Martin hayes and dennis cahill

[Dagger Gordon]

I listened to some snippets of this on Amazon today. Very beautiful, I thought.

Anyone got this? Seems to be some mandolin, which I understand to be Dennis. What does he play?

There seemed to be 2 fiddles on one track. Is it double tracking, or are there guests?

[Gutbucket]

Dennis plays alot of different stringed instruments. He has a custom Running Dog parlor guitar, a Santa Cruz guitar, but I'm not sure what his mandolin is. He plays a few pub sessions when he's back home in Chicago. Martin and Dennis are an awesome force in Celtic music today. Hayes has the most fascinating bow hand of any fiddler I've ever seen.

[PseudoCelt]

In the Cafe archives, there are a couple of references to Dennis Cahill playing a Crump mandolin or a Collings A model.

Patrick

[SternART]

Welcome Here Again is an OUTSTANDING recording......if you like these guys, buy it immediately.
Their live recording is wonderful but this CD takes their duo to new levels. There is even a bit
of studio magic with Dennis on mando & guitar on the same cut. It starts right off with the fiddle
& mando playing in unison. Last time I saw them perform Dennis played an F5, but I wasn't close enough
to see what it was. Martin is amazing, but it is the interplay between the two that is so special.
Cahill plays sparely but with just the right amount of accompanyment to get the groove thing going. I
think this is their best recording, and the SOUND is outstanding, a notch up from their previous recordings.
Lots of different grooves on this outing as well. Go buy this CD, you won't regret it! I've had it a few weeks
and play it over & over again.

There are other duos I've admired greatly over the years,like Mike Marshall & Darol Anger, Jorma Kaukonen
& Jack Cassidy,Chick Corea and Gary Burton,Jerry Douglas & Bela Fleck, and David Grisman & Tony Rice....
Hayes & Cahill have the taste & timing to easily be in this caliber of duos. They get better every year!

[Dagger Gordon]

Yeah, I ordered it this morning. #I liked the look of it.

I haven't bought that many Celtic CDs in the last while - it tends to be something I hear live and at sessions - but one disc I like very much is 'Journeyman', by Gerry O'Connor (not the one who plays tenor banjo), which I got after seeing him and his son Donal in my local village hall about a year ago.

Talking of duos, Gerry is playing with Breton guitarist Gilles Le Bigot in the Highlands soon as part of a tour which includes two other duos - Bruce Molsky with Scottish harpist/ Gaelic singer / radio presenter Mary Ann Kennedy and Scottish piano and fiddle twins Mike and Aly Vass. The tour is called Fiddle Rendezvous. #Sounds excellent.

[Steve L]

Dagger, I was just thinking yesterday you haven't posted in a while. I hope Julie is doing well.

[Wolfboy]

There seemed to be 2 fiddles on one track. #Is it double tracking, or are there guests?
No guests - the only musicians on the CD are Martin (fiddles and viola) and Dennis (guitar, mandolin and bass).

[mrmando]

Just saw the boys play live at the scene of the crime, as it were: the Tractor Tavern in Seattle, where their previous CD, "Live in Seattle," was recorded 9 years ago. Outstanding as always. The most transcendent expression of Irish music I have ever heard. Dennis played the Collings A.

[mrmando]

There are other duos I've admired greatly over the years,like Mike Marshall & Darol Anger, Jorma Kaukonen
& Jack Cassidy,Chick Corea and Gary Burton,Jerry Douglas & Bela Fleck, and David Grisman & Tony Rice....
Hayes & Cahill have the taste & timing to easily be in this caliber of duos. They get better every year!
One of the special things about Hayes/Cahill is their ability to find and articulate so many different levels of intensity in one tune or medley. Some bands know how to kick it up a notch, or two notches. Martin and Dennis do 8 to 12 distinct, recognizable notches. They start out quietly and end up with a barnburner.

I realize there's more than a bit of apples/oranges here, but I would compare them to U. Srinivas/U. Rajesh in this regard. Srinivas is also quite good at a long slow burn over the course of a tune.

[Dagger Gordon]

Hi Steve,

Haven't been posting because we've been busy at the lambing for the last 3 weeks or so. #Don't tend to do much music then, just sheep.

Started playing a wee bit the last few days, however. #Getting near the end, and the weather has got much better.

As ever, thanks for asking about Julie. #She is taking a while to recover from her seizures at Christmas, to be honest.

Looking forward to getting this CD.

Cheers.

[Bren]

I was fortunate to see Hayes and Cahill in Perth, Western Australia in February, in an open air concert.
They have a rapport which transcends genre and appeals to a broad audience. I wonder if playing in a rock band together before dedicating themselves to traditional music informs the way that they play together - I suspect it does, in the dynamics

[SternART]

Masters of the medley......the way they morph between tunes or versions of tunes within a longer period of time,
reminds me of the way the Grateful Dead used to string them together, and as mrmando says....go from the slow burn...
to raging fire, by varying dynamics and tempo, morphing the tunes into a medley.....Hayes & Cahill can certanly
whip the crowd into a frenzy, building layer upon layer of intensity.

