Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Musician who, as leader of The Chieftains, became the world's principal ambassador of Irish music over 35 years.
On the island
Eight records
Yeah, the trip to China was just brilliant. I mean the first band to play on the Great Wall of China, but we recorded and filmed everything. But one of the great things I wanted to do was to team up with the Chinese musicians.
I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls
I remember, you know, if I was out from school with a small ailment and a slight sore throat, I was dying to get downstairs and play my own wind-up gramophone. And one of my favourite ones was the West of Ireland singer herself, Margaret Brook Sheridan. She used to do a great version of I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls, the Balf opera.
The Coast of MalabarFavourite
Yeah, these house parties were just brilliant. ... And I can still see my grandmother sitting up on this wooden churn and she was singing this song and still here and see her. At that time this song was called Little Maid from Malabar, but that wasn't quite accepted in in the United States and it became the coast of Malabar.
You know, uh talk about the purists and all, but I I think I went too far when I put together a skiffle group because I loved Lonnie Donnigan. I was into jazz and all that kind of stuff. So I had this group called the Three Squares.
And John Field was a Dubliner, 18th century, came from Fishambal Street in Dublin. And he was the inventor of the nocturne. ... And Field, strangely enough, when he went about doing something that he thought was Irish, it turned out to be kind of Scottish. So this is a rondo from John Field. It's on Derek's album, Derrick Bell Plays It Himself.
Montserrat Caballé and Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran
Um Monster at Cabea, ah she's such a wonderful voice and wonderful lady and talk about collaborations and we can all do collaborations but I think the best collaboration I think ever was Monster at Cabea and Freddie Mercury uh singing this song Barcelona.
Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 495
Dennis Brain with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan
One of his concertos, the horn concerto in E-flat, to me is a rip-off of an Irish jig called The Piper's Chair. And I'm sure it was Michael Kelly who gave him the Piper's Chair, because if you listen to the jig, you know, the diddly diddle, do you want me to play around with it?
Elvis Costello and The Chieftains with the Irish Film Orchestra
I was blessed I had to do some music for a series called The Long Journey Home, the Irish when they left Ireland from 1830 right up to today. ... But I came up with an anthem, a piece of music for the anthem, and I said this wouldn't be right without the words. And my good friend Elvis Costello sat down and just in 24 hours he had it written out, you know.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:58What do you think it is about Irish traditional music that makes it able to move in and with so many other cultures?
Within the structure of the melodies, there's a tremendous variety of different kind you know different melodies. ... In fact, it's amazing that our guide over there, I used to take him aside and said, Look, I want you to sing me something from your hometown. And he'd sing and he'd go off into one of these West of Ireland what we call the shannons, the old style of singing. And that to me was touched my heart, you know, and I love that.
Presenter asks
7:42How did you begin [collaborating with other musicians] in the first place?
I did say that. I mean, we've always been kind of musicians, musicians. Like way back in 68, John Peel on his Night Ride programme, the programme to listen to, was playing The Stones and the Beatles. And in the middle, you know, out comes this track from the Chieftains. ... And making tracks with other musicians, like Mike Oldfield, and Art Garfunkel, and people like The Eagles and Don Hendy. I wanted to bring all those tapes and put them all in one album.
Presenter asks
8:50Tell me about performing with Van Morrison. Is that always a predictable business?
The keepsakes
The book
It gives great descriptions of Ireland going back so many hundreds of years. And it's just the first reference I've ever seen to the chumpon, one of the instruments that I use.
The luxury
I think that's it, and I'd be happy enough with that, and that would keep me very, very happy.
A book to be written. I mean Van we've known forever, I I think, you know, and he's a great friend. Sort of a love-hate sort of relationship. I mean, he plays terrible tricks on me, there's no doubt. ... And so when he came up towards the end of it, he was singing away, Billy Billy, he shouts. Of course we ruined the take, you know. Except I still have that take, it's rather unique and brilliant, you know.
Presenter asks
16:32Why weren't you ambitious for [commercial success]?
Well that would have been selling uh to me selling out. I mean it would have when I say selling out, it wouldn't be the sound that I wanted to create, it wouldn't be the way the approach that I wanted to go. Like I I'd put music first, that's the most important thing, and then after that for whom I'd like to play, the people and what they want to hear. And then thirdly, of course, if we can make a living out of it, all the better.
Presenter asks
19:46How do you [compose and arrange music]?
You know, you had more sick bags than aeroplanes that you could ever believe. They're stuck everywhere. But, you know, when you're on an aeroplane on a long journey to Australia, someplace, you can't ring the bell to get off or take a rest. So out comes the sick bags and bits of paper and I'd like to make it all the way. ... In my pocket here, I mean just pieces of paper like that that has uh has little lullabies, you know, in the look hiding in Doreen on the other side of it as well. So uh this that'll spark off something and from that I'll start to develop it and develop it.
“I think in folk music that if you go back far enough you'll find even with our music there's a common bond there.”
“Absolutely. I mean, it's the beginning of all music, folk music. That's how it all started. From the great masters, you know, to Beethoven to Mozart to Benjamin Britton and and Vaughan Williams, and they all sort of pulled on on folk themes.”
“I can actually see it out there first and then write it down. ... I can see the story, I can see the person, I can see the emotion, I can see the feel for what it's going to be eventually. And it starts to pop out, you know, and then all of a sudden you have a tune.”