Irish fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes and American guitarist Dennis Cahill return for their 3rd visit to the Jaqua concert hall for another superb evening of music. The duo possess a rare musical kinship. Together they have garnered international renown for taking traditional music to the very edge of the genre, and holding listeners spellbound with their slow-building, fiery performances. The duo opens the doors of traditional Irish music and releases its pure, distilled beauty, while incorporating sensibilities from the worlds of blues and jazz. The New York Times calls them "a Celtic complement to Steve Reich’s quartets or Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain." The Irish Times writes, "If your live music rations were limited to a single concert in the entire year, then you'd be either crazy or foolish if you didn’t pass that precious time in the company of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill.”
Since their last visit here in April 2008, they've released a superb new CD, Welcome Here Again, their first in almost a decade. It used to be common for Irish musicians to record one tune at a time, to make each one a self-contained masterpiece. The new album revives this tradition. The playing of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill renders the essence of the tunes, revealed in their purest form, accessible and appealing to all. "The Dear Irish Boy" is one such track. "P Joe’s Reel" is another. The mesmeric rhythms, the tantalizing slow release of melody, the extra tone from viola or tuned-down fiddle, all of that and more is here. A superb work worth adding to your collection.