Fierce Traditional

Long recognised as one of the country’s leading fiddlers, when it comes to innovation there are few to hold a candle to the man from Corrandulla. From his reworking of Beatles classics right through the encounters with Yehudi Menuhin and Stephane Grappelli, he has never been afraid to push out the boat. To be fair though, much of the time his instincts for departing from the script have served him well, both as a solo performer or a leading member of De Dannann, despite the odd bump in the road.

No such criticism could be levelled at this album – a re-embedding in the older shapes of the tradition, wild and free, as befits a man of Gavin’s musical stature – but embued also with a respect for touchstones in both form and repetoire. Opening with a clutch of reels, ‘The Man Of the House’ and ‘Providence Reel’, the title is fully justified as horsehair meets strings to devastating effect. His sensitivity for slow air playing, which often tends to be overshadowed by his liking for speed, is born out in a beautifull reworking of ‘Sliabh Na mBan’, Brian Mc.Grath’s lightly swirling keyboards adding just the right amount of colour to a majestic melody.

When he kicks into ‘The Primrose Vale’ with brother Sean on the accordion, instinct dictates that this is as good as it gets. As a musical statement Fierce Traditional confirms a number of things. It is a damn fine record, but more than that it has paid proper homage to the tunes that survived famine, pestilence and cultural snobbery, and is without a doubt the most fitting of tributes to those such as Coleman, Morrison, and The Flanagan Brothers who passed them on to us. For that, Frankie, and the music down the years, thanks a bunch.