I happened to listen to a few tunes by Nightnoise tonight. If you haven’t heard them before, click on the videos. They were a group of Irish musicians who blended Irish traditional music, jazz, new age and many other ideas. Although the audio is not great in the following video, you can see the group in action, playing a tune titled “Time Winds.”
One of their most beautiful tunes is “Night in that Land, and you can listen to a good quality recording here. And since it’s the Christmas season, consider this rendition of “The Wexford Carol.” And for something very different, check out “Fionnghuala” (Mouth music). Finally, take a listen to “Silky Flanks” for some high energy that melds into yet another beautiful tune.
Here is more on the history of the group, which is no longer performing. Two of the members of the group died over the past 10 years. Nonetheless, I find this music extraordinary and timeless.
I had to jog my memory but Nightnoise reminded me of a group called Shadowfax. Similar genre, but not Celtic if I recall correctly. Remember them?
Good music, thanks for sharing.
Mike: I did enjoy the music of Shadowfax. After reading your comment I listened to some of the cuts on “Folksongs for a Nuclear Village,” for which they won a Grammy. Yes, you are right, similar genre, but it’s an American group. I found a video of the group performing: