Dervish – Irish Music at RAG
The Roxbury Arts Group has established a reputation for the place to celebrate
St. Patrick’s Day with the highest level of Celtic music performance.
This year, with the appearance of Dervish, a world –renowned band From
Sligo in NW Ireland, on Friday, March 9th, at 8 pm, there is no doubt that
this will be the premiere Celtic event in the area this March. Tickets are
$18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and $8 for children under 12
years. Reservations at (607) 326-7908.
Although deeply devoted to traditional Irish music in its purest form, Dervish have always pushed the boundaries and are widely respected for their innovative approach to the arrangement of traditional Irish songs in both English and Irish. Having represented Ireland at festivals throughout the world, earlier this year they accompanied the Irish government on its trade mission to China. Dervish are noted also for their interpretation of a wide range of modern songs. Possessing one of the tightest and most inventive rhythm sections on the circuit today, the Sligo-based sextet are famous for their high energy performance style, at times wild and swirling, at times deep and spiritual.
Dervish concert performances are a myriad of tones and moods ranging from
high energy tunes, played with fluidity and intuitiveness, to beautifully
measured songs, from charming lyrics of life and love, to inspiring melodies
that lift audiences from their seats. All the elements are drawn together
by Cathy Jordan¹s masterful stage-presence. Her stories to the songs
and her interaction with the audience draws people into the music in a way
very few performers can achieve.
The members of traditional Irish band Dervish met as most Irish musicians
do: as strangers in a bar. “I’m a farmer’s daughter,” says
singer Cathy Jordan, “and someone else in the band is an architect’s
son. Outside of music, we may have never met, but this is how Irish people
have forged unlikely friendships for years, playing music together.”
“In Irish music, there are three elements: goltraí: so sad, it brings tears; geantrí: so lively, it makes you want to dance; suantrá: so soothing, you want to sleep. At a Dervish concert, you experience all three and it leaves you exhilarated!”
In exploring other contemporary songs with folk sounds, the band discovered Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” and Dire Strait’s “Brothers in Arms” which sound perfectly at home in a traditional Irish treatment.Mandola-player Brain McDonagh saw a documentary about Whirling Dervishes and found the parallels between the devotional art form and Irish musicians similar. “Dervishes are usually a group of poor but spiritual people enraptured by music,” explains Jordan. “They spin around and become entranced by the music. As the spinning progresses, the dervishes reach a higher level of being. Similarly, in a traditional Irish session, people may meet for the first time through the common bond of music. As the night progresses, a euphoria builds and lifelong friendships ensue.” The name Dervish was meant to be an album, but it stuck as the band’s name.
Dervish searches high and low for new material, old melodies, lesser-known lyrics. “We’re always on the lookout for new material and it comes to us in different ways,” explains Jordan. “Sometimes at a session an old man sings a tune we’ve never heard. We have a great rapport with the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin where there are vast collections of the old manuscripts and the earliest recordings of Irish music. Sometimes we find things on TV, on the radio, or on records.” The search for materials is simultaneously part of preserving history and making traditional music relevant to today.
When Jordan was asked to sing at Bob Dylan’s fiftieth birthday party in Dublin, musicians were asked to pay tribute by performing one of his songs. As a result, her choice, “Boots of Spanish Leather” was added to Dervish’s repertoire and has become one of their most requested songs. In exploring other contemporary songs with folk sounds, the band discovered Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” and Dire Strait’s “Brothers in Arms” which sound perfectly at home in a traditional Irish treatment.
“It’s a funny thing, but Irish music is one of the oldest forms of music, yet it is influenced an awful lot by other things,” explains Jordan. “It evolves and evolves. Our sound is very recognizable because of the bouzouki and mandola. And though we have a modern style within the Irish context, you might not say it’s really modern because it blends in so well. But in actual fact there are a lot of modern influences in there.”