GRETCHEN KOEHLER & DANIEL KELLY - Live From Hill & Hollow
Private Label
Straddling the worlds of Irish tradition and jazzy Americana, this New York duo pair fiddle and piano on an almost equal footing. While Koehler's fiddle never really serves as accompaniment to Kelly's keys, the piano is never completely subservient to the violin either. I listened to the home-streamed launch of this album, and while the music was fine, the piano kept overpowering the fiddle: I'm delighted to say that there is no such problem on the CD, and the music is even better! I've given Gretchen's website, as her blog has notes on each track and the music for her compositions, but as a jazz pianist Danny has his own site too, named after the same pattern.
There are chestnuts and crowdpleasers here, but also plenty of more obscure traditional pieces beautifully played, and a handful of Koehler & Kelly compositions. Daniel's stride piano saunters into a set of stirring Irish jigs, ending with The Wife's Jig by Koehler. A grooving Koehler reel fronts up the deliciously dark Julia Delaney's and The Drunken Landlady. In between is the gentler Fox's Wedding, fiddle and piano blending to a relaxed rhythm. The melody of Brian Pickell's air, Born Of A Summer's Day, is swapped from hand to hand. Another couple of Irish jigs and a pair of modern New England reels are powerfully played before Gretchen's dainty waltz, Sky Top, and Daniel's languid This Moment. The tail end of the album is pure Americana - the relatively modern Wizard's Walk, the timeless Midnight On The Water, and the positively oldtime Bonaparte's Retreat. Great musicianship, exemplary poise and showmanship, and a true feel for the melodies and rhythms in this music make Live From Hill & Hollow a joy from start to finish, a feast for the eclectic listener.
www.gretchenkoehlermusic.com
Alex Monaghan
This review appeared in Issue 139 of The Living Tradition magazine