Post by Andrew on Oct 4, 2006 16:28:15 GMT
Hi All,
Hayley was briefly mentioned within an article in the 'Chronicle Herald' today. The Entertainment Reporter seemed to think that Hayley was Australian!
The link to the article is listed here below:
thechronicleherald.ca/Entertainment/532376.html
Bringing the world home
Natalie MacMaster returns home to Cape Breton with some musician friends to open the 10th Celtic Colours International Festival.
By STEPHEN COOKE Entertainment Reporter
IN ITS 10 years of existence, the Celtic Colours International Festival has become one of the most impressive traditional music events in North America, bringing talent from around the world to this remote corner of the continent.
And every year, visitors from all over come to hear the brilliant musicians, enjoy the breathtaking autumn scenery and feel the warmth of Cape Breton hospitality.
And it’s impossible to imagine any of it happening without the groundwork laid by Cape Breton musicians and international ambassadors like the Barra MacNeils, the Rankin Family,
Ashley MacIsaac or Natalie MacMaster, who kicks off this 10th anniversary on Friday night at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.
A native of Troy on Cape Breton’s western Ceilidh Trail, MacMaster returns to the festival from her current home in Ontario with husband Donnell Leahy to perform shows and catch up with musical friends. Usually she appears on the Celtic Colours roster every couple of years, and she knew there was something special about the event from the very first time she stepped out onto the stage of one of its many concerts.
"My favourite moment at Celtic Colours was the concert I did with Sharon Shannon," says MacMaster, citing the famed Irish accordionist. "It was in Port Hawkesbury, the first year of the festival, and it was a Gaelic Women show. I just really enjoyed playing with Sharon Shannon, she’s amazing.
"Celtic Colours is great, it’s a celebration of music, and our culture, and the best part about it is how it takes place all over the island. People from away, and even locals, get to go around the island, and they’re not just stuck in one place all the time. And of course there’s always good music, and interesting ways of pairing up musicians to keep it sounding fresh."
For her hand-picked roster of guests on Friday night in Port Hawkesbury, MacMaster has included U.S. banjo innovator Bela Fleck, who appeared on her 2003 CD Blueprint, in his Nova Scotia debut; Galician bagpipe virtuoso Carlos Nunez, whose jaw-dropping performances have been a Celtic Colours favourite for the past few years, and chart-topping Australian soprano Hayley Westenra.
"We’ve got some surprises too, I’ve got some surprises up my sleeve," says MacMaster excitedly about the show, which will also be recorded for broadcast by PBS. "They’re going to be . . . you know what? This is such a corny term, but it’s so true, there will be some magical moments. And I mean it, it’s true!"
The surprise up MacMaster’s other sleeve is her new CD Yours Truly, which landed in record stores yesterday. Recorded largely with her touring band, it features vibrant, road-tuned performances with Brad Davidge’s guitar bursting forth on Volcanic Jig and the sound of Matt MacIsaac’s pipes dancing with MacMaster’s nimble fiddle on Matt and Nat’s.
Over the past few albums, MacMaster has managed to give each record its own singular taste, from completely traditional to contemporary Celtic blends. On Yours Truly, it’s a more balanced sound thanks to the use of the musicians she knows best.
"I don’t always think they’re going to be as unique as they turn out to be," says MacMaster. "I did the Buddy and Natalie record, and that was totally trad, so this year I had a lot of tunes that I was writing that weren’t so traditional, and believe it or not I actually liked them. That’s rare for me, I usually toss them."
There are special guests on the record, including sister-in-law Erin Leahy and aunt Betty Lou Beaton on piano, First Nations entertainer Tom Jackson on vocals and former Doobie Brother Michael MacDonald on a stirring rendition of Danny Boy, that came about after the two performed on a Boston Pops TV special.
But the best guest clip of all is a cute vocal contributed by 10-month-old daughter Mary Francis on the final track, an instrumental piece that closes out the album.
"It’s not really a tune, it’s more of a mood piece, and Donal said I should make it a little thing at the end where I say thanks to everyone who helped out with the record.
"It was really hard at that point to get anything out of her, she was so young — just over a week old. So it was hard to get her. There’s a bit of crying, you don’t want the wail where she’s going ‘WAAAAAH!’ you just want a cute little cry, so it was fun picking the clips."
