In the mid-'70s, Mick Moloney and folklorist Miles Krassen received a grant from the NEA to record the music of Irish immigrants in America. Surprisingly, their recordings were the first of their kind, and their pioneering efforts preserved the pre-Riverdance time in Irish-American culture when the only place to hear traditional Irish music was in kitchens, pubs, and church halls. Rounder has released their recordings on two CDs; one devoted to musicians on the East Coast, the other to players in Chicago. The East Coast is a collection of 21 tracks recorded in living rooms in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, and includes two generations of musicians. Almost all of the older players were born in Ireland and include musicians like Charlie Coen, the concertina-playing priest, his brother Jack, fiddler and step-dancer Eugene O'Donnell, and flautist Gus Collins. The younger musicians, most of who were born in America, include fiddler Brendan Mulvihill, accordionist Billy McComiskey, and fiddler Maureen Fitzpatrick. At the time these recordings were made, it was almost impossible to make a living playing traditional Irish music, so Moloney and Krassen's microphones captured something that is rarely heard these days: the sound of master musicians playing for love instead of money. --Michael Simmons
Traditional Irish Music in America: The East Coast,Various Artists,Rounder Select,Celtic Folk,Celtic/Irish,Int'l & World Music,Irish,Irish Folk,Pop,Traditional Celtic,Traditional Irish Folk,World Music
International Music: