Altan (album)
Altan is the second (studio) album by Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (future founders of the Irish band Altan), originally released in 1987 by Green Linnet Records. The musicians appearing on this album are substantially those that became the early incarnation of the band Altan. The band later (retroactively) called "Altan" their debut album.
Credits.
Tracks 1,2,5,6,7,9,11,12,13 arranged by Kennedy, Ní Mhaonaigh, Kelly, Curran.
Tracks 3,4,8,10 arranged by Kennedy, Ní Mhaonaigh, Kelly, Curran, Lunny.
All tracks are traditionals, except the following:
References.
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Frankie Kennedy
Frankie Kennedy (30 September 1955 – 19 September 1994) was a flute and tin whistle player born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was also the co-founder of the band Altan, formed with his wife Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. The popular "Frankie Kennedy Winter Music School" was founded in 1994 in his honour.
Biography.
Early life.
He had three sisters and one brother.
Kennedy's uncle was married to the daughter of Robert Cinnamond, a singer from Glenavy, County Antrim, who was a frequent visitor in his family home.
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />His memory of [Cinnamond] was as a gentle soul singing "Dobbin's Flowery Vale", a version that Frankie plays. And he had all those northern versions of songs. Frankie used to say, "really I have no tradition," but he had a connection with the tradition which he didn't know himself.
Kennedy became interested in Irish traditional music when he was 18 years old, through the music of Horslips, Planxty, The Chieftains, and The Boys of the Lough. He learned his Irish as a young man in Belfast's Cumann Chluain Árd and travelled frequently to Donegal to perform at local sessions in Gweedore with Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh.
Marriage.
When Kennedy was eighteen he took a sixth form summer trip to the Gaeltacht of Gweedore in County Donegal. He went to a session one evening and there met a fifteen-year-old fiddle player named Mairéad, daughter of the session's leader Proinsias Ó Maonaigh. They were attracted to each other, and he wrote to her regularly after leaving Donegal.
He was advised by a friend that he should learn an instrument if he intended to court Mairéad, and so he got a whistle and taught himself to play. Later he learned the flute, a somewhat louder instrument, so that he could hear himself in sessions. His love for Mairéad coupled with perfectionist tendencies turned him into a well-respected flute player.
Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh married in 1981.
Forming Altan.
The new couple continued to play at sessions in Donegal, and this formed the basis for their musical partnership. They made their recording debut on Albert Fry's eponymous record in 1979 and later formed a short-lived group called Ragairne which also included Gearóid Ó Maonaigh, Ní Mhaonaigh's brother, on guitar, and was rejoined in 1981 by singer Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, later known as Enya.
Joined by bouzouki player Ciarán Curran and Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, now known as Enya, on synthesizer, Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh released a recording entitled "Ceol Aduaidh" on Gael-Linn records in 1983.
At the time, Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh were earning their living by teaching at St. Oliver Plunkett National School in Malahide, north County Dublin. But live performances in 1984 and 1985, particularly in the United States, convinced them that there was an audience for "no-compromise traditional music played with heart and drive," and they were persuaded to give up teaching.
During this time, the group added guitarist Mark Kelly and released in 1987 a record called "Altan", named after a lake in Donegal, although the name Altan wasn't used for the band on that release. But the band's musical momentum was building rapidly, and they would release three records in three years as Altan between 1989 and 1991. "Altan" was produced by Dónal Lunny, who subsequently appeared as either a producer or guest musician on every Altan album which followed.
Later life and death.
Kennedy was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a vicious form of cancer, in 1992. Despite his illness Kennedy continued to tour and record with Altan. The band released "Island Angel" in 1993, and continued to tour through 1994, the year of his death. Although Kennedy had experienced 18 months in remission, the cancer returned "full blast" afterwards. He died on 19 September at the age of 38 in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
Kennedy is buried in Gweedore, County Donegal.
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />The flute-player Frankie Kennedy, of the traditional group Altan, was buried yesterday after a concelebrated Mass in Derrybeg Church, Gaoth Dobhair, Co. Donegal, attended by hundreds of musicians from Ireland, Britain, the Continent and North America. The prayers were led by Father Gary Hastings in a Mass sung by members of Cor Chuil Aodha, led by Peadar O Riada. Raidio na Gaeltachta broadcast the Mass live, with overlays of the flute-player's music. Matt Molloy of the Chieftains led the communion with a slow air; Altan members Daithi Sproule, Paul Kelly, Dermot Byrne, Ciaran Curran and Ciaran Tourish blended with mazurkas from fiddler Johnny Doherty, and Paddy Glackin and Donal Lunny concluded on fiddle and synthesizer playing "Paddy's Rambles in the Park". With his flute on the coffin, Frankie Kennedy was saluted by Altan's playing of his own reel, "Harvest Storm".
Altan, in accordance with Kennedy's wishes, continued to record and perform after his death.
Legacy.
Flute style.
Kennedy was widely considered to be a master of the simple system flute. "Simple system" flutes are so named because they do not use a metal key system as complex as the Boehm system found on the Western concert flute; for the majority of notes played on the instrument the player covers the tone holes directly with his or her fingers rather than using a metal key. Simple system flutes are predominant in Irish traditional music.
Kennedy learned to play the flute in his birth city of Belfast, as part of a musical community which produced a number of well-known flute players, including Hammy Hamilton, Gary Hastings, Gerry O'Donnell, Desi Wilkinson, and Sam Murray.
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />It was a good time to be learning the flute there, because everybody had their own style. There wasn't anyone copying the next person – they ware all seeking music from the likes of Roger Sherlock, Cathal McConnell and Conal Ó Gráda, or going down the country. He just threw himself into the music. Frankie was also a huge rock and roll fan – Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison. He never played any of it. – he just loved going to hear different types of music.
Kennedy's style was characterised first and foremost by the music he played; most of the tunes originated from County Donegal, and his flute style corresponded well with the characteristic Donegal fiddle tradition. His recorded legacy is almost exclusively with his wife and Altan, although he did perform on Clannad's album "Banba".
His playing was smooth and somewhat less heavily ornamented than that of other popular Irish flute players like Matt Molloy. But like Molloy, the use of flattened "blue notes" for expressive purposes "was a strong feature of Frankie Kennedy's playing with Altan."
Kennedy played flutes made by Chris Wilkes and Patrick Olwell.
Frankie Kennedy Winter School.
Established in December 1994 in remembrance of Kennedy and with the intention of keeping both his memory and the music of County Donegal alive, the Frankie Kennedy Winter School (Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy in Irish gaelic) was an annual series of classes which was held for almost two decades in Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore), County Donegal until the last edition occurred in December 2013–January 2014. In 2004 the school released a CD compilation of solo Irish flute played by a "who's who" of contemporary masters of the instrument, called "An Ghaoth Aduaidh/The North Wind", in honour of Kennedy. Kennedy's mother Agnes still attends the festival annually and is close to Mairéad's family.
