NEW RELEASE
Mike Kirkpatrick and Drovers Unlimited Orchestra Volume 3: A Parting Gift from a Musical Visionary
Drovers Unlimited Orchestra Volume 3 is the final, posthumous release from Mike Kirkpatrick, a Chicago-based musician, composer, and producer whose work drew from—and gave to—a stunning array of musical genres and traditions. This wild, triumphant closing party for Kirkpatrick’s ultimate triptych serves a vigorously eclectic blend of jazz, world music, and traditional Irish sounds, showcasing Kirkpatrick’s unique ability to synthesize different genres into a cohesive, innovative, and truly unique whole. With contributions from some of the most respected musicians from around the globe, Volume 3 stands as a powerful testament to Kirkpatrick’s creative genius, generosity, and lifelong dedication to rewriting the definition of music.
From The Drovers to a Legacy Defined
Mike Kirkpatrick was a perennial cornerstone of Chicago’s vibrant music scene, known for his work with The Drovers, an Irish folk-punk-indie-rock band that gained a dedicated following in the 1980s and ‘90s through its rocking bricolage and celebratory live shows. The Drovers constantly defied categorization, blending the energy of roots punk with the robust emotion of Irish folk music and their own sense of gleeful subversion. Kirkpatrick was a key driver behind the band’s unique sound, infusing it with global influences and bringing it to ears and stages across the United States, Europe, and beyond.
Kirkpatrick was a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, educator, and transformative collaborator whose career spanned numerous genres and projects. He taught at the Old Town School of Folk Music and Columbia College Chicago, inspiring countless musicians with his omnivorous, no-holds-barred approach to composition and performance. Throughout his life, Kirkpatrick remained committed to exploring new musical terrain with swagger and style. His quest culminates in his work on Drovers Unlimited Orchestra Volume 3, which fuses the manifold facets of his artistic identity into a living monument to a one-off case of musical madness.
A Lineup of Legends
For Drovers Unlimited Orchestra Volume 3, Kirkpatrick assembled a remarkable lineup of musicians at Chicago’s Rax Trax studios, a dream team whose talents matched his ambitious vision. Among them is Kevin Burke, one of the most celebrated fiddlers in Irish music today, who, along with other noted players, adds an authentic twist of traditional Irish sound that grounds the more experimental elements of the project in its ancestral sod.
Dave Liebman, a renowned saxophonist who played with Miles Davis, adds another layer of emotional depth, danger, and complexity. Liebman’s improvisational skills are in play throughout the album’s densely and lovingly packed 40-minute runtime, particularly on the slow and sensual “Teardrop Falls” and “Moon Fever.”
Percussionist Billy Hart, a close sonic confidant of Mike’s known for lacing the work of Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, and others with his singular “drum poetry,” makes several appearances, most notably on “The root the branch the bright morning star,” a track Mike developed with Billy in mind.
Another key contributor is Eddie Henderson, a jazz trumpeter known for his lyrical playing and work with Hancock. Henderson’s performance on “Tomorrow Part 2” is an easy highlight, blessing the track with a warm, melodic quality.
And that barely scratches the A-list.
A Soundscape Without Boundaries
Drovers Unlimited Orchestra Volume 3 is a fearlessly soulful, effortlessly sophisticated, defiantly genre-agnostic masterpiece that seamlessly blends elements of jazz, world music, and traditional Irish sounds. The album opens with a reimagined version of a hidden track from The Drovers’ 1995 Steve Albini-engineered LP Little High Sky Show, introducing Mike at his most deftly referential and aesthetically ambitious. This self-remake features reconfigured instrumentation, including fiddles, pipes, tin whistles, and clarinets, creating a sound that is both soothingly familiar and rigorously groundbreaking.
“Tomorrow Part 1” is another standout, with the powerful tenor saxophone of Billy Harper spurring its spirit of tightly controlled chaos. The track’s brass-driven arrangement is a testament to Kirkpatrick’s skill in blending genres, creating a sound both provocatively complicated and irresistably accessible. Other highlights include “Teardrop Falls,” a slow air that captures the raw emotion and spontaneity of a live performance, and “Moon Fever,” which brings African percussion, bodhrans, and a flute choir to create a rich, textured dreamworld.
Volume 3: The Culmination of a Life in Sound
Mike thrived on his carefully honed, bone-deep intuitive ability to find inspiration in the science, math, myth, and mystery of the mundane and turn it into something extraordinary. He always carried a notebook and pen for jotting down ideas, snippets of conversation, melodic fragments, and odd time signatures that he would later weave into his compositions. His creative process was always deeply collaborative, inviting all around him to help refine his ideas and bring out the finest in his work.
Kirkpatrick’s openness to combination and cooperation helped him thrive on stage and in the studio, where he created an environment that allowed his fellow musicians to explore and express themselves freely, fully, and without deference to fear.
Mike’s Masterpiece
Drovers Unlimited Orchestra Volume 3 encapsulates Mike Kirkpatrick’s artistic legacy—even as it pulsates and bristles with joy and life. It captures the essence of what made him such a remarkable musician—his ability to synthesize diverse influences into a cohesive whole, his commitment to pushing the boundaries of music, and his deep respect for the traditions that shaped and inspired his sound.
In this final work, we hear the culmination of a life spent exploring the farthest reaches of musical expression. Mike Kirkpatrick is no longer with us, but his music lives on in Volume 3, a testament to his enduring influence, profound contributions to the entire world of music, and glorious subversion of every expectation. Mike may rest, but his muses persist in fire, freedom, and delight.
1 – THE HIDDEN TRACK
2 – TOMORROW PART 1
3 – GIRL U KNOW MY LOVE IS FOR REAL
4 – JOHNNY WAS A METER MECHANIC
5 – TEARDROP FALLS
6 – TWO SLIDES
7 – MOON FEVER
8 – TOMORROW PART 2
9 – 138 W 19
10 – THE ROOT, THE BRANCH, AND THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR
ALL SELECTIONS COPYRIGHT 2020
MICHAEL STUART KIRKPATRICK
DROVERS ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS
# 5577
DAVE LIEBMAN — SOPRANO SAXOPHONE
KEVIN BURKE — FIDDLE
BOB PALMIERI — GUITAR
BILLY HART — DRUMS
CECIL MCBEE — BASS
GEORGE CABLES — PIANO
TIM BRITTON — UILLEAN PIPES, WOODEN FLUTE, TIN WHISTLE
EDDIE HENDERSON — TRUMPET
DAVID WEISS — TRUMPET
BILLY HARPER — TENOR SAXOPHONE
DONALD HARRISON — ALTO SAXOPHONE
CONSTANCE VOLK — ALTO FLUTE, BASS FLUTE
MICHAEL ZERANG — DRUMS, DUMBEK, PERCUSSION
WANEES ZAROUR — RIQ, OCEAN DRUM, SHAKER
EDWARD WILKERSON — ALTO CLARINET
JASON STEIN — BASS CLARINET
NICK MAZZARELLA — ALTO SAXOPHONE, SOPRANO SAXOPHONE
LARRY GRAY — BASS
ALY M’BAYE — SABAR
SEKOU CONDE — DJEMBE
KATHLEEN KEANE — TIN WHISTLE
JACKIE MORAN — BODHRAN
MICHAEL STUART KIRKPATRICK — 6 AND 12 STRING GUITAR, ALTO BASS,
TIN WHISTLE, PERCUSSION, PROPHET 600
