MUSIC
An album of singular beauty and power by the fiddler most regard as Scotland's best. Johnny Cunningham is a founding member of Silly Wizard. On this, Johnny plays with both consummate grace and foot-tapping intensity. Includes Scottish and Irish airs and jigs and a set of O'Carolan planxties. Beautiful accompaniment by Touchstone's Zan McLeod on guitar, Gene Galligan on keyboards, with guests Tim Britton (uilleann pipes) and Dave Paton (concertina).
ARTISTS
Tim Britton flute, uilleann pipes Johnny Cunningham fiddle, synthesizer Gene Galligan keyboard Zan McLeod bouzouki, guitar Vincent Moos percussion Dave Paton concertina
Fair Warning
Green Linnet
Against the Storm
Highway SHY 7011 / Shanachie, with Phil Cunningham
The Soul of Christmas
A Celtic Music Celebration with Thomas Moore 1997 Upaya / Tommy Boy Music
This special edition CD contains 20 enchanting Celtic songs written and arranged by Johnny for the magical Mabou Mines production of "Peter and Wendy," based on J. M. Barrie's classic tale of Peter Pan. Nominated for an Indie Award for Best Packaging, the CD comes elegantly boxed with a keepsake booklet that includes photographs and illustrations from the award-winning play and an introduction and narrative adaptation by playwright Liza Lorwin. Sure to delight the young and the not quite so young!
Featuring performances by:
Johnny Cunningham (violin and vocals),
Susan McKeown (vocals),
Seamus Egan (flute,low whistle, penny whistle and bodhran),
Jay Ansill (Celtic harp and mandolin),
Larry Campbell (guitar),
Jamshied Sharifi (keyboards and percussion),
Mick McAuley (accordion),
Charlie Giordano (accordion),
Ben Wittman (percussion)
Karen Kandel (vocals and narration).
Boston Globe's Scott Alarik names Peter & Wendy one of the Best of '98. "A haunting, provocative and gorgeous study of the imagination's passage from child to adult."
"Enchanting melodies creat[e] a rich tapestry of images that filled the theatre with a euphoric atmosphere . . .Susan McKeown infuses the innocent lyrics and melodies with a sweet nostalgia, which brought tears to almost every eye in the house."
-Mary Power, Irish Echo
Peter & Wendy
Alula Records
A Winter Talisman
Sheila-Na-Gig Music / Caledonian Musicworks
with Susan McKeown and Aidan Brennan
CELTIC FIDDLE FESTIVAL
A Scotsman, an Irishman and a Frenchman walked into a bar (no, this isn't a joke!). A momentous decision lay ahead of them. They were about to make plans for their third CD together. Their two previous recordings had been recorded live but this time they toyed with the idea of making this new recording without the aid of their numerous fans. Could they cope with the quiet privacy of a studio? ("Yes." replied one). Would they be able to play without being stared at by an audience? ("Aye" replied another). Would the absence of thunderous applause unnerve our intrepid heroes? ("Non" replied the third).
Three of the absolute finest fiddlers in the Celtic world - Kevin Burke, Johnny Cunningham, and Christian Lemaître - come together on this, their first studio recording. Burke is a world renowned Irish fiddle master, playing the beautifully fluid, highly ornamented style of County Sligo; his formidable career history includes The Bothy Band, Patrick Street, and Open House. Johnny Cunningham is a founding member of legendary Scottish group Silly Wizard, later playing in Relativity and Nightnoise. His dazzling style is dynamic and technically superb, from emotive and eloquent airs to lightning fast reels. Lemaître represents the exotic, richly dark cadences of the Breton tradition. He has toured and recorded with the outstanding Breton groups Kornog, which included Soïg Siberil on guitar, and Pennou Skoulin.
ARTISTS
Kevin Burke fiddle
Christian LeMaître fiddle
Johnny Cunningham fiddle
Ged Foley guitar
Eric Fontana acoustic bass guitar
Christine Harrington cello
Nicolas Quemener guitar
Rendezvous
2001 Green Linnet
Three of the finest fiddlers in the Celtic World - Kevin Burke, Johnny Cunningham and Christian Lemaître - come together on a new live performance CD, Encore. Recorded on tour in Britain, with accompaniment by masterful Breton guitarist Soïg Siberil, the album gives testimony to the electricity and excitement generated by these great stylists from Ireland, Scotland and Brittany. Called "three of the finest folk violinists anywhere" by the Washington Post, the trio will set off on a major American tour in March.