Memorial.
St. Oliver Plunkett School, where Kennedy and Mairéad taught, planted a tree in their Garden of Peace in memory of Kennedy. The school's staff and pupils planted a Wild Pear, used to make flutes, in his honour. A plaque was also created, with the following inscription:
On the day of the planting ceremony over 400 of the school pupils, many past pupils and staff members put on a very special day-long marathon festival of music, song and dance. There was a three fold purpose. We wished to honour Frankie. We wished to celebrate his life in the way he enjoyed most, showing the joy and happiness that we can get from music, song and dance. Thirdly we wanted to raise funds for cancer research and the Hospice Foundation. We achieved our aims and had a marvellous day in the process. Mairead and Altan's Dermot and Ciaran came and played for huge audience who had gathered. It was at once a very poignant though terribly happy day.
Tributes.
Dozens of songs have been written and recorded about Kennedy, including the following:
References.
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Altan (band)
Irish folk music band
Altan are an Irish folk music band formed in County Donegal in 1987 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband Frankie Kennedy. The group were primarily influenced by traditional Irish language songs from Donegal and have sold over a million records.
The group were the first traditional Irish group to be signed to a major label when they signed with Virgin Records in 1994. The group has collaborated with Dolly Parton, Enya, The Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, and many others.
Origin.
As an 18-year-old young student and musician from Belfast, Frankie Kennedy used to travel to Gweedore, County Donegal on his summer holidays, learning Irish and playing traditional Irish music on Irish flute and tin whistle. There he met native 14-year-old Irish-speaker and musician Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, the daughter of musician Proinsias Ó Maonaigh from Gweedore and the two fell in love with each other but Ní Mhaonaigh being very young, an innocent friendship began. When she was 15, she was allowed to go to dances under her brother Gearóid Ó Maonaigh's watchful eye, and gradually Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh became a couple. They both took jobs as trainee teachers at St. Patrick's College in Dublin. In 1979, the two musicians made their recording debut as accompanists for the well-known Belfast singer and Gaelic enthusiast Albert Fry on his self-titled debut album. (In total, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy would feature on the first three albums of Albert Fry.) Two years later, in 1981, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy graduated from college and married when Mairéad was 21.
History.
Pre-Altan years: Ní Mhaonaigh & Kennedy.
Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh had moved to Dublin and were both teaching at St. Oliver Plunkett primary school in Malahide. At the time, they were also playing music in the folk clubs around Dublin. Ní Mhaonaigh had learned the Donegal style of fiddle-playing from her father. However, Donegal music was little known outside of the county at the time. Kennedy's repertoire included a number of obscure northern flute tunes drawn from his travels in County Tyrone and County Fermanagh.
In the early 1980s, Ní Mhaonaigh formed a (short-lived) band named Ragairne with Kennedy, Gearóid Ó Maonaigh (Mairéad's brother) and a then unknown musician from Gweedore, Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, later known as Enya. People became interested in their repertoire of Donegal tunes. The group's members contributed to Mairéad and Frankie's debut album, "Ceol Aduaidh" (which means "Music of the North"), produced by Nicky Ryan and released in 1983 by Gael-Linn Records. The album is a collection of Gaelic songs and Ulster jigs and reels.
After the release of their first album, Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh were invited to America, and they quickly realised there was a market there. They then took a career break from teaching, which ultimately became permanent.
The two started to tour with two additional members Ciarán Curran (on bouzouki) and Mark Kelly (on guitar), performing their first ever live concert as a four-member ensemble on 1 June 1985 at St. John's Church in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland, this line-up – with no name yet – being the core of the future Altan band.
Inspired by the success of their debut effort, they began to work on a new group of ballads and jigs from the North. The result was the album "Altan", released in 1987 on the Green Linnet Records label, named after a lake which sits in the shadow of Errigal near Gweedore, County Donegal. In the Irish language, "altan" also means "stream". The album features many of the musicians who would later join the band.
1987–1994: "Horse with a Heart", "The Red Crow", "Harvest Storm", "Island Angel".
Shortly after the release in 1987 of "Altan", their second studio album, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy named their ensemble "Altan" after the name of the album, the band's line-up remaining unchanged as a quartet including Kennedy on flute, Ní Mhaonaigh on fiddle and vocals, Ciarán Curran on bouzouki and Mark Kelly on guitar. Later on, Dublin's Paul O'Shaughnessy joined the band on fiddle, participating in the first three Green Linnet recordings (1989–1992).
In 1989, Altan released their debut album, "Horse with a Heart".
In 1990, Altan released "The Red Crow", which became the first of three Altan albums to win the "Celtic/British Isles Album of the Year" award from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufactures (NAIRD).
In 1992, Ciarán Tourish on fiddle & whistle and Dáithí Sproule on guitar joined the band for the "Harvest Storm" recording. With the arrival of Dáithí Sproule, Mark and Dáithí shared the role of guitarist, Mark touring with the band in Europe and Dáithí in the United States. In June 1992, Frankie Kennedy learned he had Ewing's sarcoma, a type of cancer that attacks bone structure. He endured surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy simultaneously continuing his work with Altan.
In 1993, the band released "Island Angel". "Billboard" cited "Island Angel" as the fourth-best-selling album of world music in 1994. In 1994, they were asked by US President Bill Clinton to perform at the White House on Saint Patrick's Day, and they played for him again on his visit to Ireland in 1998. Also, the President of Ireland Mary McAleese requested they accompany her on several State visits.
1994–2000: Kennedy's death, major label, "Blackwater", "Runaway Sunday".
While battling with cancer, Frankie Kennedy continued to steer the band to international recognition, negotiating with Virgin Records UK to sign the band. Frankie Kennedy died on 19 September 1994. After a period of mourning, the band resumed their touring as requested by Kennedy himself before he died. They became the first traditional group to be signed to a major label when they signed with Virgin Records.
Dermot Byrne, who had previously guested on accordion on two Altan recordings "The Red Crow" (1990) and "Island Angel" (1993), officially joined the band in 1994. The recording line-up became Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (vocals, fiddle), Ciarán Tourish (fiddle), Mark Kelly (guitar), Ciarán Curran (bouzouki), Dáithí Sproule (guitar) and Dermot Byrne (accordion) and remained unchanged until Dermot Byrne's departure in 2013.
In 1995, Green Linnet Records released Altan's first greatest-hits package titled "The First Ten Years".
In April 1996, Altan released "Blackwater", their first album on Virgin Records.
In July 1997, Altan released their next album, "Runaway Sunday", which featured their version of "Gleanntáin Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair", a song written by Mairéad's father and a favourite at all their live shows.
