Hammered Dulcimer

Ricko Donovan proudly unveils a musical gem- The Laughing Silver String, a fine program of delightful Irish music on hammered dulcimer with other traditional instruments. The release coincides with a tour of the American Midwest, and dates in Ireland for early spring are pending. The CD sparkles with energy, with many strong contributions from players including Nashville harpist Cindy Wyatt and West Clare fiddle player Sonya O’Brien. Enjoy trad Irish music with "a skillfull master of a unique and beautiful instrument." -Cormac MacConnell, Clare FM Radio Ireland ************************************************************ *************The Laughing Silver String CD The Kilmoon Road CD -A rollercoaster ride…haunting and visceral, a powerful new voice in Irish folk.” -Irish Music Magazine Were one to choose an instrument that would prove easy to rough travel with to different corners of the earth, the dulcimer, harp and grand piano would be excluded from immediate consideration. Nonetheless, Ricko Donovan decided to forego the life of business and keeping the books and took off to travel the European continent in 98 with backpack and Dusty Strings dulcimer, playing on streets, in cafes, in theatres, and clubs. Settling on Madrid Spain and Counties Cork and Clare in Ireland, he remained until 2006. Graduating to a larger model hammer dulcimer built by Ardie’s Dulcimers, he began recording the Irish folk music that surrounded the beautiful Burren landscape where he made his home outside Doolin, a hotbed of Irish traditional music. A singer/songwriter returning intermittently to Nashville, he began to craft the art of singing with the dulcimer. Do drop in on www.myspace.com/rickodonovan for more on this aspect of his musical exploits. Meanwhile, we concern ourselves with the instrumental adventures on the instrument derived from the Latin for “sweet sounding”. Two instrumental projects, Castledonovan and Light From Ancient Stones concern themselves with composition and experimentation. The Hidden Well is a collection of Irish folk music, and The Laughing Silver String is underway with expanded production and instrumentation. Ricko spent many summers along the Cliffs of Moher in West Clare playing in the open air along with many other fine buskers to the delight of the many passersby. The dulcimer was played regularly nightly to guests at the prestigious Gregan’s Castle Hotel in Ballyvaughn, Co. Clare. Playing in the many pubs in the region, he brought an instrument quite unusual in that tradition to the people of Ireland. Now the dulcimers and the player reside in Nashville TN.

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