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LOÏC BLÉJEAN & TAD SARGENT - LOÏC BLÉJEAN & TAD SARGENT

LOÏC BLÉJEAN & TAD SARGENT - LOÏC BLÉJEAN & TAD SARGENT
Aïta Productions AÏTAPROD002

This is the first duo release by celebrated sidesmen London-born Irishman Tad Sargent (bouzouki, bodhrán, vocals) and Breton Loïc Bléjean (uilleann pipes, low whistles) who forged their alliance at a session in Flynn’s Bar in Ealing in 2013.

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Astrolab Studio in Cotes d’Armor by famous Breton flautist Sylvain Barou, who guests twice, the album comprises nine tracks: several sets of mainly traditional Irish jigs, reels and airs (interspersed with compositions by Paddy Keenan, Frankie Kennedy, Davy Spillane, Michael McGoldrick, Josephine Marsh and Paddy O’Brien) with several Breton shadings, an atmospherically charged arrangement of Sliabh Na mBan (Slievenmanon, County Tipperary’s ‘Mountain of the Women’), and three songs – Jimmy MacCarthy’s tale of a forlorn lovelorn transatlantic Irish émigré in Missing You, Richard Thompson’s 60s narrative of being forsaken by a footloose wild child, Beeswing, and, by contrast, John Spillane’s comic account of ‘checking out’ and idolising the Dunnes Stores Girl.

Musically there’s intricate interplay aplenty with these two gifted and versatile players. Fully exploiting the propulsive, rhythmic and melodic range of Tad’s guitar-bodied bouzouki (albeit occasionally a little low in the mix) with the flair and fluent precision of Loïc’s tight pipe work, this is dynamically diverse and complex duetting of the quality of Nicolas Quemener and Ronan Le Bars’ long esteemed partnership. Additional guests add Hammond organ (Jean-Baptiste Boclé) and bass (Ben Somers’ double bass on Missing You being especially pleasing in tone and texture) in finely complementary ways which, with the song arrangements, significantly widen the duo’s potential audience appeal.

www.blejeansargent.com

Kevin T. Ward


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This album was reviewed in Issue 118 of The Living Tradition magazine.