Borrowing its name from the French film FanFan la Tulipe, the 1952 swashbuckling comedy set in the late 1750s featuring Gérard Philippe, Fanfán Tulipán is a young Czech band formed in 2009 and based in Prague. Blending jazz with funk, the chanson tradition and film music, the band features Štěpán Zbytovský on flute and bass ... [Continue Reading]
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Cuar: Roscanna
In approaching our vocal music, that style of singing traditional songs which is called in Irish the “sean-nós” - the “old style” - it is best to listen as if we were listening to music for the first time, with a child’s new mind; or to think of Indian Music rather than European. - Seán Ó Riada - Our musical heritage ... [Continue Reading]
Matthew Halsall: The Sun in September
Matthew Halsall is a Manchester-based DJ, composer, arranger and jazz trumpet player whose music is increasingly looking eastwards and leaning towards the spiritual. Drawing inspiration from the modal jazz of the late 1950s/early 1960s (Miles Davis of course, John Coltrane and many Blue Note artists from that era), the ... [Continue Reading]
Michael McGoldrick: The otter’s set
Manchester born flute, whistle and pipe player Michael McGoldrick (b. 1971) is a musician who learned his trade at traditional Irish music sessions, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann meetings and Fleadhanna Ceoil competitions. He is also a musician who, in his late twenties, had already co-founded, toured with or been a member of ... [Continue Reading]