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Biography
I am a fiddle player currently based in Kinvara, Co.
Galway on the West Coast of Ireland. I
began my musical career as a self taught American Old-time and Bluegrass
fiddle player before meeting my good friend Bob Winquist a canadian born fiddle player based in London who helped me enormously . Eventually a curiosity and taste for improvisation
lead me to swing jazz. I was lucky enough to meet Johnny Van Derek, a then elderly London based swing player who amongst other things, played in many feature films including 'The Pink Panther'. Johnny advised me to try to study classical violin, and gave me weekly lessons for a year before his death.I went on as a mature student to study
classical violin at Trinity College of Music, London with Diana Cummings and John Crawford.
A
desire for stylistic integrity and the belief that a strong
sense of the spirit and soul of these styles are contained
in the communities from where they originate has led me to
travel both in Europe and the USA playing with
many of the worlds leading fiddle players. I work
both as a performer and recording artist, and have
broadcast frequently and toured extensively throughout Europe
and the USA.
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News
I am currently recording an exciting project in my studio with Lena Ullman, a Swedish 'claw hammer' banjo player living in Ireland. This will be a combination of origional and traditional tunes and songs, but the style will be uniquely ours. I have played with Lena for many years, and am glad we can finally put our own music on disc. On this recording we will be joined by the guitarist Dennis Cahil who normally plays as a duo with Irish fiddle player Martin Hayes. A Cd can be expected early in 2010.
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