DONALD BLACK - Bho M' Chridhe
Private Label DB05CD
Maybe it's a sign of being 'sizeist' in one's view of instrumental music if the prospect of a full album of harmonica virtuosity does not instantly set the blood racing for everyone. Donald Black is the leading practitioner of the moothie as a traditional instrument and he goes a long way towards transcending the gob-iron's image as something you stuff in your shirt pocket and forget about.
No, size isn't everything; versatility, variety and soul count for a lot as well. The CD's title translates as From My Heart, and that is a fair indication of Mr Black's aspirations to paint the big emotional picture.
He doesn't do it alone. His tunes come from a wide range of sources, both traditional and attributable, originally intended for the harmonica and not. He also has the help of a healthy crew of guest musicians from both old and new worlds, predominantly on squeezeboxes, fiddles and guitars. At all times, the humble harmonica - which after all is often carried next to the heart - holds its own. Listen, for instance, to the set of jigs starting with Roll Back The Carpet, or the stripped down, old school sound of a set of 2/4 marches under the title of Highland Schottische, or the Slow Air that follows them, for evidence of what this modest instrument can do in expert hands.
www.donald-black.com
Dave Hadfield
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Many CDs we review are available from The Listening Post. Check to see if this CD is available. The Listening Post is the CD mailorder service of The Living Tradition magazine. This album was reviewed in Issue 120 of The Living Tradition magazine. |