David Power: the eighteen Moloney

The sheer breadth of expression captured by Waterford piper David Power in his latest collection will be enough to stop many listeners in their tracks. The title is a reference to an Uilleann pipe chanter that Power received as a gift, made by Thomas and Andrew Moloney before the Famine. The chanter's picaresque journey in the interim, through the playing fingers of Willie Clancy, Willie Rowsome and many others, fuels Power's attentive and authoritative handling, which he describes as "large pulses of pressure between certain notes" and "an economical approach to playing". Both his tune choices and playing style are stately and measured, with ample space to let each set breathe deep into the belly of the tunes. Power's interpretation of slow airs, in particular, is a joy: Cailín Deas Crúite na mBó has that elusive lonesome touch that Martin Hayes has expressed so well on fiddle. A panoramic sweep of a collection. davidpowerup.com