John Whelan & Donna Hébert: the Irish-French connection

“A perfect storm of music!” Jane Rothfield, fiddler

Award-winning French-Canadian fiddling, legendary Irish button accordion, brilliant flatpick and fingerstyle guitarists, incandescent songs in Gaelic, English & French!

CONTACTS:

John Whelan- whelanbx1 AT aol DOT com - 203-430-5403
AND Donna Hébert – donna AT fiddlingdemystified DOT com – 413-230-3107.

2010 Dates . . .

• 6/23 Lowell MA – Franco-American Center
• 10/8 NYU, Blarney Star Concert Series, Glucksman Ireland House, NYC
• 10/9 Old Songs Concert Series, Voorheesville NY
• 10/22 NOTLOB Concert Series, Somerville MA  (tent.)
• 10/23 – Blackstone River Theatre, Cumberland RI

PRESS RELEASE . . .

When two forces of nature like Irish button box legend John Whelan and virtuoso French fiddler Donna Hébert take the stage, the energy they generate together is explosive, so expect a wild storm of music to ensue! Add Donna’s talented daughter, Molly Hebert-Wilson, singing in English, French and Irish – and even more, two brilliant guitarists in Flynn Cohen and Max Cohen – and there’s no telling what can happen!

Icons in their Irish- and Franco-American musical communities, John and Donna spark the Irish-French connection to life onstage! Each brings 40 years of performing and recording experience to this new group. In their stage and educational programs, repertoires and traditions stand distinct and separate and then find themselves blending and reinventing into something new, as did the Irish and French-Canadian immigrant communities in the northeast where both groups migrated in the 1880s to work in the textile mills.

Max Cohen has carved out some pretty strenuous fingerstyle guitar territory over his 25 years of study, recording and performance. A veteran rocker, Max slid into the Celtic session scene in Western Mass and has become everyone’s favorite guitarist. Donna Hébert put him in several of her folk ensembles and they began teaching and performing as a duo. Priscilla Herdman also tours with him and Dar Williams, who used Max on her “Honesty Room,” says, “I love Max!”  Max’s new CD, “In the Wood,” showcases his mastery of both performance and composition. Recognized by artists and the music press, Max’s virtuoso fingerstyle guitar compositions are astoundingly melodic, while his Celtic and world rhythms can drive the bus just about anywhere!

Acoustic guitarist and vocalist Flynn Cohen joined The John Whelan Band in 1999. His guitar playing and arranging are featured on John’s Narada release “Celtic Fire.” Flynn has also worked with Aoife Clancy, Jake Armerding, Mark Simos, HALALI, Footworks, Rodney Miller and Airdance, and Boston City Limits, among others. His first solo release “Dead String Rhythm” features his lead guitar playing in an Irish traditional music setting; his forthcoming sophmore release, “Mellow Yell,” showcases his Bluegrass singing and guitar playing. The Boston Globe calls him an “ace guitarist” and Dirty Linen dubs him “a versatile string virtuoso.”

Singer Molly Hebert-Wilson, an Irish studies and musical theater major at NYU, embodies her Irish, French and English-language songs with every ounce of character and meaning, whether she’s treading the paths of comedy or tragedy. An Irish-language tutor, she teaches children and families in the NYC area and spent a summer at Trinity College in Dublin, where she sang her way through the pubs of Ireland. Singing informally since early childhood in English and French with her mother, Molly is also a veteran of more than thirty theater and music productions. Says film producer  and fan Mike Haley, “I saw Molly Hebert-Wilson at the top of the musical ladder a year ago in 2008. Since then, she’s added more rungs than one can imagine!”

