~t:.lilt l=- '~li - Comhaltas Archive

The Best of the BestMike Rafferty is Echo' top trad artof2003Earle Hitchner hltchn r@iri h-... ·"',...A number of 'Ceol' readers havereminded me that there are many Irishtraditional musicians on both sides fAthe Atlantic who distinguish th~year in, year out, and thus deserveserious consideration for T~Artist of the Year, the Irish Edto\highest accolade for t:raAllitlClinIII,_"I agree. But it's only partcldMt....",why the honouree for aoa 11 MIkaRafferty, a 77 year oItJ. whtstIIe.uilleann pipes, Jew's ~ and ..master from the ~ afl.amlgathe parish of Balli__ ~Rafferty, who's livlid US ...1949 and resides Ii\ ~Heights, NJ, did incteecJ ........spots on the rec~of Olhers:In 2003,Rafferty~~"to adult students on • 0htH0-0nebasis each week at hi$ ~ WU amusic instructor at the CatsIdIIt IrishArts Week in East DurtlMt;.t:4andthe Swannanoa Gatherinc If\ ~NC, participated in c8f$ sponsored layComhaltas Ceolt6irf ~'s ~Coleman branch at the Kerry HtIIInYonkers, NY, and Michaer Rafrert:rbranch (named for him) at theVFWHall in Bogota, NJ, and have one of theyear's best concerts on March 28 WIChbutton accordionist Billy McComiskeyand keyboardist Felix Dolan, plusdaughter Mary Rafferty on whistle, atLower Manhattan's Blarney Star pub.Tom Madden of Glen Ridge, NJ, tapedthat concert, and the double CD (22tracks totalling over 85 minutes ofmusic) he made is a prized possessionof mine. The sound quality isremarkably good, considering Madden~ from a front seat in the audience,and the pIayin& is the pure drop. fullbodiedand Immensely appeatlng.But Mike RaffertYs own rigorousmusical standards would not allow thetwo-CD pac:Icace to be releasedcommercially. He sImple wasn't'COmb table with some of the~ he heard In the playing.ThIs hid nothing to do with ego orvanity. It MS about cherishing andrevertnc the tradition enough to get itcompletely right and to present It Inthe best possible Jicht.for ~ getting It right andp,.,sendng It In the best possible lightinclude an unfrenetIc pace. 'Fast musicis like fast talk: you can't understandwhat the person Is saying.' he saidduring my interview with him lastFelN'uary In his home We're pIayi"lfor other people, but we're alsopIayin& for ourselves. I like to play Irishtraditional music at a nice, easy tempo.No speed. That's how I learned it, andthat's how I teach it.'That flowing, rolling, soulful, artfullyunhurried style of East Galway playingcan be heard throughout the threeexceptional albums Rafferty recordedwith his daughter Mary: 'TheDanprous Reel' in 1995, 'The OldFiraslde Music' in 1998, and 'The Roadfrom SaWnaklll' in 200 I. (All threeCOs are available atwww.ralt.ertyrnusic.com)An unfaltering tastefulness threadsthrough Mike Rafferty's playing, andmany of the tunes have uncommonsettings that convey a freshness andvibrancy rarely equaled elsewhere. With53adYancing age has also come advancingskill for Rafferty, whose commitment toImprovement - for himself, for hisstudents - never wavers.'Since I retired (in 1989), I've brushedup on my music and I practise a lot,'he said. 'I think I'm playing better thanever, and I'm enjoying playing more. Iplay a little bit fNery night for myself.Tunes come Into my head, and I have atape recorder to take them down.That's my method.'It's a method from which fNery Irishtraditional musician can learn. manyclearly have, Including flute anduilleann pipes player Brian Holleranand Mary Rafferty, a former buttonaccordion and whistle player withCherish the Ladies. In a liner note forHand-me-down: her excellent soloalbum of 2002, Mary Raffertymentioned her father's tape recorderand the tapes he'd make - an IabeIed'Learn these tunes, Mary.'His diligence and devotion to Irishtraditional music have made MikeRafferty not only one of Its finestperformers and instructors. but also asource of inspiration for coundessothers. The Irish Echo is proud tohonour him as Its Traditional Artist of2003. He joins an illustrious line ofprevious awardees: Charlie Lennon,James Keane. Joe Derrane, SeamusEgan,Joanie Madden,John Whelan,Mick Moloney, Liz Carrol, KevinCrawford, and Seamus Connolly.