REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

 

 


 

 

 

Catherine and John McEvoy - The Kilmore Fancy
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In Ireland , sweet, gentle music is not dead, not yet, despite the best efforts of some there to replace it with a mad dash to the final note. As proof of this enduring life, we have this warm, lively collection of tunes from Catherine McEvoy, one of Ireland ’s best-known flute players, and her brother, fiddler John McEvoy.

Catherine McEvoy was recognized long ago as a flute player “den scoth”, Irish for “of the highest quality”. She grew up surrounded by the enduring magic of the music of her parents’ native County Roscommon , even though she was born across the Irish Sea in Birmingham . Catherine returned home to Ireland in 1977, where she has since been a prominent member of the traditional music scene.

Some 10 years ago, Catherine recorded a flute CD (reviewed in issue 20 of The Living Tradition) and like on that album, she has the good fortune to be accompanied on piano by New York-born Felix Dolan. On this CD, she is joined by her brother, John. Together, their flute and fiddle round out the sound beautifully. It’s an especially fitting and smooth combination because the two siblings grew up playing music together.

Today, their music is every bit as sweet and gentle as the melodies that they first heard as children. It’s a great credit to their talent, a credit to all the Irish musicians that inspired them those many years ago, and a great gift to their listeners.

Paul Carr

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