The gold standard for concertina and fiddle dueting remains "Noel Hill and Tony Linnane," a 1979 Tara album. Recorded in Oct.-Nov. 1978 in Dublin, it showcases two Clare instrumentalists, Lissycasey's Hill on concertina and Corofin's Linnane on fiddle, in peak performance. They simply caught fire in the studio, Hill told me long ago in a radio interview I did with him, and the result is absolutely electrifying. Also featuring Matt Molloy on flute, Alec Finn on bouzouki and mandocello, and producer Mícheál Ó Domhnaill on church harmonium, it is an unimpeachable classic, the kind you can't imagine being without while shipwrecked on a desert island. There have been other estimable concertina and fiddle duet recordings since then, including Clare-born concertinist Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin and Paris-born fiddler Patrick Ourceau's "Tracin'" a few years back and Northern Irish concertinist Jason O'Rourke and fiddler Ruadhraí O'Kane's "Roguery Road" just last year. But the closest in combined spirit and skill, if not quite tempo, to "Noel Hill and Tony Linnane" is "Tony O'Connell & Andy Morrow," a new, self-issued CD. From Glin, West Limerick, Tony O'Connell is a former All-Ireland concertina champion and current instructor at the University of Limerick's Irish World Music Centre. From Carrigallen, Leitrim, fiddler Andy Morrow is the youngest brother of Tom Morrow, fiddler with Sligo-based Dervish. O'Connell and Morrow have been playing together since 1997, and when the duo decided to make their recording debut, they called on one of the best guitarists in the trade, Tyrone-born Arty McGlynn, to back them. Recorded in Longford, "Tony O'Connell & Andy Morrow" has nothing extraneous about it. This is fiddle-hexagonal box dueting of impressive propulsion and dexterity, and the tendency to race along, no matter how closely in sync they are, is the only drawback in an album teeming with musical virtues. Not one bad or mediocre track is on this recording, and six of the 13 cuts are as good as any Irish traditional music you'll hear this year. With McGlynn laying down a delicately chiming guitar rhythm, O'Connell plays "The Drunken Sailor" hornpipe with exemplary precision, panache, and pace, a combination sustained when Morrow comes in on fiddle. "My Former Wife/Paddy in London/Headwood Crossing" jigs, "Castle Kelly/Devils of Dublin/Hare's Paw" reels, "Kiely Cotter's/Paddy Jerry's" slides, "Stormy Night/The Maid at the Well/Gallagher's" jigs, and "Fred Finn's/Larry's Favourite" reels are also stunners. Some of the ornaments by O'Connell and Morrow are so sly and witty that they can't help but elicit a smile, and within the framework of just three instruments, the players manage to summon up a sound fuller, richer, and more detailed than many groups twice their size. For solos, O'Connell nimbly performs the strathspey-reels medley of "Dean Brig of Edinburgh/The Christening/The Wind That Shakes the Barley" and the tender song-air "Sliabh Gallion Braes," while Morrow showcases his bowing proficiency in the reels "The Mill House/The Thrush in the Storm." Each is adroitly accompanied by McGlynn. During the past few years the quality of many self-issued (once called "vanity") recordings of Irish traditional music has compared favorably to the presumed superior quality of CDs from major and established indie labels. Even on tight budgets, more and more care is being invested in these self-releases, including the packaging. Promotion and distribution continue to be a formidable hurdle to overcome, but genuine, enduring quality has nothing to do with either. An album of genuine, enduring quality, imagination, and enjoyment, "Tony O'Connell & Andy Morrow" deserves all the attention and support a self-release can get--and then some. It's available from www.musictocam.com. E-mail: info@musictocam.com. - Earle Hitchner - Irish Echo |
Thus I was introduced to the wondrous world of Tony O’Connell and Andy Morrow and their absolute snorter of a debut album recorded with the very capable hands of Arty McGlynn providing both guitar accompaniment and production. My, these lads can play!
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A truly engaging album, this presents concertina and fiddle music with guitar accompaniment. O’Connell from Kerry and Morrow from Leitrim have made as musical and enjoyable an album as we have heard in a long time. On thirteen tracks they play their hearts out with skill, feeling and panache. If you get this one, you’ll be doing yourself a favour. - Claddagh Records |
O'Connell (concertina) and Morrow (fiddle) team up with guitar maestro McGlynn for a superbly accomplished debut recording, which will surely rank as being among the most exciting CDs of 2005. Original tunes by Carl Hession, Mick O'Dwyer, John Faulkner, Paddy Davey, Tom McElvogue, Tom Fleming, John Martin, Paddy O'Brien and Michael Finn are presented alongside rarities from the tradition as well as a liberal sprinkling of trad standards. The unison playing is remarkably tight; the occasional solos by either O'Connell or Morrow are soulful and mature. As ever, McGlynn's playing is tasteful and enterprising. McGlynn is one of the few backers in Irish music who manages to anchor musicians rock-solidly while at the same time taking some incredible risks with the structure of his accompaniment. Yet again he brings a new dimension to the work of supreme traditional musicians. - Pay the Reckoning |
Concertina player Tony O'Connell from West Limerick and Leitrim-born fiddler Andy Morrow(younger brother of Dervish's Tom Morrow) have been performing as a duo for the past eight years or so, impressing audiences at assorted festivals with their bracing style and fine musicianship. With the great guitarist Arty McGlynn driving the engine, their debut CD could hardly be lcaking on the energy front, and it's a major treat indeed. Messrs O'Connell and Morrow are to be particulalry commended for their unusual selection of material, which includes compositions by the likes of Carl Hession, John Faulkner and Tom McElvogue, as well as various old rareties that they've managed to dig up along the way. 8.5/10 - Sarah McQuaid - Hotpress |
Tony O'Connell and Andy Morrow's opening salvo, a set of Carl Hession jigs, sets a blistering pace on their debut CD. With guitarist Arty McGlynn on hand for both sublime accompaniment and co-production duties, this concertina and fiddle duo offer a clear reminder of how delicious it is to strip the music back to the bone, exposing its sinewy limbs in all their angular glory. Tony's langorous reading of Sliabh Gallion Braes is ample proof of his unforced concertina style, but the pair's feisty take on the pair of slides, Kiely Cotter's and Paddy Jerry's shows a duo intent on acquainting themselves with the full palette of the tradition. - Siobhan Long - Irish Times |
There have been quite a few notable concertina and fiddle duet recordings in the past--that of Noel Hill and Tony Linnane will come to mind for most--and this new recording by O'Connell & Morrow fits easily near the top of the list. Tony O'Connell, from Co. Kerry, is an agile concertina player who gracefully balances virtuosity and economy, and Leitrim fiddle player Andy Morrow, whose brother Tom plays fiddle in the well-known group Dervish, has a lovely touch as well, blending with ease crisp bowing and an infectious swing. The two musicians are a great match, and their choice of material is exemplary--it's one of those CDs I listen to thinking all along "oh yes, I want to learn that one... and that one too!" O'Connell's playing of the hornpipe "The Drunken Sailor" is but one of the special moments on this recording. Last but certainly not least, the great Arty McGlynn enhances the music with his inspired and subtle accompaniments. A wonderful album. - CelticGrooves |