See Lúnasa in:
Lúnasa is an internationally acclaimed traditional Irish music group, named after Lughnasadh, a Celtic harvest festival, and also the Irish word for August.
With its use of the upright acoustic bass — brought front and center by Trevor Hutchinson — the group seeks out the essential heartbeat of a tune:
‘There are lots of great melodies in Irish music but often people don’t hear the rhythms underneath ... We try to relate the swing or energy out of the music, using new rhythms, letting each instrument add its own unique layer. We’ll play the same tune over and over searching for the groove, exploring it. We let the music find its pulse.’
So argues founding member Seán Smyth, an All-Ireland champion on both fiddle and whistle. Seán has appeared on many recordings including his critically acclaimed solo debut, The Blue Fiddle in 1993, Ceol Tigh Neachtain, Music at Matt Molloy's, Brendan O'Regan's A Wind of Change, Alan Kelly's Out of the Blue and Mosaic, and Dónal Lunny's Coolfin.
Flute, whistle, and bodhran player, Kevin Crawford is a member of another all-instrumental Irish band, Moving Cloud. In 1994, Kevin made his first solo album, ’D’ Flute Album, available on Green Linnet Records.
Bass player Trevor Hutchison played with rock band The Waterboys from 1986 to 1991 and recorded two albums before joining the Sharon Shannon Band. A much-in-demand musician, Trevor has also recorded with Moving Cloud, Altan’s Dermot Byrne, Máire Breatnach and Eileen Ivers of Riverdance fame.
Uilleann pipes and low whistle player Cillian Vallely has spent many years touring in the US, performing with bands such as New York-based Whirligig, Paddy O’Brien’s Chulrua and with Clare fiddler Seamus Connolly. He was featured as uilleann pipes soloist in the Broadway production of Riverdance
Line-up:
- Kevin Crawford (flute)
- Donogh Hennessy (guitar)
- Trevor Hutchinson (bass)
- Seán Smyth (fiddle)
- Cillian Vallely (uilleann pipes, whistle)
Visit the Lúnasa website
