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GARDEN OF BUTTERFLIES is an awesomely good recording of Irish traditional music from a San Francisco trio who go by the quirky name of Jody's Heaven. Heavenly indeed. The sound created by Dale Russ's fiddle, Jack Gilder's concertina and flute and Junji Shirota's guitar and
bouzouki is angelically beautiful. Garden of Butterflies is also solidly and tastefully traditional. No bass and drums, no "new age" noodling, no speed-burning showoffery -- just honest Irish music the way it ought to be played.
That none of the trio is Irish or grew up listening to Irish music has not stopped them from becoming world-class talents in what is now a very internationalized musical genre. Russ is a Slovakian-American from Connecticut who taught himself the fiddle after moving to Seattle in 1973. He met Gilder, a native of California's Central Valley, at a music camp in Mendocino County and through him hooked up with Shirota, who came to |
Irish music after a successful career as a bluegrass musician in Japan. Shirota is apparently more fluent in Irish music than in the English language -- the name "Jody's Heaven" came from his misunderstanding of the name of a reel called "The Jolly Seven."
The opening track, which starts with the Donegal reel "Launching the Boat," is perhaps the best on the disc, a fabulous fiddle and concertina duet with overdubbed flute and banjo. Fans of the Baroque-influenced music of harper Turlough O'Carolan will enjoy the three O'Carolan selections on the disc, tracks on which Shirota's finger-picked guitar takes the lead. Another standout cut is "The Eel in the Sink/Limerick Lasses," a reel selection that finishes with a rarely heard tune setting from New York fiddle great Kathleen Collins. - Don Meade, |
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On to the American Celtic scene, which once again has come up with some
nice goodies. The best of these this time out is Garden of Butterflies
[Aniar ANR-104], an all-instrumental outing from the Bay area trad trio
Jody's Heaven. The band is made up of fiddler Dale Russ (whose solo work
and duets with [uilleann] piper Todd Denman have earned him accolades both
here and in Ireland), flute and concertina player Jack Gilder, and
guitarist/banjo picker Junji Shirota. Together, they play blazing reels,
relaxed jigs, sprightly hornpipes, and moving airs in spare but thoughtful
arrangements that have the airy, light feeling you might expect from a disc
with this title. They also put in some set dances, marches, and an
infectious set of polkas to add spice.
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Shirota's guitar gets an extra
chance to shine on two O'Carolan tunes, and Gilder's flute playing does the
same on "The Lament for Owen Roe" and the hornpipe "Garrai na Bhfeileoig,"
which is also the title tune. Russ's fiddle, meanwhile, leads on much of
the dance music. Almost all the tunes are traditional, and the band
members have clearly done their homework; this isn't a bunch of tunes
played the way the Bothy Band used to do it, but a well-crafted album of
new arrangements for thoroughly researched music learned from the best
players, books and pubs in Irish music. The result is a thoroughly
satisfying disc I'm sure I'll return to again and again.
- Steve Winick, |
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Jody's Heaven is made up of San Francisco based guitarist Junji Shirota, concertinist Jack Gilder and Seattle-based fiddler Dale Russ. Musically tight-knit, the trad trio's latest release on the humble but increasingly noteworthy Aniar label has raised the eyebrows of aficionados across the country. Not surprisingly: Jack Gilder and Dale Russ play with the kind of subtlety and detail associated with big-name pairings like Noel Hill and Tony Linnane, and this collection of tunes is refreshing-- drawn not from just well worn session standards, but from a wide array of other sources that belies the fact that these men know their trad music. Jack Gilder also plays whistle, bodhrán and flute--check out a beautiful rendition of "The Lament for Owen Roe."
These pages have previously recognized guitarist Junji Shirota, the third member of the group who also plays banjo and bouzouki. Shirota contributes the only original piece, "Lady Mondagreen," which holds it's own with the other tunes, and takes center stage in "O'Carolan's Draught" and "O'Carolan's Welcome." "Draught" is one of |
O'Carolan's most well worn tunes, but Shirota's passing chords and bass runs demonstrate a fresh jazzy sensibility as well as an appreciation for the baroque tradition of improvised bass and counterpoint. Turlough O'Carolan himself would no doubt be pleased.