2000–2009: "Another Sky", "The Blue Idol", hiatus.
In 2000, the group released "Another Sky", their first album on the Narada label.
In 2002, "The Blue Idol" featured the vocals of American singer Dolly Parton, who became close friends with the group after she invited them to play on her 2001 album "Little Sparrow". The album garnered them the award for "Best Group" at the BBC "Radio 2 Folk Awards".
In 2002, Altan, along with other artists signed to Green Linnet such as Cherish the Ladies, sued for unpaid royalties. Most artists were paid and most claims were settled in 2006 as Compass Records (who would later sign Altan) bought the company.
In 2003, they released another greatest hits compilation CD called "The Best of Altan: The Songs".
In 2005, they released "Local Ground" which met with positive reviews.
Altan then went on hiatus. Some members released their debut solo album: Ciarán Tourish released "Down The Line" (2005), Dáithí Sproule released "The Crow in the Sun" (2007) and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh released "Imeall" (2009).
2009–2011: 25th anniversary.
In April 2009, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh announced that the band would be going into the studio in early May 2009 to record a new Altan album with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra just after a show on 7 May 2009 in Pornichet, France (near Saint-Nazaire).
In July 2009, Ní Mhaonaigh announced that Altan would also release their first DVD as the video recording of a concert on 14 August 2009 in the National Concert Hall (NCH), Dublin, Ireland (again with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra).
To commemorate their 25th anniversary, Altan released "25th Anniversary Celebration", a compilation album of studio re-recordings of previous material (plus one brand new song) with the contribution of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. It was made available in January 2010 in Japan (where it had its launch in December 2009 during Altan's Winter 2009/2010 Japanese tour), in February 2010 in Ireland and the UK and in March 2010 in North America.
After a few European dates in January, February and April 2010 and an extensive 18-date (March to April) tour of the United States, Altan launched on 23 April 2010 in Dublin, Ireland their 14-date "25th Anniversary" tour of Ireland which would run from April to June. During Summer 2010, Altan took part in a few European festivals. A 10-date tour of UK and Ireland took place in September 2010.
2011–2014: "Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen" and touring.
From April 2011 to January 2012, Altan recorded a new studio album titled "Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen".
After celebrating the launch of the 18th Frankie Kennedy Winter School programme on 29 November 2011 by performing a show taking place during the Liffey Banks Sessions at The Grand Social, Dublin, Ireland, Altan celebrated the New Year 2012, then forthcoming release of their new studio album "Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen" on the occasion of their performance on 1 January 2012 at Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy, Ionad Cois Locha, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland during which they played some new tracks from it.
Exactly seven years after "Local Ground", Altan released "Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen", their new studio album of original material, on Compass Records in the US on 28 February 2012, in Europe & Australia on 8 March 2012, in Ireland on 9 March 2012 and in the UK on 12 March 2012. Started in April 2011, the recording took place in famous sound engineer & bass player Billy Robinson's Steeples Studios in Ramelton, Ireland and ended in early January 2012.
The album features "An Ghealóg", a song composed by Martin Tourish who would later join the band replacing Dermot Byrne, temporarily starting from the Autumn 2013 (mostly) German tour and permanently since Dermot Byrne's departure from the band in early 2014.
2014–2017: "The Widening Gyre" and touring.
On 3 June 2014, on their Twitter page and the Pledge Music website, Altan announced that they were working on a new studio album to be recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. The band had started rehearsing potential material for the album with the intention to perform some of these new pieces at various concerts over the summer.
While on a 5-show US tour in July–August 2014, the band – Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Ciarán Tourish, Ciarán Curran, Daíthí Sproule, Mark Kelly and Martin Tourish (replacing Dermot Byrne) – began recording their new album in Nashville, Tennessee.
In October 2014, Altan confirmed that their new album was being mixed and that they "hope[d] to have it [released] in the Spring of 2015", and that it would contain "loads of surprises".
On 5 November 2014, Altan published a snippet of a new track titled "White Birds" which was recorded with an undisclosed musical guest.
In late November 2014, Altan announced the names of some guest musicians who they collaborated with: Eddi Reader on vocals, Jerry Douglas (from Union Station and Transatlantic Sessions) on Dobro, Alison Brown, Bruce Molsky, Mike McGoldrick, Natalie Haas, Jim Higgins and Darol Anger.
On 5 December 2014, Altan took part in the Great British Folk Festival in Skegness, Lincolnshire, UK. During the show, Ciarán Tourish announced that they "have a new album almost finished [which] has been mastered" and about which they "can do any more with it [for] it's done" just before the band went into playing a new medley (taken from it) entitled "The Tin Key / Sam Kelly's Jig / The Gravediggers".
On 19 December 2014, Altan revealed the names of the final guests having participated in the recording of the new album: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Todd Phillips, Garry West, Julee Glaub Weems, Kenny Malone and Stuart Duncan and offered (for listening and downloading) a (very) short audio excerpt (18 seconds) of one new instrumental titled "Buffalo Gals".
In January 2015, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh explained why Altan called on Pledge Music's services in order to produce the new studio album and thanked all the pledgers for helping Altan with the fundraising campaign and for bringing it to completion (reaching, at that time, 101% of goal): "The music business is a changing world for professional musicians as ourselves. We depend more on live concerts to make our living. We can no longer depend on big record company funding to get our music out there, we have to do it ourselves. Now with your help we have funded our latest album which we are really happy with." She also stated that Altan have licensed the new album to Compass Records in the US, that Gary West of Compass co-produced it and that after 30 years recording studio albums, Altan "have taken a new approach with this one." The Altan Pledge Music pre-order page announced that all exclusive pre-orders would be fulfilled by 17 February 2015.
The band later announced that the new album would be released in Ireland on 20 February 2015, in the UK on 23 February 2015 and in the US on 24 February 2015, and would be titled "The Widening Gyre", taken from "The Second Coming", a poem by W. B. Yeats, the first Irishman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh revealed the album's cover artwork, by artist friend Édaín O'Donnell, who previously designed the "Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen" cover.
On 26 January 2015, Altan's official website published a presentation of their new studio album entitled anew "The Widening Gyre" giving many details about the new album: the new musical direction taken by the band, the album recording process and the participation of numerous guest musicians as well as the titles of some of the new tracks. The very same day, on their "Widening Gyre" iTunes page, Altan revealed the titles of the 14 tracks from their new studio album and released them for sale.
On 27 January 2015, on their "Widening Gyre" Compass Records page, Altan made available short snippets of their new tracks.
On 22 February 2015 in Charleston, WV (at Culture Center Theater, Mountain Stage Radio), Altan embarked on an extensive 25-date Winter/Spring North American tour which ended on 3 April 2015 in Greeley, Colorado (at the Union Colony Civic Center) visiting the Canada only twice: on 18 March 2015 in St. Albert, Alberta (at the Arden Theatre) and on 19 March 2015 in North Vancouver, BC (at the Centennial Theatre Centre).