Since his days as a Bothy Band member, Kevin Burke has been recognized as the premier Irish fiddler of his generation. Born in London to parents from County Sligo, Kevin plays the beautifully fluid and highly-ornamented Sligo style. Now living in the U.S.A., Kevin is a current member of seminal Celtic groups Patrick Street and Open House (to see Kevin's bio, click here). Johnny Cunningham is a founding member of the legendary Scottish group Silly Wizard, and has played with a number of contemporary bands including Relativity and Nightnoise. One of the finest fiddlers of any genre, Johnny's dazzling style is dynamic and technically superb, from emotive and eloquent airs to lightning fast reels. Christian Lemaître is a renowned musician in his native Brittany, the Celtic region of France. A former member of the great Breton group, Kornog, Christian's lyrical playing reveals the exotic, dark cadences of the beautiful Breton tradition.
Burke, Cunningham and Lemaître first toured America together in 1992, delighting packed houses with both their spirited playing and spontaneous humor, and an album of selected performances came out the following year. With its solo showcase pieces and fiery ensemble playing, this "Encore" performance of the original Celtic Fiddle Festival is a masterful successor to the trio's 1993 debut. To read a bio of the Celtic Fiddle Festival, click here.
ARTISTS
Kevin Burke fiddle
Christian LeMaître fiddle
Johnny Cunningham fiddle
Soig Siberil guitar
Encore
1998 Green Linnet
“Three of the finest folk violinists anywhere” – The Washington Post
From the opening medley of strathspeys played with dazzling skill and smile-inducing dynamics by Silly Wizard and Relativity founding member Johnny Cunningham, you know you're in for a rare, altogether spectacular "live" treat. These 11 tracks were culled from three concerts on the inaugural Celtic Fiddle Festival Tour and capture all the excitement and electricity generated on stage by premier Celtic fiddlers Johnny Cunningham, Kevin Burke, and Christian Lemaitre, accompanied by master guitarist John McGann. The three fiddlers each take two solos on the album, and all the musicians join in for five extraordinary medleys, including a fever-pitch, crowd-rousing rendition of Music for a Found Harmonium.
Recognized world-wide for his work with The Bothy Band, Patrick Street, and Open House, Kevin proves yet again why so many regard him as the most accomplished Irish Fiddler alive. His unaccompanied, breathtakingly fluid fiddling here ranks with his finest playing on record. A member of the acclaimed Breton band Kornog, Christian Lemaitre displays unerring control and propulsive energy on Breton traditional dance tunes of tenacious tempo. And Johnny Cunningham wrings untold beauty out of a haunting melody sung to him as a child in Scotland, Mist-Covered Mountains of Home. Prepare to be bowled over by three of the greatest Celtic traditional fiddlers playing today, all playing brilliantly, all playing in the setting they love best -- live!
ARTISTS
Kevin Burke fiddle
Christian LeMaître fiddle
Johnny Cunningham fiddle
John McGann guitar
Celtic Fiddle Festival
1993 Green Linnet
RELATIVITY
NIGHTNOISE
Gathering Pace
Green Linnet
The White Horse Sessions
BMG
RAINDOGS
Lost Souls
1990, ATCO
Border Drive-In Theatre
1991, ATCO
SILLY WIZARD
The Best of Silly Wizard
Shanachie 79048
Live Wizardy
1988 Green Linnet 3036/3037, Compilation of Golden Golden and Silly Wizard Live
Glint of Silver
Green Linnet 1070, Final studio album by the band
Wild & Beautiful
Caledonia's Hardy Sons
Highway SHY 7001 / Shanachie 79015
Golden Golden
Green Linnet 3036, Silly Wizard live in Boston part 1
'Live' Again
So Many Partings
Highway SHY 7010 / Shanachie 79016
Take the High Road (single)
Highway Records, theme music from TV "soap" of the same name with "Donald MacGillavray" on the B Side
Silly Wizard
XTRA 1158 - re-released Highway SHY 7022
Silly Wizard Live
Green Linnet 3037
Silly Wizard live in Boston part 2