The Common Ground Ensemble is the latest stage in Martin Hayes’ life-long musical journey – their new album, Peggy’s Dream, is out Friday, March 24th 2023 via 251 Records and can be pre-ordered here. The first single, The Boyne Water, can be streamed from March 1st.
The album is dedicated to the memory of my mother Peggy and my great friend Dennis Cahill
Martin Hayes
With The Common Ground Ensemble, Martin Hayes aimed to create an ensemble of musicians from different backgrounds who also have connections to Irish music – the common ground of their name. The line-up emerged to encompass Cormac McCarthy (piano, ‘Cottage Evolution’), Kate Ellis (cello, Artistic Director of Crash Ensemble), Kyle Sanna (guitar, a collaborator with Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile) and Brian Donnellan (bouzouki / harmonium / concertina, and, like Hayes, an alumnus of The Tulla Ceìiliì Band).
Collectively they possess a wealth of talent spanning the worlds of traditional Irish music, cutting-edge contemporary classical, jazz improvisation and experimental music. In The Common Ground Ensemble, all of these genres are interwoven with the core elements of the tradition in a way that also gives each musician’s remarkable talents the space to shine. Or, as Hayes summarises, “I want this to be the most fun I can have while I’m on stage.”
Now sold out, Martin Hayes & The Common Ground Ensemble will perform at the National Concert Hall on March 26th. They previously performed there in 2020, before which Martin spoke about the project:
But what sets the Common Ground Ensemble apart from Hayes’ myriad other projects?
“I’ve usually tended to gather a group of people together and just see what begins to emerge,” considers Hayes. “The larger picture in terms of mood, feeling, harmonies and overall arrangement is mostly driven by my aspirations for the tunes. I make a rough arrangement sketch that we then collectively fill out. One of my goals is also to create space and opportunity for all the different musical personalities, styles, and genres to be freely expressed within this band. I feel that the ensemble’s potential is best realised when the totality of each musicians capacity and musical personality can be fully utilised and freely expressed.”
Finding what’s new, challenging and progressive in the tradition has been a hallmark of Hayes’ career, even though the foundations of his music remain firmly rooted in the music of East Co Clare. Hayes was born and raised in a locality filled with music, and his father, P.J. Hayes, and uncle, Paddy Canny, were both renowned fiddle players and founder members of The Tulla Ceìiliì Band – the same group that both Hayes Jr. and Brian Donnellan have played in.
Martin Hayes was always passionate about music, but it was not a career path he intended to take. “I always loved it, but I didn’t want the precarious life that often comes with being a professional musician. I was good at it and identified with it more than anything else in my life. In retrospect I was very lucky that a career emerged even if I hadn’t planned it.”
By his late teens, Hayes had been named the All-Ireland Fiddle Champion seven times and, by his early twenties, had relocated to Chicago. The Windy City’s Irish music scene was strong, yet Hayes discovered something new about himself. “I liked reaching outside of the world of traditional music, and it was there that my first adventurous collaboration and lifetime friendship with Dennis Cahill began in a band called Midnight Court.”
He met countless new musicians, discovered new bands and engaged in some unlikely recording sessions. “Some of them were very loud and rock ‘n’ roll, but I’d get through it somehow and I always learned from the experience. Even if the lesson was, don’t do that again,” he chuckles. “It’s an important idea to me to be open-minded and not shut the door on things that I’m not familiar with or do not fully understand.”
His credits soon racked up. Solo projects, albums with Dennis Cahill, The Gloaming, the Martin Hayes Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, Triuìr and countless other collaborations. “These projects are the indispensable foundations of my current thoughts about how I like to arrange and perform traditional Irish music.”
The Common Ground Ensemble is the latest stage in Martin Hayes’ life-long musical journey – one that will continue to evolve for years to come. “You have to accept that perfection may elude you forever,” he signs off. “But that’s ok because music isn’t about perfection. For me, it’s more about heart, feeling, trust, freedom, communication and true aliveness in the moment.”
You will be able to stream the first single, The Boyne Water, from March 1st.
Martin has been recognised as Musician of the Year (Gradam Ceoil) from TG4, Person of the Year by the American Irish Historical Society in New York City and is a recipient of the annual Spirit of Ireland award from the Irish Arts Center NY. He was named musician of the year at the inaugural BBC Folk Awards and also instrumentalist of the year at the inaugural RTE Folk Awards. He and Dennis performed for President Obama and dignitaries both at the White House and the US Capitol Building in March, 2011. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from National University of Ireland Galway.
In related news: a new documentary, Dennis Cahill – Litir ó Do Chara (Dennis Cahill – A Letter from your friend) will be aired on TG4 on Sunday, 5 March at 9:30 pm. It celebrates the life and music of Chicago Guitarist Dennis Cahill with his family and musical friends, led by Martin Hayes. Watch the trailer below.
Peggy’s Dream (Deluxe CD) – Includes Bonus Tracks
Tracklisting:
1. The Boyne Water
2.The Longford Tinker
3. Cá Bhfuil An Solas
4. Peggy’s Dream
5. Johnny Cope/Hughie Travers’ Reel
6. Garrett Barry’s Jig
7. The Glen Of Aherlow
8. Aisling Gheal
9. The Road To Cashel
10. Strawberry Blossom
11. O’Carolan’s Farewell to Music
12. Toss The Feathers/The Magerabaun Reel