Greetings from a sunny London and from a not so sunny Edinburgh where Hazel and Cormac are today.
Just a quick mail to remind you that Hazel’s new album HIDDEN HEART is really on the way – release date will be in May. We are all very excited and the tracks on this new album – well - you are in for a treat. To celebrate this, Hazel has lined up a very special one-off London show to preview the album with Barcó. This will be first and the only opportunity, this year to see Hazel with this wonderful band plus special guests – see below for full details. Hazel will be performing the new songs for you all and would love you to be there.
MARTIN RUSHENT: I’m not sure how long you have been listening to Hazel’s music but you may know of her much sought after Smile album from days gone. It was produced by Neil O’Connor (Hazel’s lovely brother who now lives and works in Canada) and the fabulous Martin Rushent (producer for the Buzzcocks, Stranglers and Human League to mention just a few.) Well Hidden Heart is produced by Martin Rushent and he, Hazel, Cormac, Fionán, to name just a few, worked very hard to get it in the can and its at the manufacturers as I write.
On MONDAY APRIL 11 at THE BLOOMSBURY THEATRE, London
Its close to the London’s main line stations Euston/St Pancras and Kings Cross and several tubes – Warren Street, Euston and Euston Square – full details on are the Bloomsbury web-site
www.thebloomsbury.com 020 7388 8822 The Bloomsbury Theatre 15 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AH
Barcó are Cormac De Barra on harp, Fionán de Barra on guitar and bodhrán and Éamonn de Barra on flute, whistles and bodhrán. Again those of you that have known Hazel’s work over the last while, will have heard the members of Barcó individually as they all played on Beyond The Breaking Glass which was
co-produced by Fionán and Cormac. Barcó is much sought after and they have worked in the States, Italy, France, Scotland and of course, Ireland. This will be their English debut and a unique opportunity for you to hear them play. Individually they are very busy and it took some negotiation, not to mention juggling, to organise this date in London. Cormac not only writes and performs with Hazel, but also somehow manages to fit in performing his own more traditional harp work and more recently, working with the fabulous Moya Brennan. Fionán is Moya Brennan’s MD and when they are not on the road or in studio writing and recording, he slips off to record, produce and/or play with the Scottish based group, Fiddlers Bid. Fionán was in charge of all the Hidden Heart pre-production work. Éamonn has hardly spent any time at home recently as he has been off working with the wonderful Damian Dempsey.
Éamonn also works with his own band, Slide and some of you may have caught them when they did a short Hazel tour (or was it an extended party?) last year.
There will also be some other special guests including Rob Reynolds. Rob has been Hazel’s special guest on a couple of Dutch tours now and during the last tour, Hazel persuaded Rob to sing Tell Me Why with her as she originally conceived the song as a duet. It was so beautiful, that they recorded it for the album. So we are very pleased that Rob is able to join Hazel on stage to sing it with her.
Also on the album are two other duets, one with Moya Brennan and the other is with Tony Dangerfield of The Subterraneans.
So you can see this is a very special performance in London and we do hope you can join us and if you can’t, well then we will see you on the road in May and June. Hazel has also been invited by BBC Radio 2 to do a session for Jammin’ – we expect this to be broadcast in June. Also watch out for Hazel at various festivals over the summer. So you can see it is a busy time.
Finally, Hazel recorded a live DVD with The Subterraneans and Billy Davidson last April and it has just hit the shops – so check it out. It is called Eighth Day – Live in Brighton and is distributed by Snapper Music.