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CNN Live At Daybreak

Musical Journey: 'A Song of Home'

Aired October 17, 2002 - 06:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(MUSIC PLAYING)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Sounds nice, doesn't it? Just one of the selections from the incomparable flutist Sir James Galway and his newest CD "A Song of Home." It's his tribute to the songs and places of America. Collaboration with American artists Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.

And Sir James joins us now live from New York.

Welcome to DAYBREAK.

SIR JAMES GALWAY, FLUTIST: Thank you. Nice to be here.

COSTELLO: Why did you decide to record a tribute album to America?

GALWAY: Well our thoughts were suddenly diverted because we recorded this on the 13th of September. We were going to start on the -- on the 12th. And when the 11th happened, it really sent us into some sort of a spin and we thought we should do something that would bring back memories of what America was and what it is.

COSTELLO: So tell us about some of the songs that you chose.

GALWAY: Well of course it opens up with a beautiful tune called "My Cape Bresin (ph) Home," which I play on the whistle. And then we have a presidential medley. We got -- we got these horn pipes that were written and dedicated to various presidents. We did an -- we did an awful lot of onsite research because when we decided to go down this road, we had to dig up lots of books with Americana in it. And you know we recorded things like "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" and stuff like this.

COSTELLO: Oh that's just awesome.

GALWAY: And "Shenandoah (ph)" which it's a beautiful -- and it was great working with Jay and Molly because I mean they do this all the time.

COSTELLO: Yes, I was going to ask you about that, how did you mix the music with your flute and their brand of folk music?

GALWAY: Well we just made the arrangements right there and then on the spot. You know we'd say OK, let's do "Shenandoah." I'll open it up on the flute and then I'll play it up an octave and then, Jay, you come in and Molly on the guitar. And we'd figure out the arrangements just as we went along, and it was -- it was really a lot of fun.

COSTELLO: OK, I was just informed by Chad I should not call them songs, I should call them tunes.

GALWAY: Oh you can call them whatever you like. We don't -- we know what you're talking about.

COSTELLO: That's right, Chad was making fun of flutist. I saw you laughing there.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Hey, you look like you were having so much fun making this type of music.

GALWAY: Well it is fun. And you know they're wonderful players that we got together there for this record.

COSTELLO: And you're going to be in New York, I understand, on October 17. That's today.

GALWAY: Yes, that's today.

COSTELLO: So tell us what you're doing.

GALWAY: Well we're doing a dinner for the Side Sea -- Side Street -- Side Street Seaport.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Seaport.

COSTELLO: Seaport.

MYERS: Yes.

GALWAY: Yes, as a fund raiser for the museum there. And it'll take place in the -- in that big hotel there in there. I forget what it's called. Oh dear, (ph) I can't think...

COSTELLO: Oh, Sir James, it's early in the morning, isn't it?

GALWAY: Yes.

COSTELLO: Hopefully your people are there to help you get there.

GALWAY: Oh they will. I have a minder, you know.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Oh you're making me laugh this morning. But the whole thing is in celebration of the rebirth of downtown.

GALWAY: That's right. And it is a wonderful thing. People should go and check this out. And it is a really tremendous thing at the Side...

COSTELLO: Oh it certainly is. GALWAY: ... Street Seaport.

COSTELLO: And New Yorkers have a lot of spirit, don't they?

GALWAY: Yes, oh they sure do.

COSTELLO: They certainly do.

Thank you, Sir James, for joining us this morning.

GALWAY: My pleasure. Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're a lot of fun.

And again, the album is "A Song of Home." There it is, so buy it in your record store or should I say CD store?

MYERS: It doesn't matter.

COSTELLO: Yes, it's out today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 17, 2002 - 06:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Sounds nice, doesn't it? Just one of the selections from the incomparable flutist Sir James Galway and his newest CD "A Song of Home." It's his tribute to the songs and places of America. Collaboration with American artists Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.

And Sir James joins us now live from New York.

Welcome to DAYBREAK.

SIR JAMES GALWAY, FLUTIST: Thank you. Nice to be here.

COSTELLO: Why did you decide to record a tribute album to America?

GALWAY: Well our thoughts were suddenly diverted because we recorded this on the 13th of September. We were going to start on the -- on the 12th. And when the 11th happened, it really sent us into some sort of a spin and we thought we should do something that would bring back memories of what America was and what it is.

COSTELLO: So tell us about some of the songs that you chose.

GALWAY: Well of course it opens up with a beautiful tune called "My Cape Bresin (ph) Home," which I play on the whistle. And then we have a presidential medley. We got -- we got these horn pipes that were written and dedicated to various presidents. We did an -- we did an awful lot of onsite research because when we decided to go down this road, we had to dig up lots of books with Americana in it. And you know we recorded things like "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" and stuff like this.

COSTELLO: Oh that's just awesome.

GALWAY: And "Shenandoah (ph)" which it's a beautiful -- and it was great working with Jay and Molly because I mean they do this all the time.

COSTELLO: Yes, I was going to ask you about that, how did you mix the music with your flute and their brand of folk music?

GALWAY: Well we just made the arrangements right there and then on the spot. You know we'd say OK, let's do "Shenandoah." I'll open it up on the flute and then I'll play it up an octave and then, Jay, you come in and Molly on the guitar. And we'd figure out the arrangements just as we went along, and it was -- it was really a lot of fun.

COSTELLO: OK, I was just informed by Chad I should not call them songs, I should call them tunes.

GALWAY: Oh you can call them whatever you like. We don't -- we know what you're talking about.

COSTELLO: That's right, Chad was making fun of flutist. I saw you laughing there.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Hey, you look like you were having so much fun making this type of music.

GALWAY: Well it is fun. And you know they're wonderful players that we got together there for this record.

COSTELLO: And you're going to be in New York, I understand, on October 17. That's today.

GALWAY: Yes, that's today.

COSTELLO: So tell us what you're doing.

GALWAY: Well we're doing a dinner for the Side Sea -- Side Street -- Side Street Seaport.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Seaport.

COSTELLO: Seaport.

MYERS: Yes.

GALWAY: Yes, as a fund raiser for the museum there. And it'll take place in the -- in that big hotel there in there. I forget what it's called. Oh dear, (ph) I can't think...

COSTELLO: Oh, Sir James, it's early in the morning, isn't it?

GALWAY: Yes.

COSTELLO: Hopefully your people are there to help you get there.

GALWAY: Oh they will. I have a minder, you know.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Oh you're making me laugh this morning. But the whole thing is in celebration of the rebirth of downtown.

GALWAY: That's right. And it is a wonderful thing. People should go and check this out. And it is a really tremendous thing at the Side...

COSTELLO: Oh it certainly is. GALWAY: ... Street Seaport.

COSTELLO: And New Yorkers have a lot of spirit, don't they?

GALWAY: Yes, oh they sure do.

COSTELLO: They certainly do.

Thank you, Sir James, for joining us this morning.

GALWAY: My pleasure. Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're a lot of fun.

And again, the album is "A Song of Home." There it is, so buy it in your record store or should I say CD store?

MYERS: It doesn't matter.

COSTELLO: Yes, it's out today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com