Essays and Such
Irish Cultural Society
of San Antonio Texas
Promoting Awareness of Irish Culture
the Chieftans
By Butler Stevens
No dust on the wings of the Chieftans
The Chieftans
By Butler Stevens
Contributing Writer
Northside Recorder - January 25, 2001
The opening scenes of the film "Titanic" showed one of the major
characters racing to board the ill-fated vessel as it departed for the
other side of the world. This scene is not unlike a typical day for
Paddy Maloney, musician and co-founder of the Chieftains. The renowned
Irish sextet has spent much of the last 30 years traversing the
continents like international time-travelers.
"The planet is very small, really," said Maloney, prior to a
performance in Denver.
Maloney first organized the Chieftains in 1962, with inspiration from
the music he had been listening to since childhood. The group, a
national treasure to Ireland, was recently given a lifetime achievement
award by their fellow countrymen. "I think there has been a resurgence
in this kind of music today, because Irish folk music was created from
the essential roots. I think people are interested in knowing where a
lot of music first got started," said Maloney.
While the six-man band, image-wise, could easily blend into a Guy
Ritchie film, musically they have had few competitors. Their distinctive
sound is unmistakable. They are notorious for letting loose and
injecting some of the most prestigious old concert halls with the same
colorful atmosphere found on any good Saturday night in Dublin.
San Antonio fans will welcome the Chieftains to Trinity University's
Laurie Auditorium at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The multi-Grammy award winning lineup includes, on an assortment of
pipes and tin-whistles, Paddy Maloney; harpist Derek Bell; fiddlers
Martin Fay and Sean Keane; flutist Matt Molloy; and, on Bodhran drums
and vocals, Kevin Conneff. The band will also be adding dancers Kara
Butler and Donny Golden, support fiddler Natalie MacMaster and soulful
pop vocalist Joan Osborne.
Maloney, a most likable individual and avid storyteller, beams when
referring to his band mates and a musical journey that's lasted over
30 years. "We have been very lucky to have the opportunities to work
with many of the friends we've made over the years," he said. One
prized moment he recalls is working with acclaimed director Stanley
Kubrick on the 1975 film "Barry Lyndon." "I remember I was in the
middle of a record release party for one of our new records and I got
this call, with this little voice on the other end saying, 'This is
Stanley Kubrick.' "Being the weekend and unaware of who he was, I
asked if he could call me back on Monday. Immediately, one of my band
mates said 'Do you know who you just got off the phone?' Luckily he
called me back," Maloney laughed.
"We ended up doing 25 minutes of music for the film. Later we returned
home, got another call from Stanley and he said there was another song
that he wanted to record for the film. "Exhausted from touring - and
the fact we had just gotten home and hadn't spent any time yet with our
families - Stanley said, 'Great, bring them all over here.' He flew the
band, the families and all of the kids over to England and then threw a
big Halloween bash for us afterwards. The song took an hour to record
and it never made it in the film. "He was an eccentric, but very generous
and kind man," said Maloney. Their contribution helped win an Academy
Award for the film's soundtrack, which put them into a rank of serious,
world-class musicians.
Earning a Grammy for the 1995 CD, "The Long Black Veil," with
support from a stellar cast of vocalists and musicians (including, just
for starters, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Tom Jones and Sting),
the Chieftains repeated their success the following year and garnered
another Grammy with 1996's Spanish-tinged "Santiago."
After completing the 1999 female vocalist-dominated "Tears of Stone,"
the band is currently supporting "Water from the Well," the newest
Chieftains entry. "Ireland is so rich in music now. There are many
new styles of music springing up. You can go 300 miles down the road
and hear a whole other type of fiddling than (where) you just came
from. This record ('Water from the Well') is part of a 12-year plan
to meet up with the new Miles Davises and Charlie Parkers of Irish
music," Maloney said. "We recorded half of this CD out in the actual
locations and half in the studio, to capture the true feel," he said.
"The whole band helped by contributing songs and pointing out different
styles that some of the others weren't familiar with. A good example
would be our friends in Donegal called Altan, who helped inspire the
Donegal set on the CD.
"This is the first recording for our new record contract, and I've got
a few things that I've been working on - maybe eventually a recording
of our work with symphony orchestras. There's a lot of work left to do,
" said Maloney.
Connecting with its universal audience has never been a problem for
the Chieftains, who seem to have mastered walking a tightrope of epic
magnitude, holding tight to true historical musical structures while
incorporating modern flourishes and contemporary nuances.
Based on the Chieftains' indelible success and their continued
inspiration, it seems the ethereal "Water from the Well" won't
be drying up any time soon.