Carlos Núñez – Celtic Sea (Arfolk AR1208, 2023)
Carlos Núñez’s album Celtic Sea is a musical voyage through the maritime connections that have bound Celtic cultures across the Atlantic for millennia. Commissioned in celebration of Brittany Ferries’ 50th anniversary, the project reflects the company’s role in fostering intercultural exchange; both in modern times and as a continuation of a 10,000-year-old tradition of seafaring connections.
Brittany, often regarded as the geographical heart of the Atlantic Celts, has long served as a hub for musicians, from Irish legends like The Chieftains to Breton innovator Polig Monjarret. As a musician that tours extensively, Núñez himself has experienced these maritime routes firsthand, and this album emerges from the spirit of those journeys. it is important to note that Carlos is from Galicia, one of Spain’s regions with a deeply grounded maritime Celtic culture.
A defining characteristic of Celtic culture is its interconnectedness, weaving together music, dance, literature, and visual arts into a continuous artistic dialog. Historically rooted in oral tradition, Celtic music thrives on a balance between collective heritage and individual composition, mixing the folk tradition and the formal, the spoken and the written.
Celtic Sea, an exquisite and elegant album, embodies this intergenerational and timeless essence. It features artists from Galicia, Brittany, England, Canada and other regions, ranging from their 20s to their 80s. Indeed, the album bridges centuries of musical evolution. From the ancient bards and medieval troubadours to Beethoven’s Romantic interpretations, and 20th-century rock and pop influences, Celtic music remains dynamic and borderless. This project explores its enduring legacy; both as a journey through time and as a maritime link between nations.
The album employs instruments from various historical periods, including reconstructed prehistoric Atlantic lyres, and draws upon diverse Celtic musical traditions. These range from the bagpipe-driven “binary harmonic system” (reflected in the medieval ap Huw harp manuscript from Wales) to the syncopated rhythms of the “Scotch snap,” the structured lamentations of Scottish pibroch, and the transcriptions of 18th-century Irish harper Edward Bunting. Other sources include Patrick MacDonald’s Highland vocal airs and early 20th-century sea invocations from the Isle of Man, where the ocean itself is treated as a divine force. Furthermore, Carlos Núñez rearranged ancient folk songs from various regions, mostly maritime, in northern Spain.
Historically, what is now called the Celtic Sea was once known as Mare Britannicum. The interconnectedness of Atlantic cultures was formally recognized in the 16th century by Scottish scholar Georges Buchanan, who identified linguistic and cultural links between the Gaels, Galicians, and Gauls. His coining of the term “Celtic” solidified a concept that had existed in practice for centuries.
One of the album’s key inspirations, “Alalá do Pindo,” originates from O Pindo, a granite mountain on Galicia’s northwest coast, often referred to as the “Olympus of the Celts.” The melody embodies the essence of inter-Celtic music: indistinguishable in origin yet familiar to Scots, Irish, and Bretons alike.
The musical voyage takes you across various regions and countries in Western Europe, from Brittany to Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Galicia, Asturias, León, Cantabria, and the Basque Country. The trip includes a stop at Finis Terre (Cape Finisterre), a rocky peninsula on the west coast of Galicia. In Roman times, it was believed to be an end of the known world.
With Celtic Sea, Núñez channels the spirit of artistic brotherhood, celebrating the ocean not just as a passageway but as a muse for a tradition that belongs to all.
Musicians: Carlos Núñez, composer, arranger, whistle, bagpipes, ocarina; Itsaso Elizagoien on accordion, tambourine; producer Tim Edey on accordion, guitar; Steven Bodénès on bombarde; Jon Pilatzke on fiddle, medieval fiddle; Bleuenn Le Friec on harp, medieval harp; Hervé le Floch on highland pipes; Xurxo Núñez on percussion, guitar, programming; Marcos Fernández on piano; Alberto Jambrina on tabor pipe, shawm, oboe; Esteban Bolado on rabel; Pancho Álvarez on the Atlantic lyre, Atlantic guitar, romantic guitar, hurdy-gurdy, medieval fiddle; and Wenceslao Cabezas del Toro “Polo”on tambourine, square hand drum.
Buy Celtic Sea.
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.