Musician Alan Griffin dies at 71 years of age
Euskaraz irakurri: Alan Griffin musikaria zendu da
Alan Griffin, the musician and researcher born in 1952 in Ireland, but living in the Basque Country since the 1980s, died this Tuesday. He arrived in Donostia/San Sebastián in 1984 for a doctorate in literature, and soon became close to Basque music, and for four decades he has made a great contribution to Basque music research.
Precisely, the news of his death was given by his friend and musical companion, Joxan Goikoetxea, on social networks: “Ez adiorik, Alan Griffin. 1952.01.22 – 2023.12.05. Biotzean min dut, min etsia, zotiñik-gabeko “nega-miña. Alatsu txoriak, udaondoz, negua du galazi-eziña”.
In the 1980s he began to collaborate with the singers Txomin Artola and Amaia Zubiria, and later he also worked as an accompanying musician for Xabi San Sebastian, Juan Mari Beltran, Joxan Goikoetxea, Gorka Knörr, Benito Lertxundi, Olatz Zugasti and Xabier Euzkitze. among others.
Founding member of the group Alboka (1994), he has dedicated years to recovering unpublished or little-known traditional Basque songs. With Alboka he has recorded five albums and has given hundreds of concerts in the Basque Country, in addition to participating in festivals in European countries, America and Africa. Specifically, Alboka’s album Lau anaiak was selected among the ten best world folk albums by the German magazine folkworld. The group Alboka published its last album in 2017: Lurra, ur, haize.
Alan Griffin’s legacy will endure over time, since his compositions Jauntxoa (fandango), Txakur berdea, and Hi, zelta! (arin arin), Fitaren bila (kalejira), Adarra (mazurca) and Hanka hotzak (ezpatadantza) are among the usual repertoire of current albokaris and in 2013 were published in the didactic method Alboka: Inguru folklorikotik eskolara, by Juan Mari Beltran. In 2016 he published the book Halfway to hell – Albokarako 33 doinu – 333 Tunes For The Alboka.
Source: Eitb
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