Dave Bainbridge – To The Far Away (2021)
“To The Far Away” is the fourth solo album from Dave Bainbridge, an acclaimed British multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and session man. He was the co-founder of renowned Celtic rock band Iona.
“To The Far Away” is a feast for the ears of Celtic music, progressive rock, and chamber folk fans, clocking over 71 minutes of non-stop fantastic music.
Iona fans may perhaps identify the title of the album as a quote from the lyrics of the song “Edge of the World” from “Beyond These Shores” (1993) and there are certainly analogies in the themes of the two albums. “Shores” describes the ancient story of St Brendan’s epic voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, while “To The Far Away” tells a more contemporary story of lovers on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, separated for many months by the global pandemic. Both albums nonetheless end on a tone of optimism. Brendan finally returns safely home, while the contemporary lovers are finally reunited after an epic trip across the same ocean.
Dave put together a dream team of supporting musicians to bring the project to life: Sally Minnear (Lord of the Dance, Celestial Fire) on vocals; Iain Hornal (Jeff Lynn’s ELO, 10CC, Three Friends) on vocals; Troy Donockley (Iona, Nightwish, The Enid, Maddy Prior) on uilleann pipes, whistles, voices; Jon Poole (Cardiacs / Lifesigns) on bass; Frank van Essen (Iona, Martin Garrix) on drums, violin and viola; Jonas Pap (Epica, Cronofonia) on cello; Nigel Cameron (Celtish) on whistles; Julie Cameron-Hall (Celtish) on violin; and Martin Nolan (Iona) on whistles.
Additionally, Dave collaborated with renowned Canadian-Irish poet Lynn Caldwell on the album’s lyrics. “I’d read some of Lynn’s work and immediately felt that she would be the person to help me organize and bring an emotional focus to my thematic and lyrical ideas for the project. It was a hunch that paid off and I’m absolutely thrilled with what she came up with. Lynn, her husband Martin Nolan and friend Una Ní Cheallaigh were also able to put together the haunting Irish Gaelic lyrics, sung by Sally, which I’d wanted to include on several tracks.”
Dave adds: “As with many artists and composers I know, 2020 was a bittersweet year. The complete shutdown of venues left us without places to play and income, but also paradoxically gave us the time and space to write, record and bring to fruition projects we may not have otherwise got around to finishing. For me it was especially bittersweet as I was due to be married at the end of March 2020 to Sharon, my fiance from Baltimore, on Cruise to the Edge, with my friends Neal Morse officiating and John Young (Asia/ Scorpions/Lifesigns) as best man. Not only was that plan put on hold, the abrupt shutdown of flights into the USA meant that Sharon and I were torn apart for 8 1/2 months. The thematic ideas behind ‘To The Far Away’ encompass thoughts, feelings and ideas I experienced, largely when I was doing my daily runs and walks on the rural country lane on which I spent so much time between March and October 2020.”
“As the music for this album evolved, I realized that the main emphasis was firmly on melody. Melodic lines and riffs that will hopefully stay with the listener, reflecting the emotions and sense of place in which I was immersed, as the seasons moved through spring, to summer and finally the rich colors of autumn under the vast skies of the Lincolnshire landscape. In some ways this is probably my most personal album to date and I hope that, as well as capturing some of the heartache of the time, it also leaves the listener with a sense of hope and optimism, that in the end, love will triumph.”
More about Dave Bainbridge in this interview: progressiverockcentral.com/2021/11/27/dave-bainbridge-interview
Buy the album from www.davebainbridgemusic.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.