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Nightingale was formed in 1993 by Jeremiah McLane
(accordion, piano), Keith Murphy (voice, guitar, mandolin, piano, foot percussion),
and Becky Tracy (fiddle). The nightingale bird is a poetic figure that appears
in traditional songs from many places including parts of Northern Europe,
Canada and the United States. So the nightingale was an appropriate emblem
for a band committed to drawing inspiration from a wide musical territory
that includes Ireland, France, Scandinavia, Newfoundland and Quebec. McLane,
Murphy, and Tracy were all established players in the traditional New England
contra dance scene when they met and Nightingale quickly became a highly
sought after New England dance band. But from its inception, Nightingale
explored music outside the bounds of New England contra dance and could
never be pigeon-holed as simply a dance band. Songs of Quebec and Newfoundland
were a staple of their repertoire and in their concerts they stretched the
format of traditional dance music. Still, their experience as dance musicians
generated an obsession with rhythmic integrity and the sustaining pulse
that is the essence of dance music. The listener could never miss the underlying
drive of much of Nightingale's music. The band's first recording, The Coming
Dawn, was made in 1994, barely a year after the band's formation. It was
produced by Pete Sutherland and it captured the fresh, raw energy of the
band as well as establishing Nightingale's sophistication as players and
arrangers of an eclectic mix of traditional music. Nightingale's most recent
recording, Three, was released in June 2004. The CD was produced by Denis
Frechette and recorded in Brattleboro, VT. It reflects Nightingale's past
while also breaking new ground. Nightingale has performed on CBC radio in Canada and was recently chosen for the Meet the Composer series in Saranac, New York. |
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Last modified June 16, 2008