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ARKAREN TWEED & TIMO ALAKOTILATIST - Midsummer May Monday

KAREN TWEED & TIMO ALAKOTILA - Midsummer May Monday
Private Label AKEROCD018

The bonus about collaborations is that, with a bit of luck, the people you planned to play with bring their mates along as well. That was certainly the case with the prolific and versatile accordion player, Karen Tweed (whose back catalogue goes back beyond the Poozies, although many of us might have first met her there) and the Finnish pianist, Timo Alakotila.

The first thing you have to do is lay aside any prejudice against the two lead instruments and their roles in folk music. Yes, they could potentially be a little too measured and mannered, but that is never a problem here. Part of that is due to the extra bodies invited on board. There is some lovely playing on various strings, but perhaps a special mention is called for in the case of the trumpet and flugelhorn of Shanti Paul Jayasinha - something magical happens when they are added to the mix.

The two main musicians provide most of the compositions here, although there are notable exceptions, like Séan Ó Riada's Mná Na hÉireann (Women Of Ireland). Like that, there is a vein of classicism running through this music, as well as hints of jazz.

This one is worth devoting some time to, as there is no way of getting everything from it with a brief listen.

www.karentweed.com

www.timoalakotila.com

Dave Hadfield


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This album was reviewed in Issue 123 of The Living Tradition magazine.