It was a great pleasure to be offered a copy of Moch Pryderi's recent CD , Moch IV for review at the recent NAFOW Festival in Portland . Diolch yn fawr Bob. There is a complete track listing at the bottom of this post together with a YouTube video of the band performing 'Santa Anna's Retreat/Pa La Mae 'Nghariad' for anyone who wants to skip forward and sample the bands style without any further introduction.

So, who are Moch Pryderi? They might be described as a ceilidh/twmpath band which combines Welsh, Breton and North American folk influences in their repertoire. I realize of course that the term 'ceilidh' applies more properly to Scottish traditional music and that ' twmpath' means no more in Welsh than a grassy hillock or mound on which musicians in bygone centuries would perform. But then again 'ceilidh' simply meant social visit at one time and its for Welsh and Scottish traditional bands and musicians to call their music whatever they like.

The band who are based in Fredericksburg, Virginia have been performing together since 1998. In that time they have recorded four studio albums and performed at numerous folk and Celtic festivals on the East coast. They are a six piece band ( Mary Triola, Dave Rich, Rik Rice, Bob Roser, Deborah Wenrich, and Bill Reese ) and they play a wide range of Welsh and traditional instruments ( Welsh triple harp, small and great pipes, Breton bombards, Welsh pibgorns, Celtic bouzouki, mandolin, banjo, flutes, whistles and percussion )

The album launches with a spirited rendition of 'Trafaeliais Y Byd' ( I Travelled The World ) a song about travelling the world and returning to Wales. This song is a standard in the repertoire of Welsh traditional bands and performers and the version on this album is based on an earlier arrangement by Dafydd Iwan. For fans of the pipes track two, 'Welsh Bagpipe Melody' will prove a treat. This lively arrangement of three traditional Welsh dance tunes has a distinctly good time feel to it and even if you've had too many cwrw's to get up and dance you're sure to find your toes tapping in time. Other Welsh traditional numbers on the album include 'Hen Ferchetan', 'Bu Farw'r Cathod' and 'Bachgen Bach O Dincer'. There is also a beautiful instrumental arrangement of 'Llwyn On' ( The Ashgrove ) played on the bouzouki, double string harp and triple strung Welsh harp. In short there is something to suit all tastes and moods on this highly recommended collection from one of America's premier Welsh/Celtic folk bands.

I should also mention that the band's website is well worth visiting. In particular there is an informative page on the history of Welsh folk music , which can be found here and a page on which the history of Pryderi's Pigs ( after which the band are named ) is recounted.