Pontún are a new Irish-based music quartet embracing folk traditions from Ireland and Africa. The band features several Jiggy players, including Éamonn Galldubh on Whistle & Uilleann Pipes, Robbie Harris on Percussion, and Niwel Tsumbu on Guitar & Vocals. The legendary Steve Cooney also joins them on Bass.
Today they have revealed their rhythmically pulsating, infectious new single Atlantean, a taster of what’s to come as they work on their new album.
Irish music has always looked out beyond its borders, weaving itself into the fabric of music around the world. It is eloquently demonstrated in this collaboration that embraces folk traditions from Ireland and Africa. Éamonn Galldubh’s adventurous approach on the whistle and uilleann pipes is coupled with the masterfully elegant guitar and vocals of Congolese musician Niwel Tsumbu. Niwel’s cascades of rippling notes fill the role between lead and rhythm. This exciting interplay is underscored on fretless bass by legendary Australian musician and producer Steve Cooney. Percussionist Robbie Harris adds an infectious rhythmic accent driven by the Irish bodhrán and West African percussion of djembe and calabash. What started life as a sharing of ideas online doing lockdown the quartet has grown organically into a vivid new chapter in Irish music and its capacity for dialogue.
As they prove here, Pontún has all the ingredients needed to present a powerhouse album that’s both celebratory and refreshingly original. We hope to bring you more soon.
Download Atlantean via Bandcamp: https://pontun.bandcamp.com/releases