Herschel Freeman Agency

Master Irish Fiddle and Guitar

 

Kevin Burke and Cal Scott offer a new, unique work, The Irish Session Suite, an extended medley of traditional Irish fiddle tunes arranged for string quartet and guitar accompaniment. In concert, The Session Suite comprises the second half of Kevin and Cal's concerts. A recording of The Session Suite is available on Loftus Records.

 

Kevin Burk & Cal Scott

Renowned Irish fiddler Kevin Burke has teamed up with American guitarist Cal Scott for an exciting new collaboration in traditional music.  Their debut CD Across the Black River was the premier release on Kevin’s new label Loftus Music, and was named a “top notable world music release” by The New York Times.

Across the Black River dips into both Burke’s and Scott’s backgrounds, with Irish jigs and reels, Scottish airs and bluegrass tunes along with fresh compositions.  The title comes from one of Kevin’s compositions, named for a river in County Sligo where his Mother grew up (also recorded by Lúnasa on their album Sé.) There is a French-musette styled waltz written by Cal; a soulful version of Bill Monroe’s “Evening Prayer Blues,” with Kevin’s fiddle multi-tracked and Cal’s sparkling mandolin; and a lovely air written by Scotland’s Phil Cunningham in remembrance of his brother, the late fiddler Johnny.

The two men first met in Portland while working on a documentary about Northern Ireland.  Cal was commissioned to compose the score and he engaged Kevin as a consultant on the project.   “We enjoyed working together so much,” says Kevin, “that when the score was done we continued to spend time together, playing, recording and exchanging musical ideas.” 

With his silky bowing, spot-on tone and engaging wit, Kevin Burke is considered one of the finest living Irish fiddlers and one of the best loved by music fans around the world.  His career spans three decades, from seminal Irish group The Bothy Band and Christy Moore to duo recordings with the late Bothy Band guitarist Michael O Domhnaill, to work with artists from Kate Bush, Arlo Guthrie, and Tim O'Brien.  The New York Times calls him "a superior instrumentalist in any idiom......impressively virtuosic."  Kevin was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment to the Arts (NEA) in 2002, this country's highest honor for folk and traditional music with past honorees including BB King.

A fifth-generation Oregonian, Cal Scott plays guitar, mandolin and bouzouki, and has played in folk, rock and jazz ensembles for three decades. He has recorded and produced over twenty CDs including nine with The Trail Band, an eight-piece Northwest American roots and folk group. Cal is also a composer for film, having scored over thirty documentaries for PBS.  In 2006 his soundtrack CD from the film "Scotland's Lighthouses" took fourth place in the Celtic Instrumental Album of the Year category in the Just Plain Folks Music Awards. 

Quotes from the press…

" Kevin Burke is one of the great living Celtic fiddlers.  Across the Black River is one of the top notable world music releases of the year. "  The New York Times

"This latest venture, where (Burke's) precision Sligo fiddle style is embroidered by guitarist Cal Scott, is a masterclass in finesse……a gorgeous, swinging collection, reeking of live performance. Spine-tingling effervescence.”  Síobhan Long, The Irish Times

“Sparkling fiddle and guitar partnership.  Burke…is in glorious fashion.  Scott contributes stylish accompaniment and clever arrangements.” Kenny Mathieson, The Scotsman

 "KEVIN BURKE IS ONE of the greatest Irish fiddlers of the past half-century, but he has lived in Ireland for only five of his 57 years. He weaves the multinational strands of today's "Irish" music into his [could say 'their'] impressive new album, "Across the Black River," a collaboration with Portland film composer Cal Scott."  The Washington Post

 "The result of this inspired pairing is a CD that sounds fresh, new and glorious." Irish Philadelphia

 On this wonderful album, fiddler Kevin Burke and guitarist Cal Scott go well beyond Celtic borders to explore both modern and traditional music...each tune is presented like a rare, polished jewel... Excellent.   -- CD HotList

A great collection of fiddle tunes old and new from a master fiddler.   Irish America Magazine

  Kevin Burke, quite possibly the world's finest Irish fiddler, and Trail Band guitarist-mandolinist-composer Cal Scott, on a delectable new CD of elegant Celtic fiddle fireworks and a  wide-ranging selection of covers and originals.  WILLAMETTE WEEK

 

Press Photos

Kevin Burke & Cal Scott Kevin Burke and Cal Scott    

 

Tour Schedule


Kevin Burke & Cal Scott have open availability.

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