Diarmaid and Donncha Moynihan

The Lights of RanzanicoCladdagh Records ****

If the arc of the tradition is to be measured in degrees, then Diarmaid and Donncha Moynihan propel it through a full 360 degrees on this, their first collaboration since the magical days of their previous band, Calico.

Piper Diarmaid’s compositions abound here, and all bear testimony to a musician whose ears are pricked to the delights of not just Irish, but Asturian and Galician traditions, too. Funked-up arrangements on the title tune set hint at the breadth of vision to come, with jazz percussionist Nic France mixing it up with Donncha’s guitar and bouzouki, pipes, gaita, trumpet and flugelhorn. Yet dilettantism is as far from the heart of the Moynihans’ music as errant developers are from fiscal rectitude. Layer after layer reveal themselves with repeated listenings, as only the best musical outings do. See diarmaidmoynihan.com

Download tracks: The Ivory Lady