Irish Tour: October 2022, 'The Northwest Odyssey'

Reunited after 20 years, these musical friends from the far-flung fringes of Europe are embarking on a musical odyssey of the Northwest of Ireland. The music they play is as broad as the distance between the places they call home. Expect Nordic melodies, Celtic jigs, Balkan Beats and even Tuvan-Throat Singing in what promises to be an intriguing musical experience.

They are performing on the following dates in October… Wednesday 12th: Bennigans Bar, Derry Thursday 13th: Abbey Mill, Ballyshannon (To Be Confirmed) Friday 14th: Leghowney Community Hall, Saturday 15th: Bundoran Community Development CLG (as part of the ‘Festival of Europe’) Sunday 16th: The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton Monday 17th: Lough Rinn Hotel, Mohill

Tickets are available from Eventbrite and from the venues.

Check out www.modalcitizenrecords.com for more info and https://www.facebook.com/ModalCitizenRecords

This project was kindly sponsored by Donegal County Council and the Local Live performance Scheme through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

As part of Derry City Jazz & Big Band Festival 2021, MAPA @ NWRC is hosting a series of online masterclasses, workshops and concerts in partnership with Derry City and Strabane District Council. This year marks the introduction of the MAPA Jazz Education program where well-known artists engage with music students and explore the wondrous world of Jazz. These artists will also perform a series of mini-concerts alongside the Jazz-influenced covers that the MAPA students are presenting. These events will take place on Friday 30th of April and Saturday 1st of May.

● Mike Nielsen: Jazz Guitar Masterclass, Concert (Solo Sound Recipes)

● Richard Nelson: Pedal steel & Jazz Theory Masterclass, Concert (No More Blues)

● Philip Begley: ‘Recording Jazz’ Masterclass

● MAPA Music Showcase for Derry Jazz & Bigband Festival

Since winning 1st prize at the Tomassoni International Piano Competition, Cologne in 2001, Lance Coburn has established himself as a charismatic performer with an exceptional facility. He has performed with most of the major Australian orchestras including the Sydney Symphony and many international symphony orchestras including the RTE NSO and WDR Rundfunkkorchester Köln. Frequently adjudicating in Irish music festivals, Lance also gives masterclasses nationally and internationally. He is a piano lecturer in the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. Lance is a Blüthner Artist. For more information check out our artists page.

Firstly, congratulations to Basork for having the No. 1 single on EthnoCloud's world music charts in June and then being nominated for the NI Music Prize.

Mike Nielsen and Ellen Demos' album 'Microtonal Sound Recipes: Multiple Layers' received a 5 star review from the Irish Times Jazz Critic, Cormac Larkin.

We've been busy during the shutdown, writing, recording and producing more great music because we'd probably go a bit mad if we didn't...Here is what's coming up for the rest of 2020:

Ronan Gallagher latest album 'Time Waits for No One' is almost ready for mixing. Due for release very soon. More details to follow.

Basork have a new single 'Paidushko' coming out in a few weeks.

Richard Nelson's 3rd jazz album 'No More Blues' is mixed and mastered and will be available on all major online platforms shortly.

Mike Nielsen is currently looking at releasing his 'Solo Sound Recipes Live' album.

Meitheal's new album Songs of Erne Volume 2: Border music is due for release in early 2021.

We've also begun working with 5 string banjo virtuoso Rory Corbett on his debut album 'Darker Shade of Emerald'. Rory is currently studying for his PhD in UCC, researching the African origins of the banjo and its subsequent introduction into Irish music.

After a busy summer recording and playing, the dust is finally settling and am gradually switching over to Winter mode and combing through the backlog of recordings and video with some releases coming soon.

Sessions of note included...

Pre-production and demos of Ronan Gallagher's second studio album...due out in 2020.

Songs of Erne Volume 2 continues unabated, will pick up the pace in October.

Recovery: Debut single 'Where Do We Go',

Began working with Seed of The Oak Tree on their latest single 'Under My Skin'

Basork & Trio Etno: All files recorded between Derry and Varna, mixing of Springtime in Varna has begun and a video is being compiled.

Villa in France are going live with their debut single 1990 tonight.

Additional recording for an amazing Donegal songwriter, Sarah E. Cullen.

Recorded a live rehearsal session with Citadels of the Sun, a new two-part creative collaboration sharing common themes and stories that unite Irish and Indian culture through music, featuring Sarah E Cullen ( fiddle, vocals), Martin Coyle (bouzouki), Paul Cutliffe (uilleann pipes, whistles) with Asin Khan (sarangi and vocals) and Sawai Khan Manganiyar (multi-percussion and vocals). Should have some of the video footage ready soon.

We're still demoing Duozouk and mining through the Guilfoyle/Nielsen Trio sessions.

Mike Nielsen's new material will also be coming out soon and Richard Nelson, when he's not busy playing with the RTE Concert Orchestra at the National Concert Hall has been recording his 3rd jazz album. Will have more info soon. 

On the performance side of things, new residencies were established with more to follow. Very proud to also announce a job promotion...Music Performance Course Coordinator at MAPA (Music and Performing Arts) at the North West Regional College. It's a multi-awarding winning department and a privilege to work there and witness the wealth of talent from the North West. Forgive the indulgence but it goes some way into explaining the label's output. 

Modal Citizen Records Updates May 2019

The Ronan Gallagher Band are chuffed about the RTE Radio plays from Fiachna Ó Braonáin, Cathal Murray and of course John Creedon. But it was people like Jimmy Stafford and Paul McDevitt at Highland, Marion Fitzgerald at Ocean and the consummate gent that is Charlie McGettigan at Shannonside who got behind the band and encouraged and advised us on getting national airtime. We followed your advice folks and are reaping the rewards so thank you so much for that. The band (through Ronan's Machiavellian ingenuity and divine providence lol) are getting their RTE TV debut this summer. And so with some nice festival work coming in, they have already begun pre-production for their second album. The beat goes on. Live, Love Music.

Mike Nielsen is launching his live album followup to 'Solo Sound Recipes' and is going into the studio after the summer to record his long-awaited Micro-tonal Guitar album. You can expect some special from these sessions.

Richard Nelson, in between touring and playing on countless sessions has begun working on his 3rd jazz album. Did we mention he played with Van Morrison and featured on Paul Brady's last album lol? 

Meitheal have begun work on Songs of Erne Volume 2: Border Music. The fieldwork is ongoing but scores of new tunes and songs have been discovered, rediscovered or sourced thanks to the amazing custodial work of people like Marcas O'Murachu, Cyril and Mary Maguire and the legend that is Ben Lennon. The next book/album, whilst embryonic, is shaping up nicely with some of the old crew reuniting for the project. 

This is pedal steel guitar virtuoso Richard Nelson's 2nd jazz album. After playing on hundreds if not thousands of albums as Ireland's premiere session steel guitarist, Nelson has invited some of his musical compadres to cook up a storm of jazz standards.