Programs:

• Concerts of virtuoso Irish button accordion, award-winning French-Canadian, Irish and Scottish fiddling, fingerstyle and flatpicked guitar and songs in Irish, French and English.
• School assemblies and classroom programs teaching and demonstrating the French-Canadian and Irish music history and cultures in New England. Optional potluck supper and Soirée where students perform with group. Donna is a Creative Teaching Partner, certified for folk music programs in the Massachusetts schools. John Whelan is a legend in Irish music circles, one of the most successful accordionists ever. His credits include a stint in the Broadway show ‘Riverdance’ and fourteen CDs of Irish music. Molly is an Irish Studies minor at NYU and a fluent Irish speaker. Max helps Donna coach and conduct the Great Groove Band at Old Songs and Philadelphia Folk Festivals every year and teaches at Old Songs Summer Camps. Flynn was formerly a visiting lecturer in Music at Bridgewater State College and is presently on the Music faculty at Keene State College in New Hampshire.
• Workshops: For schools, colleges and community groups, Donna teaches Fiddling Demystified for String Players and improvisation as well as fiddle styles from Canada, Europe and the U.S., specializing in the French-Canadian fiddle music of Louis Beaudoin. John Whelan teaches Irish button accordion, session repertoire and lore. Both Max and Flynn Cohen teach Celtic guitar accompaniment; Max teaches DADGAD fingerstyle guitar, composition and chord theory. Molly Hebert-Wilson teaches Irish Gaelic songs and Irish language.

 

BAND BIOS

about Donna Hébert . . .

AUDIO: Magic Foot/Son of a Bear (2nd tune is a fiddle duet with André Brunet, Max Cohen guitar, Pascal Gemme feet, from Donna’s 2009 “In Full Bloom” CD
VIDEO: Fiddling Demystified Channel/YouTube: Dad’s Reel/Circular Reel – YouTube (© Daniel Boucher) Franco-American fiddle and dance with Max Cohen and Christine Morrison at Mass. Cultural Council’s Keepers of the Tradition concert, 2008
VIDEO: Raven’s Wing – YouTube (© 2008 Donna Hébert & Max Cohen), with Groovemama at 2009 Philadelphia Folk Festival

Cited for “outstanding artistic achievement,” by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in January 2009, Donna Hébert is a 2008 Massachusetts Artists’ Fellow in the Folk Arts. One of the state’s most prestigious art awards, the Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council recognizes Donna’s virtuoso Franco-American fiddling. Donna was also named a Creative Teaching Partner by the Council, allowing her to bring her Fiddling Demystified for Strings program to classrooms around the state.

With a 1988 INDIE Award for ‘Rude Girls: Rude Awakening’ on Flying Fish and performances on two Smithsonian anthologies, Donna has founded, played and sung for over 40 years in many different groups, including Rude Girls, Chanterelle, Yankee Ingenuity, Groovemama, the Beaudoin Legacy and Mist Covered Mountains. In 2010, Donna joins forces with Irish accordion legend John Whelan to feature the music of the Irish and French-Canadian immigrants living side by side in New England’s mill towns.

“Working with John brings me back to my first fiddling explorations in the early 1970s, when Irish fiddling filled my ears with glory and Seamus Connolly showed me where to find fiddling style. Exploring the rich and musically deep connections between the Irish and French-Canadian traditions with John promises exciting new music for us and our audiences!” says Donna.

Says string guru Darol Anger in his introduction to ‘Fiddling Demystified Vol. I,’ ‘Donna gets it all right! I suspect that the general level of fiddle knowledge and playing will take a major uptick soon after this book is published, just as other great music books such as Earl Scruggs’ original banjo book, O’Neill‘s great Irish fiddling reference, and the infamous jazz Real Book influenced the course of musicians’ lives and work.”

“Fiddling Demystified should be required reading for all string teachers hoping to branch out into fiddling” says fiddler and folklorist Laura Risk in her review of the book in the Sept. 2009 issue of Strings Magazine, where she calls the book “a substantial contribution to the growing field of fiddling pedagogy.”

With more than twelve fiddle recordings and books to her credit including her latest French-Canadian fiddling CD, ‘In Full Bloom,’ Donna also directs summer camps for children and adults at Old Songs Community Center in Voorheesville NY. Donna performs with fiddler Katherine First in Celtic ensemble Mist Covered Mountains. Donna also performs Franco-American music with Josée Vachon and Daniel Boucher and The Beaudoin Legacy. She teaches and and performs with Max Cohen and Old Time band Groovemama at Old Songs and Philly Folk Festivals. Donna is especially happy to be performing with her daughter, Molly Hebert-Wilson.

