Live From Dublin: A Tribute to Derek Bell
Derek Bell (1935-2002), the Chieftains' longtime harpist, was a former child prodigy who mastered the piano, several woodwinds and even the cimbalom, which he played on Maurice Jarre's soundtrack toDoctor Zhivago. He was already a noted classical composer and multi-instrumentalist by the time he picked up the harp in mid-life, but it soon consumed him. After meeting Paddy Moloney in 1972, he sat in on theChieftains 4, still one of the group's finest albums. His unexpected death left surviving band-mates bereft but typically, they decided to celebrate his life with the music he loved so dearly. Drawn from two memorial concerts which were aired on Irish radio, the selections exemplify the Chieftains' twin doctrines of Celtic authenticity and global inclusion. But after the joy and remembrance, Triona Marshal, alone with her harp, plays theFarewell To Music. There could not have been a dry eye in the house. --Christina Roden