P a g e 1 7 / The Irish Echo’s Weekly Guide to I r cc i s Entertainment and Lifestyle h E Arts & LifeStyle c h o / J u n e 2 Suite-ness and light from Burke and Scott - 8 , 2 0 1 “The Rabbit’s Ear / The 0 / Stirabout Road / Kiss the Bride”; w Dunne additionally graces “Stel - w Their new CD features a w . i la’s Waltz”; and Beoga button r i s accordionist Sean Og Graham h e c Burke-led string quartet lends support on “Clancy’s / h o also roasts and sells his own cof - Flexible Flyer.” Scott’s composi - . n June 9, fiddler Kevin c o Burke will turn 60 years of fee for his own company, Bad - tional proficiency is reflected in m Oage. For 53 of those years, he has beard’s Microroastery. “Kiss the Bride,” “Stella’s been playing the fiddle. That’s a heady brew of musi - Waltz,” and “Clancy’s / Flexible He’s performed with Lon - cianship for any one recording, Flyer,” and Burke’ own tune- don’s Glenside Ceili Band, win - and keeping this blend steadily writing ability is evident in “The ner of the All-Ireland senior percolating is Burke and Scott’s Stirabout Road.” championship in 1966; Lazy impeccable taste. Burke on fiddle and Scott on Reel; Christy Moore; the Bothy “Across the Black River” had guitar power the album’s con - Band; Bothy Band colleague a six-reel centerpiece called “The cluding track, “Dan O’Keefe’s / Micheal O Domhnaill in a Long Set” with a running time If I had a Wife / Leave Well lengthy part - of 9:33. “Suite” also has a Alone.” The sharp Kerry curry nership; Jackie lengthy centerpiece, “The Irish in this medley of traditional Daly; Patrick Session Suite,” comprising a tunes is unmistakable and irre - Street; Celtic more ambitious four jigs, a horn - Tandem of taste: fiddler Kevin Burke (left) and guitarist Cal Scott. sistible. Fiddle Festival; pipe, an air, and four reels that One of the world’s most pop - Open House; collectively run to 22:03. Making ular and respected Irish tradi - and more that suite even more distinctive With his trademark silky- order, and held together with tional fiddlers has now issued recently gui - is its instrumental lineup: Burke smooth touch on the bow, Burke considerable skill, care, and four albums on his own imprint. CEOL tarist Cal Scott as part of a string quartet with is a good fit in the string quartet imagination. (Celtic Fiddle Festival’s in a flourishing Ehrlich, Noble, and Kagan. he’s assembled for “Suite.” He’s No less inspired was Burke’s “Equinoxe” and Patrick Street’s Earle duo. Exploring a merge of Irish unquestionably at the center of choice of the Irish traditional “On the Fly” are the other two Hitchner In 2002, Burke traditional and classical styles the centerpiece, but the respon - band Beoga to join him and Cal CD’s on Loftus Music.) In these letters received a has been done successfully by siveness of the other three musi - Scott on “The Boys of Balliso - challenging, transitional times @irishecho.com National Her - others, including two current cians allows him to shine. The dare / The Gooseberry Bush / for making and marketing itage Fellow - string quartets in Ireland, the four-movement “Irish Session The Dunmore Lasses / The Gal - music, Kevin Burke is forging ship, confirm - ConTempo Quartet and the Suite,” as in any classical suite, way Rambler,” the longest track ahead with his own very small ing his impact as a musician in West Ocean String Quartet (the bears the stamp of close organi - on the album outside of “The company. That’s a bold move, the United States since his offi - latter featuring former Buttons zation and ordered progression. Irish Session Suite.” Beoga but with four albums of cial immigration here in 1980. He & Bows fiddler Seamus A suite is