HAYES,MARTIN & DENNIS CAHILL - LIVE IN SEATTLE Price: €17.99 Format: Compact Disc Availability: Immediate Dispatch

If Irish fiddle music and the prospect of relentless reels is where you and folk music part company, then prepare for a road-to-Damascus-type conversion. Raised in East Clare, where the fiddle style is "generally slow and lyrical in nature", Seattle resident Martin Hayes and his accompanying guitarist Dennis Cahill deliver an enthralling and energetic set which seems to be imbued with the very spirit of Ireland.
Comprised of the second half of a January 1999 concert, this recording is no sentimental, idealised evocation of a far-away land, but a celebration of a music which is shown to be rich and diverse, ranging from slow and tender to fast and furious. This is particularly evident on the epic, 27-minute medley central to this performance, during which 11 tunes including "Rakish Paddy" and elements of Pachelbel's 'Canon' are woven into a rich tapestry. The aural equivalent of James Joyce, it's highly lyrical. If you have yet to succumb to Irish fiddle music then this is the album to do the trick.