Almost a year after the beginning of their extensive 25-date Winter/Spring 2015 North American tour, Altan embarked on 19 February 2016 in Northampton, Massachusetts in another extensive North American tour (but exclusively visiting the US), their 25-date Winter/Spring 2016 US tour which ended on 25 March 2016 in Spokane, Washington. An extensive (18-date) Spring 2016 UK tour followed in April and May 2016, including one Scotland leg and two England legs from 8 April in Hindhead, Surrey to 7 May 2016 in Stornoway, Scotland, including a London show at Kings Place on 9 April 2016.
Altan celebrated their 30th anniversary year with a Winter tour of Europe in January 2017, visiting The Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland and France within this month. On this tour, the core of the band (made of Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Ciarán Curran, Ciarán Tourish, Mark Kelly, Martin Tourish) is joined with a newcomer, John Joe Kelly on bodhrán. Altan have also announced for 2017 a 17-date US Winter tour in February and March 2017.
After more than 25 years as a band member (he had joined Altan in September 1991 for the "Harvest Storm" recording sessions), Ciarán Tourish (fiddle, backing vocals) left the band (for personal reasons) after the show Altan performed on 29 July 2017 in Lyon, France, at Les Nuits de Fourvière Festival. He was not replaced until fiddle player Clare Friel joined the band, at first as a guest musician for the Autumn 2022 and Spring 2023 US tours, then as a permanent member in July 2023.
2017–2024: "The Gap of Dreams" and touring.
On 23 February 2018, Altan embarked on a new (one-month) North-American tour.
On 2 March 2018, Altan released their new studio album entitled "The Gap of Dreams" which they had recorded in November 2017.
On 15 March 2020, Altan announced that their ongoing US Spring Tour 2020 had come to a halt because of the coronavirus situation and that they had been advised to return to Ireland as soon as possible. Altan's booking agency was due to reschedule all 9 remaining (15–29 March 2020) concerts for the following Autumn 2020 or next Spring 2021 but the pandemic prevented it. Nevertheless, it appears that Altan performed their last two scheduled shows in Ireland on 18 April 2020 at Copper Coast TradFest in Dunhill, County Waterford and on 24 April 2020 at Club Ceol Aislann in Kilcar, County Donegal. Besides, Altan's bus tour with Hammond Tours scheduled for 12–19 September 2020 might have happened as well.
After a unique 2021 show on 26 November 2021 at Áislann Chill Chartha, Kilcar, Co. Donegal and their annual week residence at Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair, Ghaoth Dobhair (also Co. Donegal) from 27 December 2021 to 1 January 2022, Altan resumed touring in March 2022, performing 3 shows in London and 3 shows in France this month, and another 6 shows in Ireland from March to October.
Two extensive (23-date) US Autumn and (15-date) US Spring tours ensued, respectively in October–November 2022 and March 2023 (after a unique show in Ireland on 3 February 2023 at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy, Magherafelt, County Londonderry). These new US dates marked Altan's first shows in the US in two and a half years (since the aborted US Spring Tour in March 2020).
Since then, Altan embarked on a 4-show tour of Ireland in the Spring and Summer of 2023 and performed 2 shows in France: on 1 April 2023 at La Coursive (scène nationale), La Rochelle, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and with l'Orchestre National de Bretagne on 9 August 2023 at the Lorient Interceltic Festival, Lorient, Brittany.
Born in Glasgow with her family roots firmly entrenched in the Donegal Gaeltacht (Derrynamansher), fiddle player Clare Friel permanently joined Altan in July 2023. She is the first female member to join the band since Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh since the band's start. A former Gradaim Cheoil Young Musician of the Year winner, Clare Friel is from The (Anna, Sheila and Clare) Friel Sisters and from .
2024–present: new album "Donegal" and touring.
On 24 January 2024, Altan performed at the Glasgow Celtic Connections with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Scottish fiddle female quartet RANT." A 5-date tour of Ireland ensued: starting on 26 January in Dublin at Temple Bar Tradfest, it included concerts on 1 February with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Kildare at the C. Kildare St. Brigid's Cathedral and on 2 February in Galway at the Town Hall Theatre. It is due to include a performance on 23 February at the Belfast Winter Tradfest and to end on 3 March 2024 in Killarney at the Gathering Traditional Irish Music Festival. Altan is due to embark on a 15-date US tour on 8 March 2024 in Sacramento at Sofia Tsakopoulos Center, due to end on 27 March 2024 in Chicago at the Old Town School of Folk Music.
On 7 February 2024, it was officially announced the upcoming release on 1 March 2024 on Compass Records of Altan's new studio album entitled "Donegal". This is their first studio album to be released in 6 years. The announcement reads: ""Donegal" captures the essence of the region which has inspired Altan since the band's inception and further cements Altan's legacy as one of the great cultural treasures of Ireland."
Band members.
Recording line-up.
Since the arrival of accordionist Dermot Byrne in 1994, the band recording line-up has remained unchanged until his definitive departure from the band some time in 2013 and his lasting replacement since then by Martin Tourish (Ciarán Tourish's cousin). Incidentally, Martin Tourish wrote (but didn't record) the song "An Ghealóg" from the 2012 Altan studio album "Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen".
Since July 2023, the band recording line-up has become:
Touring line-up.
Based on the recording line-up, the band touring line-up may differ at times:
Legacy.
For almost two decades (from December 1994 to January 2014), a winter school of music called Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy (The Frankie Kennedy Winter Music School) was held each year in Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore), County Donegal in honour of co-founder Frankie Kennedy.
Ni Mhaonaigh is regarded as one of the great female singers of Ireland, standing alongside Mary Black, Moya Brennan and Sinéad O'Connor.
Discography.
Altan albums.
Compilations.
Various artists live compilations featuring Altan
Notes.
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References.
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Çetin Altan
Turkish politician
Çetin Altan (22 June 1927 – 22 October 2015) was a Turkish writer, journalist, and a member of parliament. He was considered one of the finest writers in the modern Turkish language of the late 20th century.
Early years.
Çetin Altan was born on 22 June 1927 to lawyer Halit Bey of Crimean Tatar descent and his wife Nurhayat. Until age seven, he was called Altan. With the adoption of the Surname Law in Turkey in 1934, the family chose the name Altan as their surname, and the son was renamed Çetin.
At age eight, he was schooled in the elite Galatasaray High School as a boarding pupil, where he suffered from loneliness. After graduating from the high school, he received a degree from the Ankara University, Law School.
He chose a writing career instead of pursuing a diplomatic career contrary to his father's will as he related once in an interview "to escape the loneliness".
Family life.
