Traditional

The latest release reviewed

PADDY MURPHY
In Good Hands Celtic Crossings ****

Anyone equating preservation with ossification will feel their jaws drop at the sheer contemporary feel of this archive collection from the late west Clare concertina player. Paddy Murphy was a Kilmaley native (also home of co-producer, flute and fiddle player Peadar O'Loughlin), and his recordings reek of a labour of love. His past pupils, O'Loughlin and concertina player and academic Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, were both anxious to share his fleet-footed music with a wider audience. Murphy's no-nonsense signature style, characterised by a gorgeous fluidity and innate rhythmic sensibility, is captured in its prime on the opening set of reels (The Five Mile Chase), but it's the magical mix of archive interview excerpts with solo and duet performances that ultimately paint a picture of a musician and his music: bountiful and without boundaries www.celticcrossings.com

Download tracks: A Good Dance Player, The Dublin Reel

© 2008 The Irish Times