At an International Harmonica Festival in Bristol next week-end, Mullingar’s foremost traditional musician, Noel Battle from Clonmore, a twelve times All Ireland title winner at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, will be Ireland’s representative alongside world-class harmonica players from Spain, Germany, Poland, Holland and Britain.
The Bristol International Festival takes place from 24 to 26 October at The Folk House in Bristol and is a celebration of the harmonica, featuring top performers on the instrument from all over the world, and the Mullingar musician is the first person from Ireland selected as one of the main artists.
The 2014 event follows a hugely successful Festival in 2013, with all types and styles of harmonica players chosen again this year.
The other main artists next weekend, for instance are Antonio Serrano, the top Spanish chromatic player, who plays between the genres of classical, jazz, blues, pop, world and flamenco; Bart Leczycki, the Polish jazz/blues chromatic/diatonic player; Konstantin Reinfeld, young jazz diatonic player from Germany; two members of the Dutch harmonica band, Fata Morgana, Rob Janssen, lead harmonica and harmonetta, with Ronald Kamminga on bass harmonica, playing pop, swing, blues and also classical music. The British musician with the Irish name, Liam Ward, is a diatonic player who plays with a range of bands, from a blues to Jug Band music and Heavy Metal.
In addition to those featured in the special Saturday night concert, other well known harmonica players taking part in the Festival will include Adam Glasser, Gerry Ezard, Ben Hewlett, Lee Sankey, Brendan Power, Phillip Henry and various others.
There’s more than twenty workshops, for beginners up to advanced players, covering all styles of playing, and there’s opportunities to ‘meet the artists’ also.
Noel Battle, who plays the tremelo harmonica, is advertised as coming from “Mullingar, Ireland”.
He is congratulated on being chosen to participate in the prestigious Bristol Festival, an honour he richly deserves after gaining so many honours in traditional music.
Noel’s most recent recording is on a single, featuring singer Nathan Carter, called ‘The Boat To Liverpool’.
Two other CDs currently on sale, featuring Noel include “Up and About In the Morning” with concertina player Roisín Broderick, and The Crooked Road (with Mick Foster and Friends).
The quietly-spoken Mullingar man, who has been playing traditional music on the mouth organ and winning national titles since his teens, has featured on quite a few other CDs, including his own solo recording music from the Reeds, as well as ‘A Blow for Peace’ with Davy Hynes; Harmonica Ireland; Mick Foster and Friends; Mullingar Race; and the CD for the Echoes of Erin Tour Group 2012.