Çetin Altan grew up in the family mansion at Göztepe, Istanbul. He married Kerime, whom he met at Radio Ankara, where she worked as the director secretary of his father. She was brought to Ankara from Iraq by her sister's husband, an Ottoman officer, along with her mother and sister when she was only forty days old.
Kerime Altan gave birth to two sons, Ahmet in 1950, Mehmet in 1953 and a daughter, Zeynep. She died in 1991. The Altan family believed that Kerime was of Arab descent. Following her death, they learnt that she was a relative of Iraqi Kurdish politician Fuad Masum.
In 1996 at age 69, Çetin Altan made his second marriage with 41-year old Solmaz Kamuran, who also had a marriage before. They had known each other for a long time. Solmaz Kamuran was a dentist before she began editing Çetin's writings. In the final months of Altan's life, the couple separated.
Writing career.
He published his poems and stories in such magazines as "Çınaraltı", "Varlık", "İstanbul" and "Kaynak". His first book "Üçüncü Mevki" was published in 1946. He entered journalism as a reporter in the newspaper "Ulus". After writing columns in "Hürses", Altan continued as a columnist in various newspapers including "Halkçı", "Tan", "Akşam", "Milliyet", "Yeni Ortam", "Hürriyet", "Güneş" and the magazine "Çarşaf".
In 1959, Altan accepted the offer of Abdi İpekçi (1929–1979) to write columns for the daily "Milliyet" replacing Peyami Safa (1899-1961). He was very much dismayed over the death of the university student Turan Emeksiz, who was killed by a police bullet during a student demonstration at the end of April 1960 against the ruling Democrat Party.
Politics.
Altan entered politics after the 1960 Turkish coup d'état, and was elected to the parliament from the Workers Party of Turkey (, TİP) following the 1965 general election. He served until 1969 as a deputy of Istanbul Province. He wrote his deputy years at his book, namely, 'When I was Deputy' (). To get more information about his deputy years and Turkey's politicians' visions, his book is very nice reference.
Known for his sharp tongue, he once said to the parliament's deputy speaker disrespecting him with the phrase "Your seat is higher than mine due to a carpentry error!". Following the deputy speaker's warning to recant, he replied "It is not a carpentry error that you sit higher than me!".
On the 20 February 1968, after having called Nazim Hikmet a “great poet“, he was physically attacked and beaten in parliament by more than hundred MPs of the Justice Party (AP) He has been prosecuted more than 300 times because of his articles. Altan has been arrested three times and served two years in prison.
Works.
He published several novels and collections of essays, dealing with and criticizing the social and political situation of Turkey as well as the problems of contemporary Turkish society and culture in the second half of the 20th century from a socialistic/culturally liberal perspective. Many of his novels and essays contain autobiographical elements connected with his own political and personal struggles.
Altan's writings in the 1960s and 1970s were published in his books "Taş" ("Satire", lit. 'Stone'), "Sömürücülerle Savaş" ("Struggle against the Exploiters"), "Suçlanan Yazılar" ("Accused Writings"), ""Kahrolsun Komünizm" Diye Diye Globalleşme" ("Globalization Saying 'Down with Communism'"), "Onlar Uyanırken" ("While They Awaken"), "Kopuk Kopuk" ("Broken off"), "‘Geçip Giderken" ("While Going by"), "Gölgelerin Gölgesi" ("Shadow of Shadows"), "Şeytanın Aynaları" ("Mirrors of the Devil"), "Bir Yumak İnsan" ("A Group of People") and "Nar Çekirdekleri" ("Pomegranate Seeds").
He wrote his novel "Büyük Gözaltı" ("The Great Detention") in 1972, which narrates his experience in the prison following the 1971 Turkish coup d'état and is considered as the first of its sort relating to the period. It brought to Altan the "Orhan Kemal Novel Award" in 1973.
In addition to his numerous writings and books, Çetin Altan also wrote theatre plays such as "Çemberler" ("Circles"), "Mor Defter" ("The Purple Notebook"), "Suçlular" ("The Convicted") in 1965, "Dilekçe" ("The Petition") and "Tahteravalli" ("The Seesaw"). Furthermore, he has two essays, "Aşk, Sanat ve Servet" ("Love, Art and Wealth") and "Atatürk’ün Sosyal Görüşleri" ("The Social Views of Atatürk") in 1965, as well as a humor book, "Zurnada Peşrev Olmaz" ("There is No Prelude in the Clarion"). He wrote also books of travel, autobiography, poetry and even an alphabet book.
His life story was portrayed in the novel "İpek Böceği Cinayeti" ("The Silkworm Murder") by his author wife Solmaz Kamuran in 1998.
His novels "Büyük Gözaltı" ("Etroite surveillance"), "Bir Avuç Gökyüzüir" ("Une poignée de ciel"), "Viski" ("Whisky") and "Zurnada Peşrev Olmaz Küçük Bahçe" ("Ixe enseveli ou le Petit jardin") were also translated into French and published in France.
Death.
Çetin Altan was taken to the hospital of the Fatih University Medicine Faculty at Maltepe, Istanbul in September 2015, where he was treated after being diagnosed with multiple health problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory failure, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, urinary tract infection and sepsis. On 19 October Altan was hospitalized again due to a urinary tract infection. He died on 22 October 2015 at 11:05 hours local time at age 88 due to respiratory failure as a result of pneumonia and septic shock.
He was interred at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery on 23 October 2015, following a memorial ceremony before the building of Millyet newspaper and the consequent religious funeral service at Teşvikiye Mosque. He is survived by his sons Mehmet Altan, Ahmet Altan, daughter Zeynep Nurhayat Altan and granddaughter Sanem Altan.
References.
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Kaan Altan
Turkish rock guitarist
Kaan Altan is a founding member of the Turkish rock band Mavi Sakal. He currently performs in the band Kesmeşeker as a guitarist.
References.
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Hakan Altun
Hakan Recep Altun (born 13 August 1972) is a Turkish singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.
He was born in Istanbul. After elementary school, he got a place in the academy of music, where he completed his secondary, high and university education, assisted by his grandfather Hafız Zeki Altun. After graduation bachelor of arts in music, he continued his studies focusing on Traditional Turkish Music. In his second year of post-graduate studies, he quit to pursue a career as an instrumentalist in the Edirne State Choir, playing the lute. Before a break for mandatory military service in Ankara, he performed in the most popular clubs in Istanbul. He was part of the pop band Aykut Hakan Ayşe before starting his solo career in 1998.
In TV interviews, he has stated that he composed his very first song "Hani Bekleyecektin" (You Promised You Would Wait) when he was in the army, motivated by his girlfriend's refusal to speak with him on the phone. After his eponymous first album, he went on to release "Ağlamak Yok Yüreğim" ("Never Cry My Heart"), "Nefesimsim" ("You're My Breath"), "Yaralı Bir Aşkın Öyküsü" ("Story of a Broken Heart"), "Hediye" ("Gift") and, "Küstüm Aşklara" ("I'm Cross with Loves") in addition to other albums.
