Altan believes Irish traditional music is modern in every sense

With their award-winning recordings, ranging from the most sensitive and touching traditional Irish songs to hard-hitting reels and jigs, Altan has moved audiences from Donegal to Seattle. Now, they are coming to China for the first time.

Since formed in Donegal in 1987 by Gweedore vocalist and fiddler Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and her husband Belfast flute-player Frankie Kennedy, Altan has believed that Irish traditional music is a modern music in every sense and they have been bringing the beauty of traditional music, that of the Donegal fiddlers and singers in particular, to contemporary audiences around the world.

Before Altan, the couple also released their own album, Ceol Aduaidh, in 1983, featuring then unknown musician, Eithne Ni Bhraonain, now known as Enya.

According to Mhaonaigh, the seeds of the band lie in the music and fun of gatherings and sessions in kitchens and pubs in Donegal, where virtuoso music was heard in an atmosphere of respect and intimacy. With Ciaran Curran on bouzouki and Mark Kelly on guitar, Altan began as a quartet.

In 1989, Altan released their well-received debut album Horse with a Heart, which was followed by the award-winning record, The Red Crow. Though they have had lots of different musicians as guests on their albums, they maintain their style.

"It's here that the band's heart lies, where we are performing on TV in Australia or jamming with musicians from other genres on the west coast of the United States," Mhaonaigh says. "The tunes that we play are traditional, and it's enhanced by the backing. I'd say it's the backing that makes us a little bit different from other groups."

With Daithi Sproule from Derry, Northern Ireland on guitar and Ciaran Tourish on fiddle and whistle joining the band, Altan toured around the world and have established a large following in Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan.

The New York Times wrote: "Altan's special strength is the clarity and coordination of its textures."

Their fourth album, Island Angel, was described by Billboard as "the fourth-best-selling album of world music in 1994" and the band was invited to perform at the White House on Saint Patrick's Day.

The death of Kennedy from cancer in Sept 1994, was a hard time for Altan, especially Mhaonaigh, who said "it's very hard a loss is always very hard on any band or on any person".

A winter school of music, the Frankie Kennedy Winter Music School, is now held in Gweedore, Donegal, each year in honor of co-founder Frankie Kennedy.

Altan's international status and success found a very practical recognition when they were signed in 1996 to Virgin Records, the first Irish band of their kind to be signed by a major label.

With 13 albums released so far and a hectic touring schedule, Altan continue bringing the beauty and joy of traditional music to audiences.

"It's possible to give your all night after night, because the audience gives you energy that you think you don't have until you stand in front of them. I don't mind touring at all because you may be tired during the day but as soon as you go on that stage, it's like it's like a surge of energy that comes into you," Mhaonaigh says.

According to Cui Renyu, the founder and director of Pocket Music, which is bringing Altan to China and will release their albums, among all the bands and musicians he brought to Chinese audiences, Altan is one of the longest established.

"Their music is not only traditional but also connects with modern audiences. I like their music's purity. I believe they will take the audience to a joyful night," he says.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/23/2014 page9)