CD Choice: Trad
BRIAN McNAMARA AND TIM COLLINS Reed Only Drumlin Records ****
The pairing of pipes and concertina makes a particularly sweet encounter on the cannily titled Reed Only from Leitrim piper Brian McNamara and Sliabh Luachra concertina player Tim Collins. This is one of the most refined, high-stepping collections of tunes to seep into the ether this year, a snapshot in time of two musicians at one with their music.
McNamara's distinctively restrained yet staccato piping style marked him apart on his previous solo recordings (A Piper's Dream and Fort of Jewels). Now he's wed it with Collins's self- effacing, fluid concertina lines, with spine-tingling results. The "big" hornpipe, Johnny Cope, is a model of ensemble playing, with concertina and pipes intertwining seamlessly, augmented by a judicious infusion of Michael Rooney's ever-genteel harp.
McNamara's disciplined playing shines further on the air, Ag Taisteal na Blárnan/Travelling Through Blarney, where he exercises the full capacity of chanter and drones without ever exhausting their potential or exploiting the pathos of the tune.
What's particularly striking throughout Reed Only is how the dance music of Sliabh Luachra in all its ferocious glory contrasts headily with the more self- possessed Leitrim repertoire, with neither style overwhelming the other. In fact, McNamara and Collins manage to retain their local accents while at the same time engaging in the kind of scintillating musical tête à tête that keeps the listener hanging on their every note.
Collins' modesty is writ large on the jig set bookended by the lustfully titled Fasten the Leg In and the ever-magical Tell Her I Am. His concertina traces hairlines in the tune, and his choice of Pádraic O'Reilly's piano and Mick Conneely's bouzouki as playdates captures the mood of this three-piece suite with bullseye accuracy.
This is music of our time, still rooted in a past that's laden with treasures, some of them happily unearthed and spit-polished after languishing for too long in the wings. A reedy interlude that unfurls itself with unhurried gracefulness - a perfect recipe for longevity. www.piperbrian.com SIOBHÁN LONG
Download tracks: Johnny Cope, Fasten the Leg In
