Leonard Barry: New Road

Pipes, concertina, harmonica and banjo are a rare coalition, possibly because they tend to loiter in the upper registers, where frequencies can get crowded. Leonard Barry is a piper with an eye for cut-glass detail. With his disciplined style, he etches the shape of a tune with enviable precision. His second collection brings a rich mix of tunes together, with the set dance Mount Fabus Hunt a haughty, high-stepping stand-out. Barry's pipes find warm comfort in Tony O'Connell's concertina and Seamie O'Dowd's guitar. John Carty's banjo yields mixed results on the march Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine. Never lacking in invention, the marriage of pipes and banjo challenges the listener to walk a tightrope without the security of a bass line. It's all in keeping with Barry's intention to travel a New Road, on which lazy arrangements are never an option. leonardbarry.ie