NICGAVISKEY (SEAN GAVIN, BERNADETTE & CAITLIN NIC GABHANN, SEAN McCOMISKEY): HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Sean Gavin: flute
Bernadette Nic Gabhann: fiddle
Caitlin Nic Gabhann: concertina
Sean McComiskey: accordion
Once in a while, chance encounters between Irish musicians who may not have played together much before can produce, as if some unexplained force guided them, the kind of music that one would expect to hear from veteran players with many years of experience performing together. This is apparently what happened on the final night of the 2009 edition of the Catskills Irish music week, when Baltimore accordion player Sean McComiskey and Detroit flute player Sean Gavin sat down in Furlong's Pub to share a few tunes with sisters Bernadette and Caitlin Nic Gabhann. So much so that the four were soon recording in studios on both sides of the Atlantic, producing what deserves to be called one the best Irish traditional music recordings of 2010. All four players have tremendous skills and distinct musical personalities as individuals, as can be heard on the four solo tracks included here, yet are able to blend seamlessly when playing as a quartet or in pairs. Their choice of tunes, mixing old favorites (often with a few new twists) and less often heard gems, is also exemplary. A tremendous first album, and we can only hope there will be many more of that same quality.
Rating: **** 1/2
Price: $16.99
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