This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times Friday, April 10, 2009 by SIOBHÁN LONG
If ever there was an able successor to Seamus Begley and Steve Cooney’s groundbreaking 1996 CD Meitheal , Happy Hour is it. Abbeyfeale box player Dónal Murphy applies the finest of brush strokes to a mix of tunes, and it’s not only his slides and polkas that burst forth with great gusto here, but reels, jigs and hornpipes, too: like a rake of unruly school kids spilling out of a musty classroom and into a sun-drenched playground.
A veteran of both Four Men and a Dog and Sliabh Notes , Murphy’s smart move on this, his debut solo recording, was to partner with guitarist Steve Cooney for half of the tracks, and then swap, calling in the services of Kent guitarist Tim Edey for the rest of the tunes. Cooney alternates his trademark propulsive percussive style with delicate harmonic variations, particularly on Murphy’s evocative reading of the slow air, Caoineadh Uí Dhomhnaill . Edey, on the other hand, brings equally spectacular fingerwork and an idiosyncratic appreciation of the bass line that anchors much, including the surprise treat: Hale’s Rag , an American old-time rag tune that Murphy releases into the atmosphere with brio. The discipline of the jig set King Of The Pipers (bookended by Murphy’s sole original tune, the effervescent Valentia Jig) is balanced by the sheer freedom of the final set of reels. On this lively knees-up, three generations of the Murphy clan bask in the mix of box, fiddle and flute.
Happy Hour is a snapshot of a musician still hungering to explore the most visceral elements of the music – which he does with technical brilliance and emotional warmth. www.donalmurphy.net
This article appears in August 2009 edition of Irish Music Magazine by Alex Monaghan
Long-time
box player with Sliabh Notes, and more recently with 4 Men & A Dog,
Donal Murphy plays in a distinct Munster style. His solo debut includes
more slides and polkas than reels, and the reels also have that
delightful Sliabh Luachra bounce! John McGrath's, Kilcoon and Milltown Session are a case in point, crisp and lively, recalling Cork-based bands such as Nomos, The Four Star Trio, and even North Cregg. The Plough and the Stars
is a reel which I associate strongly with Munster box-players, and it
forms the heart of a big bouncy set which ends this CD. In between are
plenty of rollicking good-time tunes: Cuz Teahan's Slide, The Tailor's Twist (one of my favourite hornpipes), King of the Pipers, and the Grand Ole Opry tune Hale's Rag which translates perfectly to the two-row box. The Bank of Turf ends a lovely trio of jigs, and I should mention Donal's own charming Valentia Jig
too. Mixed medleys are becoming more common on Irish recordings, and
there's a cracking one here, as well as a fine slow air, so variety is
not lacking on Happy Hour. Nor is great accompaniment, with
Steve Cooney and Tim Edey on guitars, while a couple of tracks feature
Brian McGrath and the Murphy clan on banjo, fiddle, flute and mandolin.
My favourite track is one of these, a lovely set of slides culminating
in a Johnny O'Leary classic, a real Sliabh Luachra session sound. Happy Hour indeed, well named and well played: well worth checking out.
Alex Monaghan (IMM)
"Happy Hour" opens with "Murphy's Polka", that
he got from the playing of his father Dan Murphy. With them polkas and
slides, he made the statement that we are deep in the heart of south
west Ireland, namely the mountain area of Sliabh Luachra. Donal Murphy
is deeply rooted here, though born in England, his family moved to
Abbeyfeale in Co. Limerick way back in the 1970s. Donal followed his
father and took up the button accordion. In 1990 he co-founded the
group Four Men & a Dog (FW#35), in 1995 Sliabh Notes (FW#29).
Eventually he recorded his debut solo album "Happy Hour", featuring
Steve Cooney, Tim Edey, Brian McGrath, and a load of other Murphys. It
makes clear why he is so highly regarded. There's the jigs and reels,
all trad arr except his own "Valentia Jig", but also the slow air
"Caoineadh Ui Dhomhnaill" (O'Donnell's Lament) and "Hale's" ragtime
tune. A medley with the unusual order of hornpipe, reel, slide and
polka brings us back to Sliabh Luachra. In the end, his spirited
accordion playing guarantees more than one happy hour. Folkworld
Magazine, Germany
www.donalmurphy.net
Walkin' T:-)M