Carolan's Receipt: The Music of Carolan, Vol. 1

Irish harpist Derek Bell's solo album of compositions by the great bard Turlough O'Carolan is one of the more important documents of traditional Celtic music. Now that the venerable Claddagh label has been taken under Atlantic's wing, there's been a steady stream of reissues, none more welcome than this one. Many of these tunes will be familiar to lovers of Irish music; "Sheebeg and Shemore," "Carolan's Receipt," and "Planxty George Brabazon" are all standards. Interestingly, Bell plays a steel-string harp on most of the tracks -- though gut-string harps are more commonly used in Celtic music today, this particular instrument was specifically constructed to resemble the kind used by Carolan himself. On several tracks Bell is accompanied by other members of the Chieftains.