• Velvet Arm Golden Hand - by What's Goin On / Cape Breton's Arts & Entertainment
• Velvet Arm Golden Hand - by RootsWorld / A Magazine Of Music

At one point during the recording, Velvet Arm Golden Hand, the latest release by J.P. Cormier and Joe Cormier, someone is heard to say, “If I don’t live past tomorrow, I’ll die happy”. For those who enthusiastically listen to traditional music, those sentiments are more than understood. This album celebrates just how a gifted musician can create magic through his interpretation of a cherished tune.

Adding to the momentum, of course is the fact that the idea of these two gentlemen recording together has been spoken of for almost a decade, so you can bet that the end result would be as close to perfection as I have ever heard.

With a mix of twin fiddle live sessions, as well as solo presentations, all exquisitely arranged, and so joy-filled, the listener instantly becomes drawn to these most significant sessions, as the recording captures the celebratory atmosphere evident in the tunes. The next best thing to being there is enjoying the result time and time again.

I can honestly say that a day does not go by, that I do not listen to some form of Celtic music, whether it be a favored CD or played live. So I pretty much have heard it all, and can usually guess correctly who is playing, without looking, based on the particular style, be it the bowing or particular embellishments of a certain fiddler.

Since first hearing J.P. Cormier six years ago, he has certainly been among my list of exceptional musicians, most especially for the creativity he puts into every tune, taking well known traditional favorites and making them his very own.

This album, even for the listener, actually sounds like a culmination of all that J.P. and Hilda have strived to achieve, since returning home. The obvious respect he holds for his uncle Joe resonates in their shared joy in playing together. How this magically comes across on a recording is a mystery for me, but it is definitely there in every note throughout.

The live sessions are particularly outstanding. The first, featuring “The Chorus Jig”, followed by “The Sailor’s Wife”, are a lively pairing, in players and tunes, for a wonderfully carefree, and energetic sound.

The “Capers” set is another fine collection, with a smooth transition from one to the other that makes you wish for it to continue indefinitely. I have heard this set before but never played with so much gusto!

My most favorite set, and the one I like to repeat often, starts off with some great Dan R. melodies, (Mrs. Beatty Wallace / The Red Shoes) and continues with a contagious rhythm that I have to say is one of the most incredible groups of music I have had the pleasure to experience. The party atmosphere surrounding the event certainly adds fun to the mix!

Joe’s Solo is a collection of absolutely breathtaking tunes, beginning with “Corgaret Castle”, and building up to “Gin I Had A Bonnie Lass”, the expert touch of the bow and precision of timing can only be reached by someone who takes great care in delivering such a fine musical rendition. The same can be said for “Killiecranchie”, especially what is done with “Miss Mary MacEachern’s Reel”, simply superb.

J.P.’s Solo, as expected, captures his attention to detail in every note. From “The Braes of Tullimet”, “Miss Louisa Duff”, finishing off with “The Grey Old Lady of Ramsay”, the entire set is phenomenal.

Joe completes the collection with the haunting and mournful “The Nameless Lassie”, followed by “The Marquis of Tullybardine”, which is a testament to how really fine fiddling ought to be shared.

Velvet Arm Golden Hand is quite obviously a labour of love, between two respectful musicians, and it is made even more meaningful with the very idea that they have so generously shared this experience with the rest of the world. The historical value in the selections, combined with the bond of the players, makes for a winning release, guaranteed to please those who know their Celtic music, and should also serve as an example of how music is meant to be played. Perfection!

Of equal significance associated with this treasure, is the fact that proceeds from the project will be used to build a patio for cancer patients to enjoy the outdoors during their stressful treatments. The idea came from Mary Eagan, the late wife of Patio Records head Terry Eagan. It was her dream to create a place where patients could enjoy the sunshine during hospital stays. The couple met J.P. while he visited his uncle Joe in Waltham, Massachusetts, where the elder Cormier had been involved in several benefit concerts, leading up to the opening of the first Patio in Mary Eagan’s name in April 2001. It is hoped that a similar construction will take place in Canada. So not only do you receive a collector’s dream of an album, but you are contributing to a worthwhile cause with each purchase of a CD. -- by (Wanda Earhart)

On average, the quality of musicianship in Celtic music is pretty high. With so many fiddlers playing just dandy, who might be considered really outstanding?

Originally from Chéticamp, Nova Scotia, Joe Cormier was one of the first Cape Breton fiddlers to record for an American commercial label. He records here thirty years later with his nephew and fellow fiddler J.P. Cormier, sideman to the stars. It's not just the skill and effortless fluidity that makes this traditional dance album such a pleasure, but the sparkle of abandon that goes with each set. (Though at times the fiddles squeek so much you might think they are using fish oil instead of rosin on their bows.) Cormier and Cormier are not simply interpreting traditional music, it appears they are living it.

Velvet Arm, Golden Hand is a party album full of party tunes. Perhaps the best track and a good example is a set of tunes known collectively as J. Scott Skinner's (The Strathspey King, the man who fiddled standing on his head) "Sir William Wallace." The Cormiers tackle the strathspey's unending syncopated ornament with devlish glee, then hit the heavy downbeat on 4/4 reel, backed with piano and guitar rhythms and a bit of tambourine. As this is dance music, a given set might begin slow or fast, but typically ends a fast tune. For example, the "Killieccrankie" set begins slowly with that lovely old melody, but almost regreatably moves on to bouncy but less noble reels. Joe's solo set starts out the same way, with Skinner's slow dark strathspey "Corgarff Castle," and moves on in tempo to "An Angus Strathspey." Not all the tunes have a striking melody, but enough do to allow the listener's mind to linger.

Sometimes Joe and J.P. play fiddle together and sometimes solo. From the solos, Joe seems to have more of an edge and plays more off-scale; J.P. may sound a little sweeter and "better" to some ears, and he's mixed in some more contemporary backing. J.P. also plays a number of instruments and most of the accompaniment is done by him, sharing the piano role with his wife Hilda Chiasson-Cormier. To break the fiery monotony of an album of Scots dance tunes, three live sessions are inserted in critical places. These really do sound nicely hollow and conversation-rumbly like a dance bootleg, but are of good enough quality to actually excel as a paragon of the sense of fun evident on Velvet Arm, Golden Hand. -- by (Judith Gennett)