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Alan Stivell
In his liner notes to 1 Douar, Stivell explains that the recording "reveals my desires, my influences, my encounters with great artists of today, an emotion I hope to share." The harpist, singer and songwriter, a passionate champion of Breton culture who speaks *in poetic lyrics, writes that he was "...amazed as a boy by a world of paradoxes in which similarities were as powerful as contrasts. Today, in a time when frontiers are fossils of past borders, it's clear we will suffocate without diversity. Between the twin Hells of uniformity and division must lie a passable path." Stivell discovers this common ground in performances that are universal in their humanistic message and infectious in their rhythmic diversity. N'Dour, the father of mbalax, a jumping, complicated blend of African, Caribbean and pop rhythms, is featured on the tracks "A United Earth 1 and "A United Earth II his sweet tenor entwining magically with Stivell's. The raspier voice of Khaled, a musical pioneer who transformed rai from a local style into one of worldwide popularity by adding a synthesizer and drum machine to this unique blend of funk, reggae and Arabic music, joins Stivell on "Ensemble" and "Crimes." Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Cale, who co-founded The Velvet Underground in the mid-1960s and was a major inspiration of the new wave and punk movements, adds an urban edge to the song "Ever," while Simple Mind's Jim Kerr is heard on the nationalistic "Scots Are Right." Paddy Maloney, who has worked with The Chieftains and Mike Oldfield, is featured on "Kenavo Glenmor," while the CD concludes with the ethereal sounds of the female vocalists Breda Mayock, Elisa Carrahar and Ashley Maher who are showcased on "Una's Love," "Aet On (Into The Universe's Breath" and "A United Earth III," respectively. If there is a single savior of Celtic music, it is probably Alan Stivell. An enigmatic figure, given his focus on Breton culture, Stivell is one of the world's most compelling folk musicians and one whose stature transcends the folk music world. Since the end of the 1960s, he has done more to revive interest in the Celtic, and specifically the Breton, harp than anyone, and in the process almost singlehandedly made the world aware of native Breton Celtic music. Since 1971, Stivell has recorded albums of extraordinary beauty and Stivell's most significant accomplishment, however, involved the rebirth and rediscovery of an instrument and an entire cultural history. His career brought to fruition the revival of he Breton harp that his father had begun in the 1930s and 1940s. The harp had a long and honored place in the history of the Celtic peoples. The instrument was first embraced, and possibly invented, by the primordial Irish people, who carried it to Scotland and Wales, and later to Brittany and the rest of the European continent. Although preserved as an image in numerous works of art, the Breton harp had receded from memory and use well before the 20th century. Stivell first played his father's modem Breton harp in 1953 and within 20 years there were over 100 players where previously there had been none. He also uses harps from Ireland, Scotland and Wales on his recordings and in concert. Today Stivell actively performs folk-rock with his band of Breton musicians and also presents his symphony, an ambitious work for mixed ensemble of orchestra, Breton and Irish and voices. Review by Ben Kettlewell information: |
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With
a recording career spanning almost thirty years, it becomes
more and more difficult to out-do his last effort, but on
this latest release on the Dreyfus label, renowned harpist
Alan Stivell succeeds admirably. The acclaimed Breton artist
who for more than a quarter century has been spearheading
the revival Celtic music is enjoying today, explores several
new stylistic horizons on his latest CD, I Douar (1
Earth). The release is set for a July 21st in the U.S. 1
Earth is the 8th release for Stivell in the U.S.,
following Brian Boru, 1996, and Zoom, 1997; a 25-year
retrospective of his career, since signing a worldwide
distribution agreement with Dreyfus Records in 1987. 1 Earth
presents Stivell in a series of collaborations with such
international world music superstars as the Senegalese
singer and percussionist Youssou N'Dour and the Algerian
singer Khaled, the "King of Rai," as well as with rock
legend John Cale, Simple Minds vocalist Jim Kerr, uilleann
pipe player Paddy Maloney and singers Breda Mayock, Elisa
Carrahar and Ashley Maher.