 

about John Whelan . . .

VIDEO: John with pianist Felix Dolan: Paddy’s Resource & The Killavil Jig

VIDEO: John – set of reels: The Killavil, The High Reel, The Fermoy Lasses 

• “Whelan infused traditional Irish airs and his own ballads with a deep soulfullness, the pumped up jigs until they threatened to explode with rhythmic energy.” Washington Post
• “Humor and high energy blend with impeccable musicianship in the performances of Whelan…a true master…” The Wall Street Journal
• “…takes Irish Music into an energetically eclectic direction. …..finds magical associations between Celtic sounds and many of the world’s other musics.” The Los Angeles Times

John grew up near London in Dunstable, England, raised on the fiddle and pipe music of Ireland. His father, Denis Whelan, carried a reel-to-reel recorder to many shows, collecting hours of live music, thoroughly immersing his son in the music. At the age of 14, already a seasoned winner of numerous accordion championships, John recorded his first album, ‘Pride of Wexford,’ honoring his father’s Irish home. John moved to the U.S. in 1980 and joined Riverdance fiddler Eileen Ivers in one of the most celebrated Irish duos of the decade.

His solo album ‘From the Heart’ was a 1991 INDIE AWARD finalist. John’s Narada recordings ‘Celtic Odyssey’ (1993) and ‘Celtic Legacy’ (1995) became two of Narada’s best-selling releases. In 1996 John signed with Narada and released his first solo album on the label, ‘Celtic Reflections,’ followed by his ‘Celtic Crossroads,’ featured American country singing star Kathy Mattea and Nashville stalwarts Tim O’Brien and Jerry Douglas as well as such Celtic luminaries as singer Mary McLaughlin, multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan and fiddler Johnny Cunningham. Celtic Crossroads spent more than two months in the top 10 of Billboard’s World Music chart.

While touring and recording with the John Whelan Band, John appeared solo in the critically acclaimed “Once Upon An Accordion” North American tour. Additionally he appeared in his first motion picture Ride With The Devil, directed by Ang Lee. John’s 1998 CD, ‘Flirting with the Edge,’ showcased such diverse artists as Samite on kalimba and vocals, Latin guitarist Oscar Lopez, Celtic songstress Connie Dover and a dramatic vocal by longtime John Whelan fan, Bernadette Peters. Named Traditionalist of the Year by Irish Echo magazine in 1998, John won high praise from Celtic music authority Earle Hitchner, who wrote that John “brings both passion and playfulness to his music while respecting the tradition it’s rooted in.”

‘Come to Dance’ (1999) was recorded live in John’s hometown church, St. Gabriel’s, in Milford, Connecticut. John’s ‘Celtic Fire’ centers on John’s passion to mentor young artists and carry the traditional roots of his music into the 21st Century. With Celtic Fire, John has stoked the flames of this passion with an ensemble of some of the best young instrumentalists in Irish traditional music today – all from the United States. Since FIRE, John has released ‘Celtic Roots’ (his newest NARADA album to date,) as well as a re-release of From the Heart, completely remastered.

While assuring fans that his Celtic allegiances remain firm, John continues to bring them new music as well. “If you open your ears and your mind you can appreciate my music for what it is, not what kind of music it is.” All these things – my childhood memories, my father’s love of music, the way I relate to an audience, the different styles I incorporate – are why I love to perform.”

John is currently touring with the JOHN WHELAN BAND as well as selected solo performances. This new band – with Franco-American fiddler Donna Hébert, their guitarists Flynn Cohen and Max Cohen and Donna’s daughter, Gaelic singer, actress and dancer Molly Hebert-Wilson – lets John and Donna express their love for their own and each other’s musical cultures.

about Flynn Cohen . . .

AUDIO: Flynn Cohen MySpace Page

A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Flynn Cohen is an acoustic guitarist who performs primarily as an accompanist for traditional fiddle music. He has a BA in Music from Dartington College of Arts in Devon, England and an MA in Music Composition from Mills College in California.

