Tripswitch [CD]

In a nutshell: an album of fantastic tunes, brilliantly played! You could analyse the time signatures and tempo changes of these exciting tunes (many co-composed by McSherry and O'Connor, others traditional arrangements) till the cows come home, but what's the point? This is a glorious forty minutes' listen from start to finish, overflowing with crisp, clear guitars, very fine percussion, expressive fiddle and keyboard playing from Dónal O'Connor (son of Gerry), and the masterly flute, whistle and uilleann pipe playing of John McSherry. Last time I heard McSherry was on his excellent `At First Light' venture with Michael McGoldrick. This album has equally strong impact, and if anything, it's all the more enjoyable for its varied instrumentation, which brims with energy.

Paul McSherry, Tony Byrne, Rubén Bada, and Gilles le Bigot play an array of guitars and bouzoukis, and create a rhythmic, `pulsing' acoustic sound - so satisfying and enjoyable at times that you feel you could `strip away' the lead instruments and just enjoy the strings! Shaun `Mudd' Wallace makes a real impact on percussion too. It's very rewarding to chance upon albums that introduce the best Celtic musicians from other countries to a new audience - as here, with Breton guitarist LeBigot, and Asturian bouzouki player Bada. There are just 8 tracks here, but there isn't a single tune that fails to engage my attention and interest, or reveal the empathy between all the musicians.

Title track `Tripswitch' is an ambient slow reel that showcases the talents of every performer, and reveals the intuitive playing of both lead musicians as pipes and fiddle meld seamlessly. `Spanish 5's' is a beautiful, sensual set of 5/8 dance tunes from Salamanca and Segovia - the time signatures are supposed to make you `dance like a lame person'! The low whistles of `Antón' somehow convey an ethereal feel, and `Áille's Arabesque', John's celebration of his daughter, effortlessly combines slip jig and double jig and features fine harmonium playing by Dónal. The reel sets are simply outstanding - `Rose in the Gap', `Sean Maguire's, and the `Commonalty Set'

`Tripswitch' succeeds in sounding fresh, exciting and innovative where rival contemporary Celtic instrumental albums fail to turn you on. Consummate musicianship, outstanding tunes - acoustic perfection.

This ranks as one my most treasured albums in my collection being a blend of absorbing, relaxing, uplifting and at times reflective collection of instrumental Irish Folk Music. Actually, tagging it as Irish Folk is slightly misleading because the artists have traveled and influences from other Celtic regions are present. Amongst the contemporary rendering of traditional Irish tunes there are tracks based upon traditional dance tunes learnt whilst in Spain.
The recording and musicianship on this album is superb. Essentially this album showcases the talents of John McSherry supported by fiddler Donal O'Connor. Both are highly esteemed musicians amongst their peers.
John is an entirely self taught player of the Uillean Pipes (pron. 'il-lorn pipes') and also a fine exponent on Low Whistle. For me the delight of this album is in the interplay of the voicing of John and Donal playing together, often in unison. The distinguishing feature of Irish music is the embellishment (twiddly bits!) and musicians are often characterised by their particular style. I never cease to be amazed by the interaction between John and Donal.

Well made CD, the musicianship is second to none. A good mixture of slow airs and faster music. Great listening.