Latest Album: The Sunny Side of the Latch
An album of 24 new compositions on traditional Irish concertina, using vintage Jeffries concertinas in C/G and A/E.
Available on my Bandcamp page: Click here to visit.
Guest Musicians:
Steve Cooney: Guitars, Gambale
Deirdre Galway: Guitars
Tony McManus: Guitar, Bouzouki
Dermot Mulholland: Double Bass
Miadhachlughain O’Donnell: Shruti Box
Caterina Sangineto: Harp
Jacopo Ventura: Guitar
Luke Ward: Bouzouki, Electric Bass
“Traditional music is all about communication and connectivity. It’s almost as if the tunes don’t exist until we play them with people and for people. The fact that this collection has come out of a period where those inter-personal possibilities had been removed is a testament to Jason O’Rourke’s creativity. In his descriptions of the tunes and their titles you can see Jason conjuring up and re-imagining all those human connections that make Irish traditional music such a vibrant art form. It’s all about people and places.
Through these tunes we hear Jason reaching out from his adopted home of Belfast, through every corner of Ireland where there’s a good tune to be had, to places as far-flung as Scotland, Italy, India and Cambodia. We hear the echoes of all the musicians past and present that have helped to form Jason’s musical identity.
For me there are three dualities at the heart of Irish traditional music and they are all evident here: it’s a local music that is played and enjoyed all over the globe; at it’s core it’s a solo tradition but it really thrives when played with other people: and it’s an ancient music that is being re-created and re-imagined every day.
I’m really looking forward to having a go at learning some of these tunes as I’m sure we’ll be hearing them in sessions for years to come.”
Niall Vallely
The Northern Concertina
Traditional concertina music featuring new compositions alongside existing tunes from Ireland, Scotland, Italy and France. For other recordings please visit the Works page.
Available on my Bandcamp page: Click here to visit.
“Jason O’Rourke’s music has matured down the years into a fully cohesive and finely-tuned style; each note executed with pin-pricked precision. He stands on his own merits among concertina players in Ireland and elsewhere, and his music finds full maturity on this outstanding set.” John O’Regan, The Living Tradition.
Read the full review here.
I’m reminded of Munster musicians such as North Cregg or The Four Star Trio, and even The Monks of the Screw, not just by the slides and polkas but by the general bounce and bravado in O’Rourke’s playing … there’s a spark and vibrancy to The Northern Concertina which distinguishes it from smoother or more technical performances. I like it – I think you will too. Alex Monaghan, Irish Music Magazine.
Read the full review here.
You can stream and buy the album in various digital formats on my bandcamp or cdbaby pages. Also available on iTunes, Amazon etc.
Featuring:
Jason O’Rourke: C/G and Bb/F concertinas by Jeffries.
Teresa Clarke: fiddle and piano.
Tim Edey: nylon-string and steel-string guitars, high-strung guitar.
Seonaid Murray: tenor saxophone.
Stevie Dunne: steel-string guitar, high-strung guitar.
Track listing:
- Jigs: Munster Bacon / Tongs by the Fire / The Bow-Legged Tailor. 3.13.
- Polkas: John Brosnan’s / The Frozen Mouse / Timmy McCarthy’s. 3.34.
- Slip Jigs: The Peacock Following the Hen / O’Farrell’s Welcome to Limerick / My Mind will Never be Easy. 4.00.
- Reels: The Gooseberry Bush / Sean Reid’s / Mary McMahon’s. 4.21.
- Jigs: The Mongrel/The Coming of Spring/The Woods of Old Leitrim. 4.39.
- Hornpipes: A Short Walk from Home/The Blackbird. 3.03.
- Mazurkas: L’Aguilette/Arthur. 5.46.
- March: Welcome to Balmoral. 5.01.
- Jigs: Fahy’s Fiddle/Tell Her I Am. 4.05.
- Hornpipes: Murphy’s/The Cuckoo. 4.24.
- Jigs: I Will if I Can/Winnie Hayes’. 3.09.
- Reels: The Fox on the Town/The Roscommon Reel/The Spike Island Lasses. 3.25.
- Slides: Denis Murphy’s/Sporting Paddy/To Hell with Austerity. 2.39.
- Reels: Aggie Whyte’s/Aggie’s Wedding. 3.20.