Our first act to be announced for 2017 is the legendary fiddle and guitar duo, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill!
Martin Hayes is regarded as one of the most extraordinary talents to emerge in the world of Irish traditional music. His unique sound, his mastery of the fiddle and his acknowledgement of the past and his shaping of the future of the music combine to create an astonishing and formidable artistic intelligence. He has drawn inspiration from many diverse sources, but remains grounded in the music he grew up with in his own locality, in Feakle, County Clare.
A native of Chicago, born to parents from the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Dennis Cahill is a master guitarist. His spare, essential accompaniment to Hayes’ fiddle is acknowledged as a major breakthrough for guitar in the Irish tradition. In addition to his work with Martin, Dennis has performed with such renowned fiddlers as Liz Carroll, Eileen Ivers and Kevin Burke, as well as many Irish musicians on both sides of the Atlantic.
The duo met in Chicago in the 1980s, forming the jazz/rock/fusion band, Midnight Court, which allowed them to experiment with a variety of new music styles. When Martin reclaimed his traditional roots, reinvigorated after recording two solo albums, he began a new musical relationship with Cahill, beginning with the lyrical music of East Clare – a tradition which remains central to their repertoire today.
“Sparsely accompanied fiddle music has rarely sounded so complete and so essential.” Q Magazine