Photo by Derek Speirs
“You're about to watch one of the best fiddlers on the planet and a subtle guitar master work their magic. For a moment, stop, put aside your notion of jigs and reels, and just listen.” - NPR
Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill are two of the world’s leading artists in Irish music. Their adventurous, soulful interpretations of traditional tunes are recognized the world over for their exquisite musicality and irresistible rhythm.
The New York Times describes the duo as "stripping old reels and jigs to their essence, leaving space between the notes for harmonics and whispered blue notes...a Celtic complement to Steve Reich's quartets or Miles Davis's 'Sketches of Spain'."
Fiddler Martin Hayes is considered one of Ireland's most innovative and influential musicians. He was raised in a famous musical family in County Clare where the music he learned from his late father, P. Joe Hayes, legendary leader of theTulla Ceili Band, profoundly influenced his musical accent and ideas. By age 19 Martin had won six All-Ireland fiddle championships. He is the recipient of numerous awards including Folk Instrumentalist of the Year (BBC), Man of the Year (American Irish Historical Society), and Ireland's Musician of the Year (Gradam Ceoil TG4).
Dennis Cahill is a master guitarist from Chicago born to Irish-speaking parents from the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. His spare, essential accompaniment to Martin Hayes’ fiddle is acknowledged as a major breakthrough for guitar in the Irish tradition. Dennis studied at Chicago's prestigious Music College before becoming an active member of the local music scene. Dennis has performed with such renowned fiddlers as Kevin Burke, Liz Carroll, and Eileen Ivers, as well as many Irish musicians on both sides of the Atlantic.
Martin and Dennis have recorded three critically-acclaimed albums together on Green Linnet Records. In 1997 they released their first duet album “The Lonesome Touch”, followed by “Live in Seattle” in 1999. After a ten-year hiatus, in February 2008, Martin and Dennis released the studio album “Welcome Here Again.”
The duo have performed around the world as well as for President Obama at the White House, the European Union in Brussels, and for the President of Ireland at the Royal Albert Hall in London. They also helped form the new Irish supergroup The Gloaming, which won Ireland's 2015 Meteor Choice Music Prize. They have collaborated with Bill Frisell, Ricky Skaggs, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and performed with Sting and Paul Simon.
“Martin Hayes plays his fiddle with an exquisite touch and tone, as well as a magnificent sense of melody and rhythm that never ceases to astonish. Dennis Cahill is a subtle guitar master. ” NPR [(National Public Radio]
"The remarkable duo has honed a ravishing repertoire by distilling the melodic essence of traditional tunes. The two have distinguished themselves by bringing chamber music's intensity and dynamic control to folk tunes." Seattle Times