Joe Burke, Brian Conway, Felix Dolan: A Tribute to Andy McGann

JOE BURKE, BRIAN CONWAY, FELIX DOLAN: A TRIBUTE TO ANDY McGANN

Joe Burke: accordion

Brian Conway: fiddle

Felix Dolan: piano

The 1966 “Tribute to Michael Coleman,” recorded by Galway accordion player Joe Burke with New Yorkers Andy McGann on fiddle and Felix Dolan on piano, remains one of the landmark albums in the history of recorded Irish music. The passing of McGann in the summer of 2004 sent a shock through the Irish music world. By coincidence, Brian Conway, who is widely held as one of the heirs of the New York Sligo style, was touring in Ireland that summer together with Felix Dolan, and the two ended up playing at a concert where Joe Burke was also appearing, and the idea of another tribute recording, this one to McGann, emerged. There’s undeniably some great playing on this album, particularly on some of the solo tracks, and, as one might expect, the recording quality is vastly improved from that of the 1960s album. To my ear, though, the duets sound somewhat tighter on the earlier recording—probably because Burke and McGann had played together often before sitting down to record. Still, this is an enjoyable collection, and a fitting tribute to one of the great figures of Irish music in the US. A couple of tracks were recorded live in Chicago, including the rousing finale featuring, of course, “The Bucks.”

Rating: ****

Price: $27.99