The Widening Gyre (album)

Presentation

This is the first studio album of original material to be released by Altan in almost 3 years since the release of Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen in 2012. This is also the first Altan album to feature new band member Martin Tourish on accordion.

In January 2015, Altan revealed that The Widening Gyre would be the name of their new album to be released in Ireland on 20 February 2015, in the UK on 23 February 2015 and in the US on 24 February 2015. And as they borrowed the title from "The Second Coming", one of W. B. Yeats poems, the first Irishman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. Altan's official website published a presentation of their new studio album The Widening Gyre giving many details about the new album: the new musical direction taken by the band, the album recording process and the participation of numerous guest musicians as well as the titles of some of the new tracks. The very same day, on their "Widening Gyre" iTunes page, Altan revealed the titles of the 14 tracks from their new studio album and released them for sale.

On 27 January 2015, on their "Widening Gyre" Compass Records page, Altan made available short snippets of their new tracks.

New musical direction

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh introduced the music on the album as an exploration of the influence of Appalachian music on Irish music. Recorded «with many good friends in the studio and Compass Records co-founder Garry West in the producer's chair steer[ing] the band in the studio to open up musically while somehow managing to help keep the integrity of Altan intact», the album is the result of a fusion «of the traditional Irish music that the members of Altan are known for, namely Donegal fiddling and Gaelic singing traditions, with American roots music, particularly that of the Appalachian bluegrass fiddle» and a celebration of the relationships between Altan and lifelong friends they've made through music.

The Widening Gyre straddles time as it manages to remind listeners of the ancient bond between Irish and Appalachian music while at the same time breaking new ground through collaborations between masters of American roots music and Celtic music.

Mairéad stated: «The title "The Widening Gyre" appeals to us and depicts the spiral of life, widening and embracing the new. It has an innate energy. We think that idea is reflected in the album's music».

The Widening Gyre is a compelling development in Altan's story proving that they are still growing as artists, even after nearly thirty years together — the longest running lineup of founding members in Irish music.

Recording

Altan recorded the new album over ten days from 29 July to 7 August 2014 entirely in Nashville, Tennessee (at Compass Records recording studios) in order to collaborate there with longtime friends and guests, many of the roots musicians the band members have met over their thirty years together including Tim O'Brien, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton and Compass co-founder Alison Brown.

Musical themes and guest musicians

The list of guests on the new album is as diverse as it is impressive:

Mary Chapin Carpenter, a friend of the band since the 1990s, lent her vocals to the song "White Birds" to create a lush, meditative re-imagining of the W. B. Yeats poem about being a bird on the sea, an appropriate metaphor for a band who has musically and physically crossed the Atlantic in the making of the album.» Mairéad introduces «Eddi Reader as «an amazing singer and very generous person» offering her angelic backing vocals to "Far Beyond Carrickfinn" and she recalls that Altan have played concerts with Reader before and [that] they were delighted to finally have the Glasgow native join them in the studio.»

Altan borrowed the mournful waltz "No Ash Will Burn" from the legendary Nashville songwriter Walt Aldridge. Mairead's crystalline vocals unlock the Celtic undertones of the song while standing in stark contrast to the plaintive baritone of Bruce Molsky, a longtime friend of the band and well-known old-time fiddler and singer.

The bluegrass presence shows itself most clearly on "Buffalo Gals" and "Thomasino (Thomas Tourish's Tune)," a lively fiddle song written by Altan's own Ciarán Tourish who's joined by bluegrass greats Alison Brown, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Todd Phillips, Bryan Sutton and Darol Anger.

Mairead gushes about Darol Anger: «His unique approach gives a different color to the music which opens up amazing possibilities with Irish traditional music. He is a true artist with that fiddle!» She also declares Stuart Duncan to be, «a fiddler's fiddler! He can create so many amazing variations on that instrument, it's unreal!»

Tim O'Brien duets on "The House Carpenter (Gypsy Davy)," a track which spotlights the shared musical roots of Irish and Appalachian music with references to both of these historical songs. O'Brien is best known for his work with Hot Rize, but like many dedicated bluegrass musicians, has shown a deep interest in Celtic music.

Funding

Altan called on Pledge Music's services in order to finance their new studio album.

On 3 January 2015, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh explained why Altan made this choice and thanked all the pledgers for helping Altan with the fundraising campaign and for bringing it to completion (reaching, at that time, 101% of goal): «The music business is a changing world for professional musicians as ourselves. We depend more on live concerts to make our living. We can no longer depend on big record company funding to get our music out there, we have to do it ourselves. Now with your help we have funded our latest album which we are really happy with.» She also stated that Altan have licensed the new album to Compass Records in the US, that Gary West of Compass co-produced it and that after 30 years recording studio albums, Altan «have taken a new approach with this one».

The Altan Pledge Music pre-order page announced that all exclusive pre-orders would be fulfilled by 17 February 2015.

Apart from the new album on CD, the Altan Pledge Music page offers many original and exclusive items.

Artwork

In a 20 January 2015 post on her Facebook page, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh revealed the cover of their new studio album and that the art work was done by their artist friend Édaín O'Donnell who previously designed the cover of their previous album Gleann Nimhe - The Poison Glen.

Critical reception

On 5 February 2015, before its release, The Widening Gyre was awarded full marks by The Irish Post's columnist Joe Giltrap, describing the album as "a really nicely balanced album", "an album of pure quality", "a great album from a great band".

