Monday 2 February
7.45pm
Gulbenkian Theatre,
On Monday 2 February,
the Gulbenkian Theatre present Dervish; Irish traditional music at its very
best.
During their twenty year career, Dervish have remained consistently
at the forefront of Irish traditional music. The band’s live shows are
characterized by their carefully crafted arrangements. As an instrumental
line-up bursting with creativity they combine masterfully with the unique vocals
of the entrancing Cathy Jordan - still regarded by many as the finest
front-woman and most distinctive voice in Irish music.
In Dervish, all the
elements that make great celtic music come together: exceptional musicianship,
breathtaking vocals, high-energy sets of tunes and instantly compelling songs,
making Dervish as complete a band to be found anywhere in the
tradition.
Tickets
£15
Ends.
Press Contact Simon simon_dot_heginbotham_at_adastra-music_dot_co_dot_uk 07809 157 845
For Images email f_dot_moran_at_kent_dot_ac_dot_uk
Biography
From
the Great Wall of China to packed auditoriums in the Holy Land and more recently
being the first Irish band to perform at the greatest music festival in the
world, "Rock in
Over
the following two years Dervish honed their craft as a formative band. In 1991,
Roscommon born singer Cathy Jordan and all
This
demand led to the band touring continuously throughout 1993 and performing at
all the major folk festivals. The enormous work load and the constant touring
made it difficult for the band to work in the studio, but the following year
their keenly awaited second album was released. “Playing with Fire” was released
in 1994, and so again, began the band¹s worldwide travels to satisfy the demand
created by both albums.The high expectations for the recording were not only
met, but also surpassed. Reviewers and critics alike lauded praise for “Playing
with Fire” confirming Dervish status as the pre-eminent Irish traditional band.
The album reached number 1 in the Irish Folk Music Charts and World/Roots music
charts internationally and stayed on top for several months.
With their
reputation firmly established, Dervish now set their sights on the American
market, signing a deal with the New York-based Company Kells Music. The release
of their two albums in the
In
1996 Dervish released “At the End of the Day", which firmly established the band
as a major force in world music, winning them the Hot Press Folk Album of the
Year Award. In the same year the band performed a series of shows in Hong Kong
and
Dervish
concert performances are a myriad of tones and moods ranging from high energy
tunes, played with fluidity and intuitiveness, to beautifully measured songs,
from charming lyrics of life and love, to inspiring melodies that lift audiences
from their seats. All the elements are drawn together by Cathy Jordan¹s
masterful stage-presence. Her stories to the songs and her interaction with the
audience draws people into the music in a way very few performers can achieve.
All this can be found in their fourth album “Live in Palma¹. As the name
implies, it¹s a live recording of a scintillating performance in front of a
captivated audience at
1998
was another grueling year for the group. It started with a six-week coast to
coast sell out tour of the
In 1999 the new look Dervish took
to the studio, bringing with it a bigger sound prompted by the seven-piece line
up Cathy Jordan (vocals, bodhrán, bones), Tom Morrow (fiddle, viola), Shane
Mitchell accordion), Liam Kelly (flute, low whistle), Séamus O¹Dowd (guitars,
harmonica), Michael Holmes (bouzouki) and Brian Mc Donagh (mandola, mandolin).
Again it looked as if Dervish could do no wrong with the resulting album
“Midsummer¹s Night” being voted Irish Trad Album of the Year by many
publications.
To
celebrate ten years together, Dervish released “Decade” in March 2001. “Decade”
is a compilation of some of the finest tracks from their five highly acclaimed
albums of Irish traditional music recorded over the last ten years. Around this
period great innovation was happening in the Dervish rehearsal room and on stage
which led to the release of “Spirit”. This was without doubt an album that gave
a new focus to the arrangement and production of the band's sound. This album
had what was described as having, a firmly Roots feel but contemporary in its
nature. The instrumentals were fresh in their arrangements and the songs has a
new gloss in their production. “Spirit” confirmed Dervish as being a band with a
musical mission in terms of the bands approach to the arrangement and production
of traditional Irish music. In this year Dervish had their proudest moment to
date when Sligo City Council bestowed the FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH OF SLIGO ON THE
BAND.This award was for their international artistic achievements and their
dedication and promotion of their local heritage.
In
Early 2006 The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Mr Bertie Ahern invited Dervish
to accompany (almost the entire Irish Government) on the countries biggest ever
trade mission which was to China. Dervish performed to a gathering from the
Chinese government on this trip further confirming the band as a national jewel
of
It's
now nearly 18 years since first coming together and with four of the original
members still at the helm, Dervish are more in demand than ever. Their colorful
career has taken them to every corner of the globe and has seen them share
centre stage with such names as James Brown, The Buena Vista Social Club, Oasis,
Sting, REM, Beck and many more. Dervish
are one of the most respected acts of modern time in World/Roots music
worldwide. Their musical genius and innovative approach will ensure that they
will be always be a leading force in Irish music bringing the world the joy and
excitement and fun that is, traditional Irish music.
In
October 2007 Dervish released to great acclaim their long awaited new album
“Traveling Show” the songs of which are produced by the legendary John Reynolds
and instrumentals produced by Brian Mc Donagh and
Dervish.
DISCOGRAPHY:
DVD: