Tara Breen & Pádraig Rynne: Nasc review – A joy throughout

Vitality and verve fuel the fire of this album from concertina player Pádraig Rynne and fiddle player Tara Breen. The Clare duo’s cut-glass performances and imaginative tune pairings are a joy throughout, serving as a poignant and timely reminder of what we’ve been pining for over the past 16 months: the heart-thumping, foot-tapping delights of a live session.

The album title, meaning connection or relationship, is aptly chosen. Rynne has composed five of the tunes, and his ear for deliciously idiosyncratic flowlines finds kindred spirits in guests Dónal Lunny’s characteristically propulsive bouzouki and Jim Murray’s guitar, which stitches in turn loose limbed and drum-tight arrangements into the mix.

Rynne and Breen’s choice of Breton and Asturian tunes are ideal choices for spotlighting the bareboned beauty of the concertina and fiddle, with Lunny’s bouzouki subtly flowing beneath the lead instruments on St Mat, then jousting robustly with them on the accompanying Breton/Asturian tune pair Ricardo Portela and Pasucais D’Amieva.

Nasc holds a raft of sparkling new tunes and judiciously chosen borrowings. Generous of spirit and wide open of arms, this is an album to savour, often and long.