Altan个人资料：
Altan, 这是一支被誉为90年代最杰出的一支爱尔兰传统民谣乐团。 从1983 年成立以来 ( 当时还未正式以 Altan 为团名 ) 至今共出版了8 张专辑，为他们赢得了许多音乐奖项，其中包括了三座 NAIRD Award (National Assoication of Independent Record Dealers 美国独立音乐品牌协会 ), 英国民谣 音乐杂志 (Folk and Roots) 及英国流行乐杂志 (Q Magnize) 的年度最佳民谣专辑 等多项大奖。 正当无数的荣耀与宠爱集于一身时, 其间 Altan 却也遭遇了团长Frankie Kennedy 与癌症博斗而终至告亡的悲剧。每当我听他们的 CD 时, 总忍不住会想象 着缠绕着这个乐团的爱情, 友谊种种悲喜, 化为在音乐表现上的激烈生命, 然后我便 会不自觉地跟着他们的起伏, 敲打起什么的来着。 Altan 一向标榜着Donegal 的音乐风格, 也正是他们大多数团员来自的母土。 Donegal County 是位在爱尔兰共和国本岛最西北的一个县。由于这片土地西滨大西 洋， 东北爱尔兰 ( 也就是英国的领土 ), 只是在南边部份短短邻了十来哩的另个爱尔兰省份 ( Co.Leitrim)。在传统的地理分野上, 和北爱同是属于 Ulster 的范围 。因此在感觉上,好似一种 "化外之民" 的天然混成,也因而保留了传统 Gaelteacht 语言的使用与咯异于其它爱尔兰地区的北方音乐特色。 Altan 的创团成员是来自北爱首府 Belfast 的青年长笛手 Frankie Kennedy 和 生长于 Gweedore, Co. Donegal 的 Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh。后来我常常会想象这俩 个人初次相遇，那会是怎么样的一个场景，彷佛一切都已注定: 在一个自然的音乐社交场合上, Frankie 初见 Mairead 这位小提琴手的飘扬长发与美丽歌声, 使他深深 地坠入了情网的, 是这位长发的美丽女子, 是她的音乐。然后要一起牵手走这一辈子 的音乐相伴的路。by Craig HarrisWith their Northern Ireland-style twin fiddling and accordion melodies accented by acoustic guitar and bouzouki, Altan has grown into one of the top traditional bands in Ireland. The inspiration for Altan was sparked when Donegal-born fiddler and vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh met Belfast-born flute player Frankie Kennedy. Ní Mhaonaigh had learned the traditional style of fiddling from her father, Francie, who had learned it from his mother, Roise. Influential Irish fiddler Dinny McLaughlin, who frequented her childhood home, added to her knowledge of the instrument. Kennedy, who studied flute as a youngster, was extremely interested in Irish music and made several trips to Ireland during school vacations. Meeting during an informal jam session, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy began to play together at every opportunity. Although they both took jobs as trainee teachers at St. Patricks College in Dublin, music remained their shared passion. In 1979, the two musicians made their recording debut as accompanists for Gaelic singer Albert Fry on his self-titled debut album. Two years later, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy graduated from college and were married. Together with bouzouki player Donal OHanlan and Mairéads brother Gearóid Ó Maoinaigh, who played guitar, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy formed a band, Ragaime. Although they recorded for RTE, the group disbanded by the time that Gael-Linn released Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedys debut album, Ceol Aduaidh, in December 1983. One track on the album, An Clar Bog Dell, featured Enya, then known as Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, on Prophet-5 synthesizer. In 1987, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy recorded their second album as a duo, Altan, named after a lake in northwest Donegal. Produced by Dónal Lunny, the album featured accompaniment by Ciarán Curran on bouzouki, Mark Kelly on guitar, and Mairéads sister Anna Ní Mhaonaigh, then a member of the all-woman group Macella. Shortly after the completion of the album, the musicians agreed to continuing working together. During the summer of 1988, Altan began work on their first album as a band, which now included Paul OShaughnessy on twin fiddle. Produced by Phil Cunningham and released in 1989, the album, Horse with a Heart, featured a more dynamic sound than its predecessors. As the bands touring schedule expanded, OShaughnessy and Kelly were forced by their day jobs to restrict their activity with Altan to recording and performances close to home. During the bands U.S. tours, their places were taken by Daíthí Sproule on guitar and Ciarán Tourish on fiddle. Altan reached top form with their 1990 album Red Crow, which received a NAIRD award as Best Celtic Traditional Album. Their next album, Harvest Storm, released in 1992, received the award as well. All news was not good for the band, however. In 1991, Kennedy was diagnosed with cancer. Although he was hospitalized the following year, he recovered sufficiently to rejoin the bands tour. On September 19, 1994, he succumbed to his illness and passed away. Altan has continued to bring their music to the international stage. Accordion player Dermot Byrne, who had played on Red Crow and on Altans 1993 album, Island Angel, joined the group formally in 1994. 1996s Blackwater and 1997s Runaway Sunday were released on the Virgin label before the group jumped to Narada for 2000s Another Sky. Numerous compilations and collections followed, as well as Blue Idol in 2002 and Local Ground in 2005, again for Narada.
