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Dervish's music was born in countless pub sessions and house parties in County Sligo in Ireland. On Live in Palma, recorded in Spain in 1997, the band members bring the intimacy and electricity of those informal gatherings to CD. Accordionist Shane Mitchell, flautist Liam Kelly, and fiddler Shane McAleer form the melodic heart of the band, and they negotiate the twists and turns of the liveliest reel with aplomb. Mandolin player Brian McDonagh and bouzouki player Michael Holmes provide the driving but still sprightly rhythm, and on selections like "The Trip to Sligo" and "The World's End," they create a complex harmonic framework that is contemporary but still rooted in the old traditions. But as good as the instrumentalists are, the star of the show is vocalist Cathy Jordan, who sings in both Gaelic and English. Her specialty is love songs, and the selections include "Ar Éirinn ní Neosfaiin Cé Hí," a rare ballad that turns out happily; "Edward by Lough Éirn's Shore," a tragic song that gets a lovely a cappella reading; and "Sheila Nee Iyer," a funny tune about a pompous suitor whose high-flown language drives away the girl he is pursuing. Dervish are one of the finest traditional Irish bands to emerge from the 1990s, and Live in Palma shows them at their very best.
Track listing:
CD 1
1. Packie Duignan's
2. Intro
3. Spailpin Fanach
4. Slow Reels
5. Intro
6. Shelia Nee Iyer
7. Intro
8. The Trip To Slingo
9. Intro
10. The Hungry Rock
11. Intro
12. Ar Eirinn Ni Neosfainn Ce Hi
13. Molly And Johnny
14. The Green Mountain
CD 2
1. I Courted A Wee Girl/Josefin's Waltz
2. Intro
3. Drag Her Round The Road
4. Intro
5. Maire Mhor
6. Intro
7. I Buried Me Wife And Danced On Top Of Her
8. Intro
9. The Hills Of Greanmore
10. Intro
11. The Worlds End
12. Peata Beag
13. Intro
14. Pheigin Mo Chroi
15. Intro
16. Jim Coleman's
17. Happy Birthday To Felip
18. Intro
19. Edward By Lough Erin's Shore
20. Introductions
21. Killavil Jigs
22. Allellu Na Gnamha
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