My CD arrived yesterday, and I haven’t stopped listening. By the way, the CD is called with a heart and a hand, and its title is just right: it reflects both the depth of feeling and the virtuoso playing of this great musician.
The CD is a joy, and the opening track, The Swedish Jig, sets the exuberant tone. I don’t ever remember being moved to laugh outloud when listening to a recording, but this track did it for me. The track is a live performance of McManus and guitarist Martin Carthy, rolling along solidly until suddenly McManus throws in a surprising little rhythmic variation, and you can almost see Carthy smiling at the challenge of keeping up (which he does brilliantly). And then just when it seems to settle in again–more playful invention, more joy, more musical laughter. This is a jewel! Its upbeat playfulness is a trait of most of the tracks on this wonderful CD.
Steve’s done a great job reviewing this CD track by track at http://www.rogermillington.com/louis/, so I’ll only give a few more impressions here.
None of the tracks I had heard before had featured McManus’s fiddling, and I was thrilled to hear it, and to hear so much of it, on this CD. It’s very intense, traditional fiddling, with the bow scratching in articulation, fingers slurring, sudden double stops: inventive and moving. Track 2 (Farewell to Ireland/Rakish Paddy, unaccompanied fiddle) is especially great; Track 14 (A Pinch of Snuff), a multi-layered studio recording, is a breathtaking performance that builds with each repetition.
All of the mandolin work is also stunning: glittering. O’Carolan’s Concerto is light and elegant; The Blackbird, once again with Carthy (from the same gig as The Swedish Jig), is full of feeling, subtlety, and more rhythmic surprises; and in Roisin Dubh McManus somehow makes his repeatedly plucked strings as lyrical as flowing water.
I’ve already commented on the amazing guitar flatpicking in Ragtime Annie/Drowsy Maggie and agree with Steve that more tracks featuring this incredible talent would have been welcome.
The two songs on the CD (Cracked Pitcher and $50.00 Blues) are a lot of fun and add funk and texture to this delightful CD.
The banjo tracks are also dazzling, but it’s the final track, Feathers, with that simple but piercing banjo riff, that seems to best define McManus’s gifts: deep feeling, expansive musical imagination, and hands skilled enough to express both flawlessly. This is a great CD from a great talent. Those who learn of it through this site will not be able to listen without sadness, but the CD is full of vigor and joy and the heartfilling beauty of a rare talent in the full flowering of his musical gifts.
Carol
[ This Message was edited by: cskinner on 2003-02-28 15:08 ]
). Thumbs up, there, too.