[ruraltradpunk]

I haven't bought that many Celtic CDs in the last while - it tends to be something I hear live and at sessions - but one disc I like very much is 'Journeyman', by Gerry O'Connor (not the one who plays tenor banjo), which I got after seeing him and his son Donal in my local village hall about a year ago.
I recently got Gerry "Fiddle" O'Connor's "Journeyman" CD as well - my banjo teacher gave it to me because she was teaching me "Jig in A/Dancing Eyes/Up and About in the Morning". I'd like to learn some of the other tunes on it as well, definitely a CD I'd recommend to anyone.

Jill

[steve V. johnson]

Dennis Cahill taught a class at the St. Louis Tionól a couple of years back, and it was a wonderful time, very, very informative.

He talked about how they arrange stuff, from just playing thru it and seeing what comes up, to much more detailed looks into
what the tunes can say.

He also said that there are lots of Tulla Ceili Band recordings still to be released, and that Cahill, as the sound guy for the Tulla
reunion tours, recorded all those shows, too.

More to come, I guess, on that front.

Thanks for the references to the great duets, too! It's really great to see Corea & Burton mentioned here! Very good points, thanks!

stv

[Dagger Gordon]

Hi Jill,

Yes, 'Journeyman' is full of great tunes #- in fact it's one of those rare things, an album where not only every track but every tune is a cracker.

Gerry is a wonderful player, and this is an incredibly good CD. #He is so good - just listen to the way he tears up some of those reels - and is also a marvellous slow air player. Track 10 'Bessie the beauty of Rossinure Hill' is an example of his strong but tender tone. Just fabulous.
I realise I'm in danger of hijacking my own thread by enthusing so much over this!

However, I think Hayes and Cahill are indeed a classic combination.
While we're at it, let's not forget those two great albums by Kevin Burke and the very much missed Michael O'Domnhail - Promenade and Portland - which I found very inspiring, as I suspect did Martin and Dennis.

[John of Patcham]

I'll be ordering my copy today. #Martin and Dennis are sublime performers both on record and live. #

This summer they are down to play in the UK at the Sidmouth Festival on Aug 3rd, but we won't be able to get to that. #Does any one know of any other UK dates? #There's nothing on their web site yet.

[Dagger Gordon]

Well I've had this CD for a couple of weeks or so, and I've got to admit it's not really working for me. #
I'm afraid I find it samey, and I do find myself wishing Dennis would sometimes play with a bit more 'welly'. #I quite like his mandolin playing though.
One thing I hadn't expected was how short many of the tracks are. I guess I thought that longer tracks would build the intensity, but I just can't hear the varying dynamics and intensity most of the time. #
I have to say that I respect the judgement of many people (on this forum and elsewhere) who really get into it, so I'm happy to accept that the problem is probably me.
On the other hand, last night I went to see the Fiddle Rendezvous tour featuring Gerry O'Connor, Bruce Molsky and others which I mentioned earlier. #Cracking gig.
I really think Gerry O'Connor is the business when it comes to Irish fiddling, and I much prefer his music to Martin's. #
Am I alone in having reservations about Martin and Dennis' stuff? #I can't deny that I thought I would like it more than I do. #Sorry.

[John of Patcham]

I can certainly understand that reaction. #They have developed a style of playing which is some distanced removed from mainstream ITM - more laid-back and sensual. #I assume that Dennis's playing is deliberately understated as that's the way Martin wants it, such that every last subtle nuance of his playing gets heard.

They're now on the bill at the Stokes Bay (UK) festival on Aug 2nd which is great news for me as we've already got our tickets for that.

[SternART]

I prefer the Live CD from the Tractor Tavern.....but I'm VERY happy to have another option in my collection.
That Fiddle Rendezvous does indeed sound like a "cracking gig"!

[brianunitt]

I heard Martin on Clare FM a week or so ago. He mentioned that this CD emphasizes individual tunes over sets because he wanted the listener to have the chance to appreciate what each tune has to offer. He said a lot of times when you play or listen to a set, you forget what the first tune sounded like by the time you get through the third or fourth. He played a few of the tunes live, and I was quite taken with his style. Haven't bought the CD yet, but I intend to. I definitely like Dennis's backing style, it really seems to fit Martin's style, and enhance the melody.

