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 … Continue reading Fergal Scahill & Ryan Molloy’s “The Gannet’s Dive” connects trad and (almost) classical
Tag: irish music
Brief notes from Celtic Connections 2025
First, apologies for not keeping to my promise of writing here more often in 2025. It's been a bit rough first weeks of the year, with some health issues (again) and, frankly, the state of the world causing me some chronic stress and tiredness as well. And as we are psycho-somatic beings with everything affecting … Continue reading Brief notes from Celtic Connections 2025
Notify: Airneán (2024)
One of my favorite contemporary Irish musicians is the composer and concertina master Pádraig Rynne. His command of the instrument and his strength in both traditional and modern styles is remarkable. Airneán is the brand new album by his long standing band project Notify, and it continues his endeavors in folk and jazz fusion, or … Continue reading Notify: Airneán (2024)
Ryan Molloy: Tempered (2021)
I think that anyone who is not enamored with Celtic music would run screaming already at the site of this album's cover. The magnificent close-up of Uillean pipes, and the text "traditional music on Uillean pipes and piano". That would be a great shame and their loss, though, because Irish composer and pianist Ryan Molloy's … Continue reading Ryan Molloy: Tempered (2021)
Martin Hayes and the Common Ground Ensemble: Peggy’s Dream
The amazing career of master fiddler Martin Hayes continues to be amazing. His website (martinhayes.com) gives much information on the background of this album and this new ensemble so please check it out. Suffice it to say here that as the website mentioned jazz, contemporay classical and whatnot as inspirations for this project, I was … Continue reading Martin Hayes and the Common Ground Ensemble: Peggy’s Dream
Some jaw-droppin’ musicians! Have mercy…
By pure chance I happened to listen to some dazzling albums over the past week - dazzling in terms of musicianship, that is. If you play an instrument and need some inspiration to fire up your own practising, check these out… The amazing debut album An Den Day Made Tae (2020) by the Shetland brothers … Continue reading Some jaw-droppin’ musicians! Have mercy…
Ryan Molloy & Fergal Scahill: One Day – November Woods
Oh but this is a fun one! Pianist Ryan Molloy and fiddler Feargal Scahill recorded - and partly wrote! - this album during one November day in 2019! Ryan writes on Bandcamp: ”We sat in Fergal & Ruth’s living room and recorded the music on this album, pushing the boundaries of our friendly frolics amidst … Continue reading Ryan Molloy & Fergal Scahill: One Day – November Woods
Niamh Dunne: Tides
The name Niamh Dunne did not ring any bells with me before I discovered her new album Tides - but I will definitely remember her name from now on. And, as it turned out, I had heard her playing before, as I learned that she is a long-standing member of the Irish band Beoga, which … Continue reading Niamh Dunne: Tides
Listening Diary for May 30 – June 5, 2022: Liam O’Flynn, M G Boulter, Boxing Banjo, Faun
Not too many albums this time, been busy doing other things, but at least this much… The late master piper Liam O’Flynn’s 🇮🇪 two albums, The Green Note (1995) and The Piper’s Call (1998) were a great pleasure. Wonderful playing, excellent tunes, and the way he integrated electric instruments into the fabric reminds me of … Continue reading Listening Diary for May 30 – June 5, 2022: Liam O’Flynn, M G Boulter, Boxing Banjo, Faun
Listening diary for May 23-29, 2022
If anything here seems interesting, go to your streaming service and try it out. And if you really, really like it, go to the artist’s web site or Bandcamp or iTunes or Google Play or Amazon or wherever and buy it in your preferred format - musicians need food too 😉 The Halton Quartet: Based … Continue reading Listening diary for May 23-29, 2022
FolkNotes 