The Beara Peninsula of County Kerry/County Cork is home to the largest number of standing stone circles in the British Isles. This latest work by "Diamond Jim " Hewitt brings together elements of Celtic, jazz, bluegrass, and Oracle to create a unique musical interpretation of the ancient and modern peoples of Ireland.
The theme song, Standing Stone (track 7), reflects the raw power and beauty to be found in the vicinity of these undisturbed monuments to ancient folk religion. Glenrastel, track 5, was inspired by a daylong hike into the high country of the Glenrastel Valley in search of an ancient rock shelter filled with inscriptions carved in stone.
In between we find arrangements of traditional tunes such as The Maid Behind the Bar, which kicks into an uptempo Irish folk rock ending, and the wistful Mna na Eiren (Women of Ireland), set against a bluegrass original, Lonesone All the Time. This melding of Arizona and Ireland continues in the collection of mostly original tunes that comprise the Standing Stones of Beara.
Jim recounts, “When playing in the sessions around Kenmare and Bantry I was asked to play “Arizona” music, by which they meant bluegrass and country. Standing Stones of Beara is a tribute to the good folk of Beara, but the music is entirely my own blend of Arizona desert and Irish highland inspiration. This is not your normal traditional Celtic music CD!”
For more information on how this CD was made, click here.
TRACK LIST:
- Skipping Stones – First Waltz With You (J. Hewitt ASCAP) 4:10
- The Maid Behind the Bar (trad., arr. By J. Hewitt ASCAP) 2:40
- Mna na na (trad. Arr. By J. Hewitt) :41
- Mna na Eiren (Women of Ireland) – Lonesome All the Time (trad, and J Hewitt) 5:01
- Glenrastel (J. Hewitt ASCAP) 8:23
- Standing Stone (Prelude) (J. Hewitt ASCAP) 1:36
- Standing Stone (J. Hewitt ASCAP) 5:07
- Calm As A Belgian (J. Hewitt ASCAP) 3:11
- The Walls of Liscarrol (trad., arr. By J. Hewitt) 5:45
- Cody’s Boon (J. Hewitt ASCAP) 2:47
- Ending Stone (J. Hewitt ASCAP) 4:27
