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Star-Gazette.com, Concert Preview >>
Dervish brings eclectic mix of Irish music to the Twin Tiers
March 8, 2007
By John P. Cleary
jcleary@stargazette.com
Star-Gazette
Brian McDonagh saw a movie about the Whirling Dervishes, a sect of the Sufi religion where practitioners get so caught up in music, they spin around and around. The spinning forms an important part of their religious observance.
McDonagh figured Dervish would be a good name for his band, since the Irish musicians get so enraptured in their performance, it's almost a spiritual experience. The group, which is touring the United States in support of its new CD "Spirit," plays Sunday at 171 Cedar Arts Center's Drake House Studio Theater in Corning. The concert begins at 4 p.m.
The band includes seven friends who met in a bar: mandola player McDonagh, fiddler Tom Morrow, flutist and whistle player Liam Kelley, singer Cathy Jordan, guitarist and bassist Seamus O'Dowd, accordionist Shane Mitchell and bouzouki and mandocello player Michael Holmes.
"Spirit" includes an eclectic collection of reels, jigs and folk songs, reflecting the band's interest in preserving and performing lesser-known Irish music. Jordan's voice is high and sweet, and alternately rousing and soothing, depending on the tune.
The historic pieces, including a Robert Burns song ("The Soldier Laddie") blend well with newer compositions, including a cover of Bob Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather," which Jordan sang at Dylan's 50th birthday party in Dublin. Other modern songs the group gives its Irish folk treatment to, although not on "Spirit," are "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits and Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves."
Tickets cost $15, $8 for 171 Cedar Arts Center members and $5 for children 14 and under. They're available by calling (607) 936-4647. For more information, visit www.171cedararts.com. Dervish has a Web site at www.dervish.ie, where you can see video of the band performing and download music clips.
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