JACK HOUSTON

A fiddler himself, he has just released a stunning second album, 'An Fhidil Bhriste – The Broken Fiddle'. The title may seem surprising, but it harbours a story – a painful childhood memory. At the age of 13, Jack dropped his fiddle on the ground and it shattered into several pieces. It has since been repaired but holds great significance for Jack. And the title track takes pride of place as the opening track on this album. A reel composed by Jack and played on the restored instrument, which produces a magnificent sound.

Eleven other tracks make up the album: reels, barndances, jigs, highlands, mazurkas – dances emblematic of Donegal. There are also Scottish strathspeys, as Donegal has always maintained close ties with Scotland.
Jack borrowed several tunes from Tommy Peoples, notably ‘The Carrick Road to Glen’ on the track ‘Gaeltacht’. There is also ‘Gàidhealtachd Highlands’, a collection of pieces composed by Jack, reflecting the fact that he spent several years as a student in Glasgow. He pays tribute to his two grandfathers, who grew up in the Lágan Valley in eastern Donegal, just a few kilometres from Derry. And as 'Burt' is situated not far from the Inishowen Peninsula, we listen with delight to ‘Buncrana’, the peninsula’s main town.
The album’s lively tempo slows down slightly on the final track, ‘Rop Tú Mo Bhaile – Be Thou My Vision’, a sort of Gaelic hymn recorded live in Culdfaff Church.
J. Houston himself describes his album as deeply rooted in Inishowen, its music and the Irish language. It’s also worth noting that Jack is a talented painter, as all the illustrations on the album are his own work. An excellent album by a talented young man with a bright future ahead of him.

Autoproduit JHC08DL - jackceol.bandcamp.com