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Modesto Highland Games – Avalon Rising
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A group that can provide a stark contrast to Golden Bough is Avalon Rising. Avalon Rising also performs Celtic music but with a touch of new age, or maybe fusion, or maybe …? Putting a label on this group is difficult and unwarranted but I find it necessary to describe their music and these are the things that come to mind. First, they are without a doubt, very talented musicians. Their music and musical interpretations are original. Originality is important to establish a foothold in the music industry. In their music I heard elements of rock and jazz that were intertwined with Celtic and other musical genres. The musical styles of Cream, Grateful Dead, and Tubular Bells came to mind.I listened to a couple of tracks/videos on their Web Site and I was very impressed with their performance of Andray Soulet. This work was written by Matteo da Perugia who lived from 1380 to 1418?. Very little of his works have passed down to us. He is associated with the group of Italian composers who provided music to Venice and other Northern Italian cities. These composers represent the early Quattrocento period of Italian music. Margaret Davis performed masterfully on the recorder in this video. I would say that this performance has a strong Byzantine influence as represented by the group’s use of dumbeg type drum and the guitarist’s chords and rhythmic strumming. The Armenian music I play on clarinet would fit well into this performance. The contemporary influence is evident with the use of tremolo by the guitar and fuzz pedal. This is most evident in the bridge passage of the piece. The vocal by Margaret contains the melismatic style of Perugia and other composers of this period.
As I stated earlier, the musicians in Avalon Rising are outstanding. My concerns have to do with the way they fuse music of early periods with contemporary techniques. At times this seems more of an after thought than as complete merging of the different elements. My greatest concern with the live performance I heard at the Modesto Highland Games, is with the loud predominate bass. After listening through their three sets, I had a bit of a headache and my mind just kept replaying the constant walking, slap bass progressions over and over again. I understand that this is a contemporary aspect of their music, but musicality and good balance must always be considered in any musical style. More music like Andray Soulet would please me immensely.
The group is comprised of five members. These are Margaret Davis on flute, recorder, Celtic Harp, and lead vocals; Kristoff Klover on electric and acoustic guitar, mandola, and lead vocals; Scott Irwin on drums; Cat Taylor on electric violin; and Mark Unger on bass, mandocello, and vocals. Check out their Web site and make your own determination about them. I believe they are well worth listening to live or on recordings. I am sure I will be hearing more of them before this summer is over.
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