Irish Music In New Jersey & "Hearts Content" & IAANJ music schedule

We are Sorry, but our Nov. 8th Concert with Paddy Keenan will be postponed until the Spring. He will be back!! We will however still have a concert 11/8, with Great Flute and Tin Whistler, Larry McCullough!

Tickets are available by sending $20 check made out to IAANJ and a SASE to Iris Nevins, P.O. Box 429, Johnsonburg NJ 07846. The doors will open at 7:30, and there are free refreshments and parking. You may BYOB! There will be a session after, so if you play, come prepared. Many if you know Larry, but if not.....

Check out Larry at:http://members.aol.com/feadaniste/

For Info On The Catskills Irish Arts Week 2008 click here

We Have some fun clips up on Youtube from our sessions. Alan Morrisroe: http://youtube.com/watch?v=JzNsDOHa90A

Veronica McNamara:http://youtube.com/watch?v=bFwG_igg6YM

There are now available private music lessons at IAANJ in Bodhran with Richard Sutton and Guitar with Iris Nevins Please email irisnevins@verizon.net for further info.

TO VIEW VERONICA McNAMARA'S NEW PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL JAMES MORRISON MUSIC MANUSCRIPTS IN HIS OWN HANDWRITING CLICK HERE

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TO HEAR US PLAY AT EZFOLK.COM Click on this direct link and go to the Music Tab. After that you can still click the link below to hear some of our music http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/448/

Hearts Content

We are happy to announce that we are now available for concerts, weddings, events, parties whatever you can think of Our trio consists of Linda Hickman, Iris Nevins and the amazing button accordion and fiddle virtuoso, Tom Dunne from Wexford, Ireland, seen below.

OUR BIOS:

LINDA HICKMAN: Flute Player, singer and tin whistler, a member of Celtic Thunder since 1977, she can be heard on the band's recordings "Celtic Thunder, The Light Of Other Days" and "Hard New York Days". She has performed three times at the White House With Celtic Thunder. Linda played whistle for a BBC Christmas Television Special with reknowned opera singer Renee Fleming. She is also a prolific composer and has released her solo CD, "The Windy Day", of original compositions. Other TV credits include, "Lament For Ron" (Outward Bound Series) and "What's Going On:Children Soldiers Of The Sierra Leone". In 2003 snd 2004 she was a guest teacher at NYU, and currently teaches at The Irish Arts Center in NYC, and Fiddle Camp in Anchorage Alaska, and Workshops in Seattle WA, Aspen and Denver CO. Linda also plays with the with the Ceol ni Croi Ceili Band. Linda Runs the session at Porter House in Montvale, NJ first and third Sundays.

TOM DUNNE: Tom is a native of Wexford, Ireland, and has been playing music since he was four or five years old. He is a virtuoso on both button accordion and fiddle. He was greatly influenced by his Aunt Nellie who played melodeon. His fiddle playing mentor is the reknowed Co.Kerry fiddle player Paddy Cronin, who now lives in Boston. In the 1970s and 80s Tom performed at concerts throughout the country and on the radio with The Slaneyside Quartet. In 1999 Tom released his first CD, "Musical Memories", and also has another CD, a solo fiddle CD, 'A Tribute To Paddy Cronin'. Tom is active in the NY and NJ area and hosts the Irish seisuns at St.James Gate in Maplewood NJ Sunday afternoons 2-5:00PM.

IRIS NEVINS: Iris Nevins has played extensively in the NY/NJ area since the 1970's. She was the guitar accompanist for Irish fiddle legends Andy McGann and Johnny Cronin, and also Joe Accordion Burke and Joe Banjo Burke in the late 70's-early 80's Friday and Saturday nights at Tom O'Reilly's Pub in NYC and other occasional gigs. She was also at the same time a member of the group "The Crooked Road", house band at the O'Reilly's Pub on West 31st ST. in NYC. After a long leave of absence from the pub and session scene, though never giving up playing, she currently co hosts with a revolving melody player, the monthly seisun at the Irish American Association Of Northwest Jersey and also hosts a concert series there. She also plays with The Rolling Wave (with Frank Curran, vocals, flute whistle, and Amy Beshara, Cape Breton Fiddler). Iris is a fingerstyle guitarist, and plays backup but also composes tunes for the guitar and plays a selection of O'Carolan Harp tunes, and traditional dance tunes transposed for guitar. Her backup/accompaniment style is a hybrid of fingerstyle chording and melody to tie in closely to the dance tunes, jigs, reels, hornpipes etc. Iris' solo guitar CD of traditional and original fingerstyle tunes is called 'Celtic Guitar Dreams'.

