WTJU Folk Best of 2017: Alex
By WTJU
Alex co-hosts Atlantic Weekly II each fourth Saturday of the month from 10 til noon (est) on WTJU.
Album – Artist(s) (Label)
1. Drunken Gaugers – Dylan Foley, Kevin Crawford, Patrick Doocey (Imports)
Lively fiddle, guitar and flute from Foley of the Yanks fame and the inimitable Kevin Crawford of Lunasa.
2. Here to Play – Bernadette Nic Gabhann (Bernadette Nic Gabhann)
Elegant, understated fiddle playing by one of the Nic Gabhann clan. Her sister, Caitlin is an accomplished concertina player. Here she is accompanied by Eileen Gannon on harp.
3. The Glory Days Are Over – Eileen Gannon (Eileen Gannon)
First rate trad harp music from St. Louis. Gannon covers a range of material showcasing the harp’s versatility with slow and fast tunes.
4. The Vox Hunters – Benedict Gagliardi and Armand Aromin (The Vox Hunters)
This album consists mostly of songs from the Irish/British tradition as well as excellent instrumentals. The songs range from original compositions to fresh takes on old classics.
5. Open the Door for Three – The Joyful Hour (Open the Door for Three)
Pat Broaders, Liz Knowles and Kieran O’Hare have produced their third album to date. Liz plays dynamic fiddle and Kieran plays whistle and pipes (with an unfortunately small selection of flute playing on this album). The winner though is Pat Broaders whose resonant voice explores a range of trad songs.
6. Cormac Begley -Cormac Begley (Cormac Begley)
Concertinas in all ranges (piccolo! bass!) and played with exquisite taste.
7. One Two – Jenna Moynihan and Mairi Chaimbeul (Jenna Moynihan)
Tasteful fiddle and harp from Boston, MA. Scottish, Irish and traditional Americana.
8. The Fairest Flower of Womankind – Lindsay Straw (Lindsay Straw)
Lindsay Straw sings Irish traditional songs written from the woman’s perspective. She accompanies herself on bouzouki.
9. A Sweetish Tune – Noctambule (Noctambule)
Swannanoa favorite Marla Fibish plays mellow mandolin tunes with husband Bruce Victor. Songs are included on this album as well!
10. The Blue Room – Martin Hayes Quartet (251 Records)
Martin takes Irish trad to the next level integrating bass clarinet (Doug Wieselman), fiddle and viola (Liz Knowles) and guitar (Dennis Cahill). Truly a unique contribution.
