From the Czech Republic comes this amazing group known as Poitín. On their latest recording, Celtic Radio’s 2010 Album of the Year- ”Bofiguifluki”, the five piece band from Plzen, CZ takes the listener on a 15 track aural roller coaster ride of some of the most engaging Celtic music I’ve heard in a long time.

After their previous release entitled “Jiggery Pokery”, where the band dabbled in more experimental material including some sax and almost dance-tune style DSPI remixes, “Bofiguifluki” returns to a more traditional approach both in the material and the way in which it is recorded. Granted, you will still hear the sax here, (some didj and darbuka as well) but it isn’t at all as strange as one might think. There’s still plenty or traditional instruments- the whimsical album title itself  offers clues as to what instrumentation one will hear.

The CD opens with an instrumental, “Emily”, with its percussive bodhran and banjo driving the beat. “Carlton Weaver” is next, with Jeremy King’s vocal leading off a series of wonderful traditional songs, tunes, jigs and reels. Among the highlights for me personally are the title track, with its interesting time changes, the haunting violin intro and beautiful transformations in “La Fille d’Orval” and the a cappella harmonies featured in “Next Market Day”.

While Poitín has been known to expand the ideas and norms of traditional Irish and Celtic music, the balance of the album is a well-rounded collection of material that invites one inside a pub where the band can be found on many a rousing seisiun, cranking out great music, having a great time and delivering a genuinely authentic musical experience.
http://67music.net/reviews/cd-review-poitin-bofiguifluki/
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Poitin's latest album, Bofiguifluki, is a masterpiece of traditional Celtic music. Containing a wide range of Celtic music from Calton Weaver, Paddy's Polas, Four Drunken Maidens to the foot stompin Emily. We really enjoyed this talented group from the Czech Republic. Aside from being a great group of people, Poitin shows a perfection of music and instrument that will have you listening to these tracks over and over. Beautiful arrangements and masterful talent! 5 Gold Stars from Celtic Radio!
(Review first published 28 Nov 2010 http://www.celticradio.net/php/news.php?item=921 )
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Nové album skupiny Poitín z Plzně je v pořadí již čtvrtým albem této skupiny a je pro mě příjmeným překvapením. Album představuje 15 skladeb ze současného repertoáru skupiny a zhruba polovinu tvoří instrumentální skladby. Až na snad jednu výjimku jde o irskou ostrovní provenienci, jeden ze setů si melodicky vybírá z kombinace melodií Bretaně a španělské Galície. Skladby jsou velmi dobře zaranžované. Na aranžích se podílejí jednotlivé nástroje šťastně vyvážené. Naprosto přirozeně působí zapojení saxofonu Heleny Markové v setu tunů nesoucím název celého alba. Moc rád jsem si poslechnul banjo Honźy Brabce (mám pro tento nástroj svoji slabost) a snad bych vytknul, že ho je tam málo.  Myslím, že jsme již někdy zmínil, že hodně posuzuji kvalitu skupiny podle toho, jestli bych si z jejich repertoáru vybral skladbu jako podklad pro choreografii. A tady bych problém neměl. A tak nejen zpěv rodilého mluvčího by bez předchozí znalosti interpreta mohl svést náhodného poslouchače k přiřčení ostrovní národnosti této kapele.
(review originally published here: http://www.bernards.cz/obchudek/cd-poitin-bofiguifluki-id2010110012 )
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I was asked to review the latest work of the up and coming Pilsen folk/jazz band Poitin and having recently received their rather deftly named 'bolkjhgfdsa' I would like to alert the world to a rising star in this genre, if indeed they occupy any genre at all. The band was formed in the dank and atmospheric beer halls of Pilsen and has been evolving over the past ten years with various influences including Celtic, Breton and Czech folklore and thoroughly individual improvisational jazz with an element of music hall and thrash metal thrown in. The up to date version seems to mark the transition of the group from pub band to serious contributors to the contemporary scene. The production is slicker, the sound smoother the balance of instruments and voice more congruent and an adventurous range of styles and moods. The CD begins with a good old rollicking Irish stomper with strong bodhran sounds and a wide range of different instrumental improvisations before giving way to a remarkably smooth and melodious version of Calton Weaver including a transcendental instrumental break, followed by the spine tingling Hare's Lament in which the music follows the huntsmen of highlands and lowlands of rhythmic expression . The signature tune of 'Bofiguifluki' is a statement of what established worshippers would recognise as the Poitin sound, with sequences of exquisite music overlaying and building on each other to be picked up by a new instrument or arrangement culminating in a bold saxophone demonstration which pulls together the various themes of the piece into a dynamic folk jazz collection which is both emotive and danceable. The next track tells a tale of sweet innocent love inadvertently leading to a shag with an elderly lady. How old 'twice 6, 7 twice twenty and eleven' actually is depends on how lurid the listener's imagination, but the whole song is so poignantly beautiful as to make the grim denouement seem unfortunate. Poitin then skitter through a lively Cunla my dear before the bizarre and sinister Bedlam Boys, a couple more instrumental meditations leading up to the grand finale of St Patrick was a Gentleman with a panoramic instrumental build up to the tale of the slaughter of Irelands small creatures.The post script to the CD is a gentle Copperesque harmonised vocal Next Market Day which contrasts with the almost full hour of highly energetic music before. The CD as a whole is a marvellous journey through the band's repertoire and in my opinion their best album to date.
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