GAVIN Frankie / EPPING Rick / EDEY Tim
Jiggin' the Blues

G2CD 7011

5018081701124
Greentrax
Irlanda

 

Frankie Gavin needs no introduction, being one of Ireland's top traditional fiddle players and a founder member of the widely-travelled Irish band De Dannan. On this quite unique album he is joined by two other brilliant musicians - Rick Epping (harmonica) and Tim Edey (guitar) - for an extraordinary Blues session. A glorious mix of traditional tunes played in a blues style, Jiggin' The Blues brings together three outstanding musicians for a selection of mainly Irish tunes, laced with a good dose of the blues. Together with their dedication to Irish traditional music, Frankie Gavin, Rick Epping and Tim Edey tap into a collective wealth of experience and authenticity in a wide range of musical styles. The opening medley on the album, the traditional Blues song Baby Please Don't Go, linked with the hornpipe Pol Ha'penny, shows that the Blues "ain't nothin' but a feeling", no matter whether you find it in "a field holler" from Mississippi or a slow reel from East Clare.  From the beautiful Cill Cais and Ge Do Theid Mi Do M'Leabiadh to the rousing Foxhunter's Jig and Frank Quinn's Reels, Jiggin' The Blues is a fine example of three lads playing the music they love and giving it everything they've got. Frankie Gavin has for years been at the forefront of Irish traditional music and is regarded by many as Ireland's all-time finest fiddler. From work with his band De Dannan to collaborations with Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Stephane Grappelli and The Rolling Stones, Frankie's musical ingenuity never fails to inspire and delight. Rick Epping has been living between Ireland and the United States for forty years, and has performed with musical greats as varied as Bluegrass founder Bill Monroe, Texas bluesman Mance Lipscomb and Irish accordion legend Joe Cooley. An All-Ireland harmonica champion, equally at home with the Blues, Rick also plays jaw harp and concertina. Tim Edey has been touring the world since the age of sixteen, and has recorded and performed with many of Ireland and Scotland's biggest names in traditional music, including Sharon Shannon, Michael McGoldrick, Lunasa, Anam and Mary Black. His guitar and keyboard accompaniment on this album, ranging from sensitive to pyrotechnic, shows why he is in such demand today.