Before The Gloaming, which, for many, linked Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh‘s Hardanger fiddle with the piano of Thomas Bartlett aka Doveman, both were in-demand musicians with a host of projects and collaborations already under their belts. Caoimhín’s fiddle opened one of our more contemporary mixes ‘Rain on Moss’, with a track from his 2007 solo album Where the One-Eyed Man Is King, an album on which he displayed a sense of freedom in his playing. Unconstrained, ambient and experimental in nature, it was beautifully contemporary and hinted at what may follow.
I first heard Bartlett’s playing in the same year that Caoimhín’s above-mentioned album was released. Sam Amidon (a close friend and long-term collaborator of Bartlett) released his debut album But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted in 2007 and along with playing an incredible array of instruments from Piano and Drums to Accordion and Wurlitzer, Bartlett also produced the album. His production work is quite staggering as is his playing, with Rufus Wainwright describing him as “one of the greatest living pianists”.
Listening to their music on this album immediately puts you in mind of a film score, like Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, there is a strong visual element to their music, something they’ve already put into practice with a contribution to Volker Schlöndorff’s 2017 film Return to Montauk alongside the likes of Max Richter.
Today sees the LP and digital release of their latest self-titled collaboration which we’ll be featuring more on soon. Taken from the album, listen to “All Good Things”, our Tune of the Day on which Caoimhín shared the inspiration behind the piece:
There’s a festival in Co. Cork called the Baltimore Fiddle Fair every year in May, and it is always so much fun, with musicians coming to it from Scotland, Scandinavia, the States, Canada, from everywhere. It’s one of those festivals that you never want to leave, you never want it to end. One year, they asked me to be musician-in-residence there, and I wrote this tune on the Monday as the festival finished, just before hitting the road for home. I think we all know that feeling, when you’ve been in a bubble with a group of people for a few days, and now you must return to reality, back out to the rest of the world who have no idea of the magic and fun and connection you’ve just experienced.
Order it here http://smarturl.it/RW226/
Upcoming Dates
13 SEP – PEPPER CANISTER CHURCH, Dublin
14 SEP – SOUNDS FROM A SAFE HARBOUR, Cork
27 SEP – PURCELL ROOM, SOUTHBANK CENTRE, London
Photo credit: Heidi Solander