minneapolis, MN (with Orchestra)
1/30 Leighton Concert Hall
Notre Dame, IN
2/1 Miller Auditorium Kalamazoo, MI
2/25 Palace Theatre Columbus,
OH (with Orchestra)
2/26 Wharton Center East Lansing, MI
2/27 Orchestra
Hall Chicago, IL
3/1 Phillips Center Gainesville, FL
3/2 Peace Concert Hall
Greenville, SC
3/4 Andrew Jackson Hall Nashville, TN (with Orchestra)
3/5
Andrew Jackson Hall Nashville, TN (with Orchestra)
3/6 Alys Stephens Center
Birmingham, AL
3/9 PAC Purchase College Purchase, NY
3/11 State Theater
New Brunswick, NJ
3/12 NJPAC Prudential Hall Newark, NJ
3/13 Kimmel Center
Verizon Hall Philadelphia, PA
3/15 Kennedy Center Washington D.C.
3/16 Symphony
Hall Boston, MA
3/17 Massey Hall Toronto, ONT (St. Patrick’s Day)
3/19
Marcus Center Milwaukee, WI (with Orchestra)
3/20 Marcus Center Milwaukee,
WI (with Orchestra) • • • The
Chieftains' Official Site: www.Irish.com Feature:
Bernadette Price
Original Web Design: Alexander
Servas
| 