References.
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Altan (name)
Altan is a male Turkish given name used also as first name and a Mongolian given name. Altan means "golden" in Mongolian and "red dawn" in Turkic. The related word "Altın" is also Turkish for "golden" and a common Turkish first name.
See also.
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 Name listThis page or section lists people that share the same given name or the same family name.
References.
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Tatul Altunyan
Armenian conductor (1901–1973)
Tatul Tigrani Altunyan (October 2, 1901 [O.S. October 15] – November 29, 1973) was an Armenian conductor, the founder of Armenian State Song-Dance Ensemble (currently named after him), People's Artist of USSR (1965), recipient of the State Prize of the USSR (1950) and university professor.
Altunyan was born in Adana, Adana Vilayet, Ottoman Empire. He was the student of Romanos Melikian and Spiridon Melikyan. In 1934, after graduating from the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, he studied at the Leningrad State Conservatory. Altunyan founded the Armenian National Song and Dance Ensemble in 1938, and acted as its principal conductor, giving performances around the world, until 1970. The ensemble is remembered as a "perfect illustration of the beauty of traditional Armenian music".
Altunyan died in 1973 in Yerevan and is buried at the Tokhmakh Cemetery in Yerevan, along with his wife Olga Altunyan. He is the father of conductor Zhirayr Altunyan, and composer Ruben Altunyan, Karen Altunyan and Jilda Altunyan.

Kamil Altan
Turkish footballer
Kamil Altan (7 April 1924 – 25 February 2011) was a Turkish footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Career.
Prior to the 1952–53 season, Altan moved from Eyüpspor to Galatasaray, where he played until the end of the 1959–60 season. He scored one goal in 59 league appearances for the club. In the 1954–55 and 1955–56 seasons, he was part of the teams winning the Istanbul Football League. He then signed with Taksim, playing there until 1960.
After ending his football career, he became coach of Galatasaray's youth team in 1961. After staying in this position for a while, he was the manager of Tophane Tayfunspor, an amateur team, in the 1970s.
Personal life.
Altan died on 25 February 2011. He was buried in Selimpaşa Cemetery after noon prayers at the Teşvikiye Mosque on 27 February.
Honours.
Galatasaray
References.
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Gaadangiin Altankhuyag
Mongolian composer and musician
Gaadangiin Altankhuyag (; born March 15. 1948) is a Mongolian composer and Morin Khuur player.
Altankhuyag was born in Ulaanbaatar and grew up in the Erdenedalai sum in Dundgovi aimag. He studied at the National Academy of Music of Bulgaria and received a teacher's education at the Academy for Music and Dance (Хөгжим Бүжгийн Дунд Сургууль, УБДС) in Ulaanbaatar. After that he taught at the Academy for Music and Dance and worked with Radio and Television as an editor in the programming committee. He composed for the Singing and Dance Ensemble of the army and worked as a teacher for the Morin Khuur ensemble of the State Philharmony.
Altankhuyags work consists of song, solo and orchestra pieces, as well as film scores.

The Gap of Dreams
The Gap of Dreams is the thirteenth studio album by Irish folk music group Altan and their twelfth studio album of original material, released in March 2018 on the Compass Records label to critical acclaim.
Background.
This is the first studio album of original material to be released by Altan in three years, since the release of "The Widening Gyre" in February 2015. This is also the first Altan album not to feature former band member Ciaran Tourish (usually on fiddle and flute) since he departed from the band in late July 2017.
As Altan states through their official website: "the album title is borrowed from "The Ballad of Douglas Bridge", a poem by Francis Carlin, in which he writes: 'The Gap of Dreams is never shut', referring to the gap between this world and the Otherworld. The Otherworld has always exerted a large influence on the fiddling tradition of County Donegal and has served as inspiration for song, music and folklore."
Recording.
Altan recorded the new album during November 2017 "in the hills of Donegal", more precisely in Attica Studios, Drumdeevin, Termon, Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland.
The album features many sets of traditional Donegal reels such as Néilidh Boyle's composition, "Seán sa Cheo" ("John in the Mist"), as well as original compositions. Four of the songs are in Irish (Gaelic), which is Mairéad's first language, and the language of the northwest of Donegal.
About Altan's new musical direction, "The Irish Times"'s music critic Siobhan Long stated: "It's fitting that Altan's first album in three years [...] should feature new tunes from the next generation – from Ní Mhaonaigh's daughter Nia [Byrne] (fiddle) and guitarist Mark Kelly's son Sam [Kelly] (concertina). These, alongside a pair of reels composed by Altan's most recent arrival, Martin Tourish on piano accordion, signal the band's appetite for evolution of the musical and familial kind."
Singer and founding member Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's daughter Nia Byrne contributed writing credits for "Nia's Jig", and played fiddle to accompany. Member Mark Kelly's (guitar and backing vocals) son wrote another single, "The Beekeeper", and played concertina on the single. Other recording members of Altan are Dáithí Sproule (guitar and vocals), Ciarán Curran (bouzouki) and Martin Tourish (piano accordion).
Altan called on Pledge Music's services to finance the new studio album.
Critical reception.
"The Gap of Dreams" received positive reviews from a number of magazines and websites.
It received a warm review and 4 stars (out of 5) on 9 March 2018 from "The Irish Times"'s music critic Siobhan Long, stating: "[Altan's] duelling fiddle sound is no longer a feature since Ciarán Tourish's departure, but "The Gap of Dreams" is a beautifully realised collection of new and traditional tunes rooted in their home place of Donegal. Ní Mhaonaigh contributes two gorgeous tunes of her own (including the evocative title tune) and her voice tends her pitch-perfect song choices with customary care, particularly on the beautiful "Cumha an Oileáin". The sense of internal refinement in the tune arrangements is heightened by the thoughtful contributions of bouzouki player Ciarán Curran and guitarists Mark Kelly and Dáithí Sproule. Unhurried and richly stitched, with arrangements that let the music shimmer, Altan are back – with gusto."
"Hot Press"'s music critic Jackie Hayden gave the new album a rating of 8.5 points out of 10 and a warm review, stating: "This is Altan's 16th album [sic] since their formation in 1987, and their first studio effort since 2015's "The Widening Gyre". Throughout their career, the Donegal act have displayed an impressive level of musical inventiveness. With "The Gap Of Dreams", though, they've dug deeper, fashioning an album that reeks of history and of simpler times, when music and dancing were the glue that held rural communities together; real (and reel) channels of respite from hard living. Ní Mhaonaigh's vocals are as beguiling as ever, particularly on the wistful "The Month Of January", while "Cumha an Oileáin" is a timely reminder of the beauty of the Irish language, and "An Bealach Seo 'Tá Romham" boasts a welcome appearance by Moya Brennan. Ciarán Curran's bouzouki and the guitars of Dáithí Sproule and Mark Kelly add to the eclectic musical palette, with the production by Michael Kenney and Tommy McLaughlin also top-notch. It all makes for an uplifting musical experience."
