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JAMES CARTY Upon My Soul No label ***

Following in his brother John's footsteps for pithy CD titles, flute player James Carty's solo debut conjures an entire world in its name, Upon My Soul. It's a showcase of accompaniment, instruments chosen to hammock each tune set to sometimes spectacular effect, with the occasional pedestrian arrangement lurking in the undergrowth. Carty's choice of an F bamboo flute to tackle the pair of reels, Trip to Birmingham and Darby's Farewell, proves the perfect foil for his brother John's banjo, Francis Gaffney's guitar and John Blake's piano. He navigates a solo path around Siney Crotty's/Piper's Broken Finger, his fluent phrasing and genteel touch affording the jig/reel pairing an ideal backdrop. Elsewhere, the piano accompaniment occasionally lumbers unimaginatively, but Carty's warm-blooded playing lends definition in all the right places. www.johncartymusic.com Siobhán Long