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Photo by Ernest Black
"Voice like a nightingale" |
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Photo by Ernest Black
"Voice like a nightingale" |
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"Authentic, lavish...
Kind Words
Irish Edition, January 2003 Jamie O'Brien Occasionally, Lesl Harker adds weaving alto harmonies. She also plays flute and whistle. Jake Conte adds bass and John Mowad Price plays fiddle. James herself plays harp (gentle and distant, creating a lonely atmosphere) keyboards and guitar. But the arrangements all lead to her vocal work - with its touches of falsetto, its vibrato, its breathiness - placing it firmly at the front. Little Birds and Quiet Places is a lovely album.
Release
Review, Celtic Beat, 2001, Vol. 9, #4 Joanne
Gagnon Particularly impressive is her rendition of Y Deryn Pur (the Pure Bird) which she sings in Welsh and then in English adding more in depth meaning to the tune for non-Welsh speakers...and after hearing the lyrics in English discover the poetic richness in these songs. Other tunes of breathtaking quality on this CD are Beautiful Star and Lisa Lan (Fair Lisa) which captured my attention with their haunting beauty and Llanc Ifanc O Lyn (Young Fellow from Llyn) where Jodee’s voice has almost a timeless quality to it...timeless as the poetic inspiration drawn from the pure beauty of nature.
Concert Review The Dave Munnelly Band at The Ark, Ann Arbor, Michigan It is often difficult in the state of Michigan to drive for less than thirty minutes and feel as though you have entered another country (unless, of course, you have crossed the Ambassador Bridge and actually are in another country), but in attending the concert performed by the David Munnelly Band at The Ark in Ann Arbor on Monday, September 12, 2005, that was precisely the feeling that one experienced. Instantly when the music started, the listener was transported to the Mayo region of western Ireland in the 1920s. The band’s rendition of “Green Grows the Laurel”, a vocal duet featuring guest vocalist Jodee James and multi-purpose band member Kieran Munnelly, was quite well done, and one has to express surprise that these two vocalists have not collaborated together more. Their voices are extremely complimentary to each other, and the vocal harmony, like the overall quality of the entire band throughout the concert, was very tight. The song itself was one of the least characteristically Irish tunes of the evening, as it was evocative more of current popular American country music than what one would expect from the small republic of the western British Isles. The small venue of less than three hundred seats provided for a very intimate setting. Rarely does one have the opportunity to experience such a lively and utterly enjoyable display of traditional Irish music in central Michigan, and particularly of the caliber and ability displayed by the David Munnelly Band.
Quotes
"Singer-songwriter Jodee James lavishes a
particularly gorgeous, vibrato-laden soprano to lovely effect on the
almost Middle Eastern-tinged Welsh folk tune, "Trafaeliais y Byd."
Simple, rhythmic acoustic guitar accompaniment perfectly offsets the
achingly romantic vocals." I can't review your CD (Two Shores), all I can do is GUSH. It is really excellent. I'll have to wait for the bliss to settle down, or pass it on somebody who can. Parker Productions, Barneveld NY
The Jodee James Band drew a large and enthusiastic audience,
particularly given the rarity of Celtic music concerts featuring Welsh
songs and tunes on the coffeehouse concert circuit. The concert was
enthusiastically received by all comers - including those who came
because of an interest in things Welsh, those who considered
themselves primarily Irish or Scottish music fans, and those who just
enjoy good folk music in general.
Jodee James’
performance of Welsh ballads last year delighted the audience and
earned her an invitation to headline the folk concert again. "James' airy voice does ample justice to traditional Welsh folk songs, which she performs in English and Welsh. Authentic and unusual with the kind of longing only Celtic folk can inspire." Sarah B. Listen.com
"Imagine
a misty forest, steaming hot coffee, her cat on her lap, and a woman
with a soul as old as time composing her next song. You have just
envisioned Jodee James, one of New Jersey's premier Celtic performing
artists."
"I am a
Crowned Bard of the National Eisteddfod of Wales who has been
captivated by your music. You have an obvious understanding of the
true meaning of the songs and that comes out in the translation and
the original words you sing - bendigedig!" Concerts Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA W.A. Singleton Center for the Arts, Richmond, VA. Irish Arts Center, NYC Musikfest, Bethlehem, PA Ames City Auditorium, IA East Jersey Olde Towne Village, Piscataway, NJ* Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, Milwaukee, WI Chandler Memorial Library & Cultural Center, Nashua, NH* Walt Whitman Arts Center, NJ The Church for All Nations Concert Series, NYC* Wheaton Village/ Down Jersey Folk Life Center, Millville, NJ Plymouth University Medieval and Renaissance Forum, NH Mercer County Parks Summer Series, West Windsor, NJ St. Lawrence Arts, Portland, ME* Five Corners Library, Jersey City, NJ Historic Poole Forge, Caernarvon Township, PA Celtic Connections Concert at WSIU, Carbondale, IL Central Missouri Celtic Arts Society Concert, Springfield, MO
Festivals & Events New Jersey Folk Festival, New Brunswick, NJ
Celtic Fling, Manheim, PA Patchogue Celtic Festival, Long Island, NY*
Upper
West Side Street Festival, NYC Walnut Valley Festival, KS Pennsbury Welsh Music Festival, PA Glasgow Lands Scottish Games, Northampton, MA 41st Annual Remsen Gymanfa Ganu & Barn Fest, Remsen, NY* Metuchen First Night, Metuchen, NJ* Southern Maryland Celtic Festival, St. Leonard, MD
National
Welsh American Foundation, Washington, DC Fredericksburg Welsh Festival, Fredericksburg, VA* Ann Rand's 100th Birthday Celebration, Nashua, NH McLain Celtic Festival, Carlisle, PA Second World, Lowell, MA Kindred Spirits Festival, NJ* Daughters of the British Empire, Taste of Wales, Basking Ridge, NJ Cortland Celtic Festival, Cortland, NY* Harvest Festival, Green Mountain College, Poultney, VT* Patch Town Days Festival, Eckley Miners Village, Eckley, PA* St. David's Society of the Capital District Celebration, Albany, NY* Virginia Highlands Festival, Abingdon, VA The Ship Inn, Milford, NJ* Yeats Society, NYC
Harbor
Celtic Festival, Harbor Springs, MI Coffeehouses & Cafes
uNi
Coffeehouse Concert Series, Springfield, MA* Mine Street Coffeehouse, New Brunswick, NJ* Crescent Dragon Cafe and Gallery, Haverhill, MA Watchung Arts Center, Watchung, NJ Blackbird's Books and Cafe, Nashua, NH* Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse, PA Myhelan Arts Coffeehouse Series, Long Valley, NJ * denotes return engagements
Artwork on Jodee's CDs
The artwork
on Jodee's CD's, in the
"gallery" and often gracing
her website, is by
Jodee's mom, Evelyn James
who passed away December 2003.
She not only decorated life with her talents, but was a great
well of support. Stop by
Evelyn's website to see more of her artwork-
including drawings and info on Welsh castles. Evelyn's
Castle Artwork & More
The thumbnails will bring you to 300 dpi versions of these photos. they will appear quite large but print out to about 5 x 7.
Thanks so much -
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