The late Prof Mick Moloney, a well-known Bangkok resident who passed away in 2022, left behind a huge musical and academic legacy. He was recognised as a master of Irish music and one of the foremost experts on Irish-American music.
Moloney released and produced some 60 albums, and was a member of Irish folk band The Johnstons in the 1960s. In the 1970s, he moved to the US to pursue an academic career but continued to perform with ensembles, which he founded, such as Green Fields of America. UK-based BGO Records has reissued Moloney's first solo album We Have Met Together, which was originally recorded for Transatlantic Records and released in 1973. The new release features extensive liner notes from Irish music expert John O'Regan. The album features Moloney playing mandolin, tenor banjo and guitar (much of this was double-tracked with Moloney playing several instruments) and singing. There is a mix of traditional and modern songs and instrumentals like reels, jigs and hornpipes.
Readers interested in Moloney's work can get a feel for the music closest to his heart on albums like We Have Met Together -- my favourite -- along with others such as Strings Attached. Moloney once told me that he was very proud of the work and research he did on Irish-American songwriters and wanted to write a book on the subject. You can hear his production of ensemble recordings of Irish-American songwriters from "old New York" like Harrigan and Braham on McNally's Row Of Flats, If It Wasn't For The Irish And The Jews and albums on Irish migration like Far From The Shamrock Shore.
In addition to his audio recordings, Moloney also produced and provided the soundtrack for television specials such as Bringing It All Back Home (for RTE), Out Of Ireland (for PBS) and another PBS documentary, The Irish In America: Long Journey Home. You can find these documentaries online and they are well worth watching. I would also recommend his book Far From The Shamrock Shore, which also has a companion CD. More information is available on MickMoloney.com.
One interesting new album of traditional music recently released comes from deep in the remote rural county of Ximeng in China's Yunnan province, where the Wa people live. I first went to Yunnan in 1986, which at that time was only accessible from Macau and required a long journey across China. Now, of course, you can cross into Yunnan from northern Laos.
Bagedai
In 1986, the region had just opened to international tourists and I journeyed to Jinghong in Xishuangbanna (Sip Song Banna in Thai), right on the banks of the Mekong River. The region was very lively and colourful but it was difficult to find any music at all.
Thankfully, things have changed since then. Producer Sam Debell, who is the driving force behind the Kunming-based label and musical collective Sea of Wood Records (founded in 2016), compiled Rough Guide To The Music Of Yunnan. There are some interesting bands on the label's roster, including Puman, which recently performed in Thailand. However, a release earlier this year, the debut album Bagedai by a band of the same name, really caught my attention.
What attracted me to this fascinating music was a single from the album, which was released in May, called Kun Nan Er (My Beloved). The song is a heady, infectious mix of traditional instruments (such the excellent Chinese flute), ensemble singing by Wa women and hard rock guitar riffs, all set to a great reggae groove.
Since Sea of Wood band Puman have already visited Thailand, I am hopeful that Bagedai get the same opportunity -- they would be a perfect fit for festivals like Wonderfruit. Look out for this band in the near future. More information is available at seaofwood.com.
Finally, congratulations to Sun Nantachai of the Sun Der Band (khaen) and Neungsaran Prukthaisong (phin) on the premiere of a new double concerto for khaen and phin, Sound, Echo And Silence, composed by Narong Prangcharoen and performed on Sept 28 with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra in Kansas, USA.
John Clewley can be contacted at clewley.john@gmail.com