All songs written and composed by Luka Bloom.
Musicians
Luka Bloom - Guitars, Vocals, Mandola, Bits and Bobs
Joe Csibi - Bass, String and Brass Arrangements
Ray Fean - Drums, Percussion, Guitar on Rainbow Day
Mohamed Bouhanna - Derbouka, Bindir
Recorded at The Works, Dublin - Engineered by Paul Ashe-Browne
Sinéad O'Connor - Vocals
Mairtin O'Connor - Accordion
Conor Byrne - Flute, Whistle
Eamon Murray - Harmonica
Rod McVey - Keyboards
Gavin Ralston - Guitar on Love Is A Place I Dream Of
Ronan Dooney - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Steve McDonald - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Karl Ronan - Trombone
Catherine McCarthy - Violin, Strings on Perfect Groove
Nicola Cleary - Violin
Thomás Kane - Viola
Annette Cleary - Cello, Strings on Perfect Groove
Brass & String Contractor - Lloyd Byrne
Drawings - Beth O'Halloran
Cover Photo - Luka Bloom
Prayer flags at Dzogchen Beara;
a Buddhist centre on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, Ireland
Luka Portrait - Amelia Stein
Sleeve Design - Ann Bodkin-Kinsella at Cog Communications
Produced by Luka Bloom & Brian Masterson
Recorded and mixed at Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin
Engineered and mastered by Brian Masterson
Assistant Engineer - Kieran Lynch
Agent - Paul Charles at Asgard London
Shock Records, Australia
IN THE WORDS OF LUKA BLOOM...
I began recording some songs in September 1999, did a week or so in Windmill Lane, maybe 9 songs. No plan, no rush..... Every
now and then I'd quietly slip into the studio, and do a day or 2 with some of these songs. Little by little the songs took shape;
different musicians coming in to play; all very relaxed, no pressure. Right up to the end I kept my mind open for new songs, and for
new ideas...... This is the first time I felt confident in a studio; finally I have found a relationship with a studio and an engineer,
where I feel capable of expressing myself, without (too much) fear.
Between The Mountain And The Moon is a credit to Windmill Lane, and to Brian Masterson, who co-
produced and engineered it. The songs took 2 years to write, and the cd took 2 years to make. It feels complete.
A few words on a few of the songs...
www.shock.com.au
Munich Records, Holland
By 1998, I had made 3 cds for Warners in the US, and one for Sony in the UK (Salty Heaven). While the Warner years were
good ones, the Sony experience was one that would make you either crawl into bed to hide from the world; or fight back. I'm Irish,
so here we are. I had to find a way to make music, and present it to the world, without feeling I had no control over my working
life.... It was time for a change.... Between The Mountain And The Moon is a very special cd in my life. It is the first cd of
my songs which I own. I took my time.... Every musician who came into the studio brought real magic to the songs. I really feel that
these songs were given the time and space to fully realise their potential. It was a joy to work with Mohamed Bouhanna, a
wonderful Derbouka and Bindir player. He was born in Oman, lived in Algeria, before moving to Holland, where he now lives in
Groningen. I met him in a Moroccan restaurant in Groningen in 1999; and we played together that evening. Mohamed was the first
player to record on this cd with me. Two years later, Sinéad O'Connor became the last person to perform the songs
with me. Having the opportunity to sing with Sinéad was a great privilege to me and an indication that this cd is somehow
blessed. But I really have to thank all the great musicians who surprised me with their ideas and creativity on this record.
www.munichrecords.com
Bar/None Records, U.S.A.
...Between the Mountain and the Moon sounds like one seamless session, intimate, impassioned, and musically,
lyrically, and thematically unified, an album in the classic
sense. While Luka was concentrating on the cover songs he radically retooled for Keeper of the Flame, he said he learned "to trust
myself more as a singer." .... Most importantly, Luka has learned how to enjoy life in the recording studio. He's always been
comfortable on a stage with just himself, a couple of guitars, and maybe a vase of flowers.... "I began recording some songs in
September 1999, did a week or so in Windmill, maybe nine songs," explains Luka, ... "No plan, no rush.... Every now and then I'd
quietly slip into the studio and do a day or two with some of these songs. Little by little, the songs took shape, different musicians
coming in to play, all very relaxed, no pressure. Right up to the end I kept my mind open for new songs and for new ideas. Each
person who plays on this CD brought something very special to the songs. Almost every note people performed remains in the mix.
Every session was essential, and something beautiful happened each time."
Between the Mountain and the Moon is a collaboration among several musicians, including Luka's gifted nephew Connor
Byrne, a flautist and recording artist in his own right who accompanied Luka on Salty Heaven. For many, perhaps the most
noteworthy participant will be Sinead O'Connor, a significant but last-minute addition to the lineup, who came in to lend her voice to
one track but, following the free-form spirit of the project, stuck around to contribute subtle but stirring vocals to a few more....
Love is definitely on Luka's mind here, be it sensual ("Monsoon") or spiritual
("Gabriel"). But Between the Mountain and the Moon is about more than that. It's about
playful pride for a home and a heritage ("I'm A Bogman"), the courage of commitment to
faith ("Soshin"), dedicated to Maura O'Halloran, an Irish-American woman who became a Zen
Buddhist monk in Japan) or to a cause ("Love is a Place I Dream Of", dedicated to
Christina Noble, a Dubliner who has devoted her life to sheltering homeless children). It's about extraordinary characters in an
exotic land ("As I Waved Goodbye", inspired by the book Seven Years in Tibet) and humble heroes in a more
familiar setting ("Hands of a Farmer", a tribute to County Clare singer and storyteller Micho Russell).
Finally, it's about the simple pleasures of picking up the guitar ("Perfect Groove") and those moments when everything just feels right
("Rainbow Day").
Between the Mountain and the Moon is full of moments when everything just feels right. It's Luka Bloom's most mature
work, yet it's as fresh as his decade-old debut, a soulful, occasionally joyful, consistently moving album that was definitely worth the
wait.
www.bar-none.com
