Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill- Irish Music

Martin Hayes is one of the best fiddlers on the planet. Dennis Cahill is a subtle guitar master. Put aside your notion of Irish music…and just listen.” NPR 6:30PM Doors 7:30PM show All Ages Show Tickets $21 Advance $25 DOS $15 student/military with current I.D.

“This remarkable duo has honed a ravishing repertoire by distilling the melodic essence of traditional tunes…bringing chamber music’s intensity and dynamic control to folk music.” –Seattle Times

“Zen-like simplicity to reels and jigs; subtle, jazz-tinged guitar—it’s pure, spare and intense.” –Time Out/New York

“On their own, each is remarkable. As a duo, they are sublime.” –Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

“Sparsely accompanied fiddle music has rarely sounded so complete and so essential.” – –Q Magazine

 Hayes and Cahill work off each other like two jazz masters, exploring the tunes, spinning medleys that expand and contract with intensity. “Our allegiance is to the spirit of the moment,” says Hayes, “Our primary wish is that the musical experience be one that lifts our spirits and those of the audience.” PLUS Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill are two of the world’s leading innovators in traditional Irish music. Their deep interpretations are recognized the world over for their exquisite musicality and irresistible rhythm. The New York Times calls them “a Celtic complement to Steve Reich’s Quartets and Miles Davis’s ‘Sketches of Spain.’”

The duo make a rare visit to Colorado this May. Fiddle player Martin Hayes was born and raised in rural County Clare, the son of esteemed fiddler PJ Hayes, and is acknowledged as one of Ireland’s most innovative and influential artists. A former member of his father’s renowned Tulla Ceili Band, Martin had won six All-Ireland Fiddle Championships by age 19. He has performed with Sting, Paul Simon, and Sinead O’Connor; and taught Jeremy Irons to play a fiddle tune. His many awards include Folk Instrumentalist of the Year (BBC), Spirit of Ireland Honoree (Irish Arts Center), Man of the Year (American Irish Historical Society), and Musician of the Year (TG4 Gradam Ceol, Ireland). Dennis Cahill is a master guitarist, a native of Chicago born to parents from County Kerry, Ireland. His background includes study in classical, jazz, blues, and folk. Dennis’s spare, essential accompaniment to Hayes’ fiddle is acknowledged as a major breakthrough for guitar in the Irish tradition.

The duo have three acclaimed albums together on Compass/Green Linnet Records; the latest is Welcome Here Again. Martin and Dennis are also making waves with their award winning new band The Gloaming, who just took Ireland’s top award the Meteor Choice Award for the best album of 2014. The self-titled CD, called “astonishingly beautiful” by NPR, rocketed to the top of Irish charts and landed on many best of year lists for 2014 including NPR, The Guardian, and The Irish Times. The group has performed at Lincoln Center, the Royal Albert Hall for the Irish PM and the Royal family, and for the European Union in Brussels. Martin and Dennis continue their musical conversation with audiences worldwide — as a duo, with the Gloaming, and with their many other projects. Their deep knowledge of the tradition and ability to place it within a wider contemporary context combine for moving new interpretations of Irish music. “The musical explorations are a means of shedding light on an ongoing artistic journey, as well as a challenge to any rigidity of thought, ” says Hayes.

http://www.npr.org/event/music/173842530/martin-hayes-dennis-cahill-tiny-desk-concert