Junji and Jack are regulars at San Francisco's Plough and the Stars and play with Crónán and Tipsy House, while Dale Russ plays with the Suffering Gaels in the Seattle area. But fortunately the trio have an increasingly busy touring schedule as Jody's Heaven, including upcoming San Francisco, Chico and Mendocino dates. New York's Irish Voice as well as folk staple Fiddler magazine and Dirty Linenhailed this recording as refreshing and accomplished, free of overdubs, jams, celebrities and gimmicks. For the record we concur...go and see what all the fuss is about. - David Reidy, |
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JODY'S HEAVEN is a collection of tunes that rises above the commonplace by virtue of the sensitivity and musicianship of the players. I will start with the fiddler Dale Russ because he is the focus of this magazine, but this is a group of true equals. Russ is from Washington State and he has taught at The Lark in the Morning music camp in Mendocino for the last few years. He is self taught, and from the results it appears he had an excellent teacher. He has a light touch with the bow but he never sounds wimpy.
Russ has a fine ear for the details of a tune and his interplay with the concertina and flute of Jack Gilder is a delight to hear. Gilder and Russ trade the melodic duties often within the medleys so the overall sound never gets monotonous. Gilder also plays whistle and bodhran. As good as Gilder and Russ are together, it is the guitar playing of Junji Shirota that really takes the |
music to a higher level. Guitarists can be a problem in Irish music. Many rhythm players feel it is their duty to fill every space with notes, and they can sometimes sound like they are scrubbing away at a washboard, there is so much pick noise. Shirota, on the other hand, respects the spaces between the notes. Where some guitarists might be tempted to play complex chords or flashy triplet strums, Shirota uses simple but elegant walking bass lines or deftly articulated arpeggios. Shirota's playing should be required listening for all Irish rhythm guitarists.
Dale Russ, Jack Gilder and Junji Shirota are all fine musicians, but when they play together they sometimes play more than music, they play magic. - Michael Simmons, |
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THIS CD features two of the West Coast's veteran exponents of Traditional Irish music, whose names alone guarantee quality: Dale Russ on fiddle and Jack Gilder on flute, concertina and whistle. They are joined on guitar, 5 string banjo and bouzouki by Junji Shirota, a Japanese musician with a long history in bluegrass, who has a great feel for the Irish tradition as well. With the trend in commercial recordings of traditional music (especially as far as groups are concerned) towards increasing hit-or-miss experimentation and enervating musical gimmickry, it is often a relief to find a recording in which the music is allowed to stand on it's own merits. This is exactly what this CD delivers. The emphasis here is on close fiddle/flute and fiddle/concertina duet playing with effective backing from Junji. Demonstration of individual virtuosity takes a seat right at the back end of this session (beside the bodhrán player!,) though Dale has surely booked his spot in Heaven with his track of the big piping jigs "The Gold Ring/The Humours of Ballyloghlin".
Reels and jigs dominate naturally, and most of these will be familiar to experienced listeners. Musicians looking to build up their repertoire with more technically demanding session tunes will find plenty to work with here. With regard to more unfamiliar material, Dale contributes two fine reels of his own making, the second of which at least should find it's way into my own repertoire very shortly, though in a more flute-friendly key. Junji goes solo with an O'Carolan tune played on guitar in a way that evokes the sound of the harp, and he also makes a good job of Paddy Keenan inspired |
version of "The Blackbird", though he plays it as an air rather than a set-dance. Jack and Junji combine on an evocative tune from northern Spain, which highlights the sweetness of the concertina.
The tunes are arranged in well-crafted sets with nifty changes, which always helps to put a new shine on old favorites. The tempo is moderate and the mood is relaxed and friendly. Having had a past unrequited love affair with the concertina, I especially liked the tracks featuring concertina and fiddle, always a marvelous combination. Jack's concertina style weaves itself well into Dales fiddling, particularly in the jig set "Flowers of Spring/Helvic Head". You will probably have to listen to this CD a few times to fully appreciate it, but the more you listen, the more you will hear. Listening to it is like having a few quiet tunes with close musical friends in a nice quiet pub somewhere on the West Coast of Ireland. Those of you who know what I mean will understand this as a high recomendation. The liner notes give short bios of the musicians and information on the sources of their music. As a musician, I regard this as as not just a welcome gesture of courtesy, but as a recognition of ones place in a vibrant community of traditional musicians past and present in Ireland and America. The CD is well worth adding to your collection. - Paddy O'Neill, |
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A sprightly, lovingly performed traditional Irish CD is delivered by Dale Russ on fiddle, Jack Gilder flute, concertina, whistle, bodhran and Junji Shirota on guitar, 5 string banjo and bouzouki. They do session tunes (I loved "Sporting Paddy"), do some elegant duets of fiddle and concertina on "Flowers of Spring" with the very light touch of Junji's mellow guitar. Russ is just about as good a Traditional Irish fiddler as we see in these parts. And he composes as heard in "February Reels" which should take you out of the doldrums this winter. He also has exquisite control and attack on "Gold Ring / Humours of Bally Loughlin." I had heard about Junji who has heavy bluegrass
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and newgrass credentials in both Japan and in the USA. His guitar is romantic and he shows that lovingly on "O'Carolan's Rambles to Cashel." Gilder has a clear voice on flute and pennywhistle shown on "Marie's Waltz / Up in the Air / Sweeny's Buttermilk." And he rips the concertina on the "Shamrock Hill" grouping. A joyus diverse collection of tunes that gives everyone a chance to step forward at the same time, show their tight ensemble and counterpoint. Highly recomended.
