I've got a real treat in the media yoke for readers this week. “Dan Gurney & Christina Dolphin,” the new album of traditional music performed on flute and button accordion by its namesake musicians, is a captivating collection of instrumental tracks. It’s an album that showcases the exceptional talents of two outstanding artists who have created something truly special and I consider it a must-listen for fans of the pure drop sound.
Gurney is one of the finest products of the New York Irish music world. A top class player, he grew up in the Hudson Valley and got his music from a number of that area’s important musicians, including Mike McHale and Fr. Charlie Coen. Gurney’s long been a fixture at the Catskills Irish Arts Week and was a frequent feature in Mick Moloney’s shows. Over the years, he released several acclaimed albums, including “Traditional Irish Music On The Button Accordion” (2012), “Irish Music from the Hudson Valley” (with his close musical compatriot Dylan Foley, 2015), and most recently with “Ignorance is Bliss” (with John Blake, 2018).
Dolphin is a similarly accomplished musician. A Dublin native with multiple All-Ireland titles to her name, she holds a master’s degree in ethnomusicology from UCD and appeared on albums including “Echoes Of Erin: Comhaltas Concert Tour Of North America” (2007) and “Me Mother's A Dressmaker” with accordion player Luke Deaton in 2015. For three years, she lived in New York and made a name for herself doing things including teaching tin whistle at the Irish Arts Center and working on the Broadway show “Come From Away.”
Gurney and Dolphin, who now live in Ireland, have been married for several years and have a pair of young children, which makes it a wonder they were not only able to finish the album at all, but do such a fine job!
Joining them here is the brilliant Brian McGrath. McGrath, who is one of Ireland’s great musicians, provides Gurney and Dolphin with understated but nuanced piano accompaniment. He was a marvelous choice and his work complements the lead playing perfectly.
Christina Dolphin and Dan Gurney live with their children in Ireland.
All of this translates to simply gorgeous music. The duo tracks on which Gurney and Dolphin play are wonderfully balanced and the solo features well executed and rendered with judicious restraint. The balance I write of between the two is nowhere more evident than in the album’s opening three tracks “Teampall an Ghleantainn / …,” “The Fleadh at Tulla / …,” and “Byrne's / …,” where Gurney and Dolphin showcase their great musical chemistry with great success, inviting listeners to really dig in and enjoy their playing. However, it absolutely carries on throughout the album, with “Mick Moloney’s Barndance / …” a particular favorite.
The album also affords Gurney and Dolphin several solo feature opportunities and each is fabulous. Gurney’s spotlight on “Buck Mulligan's Hornpipe / …,” for example, is excellent not simply because of his skillful playing but because “Mulligan’s,” a very fine tune, is one of his own compositions, commissioned by the Irish Traditional Music Archive for their Saothar series. I also quite enjoy his work on “The Garryowen / …,” as it gives a very clear picture of Gurney’s thoughtful approach to playing.
Dolphin’s solo features are similarly lovely, but it’s on the slow airs where I think she absolutely sparkles. Composed by Sligo flute player Josie McDermott, “Lament for a Fiddler” is a gorgeous tune played on the tin whistle. Dolphin’s phrasing is superb and communicates a feeling for the air’s depth most excellently. The set of reels that follows, which starts with “The Sligo Reel / …” and features the two, is a superb transition that feels very natural. The other fine air is “An Buachaillin Ban,” which Dolphin adapted for flute from the singing of Nioclás Tóibín. Once again, her phrasing and feeling are superb, but she handles this air’s more serious nature incredibly well. It’s a formidable performance and for me, one of the album’s highlights.
“Dan Gurney & Christina Dolphin” is an album filled with brilliant music. The tunes are tastefully selected and the musicianship is, of course, top notch. (The album cover, depicting a subway stop in what appears to be rural Ireland is excellent, too!) But it’s the bond between the two – the companionship, an intangible thing that you can really hear “between the notes” – that I find most charming. It’s a great bond they share and the music that comes of it is lovely. Outstanding work! To purchase, visit
https://dangurney.bandcamp.com
