Night Music, pt. 2

Martin Hayes, as every schoolchild knows, is one of the two or three finest Irish fiddle players. This is sort of like being one of the two or three best quarterbacks in the NFL. It's a crowded league and there's a lot of talent nipping at his heels.

But Hayes is a bit different. In the first instance, he is not the primary type of Irish fiddler. His music is typically slower and more contemplative. One cannot imagine him doing something like this performance by John Sheahan (however awesome). Hayes explains that

One of the most obvious slivers of Irish music is this kind of upbeat happy, in-your-face kind of thing, because in some ways it's the easiest to sell, it's the easiest to record, it's the easiest to present. But my experience in many ways was that that just didn't reflect the core realities of the music. So in my recordings, there's a slightly more reflective way of looking at the melodies.

In the second instance, his best work has been as a part of a duo. He has achieved a remarkable chemistry with his longtime accompanist, Dennis Cahill (their website is here). I first heard them on their 1997 album, The Lonesome Touch. That album, like Kind of Blue or The Golden Band, is full of quiet music that sneaks up on you. You notice one day that you have been listening to it a lot, and know the tunes in great detail, yet need to listen more because you're still picking things up.

Here is a recent example of their work. I cannot imagine any way it could be improved. Hayes plays very well, and could certainly play it as a solo...but Cahill makes it better. But beyond that what could be added? What could be taken away?

Here is a bit more.

A documentary on Hayes (with quite a bit of Cahill) is here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5