Altan to bring irish legacy to Newton

NEWTON — The Newton Theatre welcomes hot Irish band Altan on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 at 8 p.m.
In the last dozen years, no traditional Irish band has had a wider impact on audiences and music lovers throughout the world than Altan. They have moved audiences from Donegal to Tokyo to Seattle with their heartwarming, dynamic live performances and with their exquisitely produced, award-winning recordings that range from the most touching old Irish songs to hard-hitting reels and jigs.
Throughout their career, Altan has shown unwavering commitment to bringing the beauty of traditional music to contemporary audiences. The chance to experience this 30-year-active band is to experience the living legacy of Irish music.
The seeds of Altan lie in the music and spontaneity of sessions in kitchens and pubs in their hometown of Donegal. Born of those seeds was the music and personality of band founders, Belfast flute-player, Frankie Kennedy, and Gweedore singer and fiddler, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh. Whoever heard their unique music in the early 80s, whether at festival or in the small clubs of Dublin and Belfast, was immediately aware of a rare power at work. They played their own repertoire which was a combination of old Donegal fiddle music (then little known outside Donegal) and of unusual Northern flute tunes. Frankie and Mairead played with a force and fullness that made it hard to believe that only two people were playing. Their performances combined with Frankie's immense wit and Mairead's down-to-earth charm made an irresistible package.
The duo organically grew into a band in the mid-eighties, forged in a thousand late-night sessions and festivals throughout Ireland. Their repertoire grew and they began to play as Altan, a name taken from a deep and mysterious lake behind Errigal Mountain in Donegal.
Altan's commitment to good-natured fun was second only to their commitment to excellence in all things musical. Thus, the band members gathered were inevitably top-notch. Altan has always been a band of virtuosos. The earliest addition was a bouzouki-player, Ciaran Curran, a session and festival veteran. Then with the inclusion of guitarist Mark Kelly, Altan truly became a band. From the start, he showed a gift for tastefully bringing fresh rhythms and chords to the band arrangements.
But it was live work in '84 -'85 that marked the turning-point for Frankie and Mairead, encouraging them to give up their teaching jobs and go professional. Particularly influential were short trips to the United States in those years when they played concerts in New York, Minnesota, Portland and Seattle with Derry guitarist, Daithi Sproule, a Minnesota resident and like, Ciaran and Mark, an old friend. These U.S. concerts, played in clubs and sometimes in noisy Irish pubs, where people were expecting a very different sort of music, convinced Frankie and Mairead that no-compromise traditional music played with heart and drive could win over any audience anywhere.
The last additions to the band were a great young Donegal fiddler, Ciaran Tourish and accordion-player Dermot Byrne, another Donegal man weaned on the music of an older generation of Donegal fiddlers.
Sadly, in the early 90s, Altan was dealt a devastating blow, when band leader and manager, Frankie Kennedy, at the height of his powers as a brilliant and innovative flute-player and just when his and Mairead's musical dreams were being realised, was diagnosed with cancer. Through a long illness, the band, at Frankie's insistence, continued to tour and perform with Frankie's participation whenever possible. No words can describe the effects of his illness and loss on the band, but he continues to be a presence and inspiration in Altan's life and music — more than anything else, Frankie was a lover of life and perhaps the deepest message of all music is that life goes on — no matter what.
Altan's international status and success found a very practical recognition when they were signed in 1996 to Virgin Records, the first Irish band of their kind to be signed by a major label. The band achieved gold and platinum albums in Ireland and toured larger venues, literally thoughout the world.
In spite of a hectic touring and recording schedule, Altan continue fresh in their vision of bringing the beauty and joy of traditional music to audiences everywhere, and have always promised themselves to continue as long as it's fun - fortunately, it still is!Tickets for Altan range from $24 to $39. Purchase tickets by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the Box Office at 973-383-3700.