Brian McNamara & Tim Collins: Reed Only

BRIAN McNAMARA & TIM COLLINS: REED ONLY

Brian McNamara: uilleann pipes

Tim Collins: concertina

Alec Finn: bouzouki, guitar

Michael Rooney: harp

Mick Conneely: bouzouki

Padraic O'Reilly: piano

When two musicians of the caliber of piper Brian McNamara, a member of the famous musical family from Leitrim, and Tim Collins, the current concertina player with the Kilfenora Ceili Band, get together to record, the expectations are high that the result will be memorable. It's a lot of pressure, and there's always a risk, especially when the pairing of instruments is a bit out of the ordinary. But these two performers are veterans, each with several recordings under his belt, and I'm happy to report that together they deliver in grand style. McNamara and Collins play at the highest level, both individually and as a duet, and the participation of accompanists like Alec Finn (bouzouki), Michael Rooney (harp), and Padraic O’Reilly (piano) makes for a truly exceptional musical experience. Moreover, the musicians have come up with a set list chock-full of tunes more interesting and unusual one than the next. McNamara’s performance of the slow air “Travelling Through Blarney” is simply breathtaking, while the pair’s rendition of the great hornpipe “Johnny Cope,” with Rooney on harp, is as glorious, in its own way, as that recorded by Hill and Linnane some thirty years ago. This is as good as it gets.

Rating: **** 1/2

Price: $19.99