Having trained as a classical guitarist, the young Andy Irvine fell in with bad company - a pair of Irish folk musicians. Winters were spent travelling the by-ways if Ireland with the band Sweeney's Men while his summers took him to Eastern Europe. Everywhere he went he collected music and musical instruments. When fellow Sweeney, Johny Moynihan, turned up one day with a bazouki there was no looking back. Andy's open-tuned mandolin and bazouki style was perfected in the band Planxty with rythm-king Donal Lunny.

Andy had for years longed to pay homage to East European folk music and here, with piper Davey Spillane and producer/arranger Bill Whelan, he realises a worthy dream. Some of Ireland's finest jazz and folk musicians were pressed into service while a Bulgarian flavour is added by the string playing of Nikola Parov. But it is the wonderful vocals of Hungary's Marta Sebestyen that steals the show.

The end result is a joyous selection of folk and dance tunes - the sort of dance music that compels the most conservative of Irish step dancers to throw their hands in the air. It's not surprising the one of Bill Whelan's next projects was to compose the music for Riverdance.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Balkan & Irish Mix with C. Euro Female Vocals, 4 May 2005

By	Erika Borsos "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Eastwind (Audio CD)

love all these regional styles of music and singing *separately* ... therefore I had to have this CD ... where they are combined to experience this new phenomenon. The experiment is not definable but it works! It works superbly ... due to the depth and range of musicians and vocalists who have all achieved notice on the world music stage. Given the rise in status of Celtic music in the past 10 or more years, and since the Bulgarian Female Choirs/Choruses have done world tours -- the 5/16, 7/16, 9/16, and 11/16 rhythms have captivated many listeners wherever they have performed. This mix of music is fresh and exciting, very much alive and dynamic. The fact that Bill Whelan of River Dance fame helped produce it and adds his talent on keyboards and piano is a major plus. Andy Irvine of Planxty fame who is credited with having revived Old Time Irish music plays the bouzouki and hurdy gurdy with great talent and total committment. Davy Spillane provides the uillean pipes and low whistling music to round out the golden Irish touch. Nikola Parov adds more of the Balkan flavors playing the gadulka, kaval, gaida (bagpipes), and bouzouki. It is further spiced up with multiple percussions, saxophone, fiddle music and the accordion. The uniquely different mix of instruments proves highly successful. It creates a most pleasing sound, anyone who loves the original regional music will feel quite at home with this combination. Combine these tempting instruments with the ethereal haunting female vocals of Marta Sebestyen who opened the eyes and ears of the world to traditional Hungarian and Transylvanian songs and tunes ... this CD was destined to be a stellar musical production. It will not disappoint anyone who loves any of the individual styles of music or instruments which are featured in this production. Most highly recommended.
Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)

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