Celtic Fiddle Festival: Encore
The Celtic Fiddle Festival is composed of virtuoso fiddlersKevin Burke(Ireland),Johnny Cunningham(Scotland), andChristian LeMaitre(Brittany). With guitarist Soig Siberil, this trio is an international fiddle festival unto itself. Recorded live on tour in the U.K. in 1997,Encoreis the sequel to the group's splendid 1993 debut album. The musicians are showcased individually, with Burke (a cofounder of theBothy Band, now a member of the Irish all-star bandPatrick Street) delivering silky reels and slipjigs, Cunningham (a cofounder ofSilly Wizard) playing precise strathspeys and lovely airs, and LeMaitre focusing on the comparatively exotic Celtic melodies of northwest France. But it's when they all come together, as on a medley of "Farewell to Ireland" and "Foxhunter's Reel," that the sparks really start to fly.--Rick Mitchell