On Saturday, May 13th, at 7pm, the Irish Cultural Center will present a concert of traditional Irish music with acclaimed fiddler Randal Bays, bouzouki pioneer Roger Landes and Co. Clare flute player Leo McNamara.

Tickets are $10.00, available at the Irish Cultural Center or by calling 602.392.7850.

The Cork Examiner, Ireland's second largest newspaper, called Randal Bays "…a rare beast, a master of both the fiddle and the guitar…" and Fiddler Magazine said he is "…among the best Irish style fiddlers of his generation..." Of Roger Landes , Celtic Heritage Magazine said, “Not only is Landes helping to legitimize the instrument -- he is taking it to a whole other level.” And from Dirty Linen, “(he)…plays the mandolin's big brother as a piper or fiddler would - with all the traditional decoration and drive...” Flute player Leo McNamara hails from Scarriff, County Clare, where he grew up surrounded by the rich musical traditions of that region in the west of Ireland. Leo appears with Randal and Roger on their CD, “House to House,” recorded at a series of house concerts in 2004. “House to House” was picked by the Irish Times in Dublin as one of the ‘Top 5 Recordings of Irish Traditional Music for 2005.”

Randal Bays – Irish Fiddle

"One of the few Americans to have mastered the complex art of East Clare fiddling."
- Gearoid ÓhAllmhurain (author of "A Pocket History of Irish Music")

"The genuine article."
- The Rough Guide to Irish Music

"A rare beast, a true master of both the fiddle and guitar."
- Cork Examiner (Ireland)

"His playing has power and passion...simply a joy to listen to."
- Dirty Linen Magazine

"One of the best fiddlers working in the Irish tradition in America."
Fiddler Magazine

The Cork Examiner, Ireland's second largest newspaper, called Randal Bays "a rare beast, a master of both the fiddle and the guitar", and Fiddler Magazine said he is "among the best Irish style fiddlers of his generation." That's high praise for this self-taught American whose recordings and concerts have earned him recognition on both sides of the Atlantic as a multi-instrumentalist of uncommon talent. As writer Don Meade put it in "The Irish Voice" (New York, Jan. 2001) "Still best known to many for his beautiful guitar accompaniment on fiddler Martin Hayes' early recordings, Randal himself is a marvelous fiddler, one of the best in the country." Randal's grasp of the Irish fiddle style is rare among non-Irish musicians, a result of more than twenty-five years of fiddling, listening, and sharing many a late-night session with the finest traditional musicians. In his workshops and private lessons, the focus is on helping non-Irish fiddlers internalize a sense of an authentic Irish style, making the music their own while nurturing respect and understanding for its roots in Irish culture.

Randal has performed all over the U.S., Europe and Canada, including appearances at major festivals such as the Gaelic Roots Festival in Boston, the San Francisco Celtic Music and Arts Festival, the Festival Des Musiques-Vivantes in France, the Willie Clancy Summer School and Festival in Ireland, the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, Augusta Heritage Week in Elkins, West Virginia, the Alaska Irish Music Festival, California's Sebastopol Festival and many more. In addition to his work with Martin Hayes, Randal has recorded or performed with many great musicians, including James Kelly, John Williams, Daithi Sproule, Roger Landes, Frank Kilkelly, Kevin Burke and Micheal O'Domhnaill. He is also a noted album producer and composer, having created original scores for several award-winning films and documentaries. His recordings, including his latest CD, "Overland", are available on Foxglove Records.

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Roger Landes – Irish Bouzouki, Mandolin

“Not only is Landes helping to legitimize the instrument -- he is taking it to a whole other level.” Cliff McGann Celtic Heritage Magazine

Biography: After playing guitar in several “garage” bands in his teens, Roger studied the classical guitar in college. His initial interest in Irish music was sparked in 1981 by a recording of The Chieftains. He soon obtained a bouzouki and set about learning the intricacies of Irish and Scots dance tunes and accompaniment.

In the summer of 1982 Roger helped form the popular Celtic group Scartaglen, which was to last for the next 12 years. He appeared on the group’s three recordings: Scartaglen, The Middle Path and Last Night’s Fun. In 1993, Scartaglen contributed one track to the best-selling Narada Records collection Celtic Odyssey, which was on the Billboard charts for almost two years. Scartaglen disbanded in early 1994 and in June of 1995 Roger began performing in a duo with singer and keyboardist Connie Dover.

During his years with Scartaglen, Roger established himself as a first-rate accompanist and arranger, and since then has emerged as a master soloist, performing Irish tunes on the bouzouki, mandolin, and guitar with dazzling technical skill and creativity. He is known for his uncanny ability to translate music from the fiddle and the uilleann pipes to fretted string instruments, while retaining the essence of these more traditional instruments.