[Bren]

Am I alone in having reservations about Martin and Dennis' stuff?
well, I was spellbound by their concert, but I didn't buy a CD. I did buy some download tracks.
I couldn't see how you could get the same intensity of the live performance on a CD.
I would spend the money on going to see them live again, should the opportunity arise. Dennis' playing seems perfect on the night, it's very integrated into the whole though . There's not a lot to it, in itself

[Gutbucket]

A few years ago, I took my son who was 8 years old at the time, to see Martin and Dennis in Milwaukee. I didn't expect him to like the music, as long as he was quiet and sat still for the performance. Instead he sat nearly 2 hours on the edge of his seat totally mesmorized. He talked about that concert for weeks after. These guys are at their best when seen live. Theres alot of musical language going on between them that can't be captured on a recording.

[Roland Sturm]

The newest CD is fine, but very mellow, a bit much for my taste. Live, however, the two cover a wider range. I've seen them a few times this year, every concert was great. Dennis plays a Collings MT2 these days. It is set up with very low action, almost like a jazz mandolin (his words). It plays amazingly easy, even though I usually don't like V-necks. On the other hand, that is probably not the setup you'd use for bluegrass or take to an ITM session (but his choice of a nylon string guitar is not standard either).

Here is a better quality youtube video of a 10 minute set from a concert a month ago, quite different from the CD (although some of the same tunes):
http://www.youtube.com/user/fiddlefestival
No mandolin here (though a vid of Bruce Molsky from the same concert as well).

[SternART]

Very cool!

[Lou Scuderi]

I'm going to see them in a couple of weeks, I'm really excited. The Old Blind Dogs concert last weekend was pretty awesome, so I'm expecting to be blown away. Anybody else from Tucson going?

[GaryTimmons]

Just thought I'd post a note regarding Martin and Dennis. They will be in Sebastopol, California for the Sebastopol Celtic Music Festival September 19 - 21
More info:
http://www.cumuluspresents.com/

[Dagger Gordon]

Well, I have to report that this album is finally working for me, especially as the nights are drawing in.

I put it on quite late when I put the fire on, and it's nice.

Another thing is that someone has put my old CD player in the sitting room on to some sort of random selection programme so I hear the music in a different way every time, and I somehow find that I'm enjoying it more because of that. Normally I'm a firm believer in the order the artist wanted, but I think part of my problem with this CD has been that I actually don't like its running order much.

Anyway, I'm pleased to say that I'm now definitely a fan.

Incidentally, I've had a good week of music with a festival called Blas. A fiddle group I play with opened for The Chieftains, which was interesting. Unfortunately Matt Molloy wasn't there because of family illness, leaving only Paddy, Sean Keane and Kevin Conneff fromm the old guard. They had a bunch of other younger dancers and musicians on stage however, including one American and two Canadian dancers and three Scottish musicians - Gaelic singer Alyth McCormack with Brian MacAlpine on keyboards and Anna Massie on guitar (actually depping for Jonny Hardie).
A good show, nonetheless.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Sounds like it was a blast Dagger. Pity about the old guard, none of us getting any younger. Where the hell in California is Sebastopol? I thought that was in Siberia. I'm in Irvine, any chance of a ticket?

[Paul Kotapish]

Where the hell in California is Sebastopol? I'm in Irvine, any chance of a ticket?

Sebastopol is a sweet little burg in Sonoma County, about an hour northwest of San Francisco. It's been a hub for traditional music for decades, not least because of the efforts of Cloud Moss, the gent who runs the Celtic Festival (and several others).

Tickets are available through the website: http://www.cumuluspresents.com/

It's a great little festival. Very high caliber performers, good sound on most of the stages, and generally easy access and low hassle. I've performed there many times, and always enjoyed attending, too.

The lineup this year is stellar:

Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill
Tannahill Weavers (Scotland)
La Musgaña (Spain)
Genticorum (Quebec)
Väsen (Sweden)
Vishten (Prince Edward Island)
Cara Dillon (No. Ireland)
Connie Dover (USA)
Slide (Ireland)
Culann's Hounds (USA)
William Coulter & David Brewer (USA)
Healy Irish Dancers w/Dockside, Santa Rosa
Scottish Dancers w/Wild Rose, and more...

[EdSherry]

I saw them this weekend at the Sebastopol Celtic Festival. Amazing stuff, as usual. On Sunday they played with Vasen, a monster trio from Sweden (nykelharpa, viola, 12-string guitar) and tore it up.

[tango_grass]

No way!! :mad: Väsen on the west coast of the United States and I didn't see them! :crying: Ahh well...must have been a killer show!!!

BTW, Martin and Dennis are killer musicians...Martin is a fantastic fiddler, and some of his dynamics can transfer quite well to mandolin.

[Dagger Gordon]

Well it's that time of year again when I find Martin Hayes works best for me.

Dark and rainy outside, grand log fire on - Martin and Dennis doing what they do. Nice.