On
Friday 6th October 2006, in a continuation of our very successful "Kitchen
Sessions", Strokestown will witness the very special magic that
is Frankie Gavin in what promises to be an unforgettable night of the
highest quality music. Set in the unique atmosphere of the Victorian
gallery kitchen at Strokestown Park, this will be an occasion to savour
and the experience is sure to linger in the senses for years to come.
We'll light the fire, turn the lights down low, and serve up a complementary
glass of wine, just to get you in the mood! Tickets for this special
event will be very limited due to space restrictions so make sure you
get your tickets early.
Frankie Gavin was born in 1956 in Corrandulla, Co. Galway. He comes
from a musical family: his father played fiddle, and, his mother and
all of her family played also.
He started playing the tin whistle at age four, making his first T.V.
appearance three years later. At the age of ten years old Frankie began
to play fiddle and at the age of seventeen he placed first in the All
Ireland Fiddle Competition and in the All Ireland Flute Competition,
both on the same day. He was influenced by the recordings of Michael
Coleman among other. Sessions in the Cellar Bar, Galway and later in
Hughes' pub in Spiddal led to the formation of De Dannan in 1973.
His Currandulla connection came in useful when De Danann were looking
for a singer, and it was he who came up with Dolores Keane from nearby
Cahirlistrane. When De Danann brought out their first album, her singing
of The Rambling Irishman gained a lot of airplay for the group. Although
De Danann has had many highpoints over a quarter of a century, particularly
with the singing of Dolores Keane and Maura O'Connell and the box playing
of Mairtin O'Connor, Frankie's powerful virtuoso fiddle playing has
always been at the core of the De Dannan sound.
He recorded 16 albums with De Dannan as well as a number of solo albums,
and three collaborations: one a tribute to Joe Cooley entitled 'Omos
do Joe Cooley' with Paul Brock; a fine collaboration with fellow De
Dannan member Alec Finn; and one with Stephane Grapelli exploring the
languages of jazz and traditional music. He has also guested with The
Rolling Stones on their 'Voodoo Lounge' album, with Keith Richards on
'Wingless Angels' and with Earl Scruggs the great banjo man.
Exposure to American audiences began in 1976 when he played with De
Danann at the American bicentennial celebrations in Washington DC, with
artists such as Junior Crehan and Micho Russell. Frankie has also been
invited to play for numerous State officials including President John
F. Kennedy on historic visit to Ireland in 1962, French president Francois
Mitterand and England's Prince Charles. Of a special event in America,
United States Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith is reported
to have commented that "The best all 'round performance of the entire
week at Kennedy Center was by DeDannan."
For further articles extolling the magical genius of Frankie Gavin,
read on. To hear him in the intimate surroundings of Strokestown Park,
get your ticket early!
"Innovation
may be the buzz-word in Traditional music, but Frankie Gavin's digressions
are not in the common areas of tempo and superficial style-impressions.
His contemporary borrowings of art-deco and music-hall Irishness are
re-jigged in original avenues of exploration. His dextrous treatment
of troublesome tunes might get even the Pope out on the floor, his orchestration
could break hearts. A superbly uncompromising player, he makes refreshment
of the old by picking out and polishing every detail and setting it
off in a steady, listenable pace. Gavin edgy and brilliant on both fiddle
and flute, with always the most meticulous attention given to tone and
variation. Live, his tune sets are perfectionism that drive and are
driven by an audience spontaneity that spurs Gavin to push fiddle from
shriek to rasping bass. Tears and cheers erupt spontaneously, the goodwill
of his mixed-age audiences has always been great sauce. Like herding
the mythic creac, Frankie Gavin here whoops a great retrospective before
him into the Ogham of Celtic Valhalla."
Fintan Vallely, Sunday Tribune
Frankie Gavin
- The Tolboth Theatre, Stirling, Scotland
October 14th 2003
"Because he's known as 'The prince of Irish fiddlers', and produces
what's ben called 'Irish fiddling as good as it gets', there was high
anticipation at Stirling's Tolbooth theatre for the Frankie Gavin show.
The crowd wasn't disappointed, for with his accompanist Brian McGrath
on keyboards he gave a glittering performance over nearly two hours.
Yet it was all so laid back. He sat, almost reclining as if in
an armchair, the while creating the most spectacular sound from a bow
which mostly seemed to be moving within barely four-inch compass. The
amazingly tricksy fingers seemed equally effortless. They weren't, of
course, as when he played 'Carolan's Concerto', using roughly twice
the number of notes that even oul' Turlough had planned for... (During
this, there was metaphorically the sound of fiddlers in the audience
snapping their fiddles over their knees, and vowing to never touch the
instrument again!).
True to his philosophy, epitomised by the album 'Fierce Traditional'
(TARACD4011) of going back to his roots of Irish fiddling, he
began with a piece from one of his heroes Jimmy Morrison, then did some
numbers by the Flannigan Brothers (other heroes of his) like 'The Belle
of Athenry'. explaining his affection for his almost Vaudeville / Music
Hall style from Irish immigrants in Twenties America. He told me later
"We need to return to that straightforward style of playing, away from
all this over-produced 'Celtic' mush. What does 'Celtic' mean for God's
sake? Fortunately, there's a backlash against this screwing around with
the music. Like with Harry Bradley the flute player, and Micheál Ó Ragallaigh,
Rathcarn concertina player, they don't mess around".
Well, there was certainly no 'messing' from Frankie either, in the
way he did the fine reel 'The Dunmore Lassies' or the song 'The Snowy
Breasted Pearl' as an air, or the jig 'The Green Fields of Woodford'.
After the interval, Frankie started with the jig 'The Frost is all Over',
then did the simply lovely (Coleman?) reel 'Lucy Campbell' then the
aptly named 'Wonder Hornpipe' and finally 'The Foxhunter Reel' which
seemed to include every known form of ornamentation! He next accompanied
Brian on the banjo with some marches. These were a little disappointing,
perhaps because the banjo mike kept cutting out. Later Brian genuinely
showed his prowess with a set of (unnamed) reels. Frankie then played
the mighty songs 'Róisín Dubh' and Sliabh na mBan' as slow airs, dedicating
the latter to his dad JJ. The evening finally closed with Frankie thanking
various people and organisations for the tour, then going straight into
that amazing Carolan rendition... It had been a great evening, enhanced
by frankie's rare charm and wit, and had proved to be exactly as the
sage had said: 'Irish fiddling as good as it gets'..."
Steve McGrail - Living Tradition
