John Devine – P.L.A.Y. (Own Label)
John’s a founder member of SleepingDogz, the fun acoustic trio in which he plays with Wild Willy Barrett and Mary Holland; and something of the iconoclastic devil-may-care wackiness of that outfit inevitably spills over into this, John’s first solo album. But more than that, its professed raison-d’être is a kind of musical exploration-cum-analysis of John’s lifelong relationship with Irish music and culture (he’s a child of 1950s Irish immigrant parents). John’s given the album an apt title, for it’s genuinely PLAYful, an exercise in imagination running riot, which happens also to be entertaining and interesting to listen to. It’s also a quite heady experience for the listener though: a true cottage-industry product involving quite a lot of multitracking, several guest musicians and a fair amount of incidental messing-about. It has that feel of a talented teenager being let loose in a recording studio and being encouraged to follow his aural fantasies with no holds barred; and this combination of proven musicianship, a keen empathy with the chosen idiom and culture and a slightly crazy (crazed) outlook in the end invariably produces some brilliant music-making.
The catch is that even the more adventurous of listeners are bound to demand a certain kind or level of consistency within the confines of a disc that’s made for repeated play, and while there’s virtue in the unpredictable and unusual the sheer waywardness of parts of P.L.A.Y. is likely to hinder its wider appreciation, at least among traditionalists. But so what, I say! I’m reminded of the early adventures of Frank Zappa, which I guess did much the same in exploring and exposing American culture and its byways in a wild, anarchic fashion that frightened all the horses (the man’s genuine affection and respect for that culture, like the end-product of his music, tended to be seriously misunderstood and unappreciated). Within John’s allotted 39 minutes, there are plenty of accomplished performances of deep-traditional Irish tunes (authentic, core-repertoire reels, jigs, airs, etc), some turning the corner into jazz or experimental fusion or filmscape or else transmuting into passages of cascading, crashing rock-band dissonance, juxtaposed with snippets of session chat, samples and craic or simply interfered with (tongue maybe firmly in cheek, sometimes irritatingly so, as in the case of the song performance that leads off The Butterfly – the underlying social comment is noted, and the “shusher” is amusing first time, to be sure, but less so thereafter).
Perhaps the weirdest part of the disc is track 6, which within the space of nine minutes moves through a bewildering array of musical adventures and atmospheres. The sections of “straight“ playing throughout the disc are scintillating, and the formidable contributions of the various extra session musos (who include Clive Carroll, Alan McLeod, Sam Proctor and three other Devines - presumably part of the clan) chime in perfectly with John’s own expertise (he’s a hell of a musician, notably on the uilleann pipes). And at the disc’s still epicentre, The Parting Glass is an unaffected, intimate (and uninterrupted) rendition by singer Katherine Rogan. Summing up: John has produced an interesting and fascinating disc, one which in presenting his own unique take on Irish music and culture might almost be viewed as open aural psychoanalysis; and it’s a privilege to be able to share in this.
www.johndevinemusic.com
David Kidman
The NAF club, The George, Silsoe, Bedfordshire. 6th April 2010
Just a few words about our April NAF. It was great to have the company of John Devine and his son Joe. Two talented musicians steeped in the Irish Traditional music scene. Not only do you experience the passion of the music but John has a wonderful way of entertaining his audience with the history behind the music and a few amusing anecdotes thrown in for good measure.
We caught John just before he started his UK wide tour with Wild Willy Barrett. If you want to see John in action again he will be playing at the Hitchin Folk Club (The Sun Pub) on the 2nd May. If you didn’t get chance to purchase John’s CD ‘P.L.A.Y.’ then it comes highly recommended. I can best describe it as Irish music meets Pink Floyd and I haven’t stopped playing it. John has invited many top musicians to support him on the CD and the musical arrangements are fantastic, exciting and push a few boundaries here and there with splendid results. It is also very funny with interwoven snippets of colourful conversations in Irish bars. Try John’s web-sites www.johndevinemusic.com or www.itunes.com/johndevine if you want to order a copy or let me know and I will see what I can do.
Ned Lawton, Club organiser
An Piobarie Vol 6 No 4 (Publication by NPU, an international Uilleann Piping organisation based in Henrietta Street, Dublin)
"John Devine's Album (P.L.A.Y.) can't be compared to anything else"
Terry Moylan Archivist
DEVINE WATERS
Own Label, www.johndevinemusic.com
10 tracks, 56 minutes
A second innovative CD from uilleann piper John Devine, and this time it's a family affair: John's wife Caz plays sax, their son Joe plucks guitars and banjo, and Pete Waters provides vocals. There are a couple of guests, but the core of Devine Waters is this foursome - hence the name. There are four songs, four instrumentals, and one track which truly combines both. The final ten minutes provides what John describes as "audio sleeve-notes", a great idea: all the information you could want about the making of this album, delivered vocally over a soundscape of clips and out-takes, informative and fun.
On the instrumental side, John is a competent journeyman piper and rattles through old favourites such as The Lark in the Morning, The Haunted House, Cregg's Pipes and The Chicago Reel. Joe's set of challenging banjo reels ends with a spirited version of The Mason's Apron. In between are two slower tracks: Oliver Goldsmith's Lament achingly articulated on the pipes, and a sax medley of O'Carolan tunes including at least one of the beautiful Bridget Cruise airs.
Pete Waters reminds me strongly of Lenny Henry's description of the Irish as "white Jamaicans" - he trips from a totally convincing pub-band rendition of Whisky in the Jar to his own rough 'n' ready Reggae philosophy Slip On By. A couple of tracks later, he's back on the porter for the classic Irish Night Visiting Song, then it's over to urban blues for Love In Our Hearts, another of Pete's own compositions.
The final eleven-minute set starts with The May Morning Dew, a perfect vehicle for pipes and voice. The gripping atmosphere is a testament to John's skill as a producer, as well as the piping and singing, plus subtle but imaginative synth and programming. This track stands as tall as any version I've heard, sending shivers down the spine, reminding us of the tragedy which inspired the lament. The set of tunes which completes this track builds gradually into a full Irish session with fiddle and bodhrán, a rousing end to a most interesting CD.
Alex Monaghan