literature on Pío Baroja and decided to put down roots here. From the very first moment and perhaps without a clear objective or intention, yet true to his curious personality, he dedicated himself with remarkable perseverance and constancy to listening, observing, studying, collecting, analysing, comparing, ordering and sharing aspects of Basque music, folklore and tradition. He became an accompanist to the singers Txomin Artola and Amaia Zubiria, with whom he made three CD's. Since then he has recorded and played with a number notable Basque artists, including Juan Mari Beltran, Joxan Goikoetxea, Gorka Knörr, Benito Lertxundi, Olatz Zugasti, Xabi San Sebastian, Pier Paul Berzaitz and Xabier Euzkitze.
He is a founder-member and alboka-player in Alboka, a band whose repertoire combines little-known old Basque music and songs with new compositions inspired by the Basque tradition. Alboka have recorded six albums and performed at hundreds of festivals all over the Basque Country and in 13 European countries, as well as in America and Africa
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 Lau anaiak (Elkar, 2004) |
Alboka's CD Lorius was one of the three nominees for Best Album in Basque at the 2002 awards of the Spanish Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias (SGAE – AIE ).
In
2005 his song Lau anaiak (a new ballad after the traditional
manner) was nominated for Best Song in Basque at the Premios de la
Música awards.
Also in 2005 the CD Lau anaiak was chosen as one of the year's
ten best folk albums by the German magazine Folkworld.
His composition Hegohaizea was chosen by RTVE (Spanish National
Television) as the soundtrack to its daily coverage of the bull-running
at the Pamplona San Fermin fiestas.
For
many years Alan Griffin has been a student of old narrative Basque song
and in 2006 he founded the group Aintzina for the dual
purpose of re-popularising old songs which were no longer being performed
and of playing new alboka-tunes inspired by the Basque tradition. He is
the main researcher and arranger of the group, who have released two CD's.
His compositions Jauntxoa (fandango), Txakur berdea and Hi, zelta! (arinarins), Fitaren bila (passacaglia), Adarra (mazurka) and Hanka hotzak (sword-dance) form part of the standard repertoire of present-day alboka-players at the Hernani Conservatory and in 2013 were published in Juan Mari Beltran's monograph Alboka: Inguru folklorikotik eskolara.
For
many years Alan Griffin has been a student of old narrative Basque song
and in 2006 he founded the group Aintzina for the dual
purpose of re-popularising old songs which were no longer being performed
and of playing new alboka-tunes inspired by the Basque tradition. He is
the main researcher and arranger of the group, who have released two CD's.
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 Kosinatik kanberala (Aztarna, 2011) |
In
2007 he worked with the instrument-builder J.A.M. Ossés
in developing an alboka in D with a range of a full octave and chromatic
possibilities. At a workshop held on 18 November 2007, Ossés and
Griffin presented the new instrument, which later found acceptance amongst
alboka-players.
As a performer and occasional teacher of traditional Irish music Alan
Griffin has given flute workshops and many concerts and recitals in the
South of France. He was also a member of the Irish traditional band Turlach.
Since 2011, he has been an occasional contributor of articles to the traditional
music magazine Interfolk.
In 2016 he wrote and
published the book HALFWAY
TO HELL - Albokarako 33 doinu - 333 Tunes For The Alboka.
In 2023, he published La
Puerta abierta. Baladas vascas e internacionales, and
in 2025, the English version of the former,
The Welcoming Tradition - Basque and International Ballads,
through the Center for Basque Studies,
one of the leading institutions dedicated to the study and dissemination
of Basque culture at the University of Reno, Nevada (USA).
Txomin
Artola Txomin
Artola eta Amaia Zubiria Joxan
Goikoetxea Gorka
Knörr Xabi
San Sebastian Juan
Mari Beltran Arkaitz
Miner
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Griffin compositions recorded by other artists: Xabi
San Sebastian
The
Loose Roots Band Obtuse
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