Iona

Named For An Island Off Scotland's Western Coast The Group Iona Was Formed In The Late '80s By Vocalist Joanne Hogg And Multi-Instrumentalists David Fitzgerald And Dave Bainbridge. They Are Contemporaries Of Fellow Celtic Artists Enya And Clannad However Iona's Works Are Also Influenced Heavily By Jazz-Fusion Prog-Rock And Ancient Christian Themes. For Iona's 1990 Debut Album The Band Added Drummer Terl Bryant Bassist Nick Beggs Former Bassist Of Kajagoogoo And Several Studio Musicians -- Fiona Davidson Celtic Harp Peter Whitfield Strings Troy Donockley Uillean Pipes And Frank Van Essen Tuned Percussion . The Self-Titled Album Received Very Little Press Even In Their Home Country Though A Dutch Network Compiled A Documentary Based On Iona The Band And The Island. Two Years Later Iona Returned With "Book Of Kells" And The Album Was Praised By North American Critics As Well As Those Of The British Isles. David Fitzgerald Left In 1992 To Pursue A Degree In Music And As A Result Iona Lost Much Of Its Jazz Influences By The Following Year's Beyond These Shores. The Group Made Up For Fitzgerald's Absence However By Inviting Robert Fripp To Guest On The Album. Both Albums Also Featured Former Kajagoogoo Bassist/stickist Nick Beggs. A Contract With England's Alliance Music Led To "Journey Into The Morn" The Album Was Released In 1996 In The U.S. And Canada And Was Listed Among The Top Five Folk Albums In Q Magazine's Year End Review. "Heaven's Bright Sun" A Live Album Came The Following Year Then "Woven Cord" In 2000 And "Open Sky" In 2001. Their Latest Release New To 2007 Is Called "The Circling Hour". Iona Has Been A Leipzig Germany Based Postrock-Band From 2005-2010 That Now Reemerges As The Yuki Rush. Https //ionanoise.Bandcamp.Com/album/a-Noise There Is Also A Romanian Experimental / Hip Hop Band Who Also Go By The Name "Iona" read less