( scooke@herald.ca)
Hayley was briefly mentioned within an article in the 'Chronicle Herald' today. The Entertainment Reporter seemed to think that Hayley was Australian!
The link to the article is listed here below:
thechronicleherald.ca/Entertainment/532376.html
Bringing the world home
Natalie MacMaster returns home to Cape Breton with some musician friends to open the 10th Celtic Colours International Festival.
By STEPHEN COOKE Entertainment Reporter
IN ITS 10 years of existence, the Celtic Colours International Festival has become one of the most impressive traditional music events in North America, bringing talent from around the world to this remote corner of the continent.
And every year, visitors from all over come to hear the brilliant musicians, enjoy the breathtaking autumn scenery and feel the warmth of Cape Breton hospitality.
And it’s impossible to imagine any of it happening without the groundwork laid by Cape Breton musicians and international ambassadors like the Barra MacNeils, the Rankin Family,
Ashley MacIsaac or Natalie MacMaster, who kicks off this 10th anniversary on Friday night at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.
A native of Troy on Cape Breton’s western Ceilidh Trail, MacMaster returns to the festival from her current home in Ontario with husband Donnell Leahy to perform shows and catch up with musical friends. Usually she appears on the Celtic Colours roster every couple of years, and she knew there was something special about the event from the very first time she stepped out onto the stage of one of its many concerts.
"My favourite moment at Celtic Colours was the concert I did with Sharon Shannon," says MacMaster, citing the famed Irish accordionist. "It was in Port Hawkesbury, the first year of the festival, and it was a Gaelic Women show. I just really enjoyed playing with Sharon Shannon, she’s amazing.
"Celtic Colours is great, it’s a celebration of music, and our culture, and the best part about it is how it takes place all over the island. People from away, and even locals, get to go around the island, and they’re not just stuck in one place all the time. And of course there’s always good music, and interesting ways of pairing up musicians to keep it sounding fresh."
For her hand-picked roster of guests on Friday night in Port Hawkesbury, MacMaster has included U.S. banjo innovator Bela Fleck, who appeared on her 2003 CD Blueprint, in his Nova Scotia debut; Galician bagpipe virtuoso Carlos Nunez, whose jaw-dropping performances have been a Celtic Colours favourite for the past few years, and chart-topping Australian soprano Hayley Westenra.
"We’ve got some surprises too, I’ve got some surprises up my sleeve," says MacMaster excitedly about the show, which will also be recorded for broadcast by PBS. "They’re going to be . . . you know what? This is such a corny term, but it’s so true, there will be some magical moments. And I mean it, it’s true!"
The surprise up MacMaster’s other sleeve is her new CD Yours Truly, which landed in record stores yesterday. Recorded largely with her touring band, it features vibrant, road-tuned performances with Brad Davidge’s guitar bursting forth on Volcanic Jig and the sound of Matt MacIsaac’s pipes dancing with MacMaster’s nimble fiddle on Matt and Nat’s.
Over the past few albums, MacMaster has managed to give each record its own singular taste, from completely traditional to contemporary Celtic blends. On Yours Truly, it’s a more balanced sound thanks to the use of the musicians she knows best.
"I don’t always think they’re going to be as unique as they turn out to be," says MacMaster. "I did the Buddy and Natalie record, and that was totally trad, so this year I had a lot of tunes that I was writing that weren’t so traditional, and believe it or not I actually liked them. That’s rare for me, I usually toss them."
There are special guests on the record, including sister-in-law Erin Leahy and aunt Betty Lou Beaton on piano, First Nations entertainer Tom Jackson on vocals and former Doobie Brother Michael MacDonald on a stirring rendition of Danny Boy, that came about after the two performed on a Boston Pops TV special.
But the best guest clip of all is a cute vocal contributed by 10-month-old daughter Mary Francis on the final track, an instrumental piece that closes out the album.
"It’s not really a tune, it’s more of a mood piece, and Donal said I should make it a little thing at the end where I say thanks to everyone who helped out with the record.
"It was really hard at that point to get anything out of her, she was so young — just over a week old. So it was hard to get her. There’s a bit of crying, you don’t want the wail where she’s going ‘WAAAAAH!’ you just want a cute little cry, so it was fun picking the clips."
( scooke@herald.ca)
