Suite Loftus Music ****

Kevin Burke's fiddle has a distinctive and crisp Sligo swing that's, in its time, has invigorated The Bothy Band, Patrick Street, Open House and The Celtic Fiddle Festival. Suite is a groundbreaking departure for a musician whose traditional chops are well and truly established. Accompanied by guitaristCal Scott (with whom he recorded a pristine collection in 2007, Across the Black River), Burke marries a carefully chosen series of five traditional tune sets with 10 tunes arranged in four movements for string quartet. This shift in theme and tone is surprisingly fluid, and melds readily with the traditional sets. Hornpipe/Kitty O'Neillis a particularly fine example of the easy interplay between violin, viola and cello, which renders usual genre classifications redundant. Burke's vitality, reminiscent at times of Sligo fiddler Seamus McGuire's The Wishing Tree, buoys every last note on Suite. See kevinburke.com.

Download tracks: Air: Cailín Deas Crúithe na mBó