Irish fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes and American guitarist Dennis Cahill possess a rare musical kinship, ranking them among the most memorable partnerships of our era. Together they have garnered international renown for taking traditional music to the very edge of the genre, holding listeners spellbound with their slow-building, fiery performances. The New York Times calls them "a Celtic complement to Steve Reich’s quartets or Miles Davis’ ‘Sketches of Spain.’" Martin Hayes has been an All-Ireland fiddle champion six times over; he was awarded the prestigious 2008 Musician of the Year award from Ireland’s TG4, Irish language television, and recently led a group of fellow musicians to sold out performances at the Sydney Opera House in his role as artistic director of The Masters of Tradition.
Dennis Cahill is a master guitarist, whose innovative accompaniment is acknowledged as being a major breakthrough for guitar in the Irish tradition. “If your live music rations were limited to a single concert in the entire year, then you'd be either crazy or foolish if you didn't pass that precious time in the company of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill.” Irish Times
Reviews too numerous to list:
"A Celtic complement to Steve Reich's quartets or Miles Davis's 'Sketches of Spain." - The New York Times
"Hayes has one of the most ravishing violin styles in all of Celtic music...the vocal quality of his tone brings an incomparable feeling of warmth to everything he plays. Cahill's gentle, supportive accompaniment adds precisely the right touch." - Los Angeles Times
"Together they create a music filled with calm and silence, the likes of which you've never heard before. Except, perhaps, in brief snatches of a long forgotten dream." - Time Out, London
"Martin Hayes...the most important individual musician in Ireland right now." - Hot Press, Ireland
"There's no more impressive partnership in Irish instrumental music today than Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill." - The Irish Echo
"...maddeningly slow and unbearably beautiful, with an approach so radical it sounds perfectly true to the tradition." - Acoustic Guitar
"Fiddler Martin Hayes wielded his bow with such an exquisite balance of sweetness and sinew, delicacy and fire, graveness and mischief you just didn't want him to stop...Simply the loveliest fiddle music I've heard." - Scotland on Sunday
"Hayes redefines your concept of excellence and reveals levels of beauty and artistry that previously hadn't existed in your frame of reference." - The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
"Hayes weaves seemingly magical spells over his audience, which ride with every curve of the bow as he gently shifts moods, styles and nuances. Dennis Cahill's symbiotic guitar accompaniment is a crucial foil for Hayes' deliciously subtle displays of charming brilliance." - Folk Roots, UK
Join us for a breathtaking evening of music you will not forget!