Clive Carroll
Clive Carroll has created a sound world all his own, with influences mined from the delicate cadences of Elizabethan England, to the striking harmonic sensibilities of composers Bartok and Ligeti—with nods to jaunty music hall melodies and Delta blues riffs. This broad array of musical influences places Clive firmly in the footsteps of British guitar legends such as Davy Graham, Bert Jansch, and John Renbourn. Indeed, it was Renbourn who encouraged Clive to record his first album, deemed it “a milestone in the journey of the steel-string guitar”, and took Clive on the road with him. Acoustic Guitar Magazine called Clive “…the best and most original young acoustic guitarist/composer in Britain”
Poll Ha’penny/Máirseáil Uí Néill
Traditional Irish Tunes arranged and played by Clive Carroll for Bert Jansch
Clive videoed a medley of very old Irish tunes which he hopes everyone enjoys. Poll Ha’penny is a ‘set dance’, supposedly derived from a 17th century harp tune, ‘Molly McAlpine’, by one of the Connellan brothers. ‘Máirseáil Uí Néill’ (O’Neill’s March) is a traditional Irish march, associated with the famous O’Neill family. Clive says “John Renbourn and I often played duets and sometimes he would give me Bert’s part to work on. This gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in Jansch’s style and voicings, which always complimented Renbourn’s equally distinctive sound.”
Clive has released four solo albums; Sixth Sense, The Red Guitar (which Tommy Emmanuel cites as one of his desert island discs!), Life in Colour and The Furthest Tree. Clive has also written music for television and film, most notably composing the music for the film Driving Lessons, which features Julie Walters and Rupert Grint.