Nathan Gourley, Mairéad Hurley and John Blake’s CD together is “The Truckley Howl.”
By Daniel Neely
A couple of really lovely albums to write about this week. The first is “The Truckley Howl” from John Blake, Mairéad Hurley and Nathan Gourley. Blake, Hurley, and Gourley are three top-shelf players, who collectively have put something together that will attract the ears of serious trad lovers.
I’ve written about flute, guitar and piano player Blake in this column many times before. A former member of Téada who grew up in London and now lives in Ireland, he’s the sort of musician that seems to strike gold with every project he works on, including his 2014 solo debut “The Narrow Edge: Irish Music on the Flute” and last year’s “Music From the Lost Continent” with Jesse Smith, Sean Gavin, and Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh. Hurley is a powerful musician whose star is on the rise. A 2008 All-Ireland senior concertina champion from Ballymote, Co. Sligo, she is an in-demand musician and who has performed and taught all over the world. (Cool fact: she also has a Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics!) The fiddling duties are Gourley’s, who, like Blake, is no stranger to this column. A former member of groups like Chulrua and the Máirtín de Cógáin Project, I wrote glowingly about his recent albums “Copley Street” (with Joey Abarta) and “Bright and Early” (with Paddy O’Brien) which reveal one of the finest fiddle players around.
https://youtu.be/FF2kCqt0TfI
In building this album, Blake, Hurley, and Gourley drew from a wide variety of sources, including the collections of Breandán Breathnach and Francis O’Neill, as well as a number of private and commercial recordings representing many different eras and areas. This research yielded a number of tune rarities and idiosyncratic versions that are sure to turn the head of trad aficionados. The performances they’ve delivered are outstanding. Hurley proves herself a smart, nimble musician and her great feeling for Gourley’s melodic work is evident on tracks like “The Grand Spy / …,” “Louis Quinn’s / …,” and “The Spanish Fandango.” “By Golly / …,” which adds Blake’s melodic voice on flute to the concertina & fiddle dynamic, is another choice track.
There are several individual features as well – Blake on flute on “Ah Surely / …,” Hurley on “O’Rahilly’s Grave / …,” and Gourley on “Dogs Among the Bushes / …” – that add variety and highlight each musician’s talents.
“The Truckley Howl” is an outstanding album. Because so much careful work was put into the musical selection, there is a lot here that will appeal to the tune hounds out there. However, the real attraction is the chemistry between the musicians involved and how well they articulate with each other to breathe life into the rare tunes they’ve chosen. It’s a fabulous statement from three musicians who are brilliant individually, but who are equally special together. Recommended! For more information, visit www.thetruckleyhowl.com.
The second album is “Be Off,” from Dublin-based fiddle player Aidan Connolly and it’s a scorcher. Filled mostly with high-level fiddle music (there’s one banjo track), it showcases a talented young artist who comes at the music with a sense of relaxed confidence that’s quite charming. If you love tasteful, wonderfully energetic playing that doesn’t break the speed limit, read on!
Connolly began his journey on the fiddle at the age of 8, learning largely through the Craobh Naithí branch of Comhaltas. Early on, however, he found himself drawn in particular to the music of Sliabh Luachra players like Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford, and especially to that of Paddy Cronin, whose tone and phrasing became perhaps his most important inspiration. These styles, tempered by that of Paddy Canny, became the basis for his own approach to his instrument and his music, which is wonderfully expressed here.
https://youtu.be/qpLYFzPisDc
The album features lots of great tracks. The album’s opener, “Paddy Cronin’s Own / …” is outstanding. Connolly plays the track’s first tune (which he credits to NYC local legend Tom Dunne, who has a large repertory of Paddy Cronin tunes) in a lovely version, but it’s his lack of “hurry” that draws the ear. Indeed, this vibe characterizes the whole album. The hop jig track “John McFadden’s / …,” which features Liam McGonigle on the box, is also lovely, as is the hornpipe track “Kildare Fancy / …,” which has Jack Talty on piano. “Streams Of Kilnaspig / …” with Pádraic Keane (uilleann pipes) and Fergus McGorman (flute) is also a particularly attractive track. Overall, the tunes are well-chosen overall and Connolly’s a strong player so they really pop in his hands, but the album’s ensemble work is quite nice in general and helps make the album feel whole.
Dublin-based fiddle-player Aidan Connolly’s CD is called “Be Off.”
I think “Be Off” is just brilliant. There is tremendous drive and swing in Connolly’s music and he’s showcased it well with a great selection of tunes, fabulous tempos, and superb variations. Each of the cast of nine musicians who join him here distinguish themselves individually but they also do an excellent job either complementing Connolly in the spotlight, or supporting him as backer. Trad music lovers won’t be disappointed here, definitely recommended! For information, visit raelachrecords.com.
