‘ From Mountain to Mountain’
A tribute to the late legendary American song collector and folk singer Jean Ritchie.

The research and early development of this project came about through Mary’s Fulbright Scholarship in 2013. She spent time in Berea Kentucky at Berea College, researching Folk music as well as having two very special opportunities to meet the great artist Jean Ritchie, in 2013 and 2014. During her Fulbright time in New York Mary also collaborated with the celebrated Jazz pianist Ms Bertha Hope, one of the greatest female jazz pianists in the history of American Jazz who resides currently on the Upper West Side and can still  be heard playing at the famous Minton’s Jazz Club in Harlem.

The outcome of this work has produced a melting pot of Irish Traditional, American folk, jazz, blues and essentially the merging of great artists like Bertha, her African American band Kim Clarke and Shirazette Tinnin with Irish musicians Seamie O Dowd, Cathal Hayden, Mairtin O Connor and Matthew Berril. Both Bertha and Seamie have created original, imaginative and beautiful interpretations of some ancient and contemporary material making this album a powerful and rooted project with an electric and fiercely energised retelling of the history of world folk music.

The Irish Times/Ticket review states:
“The real beauty here is the transmutation of songs across the Atlantic – A multi-layered gem”  (****)

The CD will be launched on Wednesday evening February 10 as part of a Fulbright transatlantic Project at the American Embassy by American Ambassador to Ireland Mr Kevin O Malley in the presence of the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina along with invited guests and press.

On Thursday evening the CD will be co- launched at Aula Maxima at NUI Galway in conjunction with the International Affairs Department and the James Hardiman Library announcing the Jean Ritchie MA scholarship and presentation of the Ritchie/Pickow archive.The special guest at the Galway event is Jean Ritchie’s son Jon Pickow from New York who will launch Mary’s album.

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For further information please contact:  087  2206629