These two are really great: Clare Concertinas with Bernard O’Sullivan and Tommy McMahon, and In Knocknagree with Tony McMahon and Noel Hill. Pure drop. What it’s all about.
Indeed. I especially love the second one where you can actually hear the dancers and the cheers and encouragements. That’s probably the best way to start an album that I can think of, with some one shouting “Yeah, boys!” and then the oom-pa oom-pa from the basses on the box and off the go!
Craobh Rua - “If Ida Been Here, Ida Been There”
Something about this has been standing out lately. Great all-around playing, nothing too flashy, and a good instrumental balance.
Also the new album from Brian Finnegan and KAN - “Sleeper” - just amazing: http://soundcloud.com/kan-3/sets/kan-sleeper-preview-tracks
http://www.kan-music.co.uk/?page_id=57
Beautiful cover art!
Though I would say my top album of the last year or so is Brian Finnegan’s “The Ravishing Genius of Bones”, which also has beautiful cover art 
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ravishing-Genius-Of-Bones/dp/B004197HLQ
This one:
The recording is stunning. The flute’s resonance is so vivid it feels like it’s right before me.
Or maybe that’s just my superior hi-fi system
Yeah, the Irish Jubilee! Thank you, I almost forgot this little gem!
Besides that, I’m listening a lot to the fantastic album Musique artisanale by Duo Lagrange/Rutkowski thanks to the recent (re)post here.
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/free-album/83785/1
..a mix of new and old.. Damp in the attic - i was ..flyin’ it /Touchstone - The new land and finally this years ‘Pure Irish Drops’ setup, Kevin Crawford, Damien Mullane and Colin Farrell “Home away from home” brilliant stuff!
One of my favorite albums. Galician flute and pipe music.
There was a time when this art would have looked magical to me; now it only looks like something I see all too often every day.
“The Ravishing Genius of Phones”
For me it’s some mp3s of unknown provenance of June McCormack and Mike Rafferty playing live in a pub somewhere. Lotsa great flute tunes.
I saw the Tannahill Weavers last Tuesday. So it’s been them, Battlefield Band, Old Blind Dogs, and that sort of thing lately.
BTW, Phil Smilie (TW) tells me his long-awaited solo CD is very nearly out. He showed me a ‘prototype’ from his computer, but I didn’t get a listen. That’s definitely on my gotta-have list, though!
Willie Kelly and Mike Rafferty “The New Broom”…the opposite end of the spectrum from “Ravishing Bones”, an album I have and like, signed by the artist himself.
Lake Street Dive with the fantastic bass player/singer-songwriter Bridget Kearney and the great voice of Rachel Price, making some of the best music ever 2012:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNNUgAVQjnQ
And from Camden, London, Amy’s stamping grounds the wild & retro rockabilly Kitty, Daisy & Lewis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzr_1vlZaZE&feature=related
And some wild flute playing from Brendan Mulholland in Brennan’s, Tubber:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNWHnzUfd68
Well, its not flute music (although Chris Norman does play flute on one track), but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Bonnie Rideout’s “Scotland’s Fiddle Piobaireachd, Vol. 1” recently. Its really superb!
You can find out more on her website, where you can listen to some tracks and even buy it if you like. Highly recommended!
http://www.bonnierideout.com/welcome.htm
Jon
I just bought Brendan Mulholland’s “Jean’s Hill” in Galway 
but i keep coming back to Harry Bradley. i found some stuff on their piping website that i hadn’t heard before; “Spot the Wallop/Wallop the Spot” is my current favorite
http://source.pipers.ie/Media.aspx?mediaId=23418&categoryId=882
Aoife Granville - Sraid Eoin Shuffle
stonking debut cd… not regarded enough…
avaiable here
http://claddaghrecords.com/WWW/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2252
or here http://www.ossianusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ossian&Product_Code=01422-CD&Category_Code=A2
I want to thank the folks who recommended Steph Geremia. I got her CD a few days ago and it hasn’t made it out of my platter yet.
I too have just discovered Steph Geremia’s “The Open Road” and think it’s lovely. I’d also add to this list Jérôme Palac’hig’s CD “Maudy’s Hut.” Very nice flute CD.
John