Traditional Irish music from America
“‘The Glory Reel’… is a fabulous album from three of Irish America’s finest. The tempos here are brilliant and their music has some serious bounce going on. The whole album is just very full of life and a pleasure to listen to. Highly recommended to anyone who likes music that is informed by and stays faithful to the tradition.”
“The music on The Glory Reel CD more than lives up to an album that holds in its bright name the exuberant swing, lift and joy of great Irish music down the decades. Elements that elevate are key factors across this lovely music like the serious musicianship of Caitlin Finley (fiddle), Will Woodson (flute, piccolo, pipes), Chris Stevens (piano, melodeon) - also the imaginative leap of including the brilliant dance-artistry of Jackie O’Reilly into the mix. . . A great CD.”
Will Woodson (flute, uilleann pipes) and Caitlin Finley (fiddle) play sparky and driving traditional Irish music that’s grounded in the textures and rhythms of the rich Irish-American soundscape of the 1920s and 30s. With roots in the living Irish musical cultures of Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, and a tremendous admiration for the first generation of recorded Irish musicians, the duo conjure up the sounds of the dance halls, vaudeville theaters, and house sessions central to Irish-American music from the first half of the twentieth century. Their 2019 debut album, The Glory Reel, recorded with the brilliant Chris “Junior” Stevens on piano and button accordion, is full of swing, lift, and exuberance, drawing largely upon the repertoires of North Connacht and Ulster, regions that have had a significant impact upon the style and repertoire of the duo. The flute playing of John McKenna, the piping of Michael Carney and Patsy Touhey, the music of Donegal fiddle legends John and Mickey Doherty, and of course the foundational 78s of Coleman, Killoran, and Morrison are all at play here; a diverse set of influences that are channeled by the two into punchy, powerful, and joyous music.
Now residents of Portland, Maine, both members of the duo are natives of the East Coast of the United States, and are products of the region’s rich heritage and living culture of Irish music. Will and Caitlin first began playing together in New York City, but relocation to New England a few years later put them in the orbit of the thriving Boston scene. It was during this time that they established a compelling musical chemistry; a shared aural vocabulary and mental library of influences made their music come together in a way that felt easy and sounded right. A circuit of sessions and gigs between Boston and Portland, Maine quickly developed, and before long it became abundantly clear that the only thing to do was to record an album. The Glory Reel is the product.
“There’s no shortage of tunes or quality on ‘The Glory Reel,’ and I look forward to hearing more from these three versatile musicians.”
“This is a thoroughly enjoyable album. Caitlin, Will and Chris have a wonderful chemistry and their music is superbly paced, stylish and tasteful. I loved it from beginning to end!”
An East Coast native, Will Woodson lived in Glasgow, Scotland and New York City before moving to Portland, Maine. On the flute, he’s heavily influenced by the music of the older generations of North Connacht flute players, particularly those who recorded in America in the 1920s and 30s; on the pipes, he’s inspired by the Irish-American tradition of pipers such as Patsy Touhey, Michael Carney, Bernard Delaney, and Tom Ennis. Will has toured extensively with the band Daymark, and is active in the Portland and Boston traditional music scenes. He’s taught and performed at a number of music festivals and summer schools in North America, including the Patrick J. Touhey Memorial Weekend, the Boxwood Festival, and and recently presented alongside Cait at the Ward Irish Music Archives “Archiving Irish America” conference. When he’s not performing and teaching, Will keeps busy as a maker of uilleann pipes.
“Caitlin Finley is a ferociously brilliant player, her fiddle-music a powerful blend of rich influence and imaginative new rendition.”
Born in Philadelphia to a family with roots in Renvyle, Connemara, Cait Finley learned much of her music from the great traditional players in the area, including box player Kevin McGillian and flute player Paddy O’Neill. Caitlin’s playing is greatly influenced by the music of the Sligo fiddlers who recorded in New York in the 1920s and 30s, including James Morrison, Paddy Killoran, and Michael Coleman. As a teenager, she studied fiddle with Rose Flanagan and Brian Conway, which situated her firmly within the New York Sligo tradition. Caitlin has performed throughout the East Coast, including frequent performances alongside Mick Moloney’s Green Fields of America; recently, she appeared at Boston’s Patsy Touhey Weekend, and presented alongside Will at the Ward Irish Music Archives “Archiving Irish America” conference. Since leaving Philadelphia, Caitlin has lived in New York and Boston, where she played an active part in both cities’ superb traditional music scenes.
Photography by Anna Colliton