In the media yoke this week is “The Dark Well” by Enda Scahill and Joel Andersson. This is an album unlike much else out there. Moody, engaging and grounded in real virtuosity, it embraces innovation and creativity in a way that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. But it’s unusual in that it’s rooted in the sounds of tenor banjo and harmonica, a great but not common pairing that brings out the best of each instrument. This album is certainly going places and one I think readers of this column will be very interested in being better acquainted with its charms – read on!
Enda Scahill, winner of the prestigious Steve Martin Banjo Award, is the founding member of We Banjo 3 and one of the most critically acclaimed banjoists in Ireland today. Born in Galway, he has performed with the Chieftains, Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Carlos Núñez and Eileen Ivers, recorded with Grammy winners Ricky Skaggs, Bryan Sutton and Aubrey Haynie, toured with Frankie Gavin and Stockton’s Wing, and was an original member of The Brock McGuire Band. Widely recognized for his virtuosity, Scahill’s banjo tutors have proved enormously influential, as has his “Irish Banjo Lessons” website (https://irishbanjolessons.com/), and his albums, including "Pick It Up" in 2000, "Humdinger" in 2006 (w/Paul Brock and Ryan Molloy) and "Green Grass Blue Grass" with the Brock McGuire Band in 2011 are all critically acclaimed.
Andersson is both a world-class harmonica player and harmonica builder (https://jaharmonicas.com/), and he now collaborates with Hohner to craft some of the finest instruments available today. Specializing in Irish music, he began performing professionally at 13, placed 3rd at the 2014 All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil and 2nd at the 2017 World Harmonica Championships. In addition, he has toured internationally, released his debut album “The Irish Harmonica” in 2018, and in 2022 launched a complete online Irish harmonica course with Harmonica School Berlin (https://harmonica-school-berlin.com/).
Simon Crehan, touted in their press material as “one of the hottest up and coming guitarists in Irish music today,” is the album’s featured guitarist, but a number of top-shelf guests appear as well, including Utsav Lal (piano), Francesco Turrisi (percussion), Ross Holmes (fiddle), Jason Sypher (bass), Jacob Jolliff (mandolin), Andy Thorn (5-string banjo), Russ Carson (5-string banjo), Mary Frances Leahy (fiddle, piano), Paul McClure (bodhrán) and Joan Gatti (hardanger fiddle). These folks are known for working with the likes of Rhiannon Giddens, Mumford & Sons, Leftover Salmon, Kentucky Thunder, Gadan, Galvian Way and Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy, and bring a real measure of strength to an album already led by virtuoso playing.
This album includes several fabulous tracks. “O’Neill’s March,” the album’s opener, is a walk through a bog wearing Timberlands. Dark and brooding with layers of texture, Andersson huffs and puffs away in rhythmic Cormac Begley fashion in a way, perfectly complementing Scahill high lonesome-style plucking. There’s a similar vibe on “Porthole of the Kelp” that explores a very musical sort of deconstructed groove that echoes with ideas I identify with modern Americana. (Sypher’s bass playing and Turrisi’s percussion are exceptionally integral here.)
“Sail Away Ladies” draws more fully from the well of bluegrass, with the tune choice and instrumentation (bass, fiddle, and mandolin) adding to that flavor. The playing is superb and will delight listeners interested in that style of music. In contrast, “Old Man Dillon” and “The Green Mountain” both take more familiar approaches to arrangement, with the virtuosity of the delivery taking the day. Both are excellent tracks and really reveal how grounded Scahill and Andersson are in traditional music.
One of my favorite tracks is “The Gravel Walks.” The tunes are well chosen and the playing is superb, but it’s the groove that stands out to me. It’s extremely tight and develops in such an interesting way toward the middle with the addition of clawhammer banjo (Thorn) and hardanger fiddle (Gatti). The pairing give this one a unique flavor that really suits the album’s direction and highlights the exhilarating bohola-esque rhythmic shift that takes place toward the track’s end.
“The Dark Well” is an excellent and imaginative album in which Scahill and Andersson explore a wide range of emotion and expressive colors, all within the seemingly limited palette of four strings and free reeds. What makes this recording stand out is their creative yet tasteful approach that seamlessly blends traditional Irish material with an American roots sound. Too often, such fusions lack discipline and slip into caricature, but Scahill’s proven track record with this sort of style and Andersson’s skill as a sympathetic partner ensure the music remains compelling. Together, they create something fresh and unconstrained by narrow notions of “traditionalism” that fans of Irish music will love. But, as with many of Scahill’s projects, its strong grounding in the Irish tradition makes it an ideal entry point for newcomers curious about the music’s heart. Give this one a listen – highly recommended! For more info, tour dates, and a link to purchase, visit https://darkwellproject.com.
