The latest CD releases reviewed

BOBBY CASEY
The Spirit of West Clare Bow Hand ****

Exuberance and a taste for highly decorative ornamentation defined the playing of late west Clare fiddler Bobby Casey. This long overdue collection, recorded in London in 1966, 1967 and 1971, will re-ignite many a session list with Casey's vivacious and eclectic repertoire, epitomised by his meandering seven reel set bookended by The Liffey Banks and Ballinasloe Fair. Far removed from the lonesome plainsong of east Clare, Casey's music relished the thrill of the pursuit in a tune, rarely tarrying long before advancing to the next one. His characteristic bustle didn't preclude an absolute respect for articulating each phrase with a mix of vim and vigour without compare. A boon for any musician weighted down with west Clare tunes, but in search of the accent that defined them. www.copperplateconsultants.com

Download tracks: Farewell to Milltown, The Salamanca

CELTIC FIDDLE FESTIVAL
Equinoxe Loftus Music ***

Music can be a time machine, shuttling the listener between past and present and affording a peek into worlds untouched, outside of the tunes they inhabit. The Celtic Fiddle Festival weds Irish and Breton traditions with brio. Now, with Québecois fiddler André Brunet a solid cast member, the quartet traces little-known pathways through a swathe of Irish, Breton and French Canadian tunes. Kevin Burke's fluid bow hand- guides the way. His choice of a trio of tunes from Vincent McGrath, one of the Rossport Five, underscores the relevance of contemporary compositions jousting with Québecois and Breton tunes, such as the spirited Ton Bale Plevin march. CFF's trio of fiddles spark and fizz, and Ged Foley's guitar is sympathetic in places, although at times a relentless predictability creeps into his accompaniment. www.loftusmusic.com

Download tracks: Twilight In Portroe, Reel de Napoleon