Fiddle, box, and piano is a classic instrumental grouping. For me, the die for this array was cast in the 1960s, when Andy McGann, Joe Burke and Felix Dolan collaborated on the first of their classic albums. But it’s been reset over the years with groups like the Boruma Trio and musicians like Andrew McNamara/Karen Ryan/Peter Quinn and Brendan Bulger/Marty Fahey/Kathleen Gavin recording memorable albums that featured these instruments.
In the player this week is another such album to add to the list. “Lane to the Glen” is the newest by Oisín Mac Diarmada, Daithí Gormley and Samantha Harvey. Three truly outstanding musicians, Mac Diarmada (fiddle), Gormley (piano) and Harvey (piano) have given us something interesting and noteworthy that traditional music fans will want to know about and dig into.
I have, of course, written about all these folks many times over the years. From Sligo, Mac Diarmada (https://oisinmacdiarmada.com/) is, among many other things, a champion fiddler who leads the great band Téada and who for more than 10 years worked closely with the legendary Seamus Begley. He’s been a part of many, many albums and is the director of SCT, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann’s Traditional Irish Music Examination System.
Also from Sligo, Gormley is a champion box player. He released “Fiddling Without A Bow,” his solo debut, in 2018 and is an outstanding musician in his own right. He was also the leader of the impressive Knocknashee Céilí Band and can be seen these days playing with his partner, the great banjo player Elaine Reilly.
Mac Diarmada and Gormley have been at it together for quite some time. They play frequently and, in addition to being musical partners, in 2017 the two co-authored the “Fiddlers of Sligo” tunebook that some readers here might be familiar with. Some in New York City may even remember that the two performed here as part of Tony DeMarco’s TradFest in 2018. (Hey – speaking of, TradFest is 2024 is right around the corner and will take place at Connolly’s Pub and Restaurant, 121 West 45th St., on Saturday, Nov. 23. The evening will feature DeMarco, students of Brian Conway, Brendan Dolan, Donie Carroll & Friends, Susan McKeown, Isaac Alderson, Katie Linnane & Ivan Goff, Kenny Kosek, Andy Statman, Tony Trischka, Joanie Madden, Eamon O'Leary, Liz Hanley, Alan Gogarty, Pat Mangan, Jonathan Srour, and Jefferson Hamer. Visit here for information and the full lineup.)
Harvey (www.samanthaharvey.net), who in addition to being a terrific piano player, is an outstanding dancer and accordion player, is the third contributor here. She’s toured with Téada, and been a part of touring outfits including Ireland - the show, Irish Christmas in America, Atlantic Steps, Cosa and Tomáseen Foley's Irish Times. Her role backing on this album is important and her contribution to the overall product is strong.
The music the trio gives us is rich and deep. Mac Diarmada and Gormley play with fantastic intuition between them and Harvey definitely has a real flair for understanding how to dance around their melodic perambulations. You can hear this on every track, and while what one might consider “the best” of what’s included really comes down to personal preference, I find tracks like the jig set “Galloping O'Hogan / …”, the hornpipes “O'Kelly's Fancy / …”, and the trio of Josie McDermott reels “The Lansdowne Lass / …” to be of particular interest.
The album’s solo features also stand out. Gormley’s in the spotlight on “The Dogs Among the Bushes / …”, where he pays tribute to Joe Burke and Paddy Gavin, two musicians who had significant effect on his own music. The results are stylish and brilliant. Mac Diarmada is the focus on “Crotty’s Glory /…,” a lovely set of tunes that recalls James Kelly Lad O’Beirne, a pair of fiddle players of real influence on Mac Diarmada.
However, the album track that I feel is most interesting – and kind of the most significant – is “The Gráinne Mhaol / Malloy's Favourite.” First recorded by Sligo great James Morrison in the mid-1930s, the former is a brilliant and expansive barndance played here with great elan, while the latter, inspired by the great Michael Coleman c.1940 private recording, has gorgeous drive and lift. Together, the tunes recall not simply Morrison and Coleman, but also McGann’s work with Burke as well as a litany of other NYC-based fiddle players like Lad O’Beirne, Martin Wynne, Brian Conway, and others in the Sligo line. A real standout for me and a triumph of musical technique.
“Lane to the Glen” is exactly the sort of high-level album you would expect from this bunch. The music is exceptionally well played and it’s presented in a way that not only reminds one of some of its precedents, but that also has its own slant on the fiddle/accordion/piano sound. This is lovely stuff from some very fine musicians who can really give listeners a sense of what today’s sound coming from Sligo is all about. If you’re a traditional music fan, surely you’ll want to check it out! “Lane to the Glen” is streaming on all major outlets, you can support the artists by purchasing the album at https://lanetotheglen.bandcamp.com/.