He performs with the band Annalivia, Irish accordion legend John Whelan, progressive fiddle band Halali, and acclaimed dance band The Sevens, in addition to duo performances with fellow trad guitar player Matt Heaton and old-time fiddler Matt Brown.

He’s also worked w/ Cathie Ryan, Aoife Clancy, Skip Healy, Adrienne Young & Little Sadie, Revels, Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, Malibu Storm, Jilly Martin, Gail Davies, Airdance, Boston City Limits, Matt Glaser, John McGann, Joe Derrane & Frank Farrell, Ruthie Dornfeld, Karen Tweed, Jake & Taylor Armerding, Bruce MacGregor, Lissa Schneckenburger, Laura Cortese, Mark Simos, Todd Denman & Aniar, etc.

Flynn was formerly a visiting lecturer in Music at Bridgewater State College and is presently on the Music faculty at Keene State College in New Hampshire.

 

about Max Cohen . . .

Max Cohen website

VIDEO: Buck Mountain, Great Groove Band, main stage, Philadelphia Folk Festival 2009, Max conducting.

 

Max Cohen’s natural humility hides a huge talent. A virtuoso fingerstyle guitarist, his original melodies shine with elegant simplicity and his spacious arrangements leave room for the listener. Dar Williams calls him “an endearing and inspiring performer. I love Max!” A natural teacher and the ultimate accompanist, Max finds himself an essential member of ten ensembles, including several groups with fiddler Donna Hébert, Irish accordionist John Whelan, singer Priscilla Herdman and more. Influenced by fingerstyle guitar icons like Michael Hedges and Pierre Bensusan as well as the hot traditional musicians he plays with, Max fuses fingerstyle artistry with solid groove.

A guitar teacher based in Massachusetts, Max joins Groovemama at Old Songs and Philadelphia Folk Festivals to coach youth performances with the Great Groove Band. Max also teaches every summer at Old Songs Fiddle & Strings Camps in upstate NY. A songwriter with Kerrville honors, Max co-writes with Richard Berman, also composing instrumental music with Donna Hébert. His new guitar CD will be released in early 2010.

A studio musician, producer and digital editor, Max has worked in rock, children’s music, country, traditional folk and singer-songwriter genres. In the past two years, he’s helped produce CDs for Richard Berman, Katherine First, Donna Hébert and his own Renaissance Faire band, the Misfits of Avalon.

RECORDINGS: Saltwater Color – 2007, 1993 – instrumental
GUEST PERFORMANCES: Dar Williams: Honesty Room; Richard Berman: Love, Work & Play, Holding Hands, Now and Then; Katherine First: Sweet Spot; Coyote Sisters; Donna Hébert: In Full Bloom, Mrs. McLeod’s Reel, Fiddlejam

Max and Donna have all their dates listed on Donna’s calendar. For more information, see Donna’s media kit page.

 

 

about Molly Hebert-Wilson . . .

AUDIO: Molly na gCuach ní Chuilleanáin/Cowboy’s Jig with Max Cohen guitar, Donna Hébert backup vocal, fiddle

“I saw Molly Hebert-Wilson at the top of the musical ladder a year ago in 2008. Since then, she’s added more rungs than one can imagine!” Mike Haley, film producer

Molly Hebert-Wilson is a junior in Irish Studies and Musical Theater at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Bringing a dozen years of theater and vocal experience to her performances, Molly’s songs in Irish Gaelic and English are a highlight of the group’s shows. A member of the NYU Irish Folk Group, she studied at Trinity College in Ireland in summer 2009. Featured at the Old Songs Festival’s ‘Tree of Life’ Concerts from 2005-2008, Molly has been a favorite of theater and folk audiences since age nine. As well as performing with this group, she sings with Max, Donna and fiddler Katherine First in Celtic group “Mist Covered Mountains,” appearing with them in 2010 at Amherst College and at the Old Songs Festival of Music and Dance. http://fiddlingdemystified.com/home/molly/