01	Riverboat Set						04:47
	02	Jigs						04:43
	03	Skimming the Surface						05:05
	04	Ceo NaNolag						02:57
	05	There Were Roses						06:08
	06	Hornpipes						04:47
	07	Reels						03:18
	08	Champs Elysees						03:22
	09	The Balkans						03:32
	10	Grosse Isle						03:48
	11	Jigs: Ians Return to Ireland, Yank's, Denis Whelan's						04:19
	12	Flower of Magherally						03:33
	13	Passage of Time						05:37

Celtic Crossroads
Date of Release Feb 25, 1997

To their credit, when Narada decided to dabble in Celtic music, they went with the "reel" thing, not an ethereal, synthesized version designed to appease an otherwise disinterested audience. Though willing to experiment and incorporate new elements into his music, accordionist John Whelan is not about compromise either. Yes, the production is slick, and yes, there's little spontaneity in these tracks, but Whelan's soulfulness and superb musicianship cannot be overlooked. Stars abound, including Jerry Douglas, Johnny Cunningham, Kathy Mattea, multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan, and Whelan's Kips Bay cohort Pat Kilbride, who plays cittern and guitar. (Whelan declares Kilbride to be the best accompanist he's ever played with.) Kilbride, along with percussionist John Ballestero, creates an eerie and metronomic effect on "Mabel Ruddy's/Windy Gap." Whelan is perhaps without peer when it comes to delivering a melody on accordion; his style is generally of a cheerful and uptempo nature. On Celtic Crossroads, there are just enough doses of the sweet, sorrowful and haunting to yield an emotionally well-rounded listen. The combination of styles and textures is best exemplified on the Tommy Sands classic "There Were Roses," clearly an Irish song although Douglas' dobro and Mattea's vocals give it an American flavor. The backdrop of fiddle and pipes bring the song safely back home again to Ireland. Such a pattern is reflective of Whelan's own experience as an Irishman living in the U.S., playing music influenced by his native homeland. - Dave Sleger

1. Riverboat Set: Denis Dillon's Square Dance performed by John Whelen - 4:47
2. Jigs: Mabel Ruddy's/The Windy Gap performed by John Whelen - 4:43
3. Skimming the Surface performed by John Whelen - 5:05
4. Ceol Nanolag performed by John Whelen - 2:57
5. There Were Roses performed by John Whelen / Kathy Mattea - 6:08
6. Beautiful Blackwater/Maggie K's performed by John Whelen - 4:47
7. Father Maroney's/95 South/Granny Barnes' performed by John Whelen - 3:18
8. Chams Elysees performed by John Whelen - 3:22
9. The Balkans performed by John Whelen - 3:32
10. Grosse Ile performed by John Whelen - 3:48
11. Ian's Return to Ireland, Yanik's, Denis... performed by John Whelen - 4:19
12. Flower of Magherally performed by John Whelen / Mary McLaughlin - 3:33
13. Passage of Time performed by John Whelen - 5:37

Jerry Douglas - Dobro
Seamus Egan - Flute, Guitar, Mandolin, Whistle (Instrument), Tin Whistle, Low Whistle
Pat Kilbride - Guitar, Cittern
Kathy Mattea - Vocals, Performer
Chris Andersen - Engineer, Mixing
Beverly Brown - Photography
Johnny Cunningham - Fiddle
Lisa Gutkin - Fiddle, Violin, Octave Violin
Kinny Landrum - Conductor, Keyboards, String Arrangements
Ron Lawrence - Viola, Clarinet (Alto)
Tim O'Brien - Mandolin
Jerry O'Sullivan - Whistle (Instrument), Uillean Pipes, Tin Whistle
Trevor Sadler - Mastering
Lincoln Schleifer - Bass
Arthur Stoppe - Engineer
Bil VornDick - Engineer
Shari Weingarten - Assistant Engineer
John Whelan - Accordion, Arranger, Vocals, Producer, Mixing
Mary Wooten - Cello
Winifred Horan - Fiddle
Mary McLaughlin - Arranger, Vocals, Performer
John Ballesteros - Percussion
Michael Sullivan - Executive Producer
Connie Gage - Design
Todd Reynolds - Violin
Gordon Rice - Assistant Engineer
Liz Knowles - Fiddle, Violin
John Whelen - Performer
Glenn Miller - Assistant Engineer
Sirius String Quartet

1997 CD Narada 61060
1997 CS Narada 61060


John Whelan

Celtic master John Whelan and his red, two-row button accordion have been inseparable since the first day he picked up the instrument at age 11 in Dunstable, England. Whelan's Irish father, who hails from County Wexford, and his Irish mother, who comes from Ballingary in County Tipperary, both instilled in their son a love for traditional Irish music. His father played the melodeon, the single-row button accordion, and Whelan took up the two-row button accordion, eventually winning six All-Britain championships and seven All-Ireland titles. Whelan has five albums as a leader, including Celtic Fire in 2001, which brought him together with young American musicians ranging in age from 16 to 29 to play traditional Irish music. Percussionist Paddy League, uileann pipes player Eliot Grasso, fiddlers Patrick Managan and Jim Eagan, flutist Aran Olwell, and guitarist Flynn Cohen joined Whelan on Celtic Fire. Whelan first gathered critical notice at age 14 on his first solo album, The Pride of Wexford, so named in honor of his father, who strictly listened to traditional Irish music and didn't allow his son much opportunity to hear other music. Musicians of all stripes though, even trumpeters and drummers, visited the Whelan household to play music in Whelan's youth. Whelan gained an appreciation for the culture, feeling, and history of traditional Irish music from his father, who had an in-depth understanding of the feeling and culture behind Irish music, but lacked technical expertise. Whelan learned the technical side of the accordion from Brendan Mulkare, originally from County Clare, Ireland, who lived in London. When Whelan entered his twenties he began to learn about other types of music. In the late '70s punk music caught his ear. He listened to the Motown soul that came out of America. After he moved to America in 1980, he first became exposed to Cajun and zydeco music, bluegrass and country music, and New England contradance music. With these influences in hand, Whelan branched out into other musical realms. He collaborated with country musician Kathy Mattea on Celtic Crossroads. He expanded the boundaries of Celtic music on Flirting With the Edge by performing world music with guests Bernadette Peters, Latin guitarist Oscar Lopez, Ugandan musician Samite as well as Irish legends Seamus Egan, Pat Kilbride, and Jerry O'Sullivan. Whelan has also performed in the original production of Riverdance on Broadway in New York City. Yoko Ono featured Whelan's music in her film Somewhere in the City in 1997. In 1998, he appeared in a documentary about the Irish in America called The Long Journey Home. That same year, he was the subject of a special show on Connecticut Public Television. His music was also featured on Connecticut Public Television's documentary about the Civil War called Ashoken's Farewell. He played accordion in a wedding band scene in Ang Lee's 1999 film Ride With the Devil. And he produced the Celtic rock band Black Thorn in 2001. - Robert Hicks


1987 Fresh Takes Green Linnet
1996 Celtic Reflections: Misty-Eyed Morning Narada
1997 Celtic Crossroads Narada
1998 Flirting with the Edge Narada
1999 Come to Dance: A Celtic Tradition Narada
2001 Celtic Fire Narada
2002 Celtic Roots Narada
2002 From the Heart Green Linnet