Slainte! It's Irish Music Monday!

For this installment of Music Monday, Kat has asked us what our musical "?" is. For me, in the last six or eight years, my "?" has been traditional musics. From bluegrass to Irish and Scottish Celtic, from the U.S. to Europe to Africa, I've really been interested in traditional sounds. Groups like Moodfaruka, Afro-Celt Sound System, and Native Flute Ensemble often fill my ears. (Do I sound like a musical snob like Tim Robbins' character in High Fidelity? Probably.) So, for this week - and conveniently in conjunction with St. Patrick's Day - I present the group that brought traditional Irish music back from the grave: The Chieftains.

For more than 40 years, The Chieftains have been making some of the highest quality Celtic music around. Their legend has grown so that these days it is almost a right of passage for artists to play with them. From Ricky Scaggs to Alison Krauss, Buddy and Julie Miller to Van Morrison - the people who come to play with them are themselves legends. Here are a few examples of their brilliant collaborations.

"Toss the Feathers" - This features The Chieftains and a group of friends. A classic tune.

The Chieftains and the Irish group Altan:

This is the type of music that I have been seeking the last few years, and very different from my high-school days oriented to music that was "loud, fast, and thrashin'." Even then, though, the seeds were there as I sneaked in the occasional classical album. I'm okay if no one else likes the same music as me; pretty well resigned to it, actually. Just yesterday Lil'E flat out told me that the music I listen too is "not cool" because it is too slow and quiet. Oh, the stab in my heart - but I'll live, and keep listening.

Tags: Traditional, Celtic, World Music, The Chieftains, Altan, Irish