Brendan Taaffe: Review of Gerry Harrington & Nancy Conescu




Gerry Harrington & Nancy Conescu: The Fiddle, The Voice

(Connoisseur Records, CRCD 3054; www.crashedmusic.com)

Gerry Harrington was the fiddler on 1996’s wonderful Smoky Chimney release with Eoghan O’Sullivan and Paul DeGrae. That album is one of the best of the ‘90’s, and there seems to have been a certain magic in the studio when it happened. I’ve been told since that my favorite track on that album, Gerry playing The Yellow Wattle with his fiddle tuned down to Bb, was a last minute add-on.

So my expectations were high for this release, and though it’s a good enough piece of work, it doesn’t dip into that earlier magic. Harrington plays here with Nancy Conescu, an American singer and guitar player, and is joined by Dave Hennessy on box for a few sets. There is also some bodhran and bass in the mix, but it remains solidly focused on Gerry’s fiddling and Nancy’s singing. Highlights of the album are Nancy’s acapella version of the American classic “Pretty Saro,” with overdubbed harmony, and Gerry’s playing of an air and two hornpipes with his fiddle tuned down to Bb. The whole thing is over-produced; you’re never allowed the illusion of sitting in a room with the musicians, and the liner notes are of low quality, both for being hard-to-read and poorly edited.

Not that I mean to scare you off; there is something here to appreciate, and especially for fans of Sliabh Luachra fiddling. Harrington is a careful student of O’Keefe and Murphy, and presents a great selection of tunes from that region. Conescu has a good voice and is a solid backer on guitar. But I was hoping for magic.

Gerry Harrington & Nancy Conescu: The Fiddle, The Voice