meant to be more than enters partway through the estimable quality so far, it has lives in Portland, Ore., where he McGuire), as well as fiddler Liz the sum of its parts, and Burke, four-reel medley, and the extra not been an aesthetic risk. linked up with Scott. Their debut Carroll, who collaborated with Ehrlich, Noble, and Kagan suc - lift is palpable. “Suite” is pure listening plea - recording together was “Across the Turtle Island String Quartet ceed in delivering that overarch - Fiddler Niamh Dunne and sure. The album (cat. no. the Black River” in 2007 on for a slip jig and the title tune on ing effect. It’s jaunty, witty, button accordionist Damian LM004) is available at Burke’s own Loftus Music label. her album “Lake Effect.” Also, haunting, and bracing in that McKee of Beoga also appear on www.loftusmusic.com. Now the duo has issued their the baroque flavor of Irish harp - second Loftus Music CD, er-composer Turlough “Suite.” Guesting on it are the O’Carolan’s planxties has pro - most exciting traditional band to vided virtually every Irish tradi - emerge from Ireland this centu - tional musician alive with the ry, Beoga; double bassist Dave opportunity to delve into a Captein; and Portland Chamber quasi-classical sound. (Sadly, Orchestra concertmaster and experiments in fusing jazz with violinist Andrew Ehrlich, Ore - Irish traditional music have usu - cc gon Symphony assistant princi - ally foundered through dim pal violist Charles Noble, and, conception and balky execution. originally from the Bronx, Port - Recall the disappointing Celtic land Cello Project co-founder Jazz Collective led by Irish gui - and cellist Justin Kagan, who tarist David O’Rourke.) Fleadh finishers Congratulations to the following musicians who excelled at the recent Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil held in Pearl River, N.Y.: FIDDLE: over age 18, (1) Armand Aromin; (2) Joshua Srour; (3) Rebecca Grube; ages 15-18, (1) Ceilidh Briscoe, (2) Samantha Suplee, (3) Adam Cole-Mullen; ages 12-15, (1) Sarah Buteux, (2) Matthew Furlong, (3) Niamh O’Donoghue; under age 12, (1) Haley Richardson, (2) Jayne Pomplas, (3) Alexander Weir. BUTTON ACCORDION: over 18, Sinead Farrelly; 15-18, (1) Kieran Brennan, (2) Sinead Ni Laithbhirtigh, (3) Kate Lee; 12-15, (1) Seagda Coyle, (2) Teresa Mur - phy, (3) Torin DiSalvo; under 12, (1) Ronan Mulligan, (2) Kiera McShane, (3) Stephen Hastings. CONCERT FLUTE: over 18, (1) George Grasso, (2) Brendan Bell, (3) Cushla Srour; 15-18, (1) Matt Saunders, (2) Owen Meehan, (3) Patrick Armstrong; 12-15, (1) Roisin Ni Laithbhirtigh, (2) Mary Kate Carolan, (3) Alison Hayes; under 12, (1) Anya DiSalvo, (2) Chloe Curley, (3) Jade Keough. TIN WHISTLE: over 18, (1) Sinead Farrelly, (2) Kathleen Mahon, (3) George Gras - so; 15-18, (1) Dylan Foley, (2) Andrew Furlong, (3) Owen Meehan; 12-15, (1) Aoife Lee, (2) Torin DiSalvo, (3) Roisin Ni Laithbhirtigh; under 12, (1) Kenny Vesey, (2) Kevin Fee, (3) Anya DiSalvo. PIANO ACCORDION: over 18, John Morgan; 15-18, Kathleen Coleman; 12-15, (1) Johnny Tannian, (2) James Breen, (3) Jake Feerick; under 12, (1) Liam Butler, (2) Lauren Rodican, (3) Caroline Allen. CONCERTINA: 15-18, Kerry Dolan; 12-15, (1) Claire Shirey, (2) Aislinn Messina, (3) Ciara Rodican; under 12, (1) Kathleen Parnow, (2) Alanna Wams - ley. UILLEANN PIPES: over 18, (1) John Abarta, (2) Steafan Hannigan; 15-18, (1) Michael Stribling, (2) Torrin Ryan, (3) Patrick Armstrong. HARP: over 18, Chris Rodriguez; 15-18, (1) Caroline Kemper, (2) Katie Ely, (3) Katy Brittenham; 12-15, (1) Theresa Phoenix, (2) Abigail Gillespie; under 12, (1) Emily Safko, (2) Kaileen McGeever, (3) Megan Heffernan. SEE MORE WINNERS, PAGE 19 . ..