"The Living Tradition"'s music critic Alex Monaghan stated that despite "a few line-up changes since [he] last reviewed an Altan album—most notably the replacement of Dermot Byrne by Martin Tourish on accordion, and the departure of founder member Ciaran Tourish on fiddle which does leave the instrumentals weaker—Donegal's premier traditional band is still going strong [as] the basic formula still works: tunes and songs with a strong Donegal flavour, a mix of old and new, with a contemporary acoustic edge to the arrangements.» Monaghan enjoyed the new album, in particular tracks such as "Cumha An Oileáin", «sweetly sung despite the sad words, and set to a beautiful tune [...] or « the chilling "Month Of January" [which] sends a shiver down [his] spine,» adding that «[his] favourite track is a medley [track #10] which expresses the music of Donegal as performed by Altan since their inception, with fiddle and bouzouki, a clear full sound ending with "The Mermaid Of Mullaghmore" which would be at home on any Altan album since the original [1983] "Ceol Aduaidh" back in the mists of time."
Track by track review and notes.
Sources
Track listing.
Durations source
Personnel.
Altan
Guest musicians
Production
Notes.
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Altan Erkekli
Turkish actor (born 1955)
Reşit Altan Erkekli (born 18 January 1955) is a Turkish theatre, film and television actor.
Filmography.
Films:
TV series:
References.
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 2001for "Vizontele"

Mubeyyin Batu Altan
Crimean Tatar activist
Mubeyyin Batu Altan is an American Crimean Tatar scholar, activist and leading figure in the American Crimean Tatar community.
Life.
Altan was born in Crimea in the Ukrainian SSR to a displaced Crimean Tatar family from Sudak. Their original surname was "Muhtar" but it was changed when they settled in a refugee camp in Tuzla, Turkey. In the 1960s his family migrated to the US, where he studied first at the University of Bridgeport and later at the Inner Asian and Altaic Studies Department of Harvard University. In 1986 he started publishing the "Crimean Review", the first English-language magazine on the national movement of the Crimean Tatars. From 1999 to 2003 he was the president of the International Committee for Crimea and currently serves as the director of the Crimean Tatar Research and Information Center.
References.
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Atalan

Atalan is a town ("belde") in the Düziçi District, Osmaniye Province, Turkey. Its population is 1,593 (2022). It is situated at the easternmost part of Çukurova plains, west of Düziçi. Up to 1968 Atalan was a remote neighbourhood of Böcekli a town to the north. In 1968 it was declared a village and in 1998 it was declared a seat of township. Main revenues of the town are pistachio and dairying.

Ahmet Altan
Turkish journalist and author (born 1950)
Ahmet Hüsrev Altan (born 2 March 1950) is a Turkish journalist and author. A working journalist for more than twenty years, he has served in all stages of the profession, from being a night shift reporter to editor in chief in various newspapers.
Biography.
He was born in 1950 in Ankara, Turkey to the notable journalist and writer Çetin Altan as the first of two sons. His brother Mehmet Altan is also a journalist, writer and university professor of political economy.
Career.
In addition to having written columns in several Turkish newspapers, including "Hürriyet", "Milliyet" and "Radikal", Altan has produced news programming for television.
He was fired from "Milliyet" after writing a column on 17 April 1995 titled "Atakürt", which presented an alternate history of Turkey as a Kurdish state ("Kürdiye") in which ethnic Turks are oppressed and forced to assimilate. For the same column he received a suspended sentence to an imprisonment of 1 year and 8 months and fined about $12'000.
In 2007 he became the founding editor-in-chief and lead columnist of the "Taraf", a daily Turkish newspaper, and remained in the position until his resignation in December 2012.
In September 2008, when Altan published an article titled "Oh, My Brother" dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide he was charged under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for "denigrating Turkishness". The judicial claim was initiated by the far-right "Great Union Party".
Altan, along with some of his "Taraf" associates, usually carried a firearm for self-protection.
As the editor of "Taraf", Altan was accused of working to silence allegations of the Gülen movement cheating in compulsory public servants' examinations in Turkey to further their power in the state.
On 14 December 2012, Ahmet Altan resigned his post as editor-in-chief of "Taraf". His assistant editor Yasemin Çongar, and Neşe Tüzel also stepped down. The next day, the three departing journalists were joined by columnist Hadi Uluengin.
Prosecution.
During Turkey's media purge after the failed July 2016 coup d'état on 23 September 2016, Altan was arrested. He was accused of sending "subliminal messages" to encourage 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt planners.
In September 2017, while banned from written communications, Altan produced an essay The Writer's Paradox in which he says: 'I am writing these words from a prison cell ... But wait. Before you start playing the drums of mercy for me listen to what I will tell you ... They may have the power to imprison me but no one has the power to keep me in prison. I am a writer.' The essay was published on 18 September 2017, on the eve of Altan's trial: in English by The Society of Authors (translated by Yasemin Çongar) and in the original Turkish by English PEN.
As the trial began, many authors spoke out in support of Altan. Neil Gaiman said "I hope that everyone who can read, whatever their politics, reads Ahmet Altan's response to his imprisonment. Repressive regimes hope that if they lock up writers they are also locking up ideas. This will always fail." Joanne Harris said "Writers exist to question, to challenge, sometimes even to ridicule - the status quo. For a government to imprison a writer for doing this is to attack, not only freedom of speech but freedom of the imagination. It is a backward, oppressive and ultimately futile gesture that can only lead to greater and more damaging social unrest."
On 16 February 2018, Ahmet, along with his brother Mehmet Altan, was sentenced to life imprisonment. From prison, he wrote notes he gave to his lawyers, and published his memoirs under the title "I Will Never See the World Again", translated into English by Yasemin Çongar. The book was longlisted for the 2019 Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction and is published in 17 countries around the world. But it is not published in Turkish as Altan has concern about the safety of the publisher.
On 4 November 2019, Altan was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months imprisonment by the court of cassation, but then the court ordered his release on probation. On 12 November 2019 the police detained him again after a ruling reversing his release.
On 25 November 2019, Altan was awarded the Geschwister Scholl Prize, a literary award of the Bavarian branch of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.
Altan was released from prison on 14 April 2021 after order by the Court of Cassation.

Music in the Altai Republic
The Altai Republic is a region in Russia, composed primarily of ethnic Russians and Altaians. Prominent modern performers include Alexei G. Kalkin, who performs epics like "Maadai Kara".
