Traditional

The latest releases reviewed

SAM PROCTOR
Natural Progression
Higlet Recordings
****
There's a clarity of tone from Sam Proctor's fiddle, the product of close listening to the likes of Chris Stout and Gerry "Banjo" O'Connor. His debut is built on an electrifying partnership with Tim Edey on guitar, the pair blithely high-stepping it between the dark pools of the Irish tradition and a world where subtle jazz-tinged moods lure the listener towards infinity. Proctor can strip it all down too, as he does on the slow air Joe's Tune, where his fiddle chisels an uncompromising route through the tune. Natural Progressionshowcases a raft of contemporary tunesmiths, from Finbarr Dwyer to Niall Vallely and Proctor himself, pairing them with others borrowed from masters of the tradition, Charlie Lennon and Paddy O'Brien. A considered debut, this is bare and blustery in most of the right places. www.samproctor.com
SIOBHÁN LONG
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