Kevin Crawford is one of the exceptional flute players in Irish traditional music. Born in Birmingham, England and now living in his parent’s native County Clare, Kevin is known as the virtuosic flutist and frontman for the dynamic young Irish band Lunasa. His exhilarating playing was also key to the classic instrumental group Moving Cloud.
Following his acclaimed solo debut ‘D’Flute Album, Kevin wanted to make an album featuring fiddle-and-flute duets with some of his heroes, eight of Ireland’s legendary fiddlers. 7/7 Good Company features the cream of traditional fiddling: Tommy Peoples, Martin Hayes, Frankie Gavin, Tony Linnane, Conor Tully, James Cullinan, Manus McGuire of Moving Cloud and Scan Smyth of Lunasa.
“I wanted to reintroduce myself to the musicians I played with when I first came over to Clare and to the tunes we used to play,” said Crawford. “When I’m away on the tour bus or the plane, these are the musicians I miss the most, wishing I was back in Clare playing tunes.”
Backed by guitarist Arty McGlynn, bodhran player Jim Higgins, and Moving Cloud keyboardist Carl Hession, Crawford showcases the vitality and virtuosity of these fiddlers. He strips back the layers of today’s musical technology to reach a core sound, the “pure drop” of fiddle and flute embraced in the unalloyed joy of playing.
Discography:
The Maid of Eirin, with Grianán (1993)
Raise The Rafters (1995)
‘D’ Flute Album (Green Linnet, 1995)
Moving Cloud, with Moving Cloud (1995)
Foxglove, with Moving Cloud (1998)
In Good Company (Green Linnet, 2001)
A Breath of Fresh Air (Green Linnet, 2007)
On Common Ground, with Cillian Vallely (2009)
Carrying the Tune (2012)
The Drunken Gaugers (2017)
with Lúnasa
* Lúnasa (1998)
* Otherworld (Green Linnet Records 1200, 1999)
* The Merry Sisters of Fate (Green Linnet 1213, 2001)
* Redwood (Green Linnet, 2003)
* The Kinnitty Sessions (Compass Records, 2004)
* Sé (Compass Records, 2006)
* Lá Nua (2010)
* Lúnasa With The RTÉ Concert Orchestra (Lunasa Records, 2013)
* Cas (Lunasa Records, 2018)
with The Drunken Gaugers
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
