Harmonica Night The Harcourt

CAPE Bretoner Tommy Basker's The Tin Sandwich album sets the straight and tested path in Traditional music harmonica playing. So, too, does John and Pip Murphy's Trip to Cullenstown. The humble "mouthie", as the Scots refer to it, can do great things if circumstances allow it.

Austin Berry and Rory O'Lorcan from Athlone got this night up and running sweetly, playing the instrument with precise attention to melody and ornament. But host Mick Kinsella's Sonny Terry bluesy raunchiness with guitarist Michael Dunlea derailed the process of establishing a native ambience. Therefore, John and Pip Murphy, in their first set, instead of stepping as stars on to a prepared pitch, had to begin again the hard slog of clearing the undergrowth, settling audience ears into jigs and reels mode.

Kinsella changed tack somewhat after the interval, delivering himself a wonderfully-turned Maids of Mount Cisco, accompanied by Saudi Millar on jew's harp. Visually, her use of this instrument and their accompaniment by actual strung harp player Sue Daly teased out all the "harp" misnomery to the limit.

Thereafter John Murphy's joining in to Pip's reel set lifted the brothers into a good swing, Pip's amazing lips flexiug with the rhythm, a visual representation of every flutter of the diaphragm, the harmonica's motor. Their finale with Berry, O'Lorcain, Kinsella and Kieran Hanrahan delivered the stuff and well-deserved an encore, but the night as a whole could have done with a bit of thought to get itself off the ground sooner.