PATRICK MANGAN: FAREWELL TO IRELAND
Patrick Mangan: fiddle
Brian Conway: fiddle
John Whelan: accordion
Eliot Grasso: uilleann pipes
Matt Darriau: flute, low whistle, clarinet
Greg Anderson: bouzouki, guitar, cittern, bass, keyboards
Brendan Dolan: piano, whistle
Eamon O'Leary: guitar, mandolin
Robbie Harris: bodhran, percussion
I remember first meeting Patrick Mangan at a Comhaltas convention in Tarrytown NY several years ago. He was all of 11 or 12 and had already won an All-Ireland title. He was looking at some fiddles I had brought up from a music store I worked for at the time, and, asking if he could try them, launched into an impeccable rendition of the tricky reel "Dowd's Favorite." That is the kind of musician Patrick Mangan is, technically expert and musically assured beyond his years. Now in his late teens, he has just released his first album, one which honors the New York/Sligo fiddle tradition which his playing emulates. Having grown in the music listening to such luminaries as Andy McGann, Paddy Reynolds, and Brian Conway, Mangan has pretty much mastered the style, and his technical facility allows him to tackle with ease some of the more challenging tunes in the repertoire, "Doctor Gilbert," "The Banks," "Lord Gordon." Not that Mangan's fiddling is all tricks and no substance, quite the opposite. As an indication of the respect Mangan's playing already receives in Irish music circles, have a quick glance at the list of guest musicians and accompanists who join the young musician here. Good company indeed! My only complaint is with the closing track, a pretty enough tune authored by Matt Darriau and performed with appropriate pathos, but in a style which, to my ear, doesn't sit that well with the rest of the material. A bit too new-agey perhaps? Nevertheless, this is a tremendous introduction to the talents of a promising young artist.
Rating: ****
Price: $16.99
