Nightingale - CD Reviews

The state of Vermont sits at a cultural crossroads. French Canadian musical styles are mixed with those of Ireland, cape Breton and Newfoundland to create a uniquely New England style. Nightingale is able to combine these various musical influences into a diverse package that is a joy to hear. Keith Murphy, originally from Newfoundland, provides a solid backdrop on guitar and mandolin for fiddler Becky Tracy and accordion player Jeremiah McLane. Murphy's wonderful voice is displayed on a variety of songs culled from different sources. "Tickle Cove Pond" was from Newfoundland as well as Wade Nemsworth "Black Fly," which has been immortalized in a National Film Board short film, are given inventive treatment. The instrumental are a unique blend of Irish, Cape Breton and Norwegian tunes. Compositions by Cape Bretoners Jerry Holland and John Campbell are also included. This CD hasn't left my player since it arrived. With so many major recording companies releasing Celtic music, it is nice to receive a small label release out of left field which blows away most of the competition.

Nightingale is a new band from Vermont that plays tunes and songs from a side variety of traditions including Irish, Scandinavian, and French Canadian. While this is not a CD of fiddle music per se, the fiddle of Becky Tracy is integral to the sound of the band. I admired the way she blends her fiddle seamlessly with the accordion of Jeremiah McLane. This CD is a good example of musicians playing with not for each other. A good example of this is "Reel a Raymond," a tune that Jeremiah and Becky learned in slightly different versions. Becky's version has more of a contra dance feel while Jeremiah's is more swinging. So they mix the two together, at first alternating and then blending the two versions. The fine rhythm guitar and lead vocals are by Keith Murphy. All in all a strong first effort. I look forward to their next release.

From the first measures of this recording, you know you're in for a good time: Keith Murphy's feet tell you so. A master of the almost lost art of accord aux pieds, or rhythmic foot tapping, Murphy also translates that percussiveness into his guitar playing, which, in turn, support the driving fiddle of Becky Tracy and melodic accordion of Jeremiah McLane. In this, Nightingale's second release, the Vermont-based trio once again shows the range of possibilities for interpreting traditional music, and their own knowledge of the tunes and songs of Ireland, France, Newfoundland, Scandinavia and Quebec.

The members of Nightingale bring together such disparate elements as an accordion composition from the French master Frederic Paris and the old-time tune "Tippy Get Your Hair Cut," and make a musical whole that is danceable and exciting.

Produced by Grey Larsen (Sing Out's music editor), this recording runs the gamut from delicacy to drive, and showcases the singing of Murphy on the title cut and a variety of other Quebecquois and Maritime songs. Impeccable playing and a reflective approach to the music.

Any New England folkie must grow weary listening to the seemingly endless array of acoustic bands performing Celtic music. So in order to comprehend why this Vermont based trio is so worthy of your attention and praise, think of the most rousing Celtic outfits from Europe on the Green Linnet label. Then think of how much more fun those bands would be to listen to if they took liberties with their traditional repertoires. Fiddler Becky Tracy, guitarist and vocalist Keith Murphy, and accordionist Jeremiah McLane delight in such liberties, adding, subtracting, inventing verses to traditional ballads, changing rhythmic accents in reels, stepping outside strictly Celtic material and recording whatever catches them. A blend of extraordinary instrumental prowess and interpretative freshness makes this trio outstanding.

Nightingale is a Vermont-based trio comprising fiddler Becky Tracy, guitarist/vocalist Keith Murphy and accordionist Jeremiah McLane, and Three is, aptly, their third recording together not including various combinations of them in other bands. (McLane, for example, is a co-founder of The Clayfoot Strutters with Vermont folk hero Pete Sutherland.) Each is a consummate musician known throughout the Northeast on the contra-dance and traditional music circuit. The passion they share for sounds from Quebec, Newfoundland, France, Ireland and other northern climes is palpable in their playing. Accordingly, fans will surely find their expectations exceeded on Three, while a newcomer is likely to be happily blown away.

You don't need a pedigree in traditional music to recognize the gorgeous craftsmanship in Nightingale's playing and arrangements, on both standards and originals. While the songs themselves often call for round-like, overlapping melody lines, these players weave around and through each other with a graceful precision that preserves the integrity of every single note. Murphy's spirited percussion with feet or guitar will make contra dancers haul out their shoes for a spontaneous frolic in the living room; the more timid might simply
collapse on the couch and bob their heads. Either way, listening to Three is an uplifting pleasure from start to finish.

