IN A way, traditional musicians remind me of GAA players. The top footballers or hurlers could be playing in Croke Park in front of 60-80,000 spectators on a Sunday and are back to working on the farm or at the bank or in the classroom the following day.
Matt Molloy is a native of Ballaghaderreen in Co Roscommon – the mecca of traditional Irish flute playing. Considered by many as the greatest flute player of our time, Matt over the years has been a member of The Bothy Band, Planxty and The Chieftains and he has single handedly brought flute playing to a new level.
Now, Matt Molloy might not be playing his flute in front of crowds of All-Ireland final proportions but he has played in front of a live audience of over a million people when he was with The Chieftains as they played at Phoenix Park for John Paul II in 1979.
“Just sitting up there and there are people as far as the eye could see. And then when they started singing… I mean the hairs just literally stood up on the back of your neck. It was a thrilling moment. A vary emotional thing. And as cynical as one might be, and I can be, you were in awe of the occasion,” he told John Glatt in The Chieftains' Authorised Biography.
And if that weren’t heavenly enough, Matt lent his priceless E-flat flute to American astronaut Cady Coleman who practised on the instrument on her first voyage to the International Space Station over 220 miles above Earth.
While these events undoubtely make the headlines, it is the smaller, more intimate joys of music-making that these serious musicians cherish as much as any blockbuster. There is a natural humility about (most) traditional musicians for whom the art is the most important thing.
Fiddler John Carty is a kindred spirit of Matt Molloy’s and together as a duo, they can summon up musical magic in the most convoluted of tunes.
“Do they really have to make it look so easy?” So remarked one reviewer having just seen the trad superstar ensemble on stage.
You can decide for yourself as the most exciting trad combination of recent times release their second album, Out of the Ashes featuring the flute and fiddle duet of Matt and John accompanied by Arty McGlynn, Noel O’Grady and Brian McGrath. This, their second album, continues their musical journey through the landscape of north Connaught.
“We met at the pub by chance one winter's evening and over a few drinks we realised we had very similar musical tastes, particularly the music of previous generations from the locality,” says John.
This mutual interest led to some exciting music sessions and a number of shows and shortly afterwards they released their first recording Pathway to the Well.
“Over the intervening period, we've searched our collective memory banks, old vinyl and session tapes which we recorded many years ago or were given to us for tunes and settings popular to the area and some of this music is included in this our second album.
“Out of the Ashes is a title we got from a saying of the great Johnny Watt Henry who was a night owl and liked to keep musicians late into the night. If they made an attempt to leave he would delay them by declaring ‘What hurry is on ye lads? Hold on and I’ll rake up the gríosach here and see if I can't pull another 'quare' tune out of the ashes for ye... to be bringing home with ye”.
“The first reel on the album is the McDonagh brothers' version of the tune also known as The Prohibition. The second reel is a Sligo version of the Grand Spey which Matt learned from Tilly Finn, a fiddle player and sister of Fred Finn from Killavil, Co Sligo. Billy Brocker's was a favourite of fiddle and flute duet Fred Finn and Peter Horan.
“This is a salute if you like to the great men and women of the past who nurtured the tradition against all the odds,” they say in their introduction to the album.
Born in London, John Carty has established himself among the elite of Irish traditional musicians. With a plethora of music recordings in various guises under his belt, John’s musical prowess has grown to great heights. He is also a member of the bands The John Carty Festival band, At the Racket and Patrick Street.
Most recently he arranged (and played in) all the traditional music elements in the film Brooklyn.
Both Matt and John are recipients of the prestigious TG4 Musician of the year Award. They are delighted to be joined by three of Ireland’s top accompanists: Tyrone guitar player, Arty McGlynn, piano player Brian McGrath and bouzouki player, Noel O'Grady. Their subtle and imaginative playing is the perfect accompaniment to Matt and John’s unique duet.
The leads play strictly within the tradition yet when playing together both are exhilarated by the boundlessness of each other's playing. But the music is more than that too – more than simply the sum of two players.
“A third element comes in there – it resolves into something else,” says Matt. “Something that comes about when two players are wired into each other and working intently with the music. It makes you feel good for days. It will make the listener feel good for days too.”
:: Out of the Ashes is available www.johncartymusic.com or www.mattmolloy.com. With many thanks to tradconnect.com, a fabulous source of information on traditional music.