- Chris Lunn, |
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WHEN I first heard the debut album,
"Jody's Heaven," I was struck by the grace and clarity of the music. Although this is an entirely instrumental recording, the artists tell great stories along the way through the unique voices of their instruments. It's quite obvious that each performer is a master of his instrument, yet the ensemble playing is impeccable. Dale, Jack and Junji are listening to each other very carefully, and it shows in this wonderful first release of Traditional Celtic music. Dale's fiddle and Jack's concertina or flute are a delightful coupling of timbres with beautifully executed attacks, phrasing and ornamentation. Neither Jack nor Dale rely on overstated playing styles. After years of honing their skills, they have both come to occupy that region of artistic |
endeavor where notes can flow and transport the listener to an enchanted place.
Junji's accompaniment on guitar or bouzouki is never heavy or plodding, instead we are treated to chordal harmonies and rhythms leavened by sparkling rhythms and countermelodies. He knows how to create wonderful shades of color to support the melodies. Be sure to listen for some lovely solo tracks where his guitar work stands on its own marvelous merit. Listening to "Jody's Heaven" is a sweet and powerful experience. - David Sullivan, |
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IDEALLY, Traditional Celtic folk music - particularly the acoustic Irish kind - should make you smile, get your foot involuntarily tapping and, every now and then, bring a tear to your eye.
The spiritual and melodic genius of much of American folk and bluegrass music, it's echos are evident everywhere, and it's timeless charms are fully revealed on this new, hour- long instrumental CD by a San Francisco based trio that includes former Stockton resident Jack Gilder on concertina, flute, whistle and bodhran. Once a member of Tipsy House, Gilder is joined by fiddler Dale Russ and acoustic guitar player Junji Shirota, who also plucks away on banjo and bouzouki as they meld 32 tunes into 14 medleys, ranging from ancient traditional selections to more contemporary creations/derivations and one original piece ("Lady Mondagreen") by Shirota. The names of these reels, jigs, polkas, set dances (but not "Riverdances"), marches, hornpipes and airs are as much fun as most of the music ("The |
Humours of Lisdell," "The Little Heathery Hill," "Eel in the Sink," "Letterkenny Blacksmith," "The Lament for Owen Roe," "Over the Moors to Maggie," "Lark on the Strand," "O'Carolan's Welcome" and "Garraí na Bhfelleoig," Gaelic for "Garden of Butterflies").
The trios impeccable and spirited playing conjures up images of verdant hills, flowery meadows, sylvan woods and steamy pubs (not dancers hoofing on a broadway stage), the tunes built mostly around Russ' sweetly scittering fiddle but also mixing in Shirota's deft guitar and Gilder's trilling flute. Russ' accompanying liner notes are a revelation too, providing a slightly academic history lesson of music that has been handed down for hundreds of years by flashing fingers and word of mouth, being enriched and reinforced every step of the way. - Brian McCoy, |
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I recieved a note from Jack Gilder a little while back with a copy of his groups self-titled CD, "Jody's Heaven." I knew that they would be coming to Stockton in a few Saturdays on February 22nd, 8:00 PM, at the First Unitarian Church and I thought I'd give it a listen. I am happy to report that there should not be an idle toe or sad face in the hall that night.
The CD is full of wonderful traditional Irish music played by three accomplished musicians on a variety of instruments: Dale Russ on fiddle: Jack Gilder on concertina, flute, whistle and bodhran: and Junji Shirota on guitar, banjo and bouzouki. There are many delightful musical moments including Dales dexterous fiddle on "Gold Ring / Humours of Bally Loughlin." Jack's concertina and Junji's banjo on the "Shamrock Hill" medley |
and Jack's whistle on the "Monahan Twig" medley. Some of the most impressive playing on this CD is Junji Shirota's beautiful sounding guitar backup, a combination of steady rythm and melodic grace. The group as a whole has some of it's best moments in the rich and reflective ballads like "Far Away Waltz," the lovely and different Spanish "La Bruxa," and Shirota's solo guitar version of "O'Carolan's Rambles to Cashel."
So I suggest for those of you that enjoy fine acoustic playing and Traditional Irish music, try the "Jody's Heaven" concert on February 22nd. You might even sneak in your dancing shoes.
- Paul Friedlander, |
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