Musical bond evident on 15 tracks

By Daniel Neely

In the player this week is “The New York Connection,” the new album from Josh Dukes & Dylan Foley. Dukes and Foley are two of the top players in the U.S., but more important is the friendship they share, which listeners can hear expressed in the music offered here. The result is a brilliant album that will appeal very heavily to anyone interested in exquisitely well done instrumental traditional music.

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Dukes is a talented multi-instrumentalist and teacher who features here on flute & guitar. He is based in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, and although is currently transitioning into life in realty, he built a career in the U.S. Army, where he achieved the rank of Master Sergeant and a drum major in the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, “The Official Escort to the President.” His bona fides in Irish music are well established, indeed. In addition to being a very important part of the DC session scene, he plays drums with the Old Bay Ceili Band, and in 2009 won the senior All-Ireland championship in Accompaniment. Dukes is one of the top musicians in traditional music today.

Foley is one of Irish America’s great fiddle players. From upstate New York, Foley is a member of the band the Yanks and in 2015 recorded “Irish Music from the Hudson Valley” with button accordionist and Yanks bandmate Dan Gurney. He is an in-demand performer who was the 2014 senior All-Ireland Fiddle champion who can also be found at some of the country’s major teaching festivals, including the Catskills Irish Arts Week. He’s a brilliant, powerful player who continues to make waves.

While both are great musicians on their own, what the album really showcases is the special musical rapport the two players share. It’s something you’d recognize it if you’ve ever heard them perform together, which happens frequently, be formally on gigs, semi-formally at sessions, or informally at social get-togethers. You understand a facet of it, too, knowing that Dukes had a production role in both of the two Yanks albums, one of which he appeared on as a guest performer. The two always seem to have something going on together.

Their bond is certainly very much in evidence on each of “The New York Connection’s” 15 tracks. Their playing on “Devils of Dublin / …,” the album’s opener, and “The Blue Bells are Blooming / …” is very nice indeed. I find their work on “Come West Along the Road / …,” “Lee Castle / …,” and especially “Dan Breen’s / …” to be particularly attractive, especially since each of these tracks clearly show musicians who have an intuitive sense of the other’s playing.

There are a couple of moments on the album that show off the musicians’ individual talents. For example, Foley plays with simple bodhrán accompaniment (from Jim Stickley) on much of “The Chicago Reel / …,” which shows off the intense drive and nuance in his playing. Foley’s on a low-tuned fiddle here, something that gives his playing an additional smokey intensity, which is matched when Dukes comes on the track’s final tune. It’s a lovely bit of music, as is “The London Lasses / …,” which starts with some fine playing from Dukes backed by Matt Mulqueen on piano. Mulqueen’s playing is lovely here, and he contributes similarly well on several other tracks, including “Ted’s Tune /…” (a Foley original) and “Horse Keane’s” in particular.

Sean McComiskey (button accordion), one of Dukes and Foley’s regular musical comrades, also features on several tracks. The son of recent National Heritage Fellow Billy McComiskey and member both of the Maryland based acoustic roots music group Charm City Junction and of the Old Bay Céilí Band, McComiskey adds a gentle warmth to “Judy Ann’s Waltz” (a lovely, sweet Dukes composition), a drive to “Once Upon A Time In Beara / …,” and he takes a lead role on “Eddie Moloney’s / …,” where his playing articulates with Dukes and Foley’s nicely.

Ultimately, “The New York Connection” is a great album of well-articulated traditional music. Because Dukes and Foley have made some excellent choices, it’s one that will have a strong appeal for tune connoisseurs. However, the sweetness in Dukes and Foley’s playing and the clear artistic connection they share is absolutely stunning and will attract the ears of a wide range of listeners. The affinity Foley and Dukes have for each other’s music is clear and the result is an album of wonderful, expressive music. Highly recommended! For information about how to purchase, visit dylanfoleyandjoshdukes.bandcamp.com.

Daniel Neely writes about traditional music each week in the Irish Echo.

 

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