Down to the Sea – the latest collaboration from Cathy Jordan and Brendan Graham, takes them down to the Bay of Biscay, where Basque singer and harpist, Olatz Zugasti, has taken the Irish duo’s song and made it into one of the lead tracks on her new album.
Sweet Orio Bay, with your mist-rolling blue
Bayonne and Biscay, I’ll sail home to you
Like the homecoming wing of a caged bird set free…
A song I will sing…and go down to the sea
The album, HITZÑO BAT ERRAN ETA, BANUA BERHALA [Say a little word and, I´m leaving right away] features Muga Gabeko Hondartzara (To the Boundless Sea), a Basque language adaptation by Zugasti of Jordan’s & Graham’s lively sea shanty.
The track is already picking up interest on both Basque Radio and TV and in Argentina, where there is a large Basque diaspora.
This is the seventh album from the singer and harpist from Hernani, in the Basque Country. On this album Zugasti continues to follow a very personal path traced by her music – with melodies, rhythms and sounds of different styles and inspiration – and lyrics through which she tries to look beyond the shadows, illusions or lies of our society.
Zugasti’s previous albums have included a number of Graham’s works and co-writes, most notably Bizirik Gaudelako – an adaptation by Zugasti of Graham’s Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears. Bizirik Gaudelako is a call to the Basque people to remember and keep alive their distinctive culture and has become an anthem within the Ikastolas (the Basque Country’s cultural schools).
Bizirik Gaudelako – along with another Zugasti/Graham co-write, Mezularia (Messenger) – features as the closing piece in the recent acclaimed documentary, ELBIRA, based on the life of iconic Basque educationist, Elbira Zipitria.
Jordan, meanwhile received a 4 star review from The Guardian for her Freight Train album with leading UK jazz musicians, pianist Liam Noble and percussionist Paul Clarvis, with the paper referring to ‘Jordan’s remarkable voice’ working ‘her magic’.
The singer continues her long-running collaboration with songwriter Graham. Together with Feargal Murray on piano, and a stellar line up of guests, she has just put the finishing touches to her album, STORYBOOK – The Songs of Brendan Graham, due for a November release.
