Pride Of The West

Description

The combination of flute and fiddle has pride of place in traditional Irish music and many famous duos have used that classic combination – Peter Horan & Fred Finn, Josie Hayes & Junior Crehan, and Matt Molloy & Tommy Peoples, among others.

Pride of the West draws on the immense flute and fiddle tradition of north Connacht and on the musicians' strong Roscommon connections, and communicates the excitement, tension and tranquillity inherent in the combination of these two great instruments. The tunes on the album are mainly from the Sligo – Roscommon repertoire and include unusual local versions of tunes as well as some new compositions.

Accompaniment is ably and subtly provided by Paddy McEvoy, John McEvoy's son, on piano and Arty McGlynn on guitar. Both Wynne and McEvoy are excellent exponents of the north Connacht style of playing and are established musicians in their own right.

John Wynne is from Roscommon and has a strong interest in the music of Sligo, Roscommon and Leitrim. He was a member of the band Providence and recorded two albums with them. He also released a critically-acclaimed solo album in 2000 and produced and played on the recent CD The Flute Players of Roscommon, Vol 1.

John McEvoy was brought up in Birmingham of Roscommon parents. He recorded the album Bakerswell with the group of the same name in the late eighties. His solo CD, Returning, was released in 1998, and he recorded The Kilmore Fancy with his sister, flute-player Catherine McEvoy, in 2004.