Celtic Connections

Keenan, Gavin & Byrne and Lahira

City Halls

Glasgow

Rob Adams, Four stars

It was, as Frankie Gavin pointed out, the trio’s first gig together. Quite a coup for Celtic Connections, given uilleann piper Paddy Keenan, fiddler Gavin and accordionist Dermot Byrne’s status in the Irish music firmament. And it might have been their last.

Well, not really, Keenan’s return to the dressing room in a mock huff when Gavin told him he would recognise, but not know [how to play] the first tune of the encore was followed by a typically blistering trio finale.

The offending tune hardly fitted into the ‘old Irish tunes that are now neglected’ script the trio follows, being a choro, Tico Tico, but Gavin and Byrne played it with brio and I wouldn’t bet against Keenan having learned it by now and being able to add the outrageous ornamentations that come as standard when he plays.

Both he and Gavin, known respectively for their time with the Bothy Band and De Dannan, are notorious speed merchants, and there were elements of ‘who’s following whom’ as reels flew, yet the contours of the melodies are always honoured. When, with Byrne adding brilliant feints and harmonies, they hit the golden seam on, appropriately, The Yellow Tinker, they were beyond exhilarating. For contrast, Keenan added The Snows They Melt the Soonest on low whistle and while he might not have remembered its full name, he gave this lovely air his full expressive attention.

Earlier, Gaelic-Indian quintet Lahira found fruitful common ground between two traditions, with Anne Martin singing clearly and emotionally and her musicians creating superb tension and release, especially on a heightened violin, tablas and beatboxing exchange.