There’s something about instrumental duos. The interplay between two musicians and their tools, nothing else. Everything is there to hear, everything hangs not only on the skills of the individual musician but just as much on their communication.
The earlier Scahill-Molloy album One Day :: November Woods, from a few years ago, was a prime example of the magic of the duo. It was such lively affair, actually recorded during one day, in a living room, which made the result not only fabulous but quite amazing, too.
That one was pretty firmly Irish trad oriented with over half of the tunes traditional. This ratio is reversed on The Gannet’s Dive, with original tunes in a clear majority.
And it shows: from the opening title track, influenced by contemporary classical, the two masters combine the innovation and elegance of “Chamber Celtic” with the earthiness of Irish trad. Sometimes a tune leans heavily in one direction, sometimes both styles are combined in a tune.
On the whole, the album feels more polished, more ambitious and, I feel, just a wee bit richer than its 2019 predecessor. Both messieurs are in full flight and confident and in my admittedly amateur ears Fergal Scahill has never been this nuanced and colorful in his playing. This may be in my ears only, but I love his fiddle stylings here. And Molloy’s flowing piano virtuosity is as impressive as ever.
And like I said, it’s always just a sheer pleasure to enjoy two excellent musicians having a conversation, so to say.
No special favorites on this one, seems to depend on the day for me. The title track is always a great listen, and today I seem to dig the gentle Loinnir Laoise & The Gathering, the quirky and fun The Threekey Jig (it’s literally just that – Irish trad prog, maybe?) and the moving No Silent Nights. Of that one, the album information tells us that “on Christmas Eve 2023 Fergal was moved to write this air in response to an online plea from Irish Artists for Palestine – “There are no silent nights in Gaza, Ceasefire now”. Amen to that, although things look very bad right now…
Great tunes, great musicians. Can’t ask for anything more. And love that cover photo. Instant Attenborough vibe! ❤️
https://ryanmolloyfergalscahill.bandcamp.com/album/the-gannets-dive
FolkNotes 