Bling

Band gwerin cyffrous ac afieithus gyda phump o aelodau ifanc a hynod o gerddorol.

Ffurfiwyd yn 2005 wedi i bedwar aelod gyfarfod tra ar gwrs cerddoriaeth draddodiadol gyda Trac yn Sweden ddwy flynedd ynghynt. Maent yn mynd i roi cerddoriaeth draddodiadol Cymru ar dân oherwydd mae canu gwerin yn Cwl! Mae rhai o’r aelodau wedi cyfansoddi alawon eu hunain hefyd, ac mae’r pump yn Gymry Cymraeg. Buont yng Ngwyl Werin Ryngwladol Lorient ac yn y Sesiwn Fawr eleni, lle’r aeth y gynulleidfa’n wyllt gan stampio’u traed mewn cymeradwyaeth eisiau mwy!

Dod i adnabod aelodau Calan:

Patrick Rimes – Ffidil, pibau a chwibanogl – pencampwr mewn cystadleuaeth Geltaidd i
ffidlwyr ifanc. Hoffai wadd Robin Huw Bowen, Gene Hunt a Miles Kington am ginio. Mae’n
casáu cyfaddef ei fod yn hoff o wisgo sandalau a sanau!

Bethan Rhiannon Williams-Jones – Accordion, piano, llais a chlocsio. Cystadlu yn 2007 ar Ysgoloriaeth Bryn Terfel. Mae’n casáu merched sy’n methu cerdded yn eu sgidiau, ac mae’n casáu cyfaddef ei bod yn hoffi S Club 7. Hoffai wadd Stephen Fry a Goldie Lookin Chain am ginio

Angharad Siân Jenkins – Mae grwpiau roc a chyfansoddwyr yn dangos diddordeb yn ei doniau, ac mae newydd gwblhau taith o Iwerddon, Yr Iseldiroedd a Llydaw. Hoffai fod wedi gwadd Picasso i ginio, yn ogystal â Mihangel Morgan

Llinos Eleri Jones – Arbenigo ar y delyn. Mae’n casáu cyfaddef ei bod yn ffansio Pete Doherty, ac mae’n dal i ddysgu gwneud y splits ar gyfer triciau partïon!

Chris ab Alun (Evans) – Gitarydd heb ei ail. Mae’n casáu pobl sy’n bwyta’n swnllyd, a
hoffai wadd Bill Bailey a Hedd Wyn at ei fwrdd cinio.

Mae albwm Calan, Bling, wedi cael nifer o adolygiadau yn ddiweddar, ac mae’r Daily Mirror yn dweud …In bygone days, youths would run a mile at the mere mention of a flute or fiddle, but as these teenage and early-twenties Welsh stars-in-waiting realise, there’s nowt as dear as folk – especially when played with the grace, daring and sheer joy this multi- instrumental five-piece bring to a winning selection of reels, jigs and hornpipes. Shake a leg. In fact, shake several… ac yn y Belfast Telegraph mae nhw’n cyfeirio at yr albwm Bling … has everything you could want from a record — stunning use of instrumentation, gorgeously crafted songs, sprightly foot-tappers, verve and raw excitement….this collection is a welcome breath of fresh air — and could be just what Folk needs to kickstart a whole new generation of fans.

Adolygiadau pellach ……
Mike Harding, Radio 2
‘Absoultely smashing’

Songlines 3 stars out of 5
Calan are an unnervingly young new traditional Welsh five piece comprising teenagers and early 20 corner of the nation – Bangor, Swansea, the Lleyn Peninsula and Newport. How, you might ask, did they come together? Well, ironcally four of them met in Sweden during the 2005 Trac Wales-Sweden exchange programme. And it’s a good thing they did. Their debut album is as energetic as you might expect, but it also has a subtlety and, in places, a mournfulness that is impressive in such a young band.

Aside from the runaway traditional jigs and reels, we’re also treated to Bethan Rhiannon singing (in Welsh) on tracks such as ‘Flower of the year’ and The Grey Cuckoo’, and creating a beautiful sound. It is not often that the Welsh language is heard in song in mainstream culture outside of Wales, and more people should hear it. It constitutes one of Britain’s more unique and precious pieces of heritage. In these songs, Calan bring to mind the music of Scottish Gaelic musician Julie Fowlis. Also of note is the fine playing of Patrick Rimes (twice winner of the junior Celtic Fiddle championships), the assured picking of guitarist Chris ab Alun and the mazy accordion work of Bethan, which all give the sound multiple textures and depth. The less prevelant but nonetheless magical sound of the Welsh harp, played by Llinos, lends Calan’s sound another dimension that most Celtic traditional acts lack. This is a strong debut from a group of musicians with a bright future ahead of them, and is a good reminder to its often more boisterous cousins that Wales is a fundamental part of the Celtic music map.
Nathaniel Handy

1.  Y Jigiau
2.  Rhif Wyth
3.  Set y Golomen
4.  Blodau'r Flwyddyn
5.  Calan
6.  Pibddawns Arfordir Ffrainc
7.  Y Gog Lwydlas
8.  Manamanamwnci
9.  Deio i Dywyn
10.  Alawon o Ganada
11.  Y Pibddawnsiau
12.  Calan (Trac Bonws yn cynnwys Bâs a Drymiau)
13.  Rhif Wyth (Trac Bonws yn cynnwys Bâs a Drymiau)
14.  Y Gog Lwydlas (Trac Bonws yn cynnwys Bâs a Drymiau)