Carthy, Hardy, Farrell & Young: Laylam

Laylam which [Eliza] Carthy says means “chorus,” is a showcase for the group’s four-part harmonies and the interplay of their four fiddles, in combinations that include violins, viola and cello. It’s also an excitingly diverse selection of songs in a range of styles, from old English folk to American jazz, pop, country, and spirituals, plus . . . → Read More: Carthy, Hardy, Farrell & Young: Laylam

Brief Lines: Not So Long Ago, In A Place Far Away

To venture into the fantastic is to step onto unfamiliar ground. Some works do this figuratively, populating familiar locations with vampires, werewolves and other critters. Others prefer to be more literal, moving plot and characters at one feel swoop off to a distant landscape that often bears as much resemblance to the real location it’s . . . → Read More: Brief Lines: Not So Long Ago, In A Place Far Away

Irish traditional music for your consideration

In the rather small world of Irish traditional musicians, Eliot Grasso has been widely considered one of the best uilleann pipers playing today; Dave Cory has always been one of the hottest of the rock’n’roll tenor banjo hotshots. North by Northwest, recorded in 2006, isn’t going to tarnish the luster of their reputations.

“Dave and I . . . → Read More: Irish traditional music for your consideration