Roger’s first solo CD, Dragon Reels, was recorded in Nashville with Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer Bil VornDick. Released in 1997, it has garnered unanimous critical praise.

In great demand as a teacher, Roger has been on the staff at Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp, Swannanoa Gathering Celtic Week, Milwaukee Irish Festival Summer School, the Seattle Cittern Symposium, Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle Camp, and the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat. He is also director of ZoukFest, the first international gathering devoted to the Irish bouzouki, which he founded in 1998. ZoukFest moved with Roger to his new hometown of Taos, New Mexico in 2001, and since then has grown into a full-fledged World Music Camp, with the addition of classes for other instruments and vocals, in a range of musical styles.

Roger produced recordings for Michael Dugger (At Early Dawn), Chris Grotewohl (Under the Influence), Dan Grotewohl (Bear in the Greengrass), Gabriel’s Gate (Departures), and Chris Smith (Coyote Banjo). The Janissary Stomp, a ground-breaking collection of original bouzouki duets with New Mexico roots musician Chipper Thompson, was released in 2001.

In 1999 he performed on “Sa-Re-Ga-Ma,” a music show on the Indian satellite network ZeeTV, with one of the largest television audiences in the world. Roger appeared in and contributed to the soundtrack of the 1999 film Ride with the Devil, directed by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). He has appeared on the National Public Radio shows Mountain Stage and A Prairie Home Companion. In April 2001, his music was featured in a PBS documentary, Last Stand of the Tallgrass Prairie.

In 2002, Roger joined Galician musician and Chieftains alum Carlos Nuñez in his first US tour. Later that year he toured in a trio with Irish fiddle phenomenon Frankie Gavin (De Dannan) and harmonica virtuoso Rick Epping (Pumpkinhead). In April of 2004 he had the pleasure of accompanying legendary Irish fiddler Tommy Peoples (Bothy Band) for a week of concerts during Tommy’s first visit to New Mexico.
Roger has most recently been performing Irish traditional music in a duo with fiddler and guitarist Randal Bays. Their live house concert CD House to House was released in September of 2004. In May/June of 2005 Bays and Landes took their house concert show to Ireland, performing a short seven date tour across the country with some of the finest Irish musicians sitting in.

In December of 2005, House to House was named one of the Top Five Picks of 2005 by the Irish Times (Dublin).
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Currently part of Boston’s vibrant traditional scene, and a highly respected recording artist whose “liquid flute” is “bracing and energetic,” according to Dirty Linen.

Bays, Landes, Heaton--Traditional Irish Music Workshop

Each musician will hold a 2-hour workshop, each on his own instrument: Saturday, May 13, from 3:00 – 5: 00 p.m. at the Irish Cultural Center. Bring your instruments!!

The cost for this in-depth class is $40 per person.
(Note: The evening concert is free for workshop attendees).

Randal Bays will cover "Bowing, Ornamentation and Rhythm in Irish Fiddling"--this workshop is intended for players at any level, who've been playing Irish fiddle for a while, and who want to take their music to a higher level. It's a "nuts and bolts" workshop, dealing with the mechanics of bowing, ornamentation, left-hand technique, and especially rhythm. Bays will teach one or two tunes by ear, then use those for demonstration. The main thrust of the workshop is learning to control the bow to create the sounds you want your listeners to hear.

Roger Landes will cover “Accompanying Irish Traditional Music.” This two hour workshop will focus on two issues in Irish traditional music that often prove elusive for players who haven't "grown up with it,": 1. the Modal Harmonic Context, and 2. the Unique Rhythmic Signature of Irish traditional music.
Irish tunes inhabit four “modes” or scales, only two of which correspond to the major and minor scales of the Western Classical tradition, and two more that are found in other traditional musics but are exploited uniquely in Irish music. We’ll investigate these modes and harmonizing melodies.
The unique rhythms of Irish traditional music are one of its distinctive features—in fact, many people are drawn to it simply because of its “lilt,” “swing,” “groove” or “drive”—words that don’t really describe the subtlety, particularity, and complexity of this traditional art form. We’ll beat, strum, pick, pat, clap and stomp our way to a fundamental understanding of the “heartbeat” of Irish traditional music.
IMPORTANT: This workshop is open to any instrument so long as it accompanies a player interested in accompanying Irish music, or learning more about it.

Shannon Heaton will focus on the "Irish Traditional Flute & Whistle." Open to all levels, this class is for anyone wanting to learn to play traditional style music on a simple system wooden flute and tinwhistle. We’ll learn a couple of tunes together (by ear), and focus on phrasing, ornamentation, and breath control.

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