The disc begins with the beautiful, mid-tempo Hills (lyrics by former Vermont poet laureate Arthur Guiterman, music by Sutherland); while Murphy sings in a resonant, slightly mournful tenor and keeps up a stepping rhythm, McLane's accordion and Tracy's fiddle dance around each other as if performing an intimate mating ritual.

bittersweet and in a minor key, such as McLane's instrumental romp "Eric and the Angels" and the Gilles Chabenat "Mazurka". Tempos are insistent, driving, and typically vary within the same tune; a Nightingale trademark is creating excitement by upping the pace and intensity. The closer, Murphy's lovely piano instrumental "The Waiting Game" (piano played by McLane), is slow and elegiac. Yet the other players increase the number of notes, giving the tune a faster feel even as the piano remains steady. It's a bit of sonic architecture that Nightingale uses to stunning effect.

Recorded at Soundesign Studio in Brattleboro, Three sounds superb. But Nightingale is even better live; they perform a benefit concert for the Champlain Valley Folk Festival this Saturday at the College Street Congregational Church in Burlington. Amen.

Fans of the Vermont-based trio Nightingale have had to wait a long time for Three, the band's third CD. It has been eight years since the last recording (Sometimes When the Moon is High; the first CD was entitled The Coming Dawn). Three is worth the wait. Bottom line, here's what you should know about this CD: it is a musical feast, full of thoughtfully crafted medleys, excellently played. Becky Tracy's fiddling is strong and expressive, whether she's singing out a melody, weaving in a harmony or providing a rhythmic riff. In Jeremiah McLane's inspired accordion and piano playing, you can hear evidence of his study of styles such as Quebecois and French music, as well as his masters degree in Contemporary Improvisation. Keith Murphy not only plays superbly on mandolin, guitar, piano, and on his feet (providing foot percussion); he also has a fine singing voice.

Nightingale is an extremely popular contradance band, and their CD is likely to get listeners moving. However, contradance tunes make up less than half of the recording There's also a Swedish polska, a French mazurka, a strathspey and two schottisches; there are a number of different dance tunes from Brittany. Similarly, there is variety in the tunes Keith sings. The opening song is about Vermont's hills; the words were written in 1935 by Arthur Guiterman, who became Poet Laureate of Vermont, and set more recently to music by Vermonter Pete Sutherland. There are traditional songs from Newfoundland, Quebec, and Louisiana; the lovely "Psalm of Life" combines a traditional tune with words by Longfellow.

Uniting the material on Three is a quality of rhythmic strength. It's not that the tunes are rhythmically similar to one another; some are lyrical and flowing, some meditative, others lively, or driving and intense. Tunes are in meters of two, three, four, five or six. But it's consistently evident that the band has worked out the rhythmic character for each part of the tunes, and each player is solidly within the right groove. An example: one medley starts in a meditative mood, developing into a lilting strathspey ("Battle of Naskeag"), composed by Jeremiah. The next tune, another of Jeremiah's, is played first as a strathspey and then as a reel which gets continually faster. The medley is feeling very Cape Breton-esque, when there's an abrupt change: the band tears into "The Flying Tent," a tune composed by Keith
after gale-force winds ripped apart a tent being used for a dance event in the Caribbean. Listening to the power and intensity of the rhythms, I can almost feel the whipping of the wind. On another cut, Nightingale took "The Green Bushes," folk song in simple waltz time, and composed an exciting, complex accompaniment using interweaving notes of the piano, mandolin, and fiddle to create a rich rhythmic texture with a three-against-two feel. Keith's piano accompaniment to his waltz, "Peregrination," is highly syncopated and would infuse the most exhausted dancer with energy.

