Chieftains 3
On the Chieftains' third record, originally released in 1971, the group's founder Paddy Moloney was still experimenting with various ways of arranging Irish music for a band. Traditionally, a solo musician performed jigs, reels, and airs such as these, so Moloney was exploring unknown territory with his arrangements of ancient tunes. On many of the tracks the melody is still played on a single instrument with minimal or no accompaniment, much as it was performed for centuries. But on tracks such as "Carolan's Concerto" and "The Trip to Sligo" you can hear Maloney and his band mates discover new harmonic and rhythmic possibilities in the old music. They managed to be innovative while still respecting the past. This is the sound of Ireland's finest musicians giving birth to a new tradition. (The Chieftains 3is also available as part of the box setFrom the Beginning: The Chieftains 1 to 4.)--Michael Simmons