JOSH DUKES: THE LONG TRIP HOME
Joshua Dukes: flute, mandolin, guitar, bouzouki, bodhran
Jim Eagan, Danny Noveck: fiddle
Brendan Bell: flute
Sean McComiskey, Peter Brice: accordion
Patrick Cavanaugh: banjo
It seems as if Josh Dukes, a drummer in the Old Guard's famous Fife & Drum Corps (the guys in wigs and three-corner hats), came in one day to join our Washington DC session playing bodhran... and just a few weeks later played guitar, bouzouki, and flute, all extremely well. It did take a little longer, really, but not that much. So I am tempted to quote another Irish musician from the DC area who once said: "you know, there's such a thing as too much talent..." Josh's phenomenal progress in his understanding of the Irish traditional idiom and his mastering of several instruments is indeed almost too much to comprehend. But what matters really is that Josh's presence in our midst has contributed immensely to the quality of our sessions, and you can hear why when listening to this CD he just released. Although there are a few solo tracks on here, from which one can get a very precise idea of Josh's uncommon abilities on the flute, I dare say that I think of him as the kind of musician who prefers playing with others to the solo spot. Indeed, Josh has been traveling many miles to sessions all across the Washington-Baltimore area (hence the album's title) and has developed a musical rapport with several of the notable players who frequent those sessions, some of whom join him here and create with Josh a mighty sound. Those long trips home were well worth it. (2008)
Rating: *** 1/2
Price: $16.99
