DAVID FOLEY & JACK SMEDLEY - Time To Fly
Head East Records HER01CD
David (flute) and Jack (fiddle) are joined on this debut album by the accomplished Jenn Butterworth (guitar), John Lowrie (drums) and James Lindsay (double-bass). More or less self-recorded and produced, it brings to the listener 11 tracks of deftly performed self-penned tune sets. David and Jack were founding members of Scottish band RURA; as a duo they appeared at the 2018 Celtic Connections.
Whilst Foley and Smedley use a traditional format to launch some sets, they also escape it to set out either a continuous theme rotating around selected notes or relaxing into thoughtful airs, such as Graeme & Carly's which hauntingly evokes the opening phrases of the Irish melody Slan Le Maigh. There are upbeat, compound rhythm sets such as Head East and more 'funky' sets such as Alex Thyberg Of Järvsö, followed by Takit, which opens with clear references to bagpiping tunes and techniques before moving onto a blistering set of tunes.
For me this is a CD with different tunes sets for different moods, to listen to one at a time. The adroit and sensitive changes of Jenn's guitar technique from one mood to another makes for a further delight to the listening. I also enjoyed the warm viola registered tones of the violin and the counterpoint insertions of flute and fiddle contrasting with the crunchiness of the rocking sets.
www.foleysmedley.com
C.John Edwards
This review appeared in Issue 134 of The Living Tradition magazine