I have been playing Irish music for over thirty years and I have heard many times the argument that only the Irish can play REAL Irish music. This point of view overlooks the fact that Irish music has been in America for over 200 years and the Uilleann pipes have been here for most likely 150 years.
It is also disappointing to me that American Irish music lovers themselves will give in to nationalism and flock to see and praise really bad Irish players just as long as they are actually from Ireland, while ignoring very good Irish musicians from America.
This brings me to the “Red Wellies” a trio of fine Irish Traditional musicians operating out of Asheville, North Carolina. Fiddler Claudine Odell (her friends and family call her “Beanie”) is a highly respected Irish fiddle teacher and has studied with some of the greats, such as Tommy Peoples and Martin Hayes. Her young nephew, Duncan Wickel, plays fiddle and pipes. I first met Duncan when he was thirteen and he was playing the pipes with great maturity even at his young age; his fiddle playing was just as good. Now that he is grown, he is a superb traditional musician. Accompanying the fiddlers is a very fine Irish-born bouzouki player -- Vincent Fogarty. They are joined on some of the tunes by Aaron Olwell, a fantastic musician who plays flute and concertina.
Without going into a very detailed review let me say that this is the best fiddle duet CD since the Kane sisters’ “The Well Tempered Bow” and it is just as good: beautiful arrangements of great tunes, with fine technique and solid rhythm. In short, this is about as good as it gets.
My wife Cathy and I went to see them last night at their CD release party at Jack O’ The Woods in downtown Asheville. They were joined by Aaron Olwell, a fantastic musician who plays flute, concertina, fiddle…and who knows what else? The music was first class.
Here is their Email address: theredwellies@yahoo.com.com
The Red Wellies
I have been playing Irish music for over thirty years and I have heard many times the argument that only the Irish can play REAL Irish music. This point of view overlooks the fact that Irish music has been in America for over 200 years and the Uilleann pipes have been here for most likely 150 years.
It is also disappointing to me that American Irish music lovers themselves will give in to nationalism and flock to see and praise really bad Irish players just as long as they are actually from Ireland, while ignoring very good Irish musicians from America.
This brings me to the “Red Wellies” a trio of fine Irish Traditional musicians operating out of Asheville, North Carolina. Fiddler Claudine Odell (her friends and family call her “Beanie”) is a highly respected Irish fiddle teacher and has studied with some of the greats, such as Tommy Peoples and Martin Hayes. Her young nephew, Duncan Wickel, plays fiddle and pipes. I first met Duncan when he was thirteen and he was playing the pipes with great maturity even at his young age; his fiddle playing was just as good. Now that he is grown, he is a superb traditional musician. Accompanying the fiddlers is a very fine Irish-born bouzouki player -- Vincent Fogarty. They are joined on some of the tunes by Aaron Olwell, a fantastic musician who plays flute and concertina.
Without going into a very detailed review let me say that this is the best fiddle duet CD since the Kane sisters’ “The Well Tempered Bow” and it is just as good: beautiful arrangements of great tunes, with fine technique and solid rhythm. In short, this is about as good as it gets.
My wife Cathy and I went to see them last night at their CD release party at Jack O’ The Woods in downtown Asheville. They were joined by Aaron Olwell, a fantastic musician who plays flute, concertina, fiddle…and who knows what else? The music was first class.
Here is their Email address: theredwellies@yahoo.com.com
Hear them on Myspace:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=230943408
All the best,
Patrick Sky
# Posted on March 18th 2008 by pat sky