Sharon Shannon, Frankie Gavin, Michael McGoldrick, Jim Murray - Tunes (CD)

If contemporary Irish instrumental music had an all-star team, this might be it. With Sharon Shannon on accordion, Frankie Gavin (former De Dannan frontman) on fiddle, Michael McGoldrick (Capercaillie, Flook) on flute, and Jim Murray on guitar, it’s no wonder this CD is simply titled Tunes. "Already there’s a real group dynamic bringing variety of tempo and character to the tunes," the Glasgow Herald said of the quartet’s performance at the Celtic Connections Festival in January 2005.

While this collection of twelve instrumentals relies heavily on Irish traditional material, Shannon and company also tackle traditional Asturian tunes, contemporary Scottish tunes, and four original compositions - one each from Shannon, Gavin, McGoldrick and Murray. Tunes proves that, even in the contemporary Irish scene, four versatile musicians who’ve mastered both their instruments and the genre, need neither pyrotechnics nor vocals.1.       The Cappataggle Shuffle2.       The Rookery3.       The Jewels of the Ocean4.       The Road to Corrandulla5.       Billy in the Low Ground6.       Summer's Coming7.       Calum's Road8.       Mickey Joe Mikes9.       The Bass Rock10. The Cat's Meow11. The Clare Reel12. The Bucks of Oranmore