The album received a very positive review from the New York-based Irish Voice's music critic Paul Keating, writing: "[Would] Altan have shared stages and off-hours sparks with a wealth of kindred musical spirits from both sides of the Atlantic and the Irish Sea [over the past thirty years], the recording shows that depth and creativity with lots of new stuff to savor and some reinventions of recognizable material as well, interpreted by some of the best musicians you can find in roots music.".

The Widening Gyre received a four star album review (out of 5) from The Irish Times's reviewer Siobhan Long, stating that Altan "have reinvigorated their sound in the process of [recording in] Nashville with newcomer Martin Tourish on piano accordion [and] an all-star cast [of Appalachian bluegrass musicians]".

The Arts Desk website's music critic Peter Quinn, stated: "Listeners looking for the uniquely driving tune sets that Altan are famous for have plenty to get their teeth into", describing The Widening Gyre as "an absolute treasure trove" and Ní Mhaonaigh's voice as "indescribably beautiful", "songs [occupying] a special place on any Altan album", adding: "Ní Mhaonaigh's soaring, soul-stirring vocals on "Far Beyond Carrickfinn" [...] is one of the most touching things you'll hear this year".

The Telegraph gave it 4 stars (out of 5), describing it as "a wonderful mix of Irish and Appalachian music."

On 9 March 2015, The Widening Gyre was honoured "album of the week" on RTÉ radio 1.

PopMatters's gave it a rating of 8 stars out of 10. Music critic Lee Zimmerman, stating: "The Widening Gyre is a defining moment for Altan. [...] [It] is much more than a mere scholarly treatise. The energy and enthusiasm are palatable, and there's a sense of celebration that echoes throughout. [...] Altan has made the kind of album that defines them as distinctive."

Irish Music Magazine's critic Eileen McCabe, stated: "Altan are just at the start of their next chapter and having shown their inimitable metal with The Widening Gyre; they have set the standard at an all time high."

Folkworks reviewer Anya Sturm, stated: "Altan's new CD The Widening Gyre is a fantastic collection of traditional Gaelic songs mixed in with Irish jam regulars. The band is joined by many special guests in this collection of upbeat lively jam tunes as well as slower songs sung by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. [...] This CD is a great mixture of what you would expect from a traditional Irish band combined with American influences."

In the May–June 2015 issue of (French magazine) Trad' Mag, folk critic Philippe Cousin awarded The Widening Gyre full marks (giving the album a "Bravo!!!" award), stating: "If Donegal is still part of it here, bluegrass colours dot here and there some of the fourteen tracks of this superb album. [...] Throughout the album, American and Irish tunes intertwine with each other and lay down a wonderful template sublimated by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's crystalline voice and her fellow musicians' instruments. Once again, a nice piece of work."

In December 2015, The Telegraph's culture editor Martin Chilton chose The Widening Gyre as one of the 70 best folk music albums of the year 2015.

Commercial performance

On 7 March 2015, The Widening Gyre entered the Billboard Top Ten World Music Albums Charts at #5 (its peak position ever) and hold #5 for six consecutive weeks.

Track listing

1. "Maggie's Pancakes/Píobaire an Chéide/The Friel Deal (Reels)" – 3:35 (with Alison Brown, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips, Jim Higgins & Kenny Malone)
2. "No Ash Will Burn" (song) – 3:21 (with Kenny Malone, Bruce Molsky, Garry West & Jeneé Fleenor)
3. "Buffalo Gals/Leather Britches/Leslie's Reel" – 3:55 (with Darol Anger, Alison Brown)
4. "Má Théann Tú 'un Aonaigh" (amhrán/song) – 2:39 (with Alison Brown, Natalie Haas & Jim Higgins)
5. "A Tune for Mairéad and Anna Ní Mhaonaigh" (slow tune) – 3:51 (with Stuart Duncan & Natalie Haas)
6. "White Birds" (song) – 4:40 (with Will Barrow & Mary Chapin Carpenter)
7. "The Tin Key/Sam Kelly's Jig/The Gravediggers (Jigs)" – 3:23
8. "Cúirt Robin Finley" (amhrán/song) – 4:16 (with Darol Anger & Natalie Haas)
9. "The House Carpenter (Gypsy Davy)" (song) – 4:33
10. "Samhradh (Slow Reel)/Aniar Aduaidh (Jig)/The Donegal Jig" (slow reel/jigs) – 6:11 (with Alison Brown)
11. "Lurgy Streams" (song) – 4:01
12. "The Triple T" (a.k.a. "Thomas Tourish's Tune" a.k.a. "Thomasino") – 5:50 (with Darol Anger, Alison Brown, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas)
13. "Far Beyond Carrickfinn" (song) – 3:48 (with Eddi Reader)
14. "The Road Home" (slow house) – 4:56 (with Darol Anger)

Altan

Guest musicians

Production

Live performances

Prior to the release of The Widening Gyre, Altan had already played live in concert (at least) one track from the new album, "The Tin Key/Sam Kelly's Jig/The Gravediggers (Jigs)", during (at least) one of their 2014 shows (i.e. their last show of 2014: on 5 December 2014 at The Great British Folk Festival in Skegness, Lincolnshire, UK).

On 22 February 2015 at West Virginia's Culture Center Theater in Charleston, West Virginia, Altan as a trio (including Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Ciaran Tourish and Dáithí Sproule) performed live for the NPR Music's Mountain Stage radio show a special set of 5 tracks including "The House Carpenter (Gypsy Davy)" from the new album. This 26-minute live set was broadcast on 5 May 2015 on the web edition of the radio show.

As an example, on 25 August 2015 at the East Belfast Arts Festival, Stormont Hotel, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK, Altan performed live no less than 10 songs (out of 14) from The Widening Gyre: