SIOBHAN LONGreviews TÉADA

Ceol Cuimhne/Music Memory Gael Linn ****

This Sligo quintet have long been true to their roots, thanks to fine individual musicianship and a lack of appetite for musical pyrotechnics. The tunes have always done the talking in Téada’s repertoire. The painstaking research and attention to detail that suffuses Ceol Cuimhne/Music Memory pays fitting homage to its thought-provoking title (inspired, intriguingly, by the poet Shelley). Casting an ear to tunes that helped inform and form each individual band member, there’s a rich sense of continuity in the sets and of boundless energy bereft of egotism in the playing. Damien Stenson’s flute is a standout, and Téada’s decision to invite harpist Gráinne Hambly to join them on A Sligo Air was inspired, while Oisín MacDiarmada’s bare-knuckle fiddle on Clothiers is another standout. www.teada.com

Download tracks: Clothiers, Poitín March