For Bookings or other information, please contact Iris Nevins at 908-813-8617 or email at: irisnevins@verizon.net

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Iris Nevins "Celtic Guitar Dreams" a compilation of traditional and original tunes for fingerstyle guitar is just out! And Tom Dunne's CDs "Musical Memories" and A Fiddle Tribute To Paddy Cronin (awating image!) are also available. Email for more information.We are working on a CD as Hearts Content.

for Tom's CD's drop us an email; to purchase Celtic Guitar Dreams and hear clips: http://cdbaby.com/cd/irisnevins

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PLEASE COME TO THE GREAT SESSION AT:

The Irish American Association Of Northwest Jersey (IAANJ)

at the Cultural Center

352 Richard Mine Road

Rockaway NJ

973-366-5980

The session will take place from 8:00 - 11:00. Coffee & Tea & free refreshments served. BYOB!! Space to Dance!!!!

Please email Iris for further info. irisnevins@verizon.net

We record our sessions as a way of supporting them... the food, the professional hosts and the party in general. We have 14 now available. Never fear to play in front of the mikes... these CDs are heavily edited and if you solo we will send an MP3 of your track for approval if you wish. It is just "the best of" each session. They are a great aid for tune learning, and not distributed commercially, just in house. Where else can you record on a CD with people like Jerry O'Sullivan, Mike and Mary Rafferty, Jim and Mary Coogan etc.! A cherished memory for many of our session players. To download some clips from the first three CDs click on these links. They will not automatically open, you will need to download them as MP3s

 

We have 22 CDs available now! On sale at every session and concert at IAANJ or by mail. They are $15, or $12 if IAANJ member, and if you are one of our session musicians they are $10 plus shipping. If you would like the whole series we will discount them 10%.

 

http://www.celticguitartalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1416

http://www.celticguitartalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1415

http://www.celticguitartalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1414

 

Session Guest Hosts:

 

We Will Have A Halloween Party at 6:30-8:00 Prior to the session, adults & children welcome, come dressed in costume if you dare!.... Oct. 25th All Ireland Fiddle Champ Dylan Foley,

Nov. 15th Lesl Harker, Dec. 20th John Sindt; January 17th 2009, NYC Demsey's Session Leaders come to NJ! With John Nevin & James Cleveland (pictured below!)

 

to access the Association Website click here:

http://www.iaanj.com/

Directions:

Directions to IAANJ "The Club House"

352 Richard Mine Road

Rockaway NJ

 

From the East: Take Rt. 80West to Exit 34B, Sparta/Route 15 North; Proceed to first light (after Gulf Station on right) and make first right hand turn after light onto Richard Mine Road. IAANJ Cultural Center is the gray building about 500 yards on the left.

From the West:Take Rt. 80 East to Exit 33, Wharton, bear right at the bottom of ramp. Go through first traffic light, proceed past shopping center and stay to the right at the fork in the road (stay in the right hand lane) proceed to next traffic light (merger of Rte. 15 N). Proceed across the highway to Richard Mine Road. IAANJ Cultural Center is the gray building about 500 yards on the left.

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For those of you asking about "Iris Guitars", here are pictures:

Above the Sterling Silver OM, Engleman Top Indian Rosewood back and sides

Above, Walnut sides, back Walnut with Brazillian Rosewood Strip, Bronze inlays with Green Tourmaline jewel set in headstock in 22K gold. There is pearl inlay around the soundhole, hard to see here. Both have a Celtic knot at the 12th fret, etched design, same for headstock. Comes in handy being a jeweler! The next will be ready in August, Honduran Rosewood, wavy grain Engleman top, the etched 12th fret knot and headstock logo & poem...jewel? Haven't decided yet. It will be an "M" size. This is addictive for sure!

The poem on both says:

"Once I stood in forest green,

But alas my roots were bound,

Now you hold me in your hands,

we give the world the gift of sound"

 

Iris & Linda will also each be teaching a Jewelry Class At the Catskills Irish Arts Week, 7/15-22. Examples of some pieces below.

 

TO SEND AN E-MAIL CLICK HERE

For Info On The Catskills Irish Arts Week 2008 click here

And ...to visit Tim Raab's great site with a slide show of the 2005 & 2006 Catskills Irish Arts Week Click here

For One Stop Shopping Calendar of Celtic Events in the Area Click here

And For More Celtic Events Click Here at Craobh Úll Mór CCÉ site

To Return To Marbling and Jewelry Site Click Here

Please click here to Visit Ossian USA to purchace Celtic Guitar Dreams and many other Celtic CDs, Videos, DVDs!