March/April 2005

Jazz Musicians are from Mars, Traditional Musicians are from Venus

Jazz Musicians are from Mars, Traditional Musicians are from Venus

Jazz Musicians are from Mars, Traditional Musicians are from Venus

Throughout the world – from Brazil to Scandinavia – jazz and traditional musicians are collaborating with exhilarating results.Irish musicians, however, have been slow to grasp the nettle.

Published on 1 March 2005

Gerry Godley is Artistic Director of Improvised Music Company, a resource organisation for jazz and related music in Ireland. He presents the world music programme Reels to Raga on RTÉ lyric fm.  

Editorial: Outward Looking

Editorial: Outward Looking

Gerry Godley’s article on the common ground that traditional musicians and jazz musicians share reminds me again that there is an extraordinary amount of music out there that I don’t make enough time to seek out and listen to.

Published on 1 March 2005

Toner Quinn is Editor of the Journal of Music. His new book, What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music, is available here. Toner will be giving a lecture exploring some of the ideas in the book on Saturday 11 May 2024 at 3pm at Farmleigh House in Dublin. For booking, visit https://bit.ly/3x2yCL8.

Turtles All the Way Down: The Axial Role of Improvisation in Music

Turtles All the Way Down: The Axial Role of Improvisation in Music

Is there a connection between improvisation in music-making and the exploratory babbling of an infant? Why is improvisation more often than not group-based rather than solo? Why are improvisational musical therapies so successful?

Published on 1 March 2005

Cyprian Love is a Benedictine monk of Glenstal Abbey, Co Limerick. He is an organist and has recorded the Abbey organ on several CDs, including, most recently, some improvisations on Biscantorat: Sound of the Spirit from Glenstal Abbey (HBCD0038). He has also contributed organ playing to a number of RTÉ broadcasts of the Abbey liturgy. He teaches liturgical studies and various aspects of theology on newly established degree courses at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.

Sa gCuinne Dána ag Lucht an tSean-nóis

Sa gCuinne Dána ag Lucht an tSean-nóis

Tarraingíodh raic agus rúcam ar Raidió na Gaeltachta le gairid i ngeall ar alt a scríobh mé san eagrán deireanach den JMI ag rá go raibh ‘nósanna nua de dhíth ar an sean-nós’....

Published on 1 March 2005

Breandán Ó hEaghra is a member of the contemporary Irish language group Rís and Director of Meas Media.

An Appeal to Musicians to Rise Up Against the Neo-Liberal Order

An Appeal to Musicians to Rise Up Against the Neo-Liberal Order

Five companies have taken over vertical and horizontal control of almost every aspect of the music industry, controlling virtually every known label, most of the major distribution companies and much of copyrighted music.

Published on 1 March 2005

Dr Kieran Allen is a lecturer in sociology in UCD and the author of The Celtic Tiger: The Myth of Social Partnership (Manchester University Press, 2000).