The Ministry of Culture of the Altai Republic operates several folklore organizations dedicated to preserving traditional culture, including music and dance, each dedicated to a particular region. These regions include Ust-Kansky District, Onguday, Kosh-Agach, Ust-Kok, Chemalsky, Shebalino, Gorno-Altaysk, Choysky District, Turachaksk, Ulagansky and Mayminsky Districts.
Traditional instruments from Altay include:
The performance of traditional epics, accompanied by the topshur, is an important part of Altay music. These are usually narrated in a falsetto voice and enunciated in the low bass register. They are pentatonic and include melismatics. Performers include N. Ulagashev, P. Kutshiyak and Deley, while more modern vocalists include Aleksey Kalkin, S. Aetenov, Shunu Yalatov, Tovar Tchetsiyakov, Tanishpai Shinshin.
The most popular traditional musician from Altay may be Nohon Shumarov, from Yaman, a small village in the mountains, who worked in theater in Gorno Altaysk beginning in 1977. He now works at the School of Classical Music, which is the only institution of its kind in the region to teach traditional music. He has performed across Russia and Central Asia, as well as far away as Vietnam, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland and Lithuania.
References.
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Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız
Turkish singer
Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız is a Turkish-Dutch musician best known as vocalist and bağlama player for Anatolian rock band Altin Gün.
Biography.
According to Altin Gün bandmate Daniel Smienk, Erdinç was born in the Netherlands to Turkish parents.
Music career.
In 2016, Erdinç responded to an ad posted on Facebook by Jasper Verhulst who was seeking to form a psychedelic Turkish folk band which would soon become known as Altin Gün. Erdinç was recruited to the band as one of two lead vocalists of Turkish origin - the other being Merve Daşdemir.
The band has released five studio albums since their debut album in 2018. In 2019, their second album, "Gece" was nominated for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards (2019) in the Best World Music Album category. Together they have made multiple tours of Europe and North America and have performed at Coachella. Their fifth studio album was released in March 2023.
At a 2019 show in Ontario, Erdinç performed with broken ribs after suffering a frisbee accident.
References.
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John Altman (composer)
British film composer
John Altman (born 5 December 1949) is an English film composer, music arranger, orchestrator and conductor.
Music career.
Altman was introduced to the music of the 1930s and 1940s at an early age by his uncles, bandleaders Woolf and Sid Phillips. Woolf Phillips was the bandleader and MC at the London Palladium during the Golden Age of Variety and arranged and conducted for Judy Garland, the Marx Brothers, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Danny Kaye and Dean Martin, among others, while Sid Phillips wrote for the Bert Ambrose Orchestra, played in Louis Armstrong's British All Stars, and led Britain's best known Dixieland Band. John Altman's cousin, Simon Phillips, was for many years the drummer of the world-famous rock band Toto and now leads the Grammy nominated Protocol.
Altman's only formal musical training was piano lessons as a child. While enrolled at the University of Sussex he was involved in session work and gigs with Peter Green, members of Fleetwood Mac, Kevin Ayers, and John Martyn. His later studies at Birkbeck College were interrupted when he left to work with Hot Chocolate as musical director for their concert tour for two years. He also played saxophone with such artists as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Little Richard, and Van Morrison for whom he functioned as arranger and musical director as well as reed player. Among the many other artists Altman has played with over the years are Muddy Waters, Nick Drake, Jimmy Page, The Comets, Spencer Davis. In the mid-1970s, Altman began arranging and conducting. Among his hit records have been Aled Jones' "Walking in the Air" (which he also produced); Alison Moyet's "That Old Devil Called Love", Simple Minds "Street Fighting Years", Rod Stewart's "Downtown Train", George Michael's "Kissing a Fool", Prefab Sprout's "Hey Manhattan", Tina Turner and Barry White's "Wildest Dream", Diana Ross' Christmas Album, Björk's "It's Oh So Quiet", Goldie's "Saturnz Return". He was musical director for the "All-Star Band" assembled for the 1981 Amnesty International benefit show – an ensemble that included Sting, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Phil Collins, Bob Geldof, Donovan and Midge Ure.
Altman is a highly accomplished jazz musician, lauded by respected critic Don Heckman in the "Los Angeles Times" as "one of the few film composers with authentic jazz skills." In the jazz world he has performed with Chet Baker, Plas Johnson, Ernie Watts, Red Holloway, Conte Candoli, Slim Gaillard, Barbara Morrison, Herb Geller, Wild Bill Davison, Bud Freeman, Les McCann, Percy Heath and many others. He conducted the Stan Tracey Big Band and the Durham Cathedral Choir for an album of Duke Ellington's Sacred Music. His jazz quartet CD "You Started Something" was released in January 2006 on the Bronze Jazz label, of which he was A&R Director, and was named 'Jazz CD of the Month' in "The Observer". His previous CD (featuring his orchestra with jazz singer Joan Viskant) also received this accolade. The John Altman Big Band frequently performs in the US and UK. Personnel includes Wayne Bergeron, Andy Martin, Pete Christlieb, Grant Geissman, Gary Foster, Warren Luening, Peter Erskine, Alex Acuna, and Tom Ranier. Altman performed at the Vladivostok Summer Festival, the San Jose winter jazz series, the LA Jazz Festival, the Hollywood and Highland Summer Jazz Series in Los Angeles and the London Jazz Festival both with the big band, which garnered a standing ovation and rave reviews, and the Caribbean Jazz Cruise. He is also a Patron of the "National Jazz Archive" and was honoured by the Archive in July 2010. He recently recorded the big band for an album to be released in the New Year of 2022. Altman also undertook a well received big band tour of Australia, and a quintet tour of California. His latest jazz project is a quartet, Pearls of Wisdom, with Police guitarist Andy Summers which debuted in 2014.
Altman is a frequent guest conductor for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and served on the board of ASMAC (the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers), and as a member of the governing Council of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). His recent record arrangements are for the Amnesty International 50th anniversary celebrations CD, "Chimes of Freedom" – one featuring Pete Seeger in his final recording, with banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, and the other a jazz track featuring Evan Rachel Wood with Patrice Rushen and Tom Scott. He was flattered to have been recommended for this prestigious gig by Sir George Martin. He also arranged the horn section for Mark Ronson's song "Johanna" featured in the movie "Mortdecai" performed by Miles Kane and several songs for the Michael Caine Gala at the Royal Albert Hall for Joss Stone, Quincy Jones, and the London Symphony Orchestra
He contributed songs for a stage musical devised by Terence Frisby from his best selling book "Kisses on a Postcard". He was also co-founder – and co-host for seven years – of the "10 Room" Monday night jam session in London which won Club Night of the Year awards – and featured guests such