Nightingale's harmonic approach is creative and intriguing. The song "Hills" is played with two lines of harmony, one original and one the tune of the Irish reel "Mulqueens," played in a different key from usual but melding perfectly with the song. In the first section of Jeremiah's composition "Raoulf's," he uses every note of the chromatic scale, while the second part is based on a Middle Eastern scale. This is stimulating stuff to listen to.



		cd reviews Celtic Heritage April May 1996 Vol 10 no 2 Nightingale The Coming Dawn The state of Vermont sits at a cultural crossroads. French Canadian musical styles are mixed with those of Ireland, cape Breton and Newfoundland to create a uniquely New England style. Nightingale is able to combine these various musical influences into a diverse package that is a joy to hear. Keith Murphy, originally from Newfoundland, provides a solid backdrop on guitar and mandolin for fiddler Becky Tracy and accordion player Jeremiah McLane. Murphy's wonderful voice is displayed on a variety of songs culled from different sources. "Tickle Cove Pond" was from Newfoundland as well as Wade Nemsworth "Black Fly," which has been immortalized in a National Film Board short film, are given inventive treatment. The instrumental are a unique blend of Irish, Cape Breton and Norwegian tunes. Compositions by Cape Bretoners Jerry Holland and John Campbell are also included. This CD hasn't left my player since it arrived. With so many major recording companies releasing Celtic music, it is nice to receive a small label release out of left field which blows away most of the competition. Fiddler Summer 1995 Nightingale The Coming Dawn Nightingale is a new band from Vermont that plays tunes and songs from a side variety of traditions including Irish, Scandinavian, and French Canadian. While this is not a CD of fiddle music per se, the fiddle of Becky Tracy is integral to the sound of the band. I admired the way she blends her fiddle seamlessly with the accordion of Jeremiah McLane. This CD is a good example of musicians playing with not for each other. A good example of this is "Reel a Raymond," a tune that Jeremiah and Becky learned in slightly different versions. Becky's version has more of a contra dance feel while Jeremiah's is more swinging. So they mix the two together, at first alternating and then blending the two versions. The fine rhythm guitar and lead vocals are by Keith Murphy. All in all a strong first effort. I look forward to their next release. Michael Simmons Sing Out Volume 41 #3 Sometimes When the Moon is High From the first measures of this recording, you know you're in for a good time: Keith Murphy's feet tell you so. A master of the almost lost art of accord aux pieds, or rhythmic foot tapping, Murphy also translates that percussiveness into his guitar playing, which, in turn, support the driving fiddle of Becky Tracy and melodic accordion of Jeremiah McLane. In this, Nightingale's second release, the Vermont-based trio once again shows the range of possibilities for interpreting traditional music, and their own knowledge of the tunes and songs of Ireland, France, Newfoundland, Scandinavia and Quebec. The members of Nightingale bring together such disparate elements as an accordion composition from the French master Frederic Paris and the old-time tune "Tippy Get Your Hair Cut," and make a musical whole that is danceable and exciting. Produced by Grey Larsen (Sing Out's music editor), this recording runs the gamut from delicacy to drive, and showcases the singing of Murphy on the title cut and a variety of other Quebecquois and Maritime songs. Impeccable playing and a reflective approach to the music. - MD The Boston Phoenix Sometimes When the Moon is High Any New England folkie must grow weary listening to the seemingly endless array of acoustic bands performing Celtic music. So in order to comprehend why this Vermont based trio is so worthy of your attention and praise, think of the most rousing Celtic outfits from Europe on the Green Linnet label. Then think of how much more fun those bands would be to listen to if they took liberties with their traditional repertoires. Fiddler Becky Tracy, guitarist and vocalist Keith Murphy, and accordionist Jeremiah McLane delight in such liberties, adding, subtracting, inventing verses to traditional ballads, changing rhythmic accents in reels, stepping outside strictly Celtic material and recording whatever catches them. A blend of extraordinary instrumental prowess and interpretative freshness makes this trio outstanding. - Norman Weinstein NIGHTINGALE, THREE (Self-released, CD) Nightingale is a Vermont-based trio comprising fiddler Becky Tracy, guitarist/vocalist Keith Murphy and accordionist Jeremiah McLane, and Three is, aptly, their third recording together not including various combinations of them in other bands. (McLane, for example, is a co-founder of The Clayfoot Strutters with Vermont folk hero Pete Sutherland.) Each is a consummate musician known throughout the Northeast on the contra-dance and traditional music circuit. The passion they share for sounds from Quebec, Newfoundland, France, Ireland and other northern climes is palpable in their playing. Accordingly, fans will surely find their expectations exceeded on Three, while a newcomer is likely to be happily blown away. You don't need a pedigree in traditional music to recognize the gorgeous craftsmanship