Album Launch Night
Loïc Bléjean and Tad Sargent / Thomas McCarthy / Terence O’Flaherty / Michael Sheehy
Thurs 27th Oct 2016
7.30pm
Venue: Fiddler’s Elbow, 1 Malden Rd, London NW5 3HS – click for map
FREE Event
This year, we are devoting an entire evening to our ever-popular album launches, which feature releases from some of the finest Irish musicians and performers.
Loïc Bléjean, from Brittany, plays uilleann pipes and low whistle. Deeply rooted in Irish traditional music, he is a versatile performer who has taken part in a great variety of projects. He is currently working with jazz musicians Gildas and JB Boclé, in the exciting Keltic Tales Quartet and touring and recording with composer Hervé Lesvenen’s orchestral ensemble, Ars’Ys. He has collaborated with Tad Sargent – bouzouki-guitar, bodhrán and vocals – a member of the exciting London band, CrossHarbour, on his latest CD.
Thomas McCarthy, from Birr in County Offaly, is from an Irish Traveler family, famed as traditional singers and musicians and custodians of traditional Irish music. His unique singing style, story-telling and warm and engaging personality combine to make his performances a delight. His latest album, Herself and Myself, is dedicated to the memory of his late mother, Mary, a fine traditional singer.
Terence O’Flaherty, from Ennistymon, Co. Clare, is from a family of singers. He learned his earliest songs from local musicians and travelling storytellers and singers. In the early 1970s, he emigrated to London and joined the thriving Irish music scene in the capital as part of the popular band Crusheen, with Kevin Shanahan, Chris Hayes and Joe Searson. He has performed with musicians from many different backgrounds, including classical, jazz and funk and has performed widely in the UK, Europe and the USA. His debut album, Crosscurrents, has been very well reviewed.
Michael Sheehy, from a West Limerick family, was born in Manchester and now lives in Suffolk. Michael plays in the exciting Sliabh Luachra style, which he learned from his father, Mick. He launches his debut CD tonight.
