Irish Traditional Music is a compilation disc containing selections from three vinyl recordings: Drops of Brandy, originally recorded in 1970 with Sean McAloon on uilleann pipes and John Rea on hammered dulcimer, Music from Co. Leitrim, recorded in 1978 with Packie Duignan on flute and Seamus Horan on fiddle, and Traditional Music on the Hammer Dulcimer, recorded in 1977 with John Rea. The recordings were made live on a two-track recorder, in hotel bedrooms and sitting rooms, or the kitchens of the musicians or their friends.

As a consequence, what you hear on this recording is the bare bones -- one player, sometimes two, playing the pure drop. There are some missed notes, although not enough to annoy the listener, but obvious in the case of solo players because there's nothing to hide or distract from the error. There are also no post-production enhancements. This is more a snapshot of the history of Irish traditional music than anything else you'll find on the shelves. If you're interested in learning session tunes, this is the best tool you could find. Slip this disc into your CD player, pick up your instrument and play along till you get it right.

The compilation is a little heavy on hornpipes for my taste. Out of 25 cuts (most of which are medleys of two to four tunes), six cuts are or include hornpipes, most of them performed by Rea on the hammered dulcimer. However, there are enough other tunes in the form of jigs, slip jigs and reels to make up for it. Rea also provides the most variety, including some slow jigs, strathspeys and schottisches. The difference between the last two is outlined in the tune descriptions, including the fact that Rea, as an Irishman, tended to play both more as a "highland" or "fling," straightening out the rhythm.

Perhaps because this is somewhat of a historical collection, the liner notes are abundant. There's an introduction by Robin Morton, who was responsible for the original recordings. His name is familiar as one of the original Boys of the Lough and mastermind behind Temple Records (and bodhran player on several tunes featuring Packie Duignan and Seamas Horan). There are extensive biographies copied from the original albums and descriptions of some of the tunes, mostly describing where the artist learned the tune, providing some fascinating history.

Over all, the selection of tunes is a good one, a mix of tunes that are still popular in sessions today, such as "Sean Ryan's Hornpipe," "Trip to the Cottage," "The Hag with the Money" and "The Rights of Man," as well as those that are approaching obsolescence. For instance, as I was doing research on some of the tunes I'd never heard before, I found a lament on the Internet with regard to "The Castlebar Races," indicating that not enough people play this one at the sessions anymore. This is exactly why recordings like this are so precious and are well worth adding to your collection.

- Rambles
written by Alanna Berger
published 15 February 2003