in Nightingale's playing and arrangements, on both standards and originals. While the songs themselves often call for round-like, overlapping melody lines, these players weave around and through each other with a graceful precision that preserves the integrity of every single note. Murphy's spirited percussion with feet or guitar will make contra dancers haul out their shoes for a spontaneous frolic in the living room; the more timid might simply collapse on the couch and bob their heads. Either way, listening to Three is an uplifting pleasure from start to finish. The disc begins with the beautiful, mid-tempo Hills (lyrics by former Vermont poet laureate Arthur Guiterman, music by Sutherland); while Murphy sings in a resonant, slightly mournful tenor and keeps up a stepping rhythm, McLane's accordion and Tracy's fiddle dance around each other as if performing an intimate mating ritual. The dance tunes here manage to sound joyful even when the melody is bittersweet and in a minor key, such as McLane's instrumental romp "Eric and the Angels" and the Gilles Chabenat "Mazurka". Tempos are insistent, driving, and typically vary within the same tune; a Nightingale trademark is creating excitement by upping the pace and intensity. The closer, Murphy's lovely piano instrumental "The Waiting Game" (piano played by McLane), is slow and elegiac. Yet the other players increase the number of notes, giving the tune a faster feel even as the piano remains steady. It's a bit of sonic architecture that Nightingale uses to stunning effect. Recorded at Soundesign Studio in Brattleboro, Three sounds superb. But Nightingale is even better live; they perform a benefit concert for the Champlain Valley Folk Festival this Saturday at the College Street Congregational Church in Burlington. Amen. - Pamela Polsto FolkWorks Magazine Three Fans of the Vermont-based trio Nightingale have had to wait a long time for Three, the band's third CD. It has been eight years since the last recording (Sometimes When the Moon is High; the first CD was entitled The Coming Dawn). Three is worth the wait. Bottom line, here's what you should know about this CD: it is a musical feast, full of thoughtfully crafted medleys, excellently played. Becky Tracy's fiddling is strong and expressive, whether she's singing out a melody, weaving in a harmony or providing a rhythmic riff. In Jeremiah McLane's inspired accordion and piano playing, you can hear evidence of his study of styles such as Quebecois and French music, as well as his masters degree in Contemporary Improvisation. Keith Murphy not only plays superbly on mandolin, guitar, piano, and on his feet (providing foot percussion); he also has a fine singing voice. Nightingale is an extremely popular contradance band, and their CD is likely to get listeners moving. However, contradance tunes make up less than half of the recording There's also a Swedish polska, a French mazurka, a strathspey and two schottisches; there are a number of different dance tunes from Brittany. Similarly, there is variety in the tunes Keith sings. The opening song is about Vermont's hills; the words were written in 1935 by Arthur Guiterman, who became Poet Laureate of Vermont, and set more recently to music by Vermonter Pete Sutherland. There are traditional songs from Newfoundland, Quebec, and Louisiana; the lovely "Psalm of Life" combines a traditional tune with words by Longfellow. Uniting the material on Three is a quality of rhythmic strength. It's not that the tunes are rhythmically similar to one another; some are lyrical and flowing, some meditative, others lively, or driving and intense. Tunes are in meters of two, three, four, five or six. But it's consistently evident that the band has worked out the rhythmic character for each part of the tunes, and each player is solidly within the right groove. An example: one medley starts in a meditative mood, developing into a lilting strathspey ("Battle of Naskeag"), composed by Jeremiah. The next tune, another of Jeremiah's, is played first as a strathspey and then as a reel which gets continually faster. The medley is feeling very Cape Breton-esque, when there's an abrupt change: the band tears into "The Flying Tent," a tune composed by Keith after gale-force winds ripped apart a tent being used for a dance event in the Caribbean. Listening to the power and intensity of the rhythms, I can almost feel the whipping of the wind. On another cut, Nightingale took "The Green Bushes," folk song in simple waltz time, and composed an exciting, complex accompaniment using interweaving notes of the piano, mandolin, and fiddle to create a rich rhythmic texture with a three-against-two feel. Keith's piano accompaniment to his waltz, "Peregrination," is highly syncopated and would infuse the most exhausted dancer with energy. Nightingale's harmonic approach is creative and intriguing. The song "Hills" is played with two lines of harmony, one original and one the tune of the Irish reel "Mulqueens," played in a different key from usual but melding perfectly with the song. In the first section of Jeremiah's composition "Raoulf's," he uses every note of the chromatic scale, while the second part is based on a Middle Eastern scale. This is stimulating stuff to listen to. Nancy MacMillan of Los Angeles, CA in Folk Works Magazine Reprinted with permission of FolkWorks www.FolkWorks.org

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