Kevin Burke In Concert

september 2001 the bank of ireland the beare island reel the blackbird lucy campbell the butterfly bonnie kate the cottage groves doctor gilbert the earl s chair in the tap room itzikel up sligo jenny s chickens the jolly tinker kitty o shea maudabawn chapel mcfadden s handsome daughter he mountain road the old torn petticoat out with the boys roll in the barrel the rollicking boys around tandaragee sean ryan s jigs walsh s hornpipe kevin burke is one of the most influential musicians to emerge from the irish traditional music revival of the last 30 years his inimitably silky lyrical style was a cornerstone of the legendary bothy band and he remains an active member of such celtic supergroups as patrick street and the celtic fiddle festival now burke comes to new york for a concert celebrating his new solo cd in concert raised in london to parents from county sligo ireland burke has come to be associated with the elegant ornamented sligo style of playing burke has recorded with artists as diverse as kate bush arlo guthrie paul brady and doug dillard and released a string of solo recordings now considered classics in concert was recorded live in his adopted hometown of portland oregon to an enthusiastically receptive audience the tunes are drawn from different periods of his remarkable career some never before recorded from the most languid of airs to driving rhythmic reels burke s fiddling tone and power are in mighty form in concert features three fiddle duets with martin hayes another world class irish fiddler from county clare it s a great partnership as martin s father pj hayes was one of burke s earliest influences with a guest appearance also from young irish guitarist aidan brennan and co production work from hayes in concert fulfills the promise of a genre s master a superior instrumentalist in any idiom impressively virtuosic new york times lyrical style is always emotionally electric washington post