by Jack Baker
Happy New Year, here we go again and I hope this one is better for us all than last year, I want to thank all of you who wrote and called and stopped by inquiring about my arm. It’s coming along nicely and I’m back to doing my own typing. Before I go on though, I want to thank Dr. Klaud Miller of Windy City Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and Dr. Derek Kelly of Swedish Covenant Hospital for all their good work on my damaged wing and other dysfunctional parts of my aged body. Two great guys, I owe them both, big time. I also want to send a big thank you to the great staff at Swedish Covenant Hospital who made my stay there very pleasant. I’ll be honest, when it comes to hospitals, I’m a big chicken and these good folks went way out of their way to make my time there as nice as it could be. It was as smooth a process as you could hope for, and everyone was cheerful and helpful to a fault. I had nothing to complain about and there’s a first.
I’ve got a fistful of interesting CDs to tell you about but first I want to tell you about my latest addition to my top ten favorite CD list, Paddy Homan’s self titled CD. It showcases Paddy’s incomparable tenor voice and a who’s who of Chicago’s best Irish musicians. I know Bill Margeson is doing a full review of this wonderful CD but I just had to mention it and encourage everyone to go and buy it and hear what a real Irish tenor sounds like. This is McCormack reborn and I’m not kidding. Another major talent here in the city that’s known for major Irish musical talent. Go hear him if you get the chance, you won’t be disappointed.
Pat Hughes from the Emerald Society dropped by the shop last month to bring me his brother’s new CD, Small Tom, From the Heart. Tom lives in Mayo and has made quite a reputation playing his guitar and singing in local pubs. You know the type, the real local talent. We’ve seen them in a hundred small pubs in rural Ireland, we’ve sung along with them, drank with them and enjoyed their shows. Lots of American country tunes and a few original bits. Small Tom is the real deal, the real country pub singer and original performer. Here’s one you won’t find at Best Buy.
For all you lovers of gritty Irish rock, the Wild Colonial Bhoys have come out with their latest release, Live… What’s It To Ya? If you’ve had the opportunity to see this band in person, here’s the CD that captures their sound, warts and all, and communicates the feeling generated at their live performances. They, too, perform Galway Girl and 15 other of their most requested tunes.
One of our personal treats this past year was getting to see the Scotia Glenville Pipe Band perform at the Capital District Highland Games in Altamont, NY. This band is a juvenile band, all members under the age of 18, under the direction of Pipe Major Maureen Connor. They competed this year in the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland and took third in the juvenile grade, no small accomplishment. They have released a CD of their work and it is a beauty, The Pipes Are Calling features the band’s competition pieces, some excellent solos, and many of their concert offerings. If you want to feel good about the future of piping, give Scotia Glenville a listen and you’ll walk away with a smile. Great work Maureen!
Another fine bit of solo piping came to us from John Bottomley, a piper friend of ours from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He recorded in the Old Chapel of Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem and the acoustics were something to hear. He was attempting to put together a primer for the solo pipe fan to include all the various styles of tunes and I think he’s nailed it pretty well. Titled simply, Bagpipe Classics New and Old, John’s recording covers all the different styles of classic solo piping, some of the tunes you’ll recognize, some you won’t but you’ll enjoy them all. Lovely stuff, each cut a classic.
Local band, Trillium, has released their third CD, Crossing the Stream, featuring: Mim Eichmann (hammered dulcimer & vocals), Ed Hall (guitar & banjo), Doug Lofstrom (bass) and Jonathan De Souza (fiddle & mandolin). Trillium has a smooth folk sound anchored by Mim’s beautiful vocals and strong hammered dulcimer.
They combine their talent with their passion for the music to build a totally unique and very pleasant sound. This is one of the CDs you’ll hear me playing when you stop by the shop. They play an interesting blend of Celtic and Americana, with interesting tunes that are definitely not the run of the mill.
I hope everyone had a happy and safe new year’s celebration, let’s make this year a good one. Just a note, you can always get the CDs I write about at our store. As always you can catch me at Rampant Lion Celtic Traders, 47 S. Villa in Villa Park or call me at 630-834-8108 or drop a line to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Slainté.
