Big night on Friday at the New York Irish Center in Long Island City, Queens, where Don Meade presented the great fiddle and flute player Frankie Gavin alongside piano player Catherine McHugh. The two were magnificent. Gavin’s virtuosity was on full display, dazzling the audience with his taste and technique and McHugh was a brilliant accompanist. If you ever have a chance to see the pair, absolutely take advantage, it’ll be a memorable experience. (Gavin’s on stage banter gave the show a very rounded feel, too.) Thanks to Meade whose Blarney Star concert series is always a sure bet.
Frankie Gavin.
In the media player this week is “Faoi Lán Ceoil” by fiddle player and singer Sinéad McKenna. McKenna is a cracking performer with great style and this album, her solo debut, is a fascinating listen, full of sophisticated playing and tasteful tune selection & arranging.
McKenna comes from a musical family in from Augher, Co. Tyrone – she’s one of seven siblings, all musicians, influenced by folks like her parents and her granduncles, the fiddle players Pete and Pat McKenna. (And for the folks who follow such things, her brother Eugene is a member of the 2018 All-Ireland champion Blackwater Céilí Band.) McKenna has a long track record of success that includes multiple All-Ireland awards, winning the 2019 Ed Reavy International Fiddle Competition, and being the recipient of the Belfast City Council’s Gradam Ceoil Bursary Award. She’s also made numerous TV appearances in Ireland and was included in the BBC documentary “The Northern Fiddler.”
A very talented lineup of musicians join her on this album, a group that includes Micky Fearon (guitars), Rachael Masterson (piano), Kieran Leonard (bodhrán), Sean Óg Graham (bouzouki, bass), Oisín Murphy (banjo), Brendan Loughran (concertina), and Peter McKenna (uilleann pipes), one of her brothers. These folks help McKenna achieve the vision for what she wanted this album to be and did so in an admirable way.
The music here is powerful throughout. The tune sets are uniformly interesting, with “The Dooish / Jocelyn’s Jig,” a pair of Tommy People’s tunes, being an immediate favorite. The fiddling here is suitably intense, with Masterson’s piano playing giving the well-executed playing additional lift. “The Boys of Carrick Roe” is also outstanding. Here, McKenna is joined by Murphy and Leonard, who are great foils to her efforts.
Another set of tunes I appreciate is “The Braes of Auchetyre / The Fly Fishing Reel / Once in a Blue Moose.” The track consists of an old strathspey followed by a pair of more modern reels. They’re smart choices that work well together and they’re very musically handled. Then there’s “Johnny Harling’s / Roscommon Reel / The Whistler of Roslea,” a fiery, truly solo set that showcases McKenna’s great ability. It hits hard.
The album also includes a pair of songs, “The Star of Logy Bay” and “Fuigfidh Mise an Baile Seo.” Both are lovely, but I find the latter is particularly interesting and very well done. The arrangement alternates between solo and doubled vocal tracks, which is an effective device, especially over the musical accompaniment that consists of her own guitar playing and Fearon’s, alonside Leonard on bodhrán. McKenna has a superb voice on both tracks, but I am especially drawn by her handling of the Irish language – it’s lovely.
“Faoi Lán Ceoil” is an entirely enjoyable album. McKenna is a fabulous and serious player/singer who has a keen musical sense and brings a discriminating eye to the tune selection. The singing is a stunning complement. Full of music, this is an especially fine album that is most certainly will be welcoming in any traditional music fan’s collection. To learn more, visit https://sineadmckenna.bandcamp.com.
