Lúnasa
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In October 1997, Ireland's all-star quintet Lúnasa released their first CD 'Lúnasa', a mix of concert and studio tracks gathered from their prolific year together. It was immediately hailed as one of the finest, freshest recordings of Irish music in years, called "moving, pulsating, and thrilling to the very marrow" by Folk Roots and "a true must-have disc" by the Irish Voice. Their first album became an immediate best-seller in Ireland, topping Hot Press' folk charts and nominated one of the year's top ten by the Irish Echo in the USA.
Like the younger generation of Nashville musicians such as Bela Fleck or Edgar Meyer, pushing the boundaries of bluegrass into jazz and beyond, Lúnasa have redefined Irish music by going right to the heart of its rhythms. With its distinctive use of the upright acoustic bass, the group seeks out the essential heartbeat of a tune. "There are lots of great melodies in Irish music but often people don't hear the rhythms underneath", says founding member Sean Smyth. "We try to relate the swing or energy out of the music, using new rhythms, letting each instrument add its own unique layer. We'll play the same tune over and over searching for the groove, exploring it. We let the music find its pulse." The result is a sound that, though distinctly Irish in flavor, touches on jazz and other improvisational music forms.
Lúnasa is a gathering of some of the top musical talents in Ireland. Its members have helped formed the backbone of some of the greatest Irish groups of the decade - Bassist Trevor Hutchinson was a key member of The Waterboys. Fiddler Sean Smyth is an All-Ireland champion who has played with Donal Lunny's Coolfin; Kevin Crawford, considered to be among the finest flutists in Ireland played with the acclaimed traditional group Moving Cloud; and, piper Cillian Vallely (of the same talented musical family as brother Niall Vallely of Nomos). Guitarist Paul Meehan, the newest member of the band, has also played with North Cregg. They were rightly called an "Irish music dream team" in the magazine Folk Roots
The release of their album 'The Merry Sisters Of Fate' in 2001, led Mojo to describe it as the "brilliant third all instrumental album by the new gods of Irish music". They have toured as Special Guests of Mary Chapin Carpenter, worked with actress Holly Hunter on her theatre project 'By The Bog Of Cats' and toured Ireland with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Their album 'The Kinnitty Sessions' was released in April 2004 and was nominated for 'Best Album' for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2005. Their latest album 'Sé' was released in April 2006 in the UK.