, I feel like Navin Johnson. “The new CD is here! The new CD is here!”
I just downloaded Louise Mulcahy’s new recording and it’s a cracker. Sure, I’m biased – she’s one of my favorite musicians across the board – but … dang, she’s good. Lots of Eb (Cotter?) flute, plus some lovely stuff on a C (Murray?) flute. Also a tinwhistle track and several tracks on her glorious set of C uilleann pipes by Geoff Wooff. Louise’s flute playing is a fascinating combination of muscularity and grace, old and new; the recording itself is a nice combination of familiar and not-so-familiar material.
Totally worth a listen! You can get it from her Irish distributor, or from CD Baby, but meanwhile, there’s a sample track here: TradConnect - Traditional Irish Music
It’s available on Amazon as well. I just picked it up, and am listening now. Really great, inspiring stuff.
I was fortunate enough to attend her class at last year’s Flute Meeting in Ballyvourney. Delightful person, fine teacher, and (of course) a monster player. Hadn’t heard her piping before, though. What a treat!
It’s one of the best albums around .. I downloaded it, bought it in Ireland too, to HAVE the CD and see the liner notes and art work. Simply a work of art .. and I am listening to it non stop .. Louise Mulcahy is one of the best, along with her Dad and sister … and solo as well .. what a gem. Simply gorgeous.
I’m new to ITM and flute. In the first 8 or so seconds of that sample track on the link above, the sound she gets is an almost muffled reedy sound. Really cool. It sounds like she’s tooling around G first octave - when i play a G it sound much more open. How much of that sound she gets is her style and how much is the particular flute she is playing on?
She’s mainly doing what are called rolls with some cuts thrown in as well. That reedy sound is a particular Irish flute sound concept that is developed over years of practice. It’s more of a blasting tone (I think of it as being something akin to a brass sound rather than woodwind). The type of flute is a factor; it’s mainly the player when it comes to overall tone production.
I have been so fortunate to meet Louise a few weeks ago (along with her sister Michelle and father Mick) when they tutored at Ceol Aneas here in New Zealand. Lovely family, all awesome musicians. And the cd was there for the purchasing - heaven!
, I feel like Navin Johnson. “The new CD is here! The new CD is here!” 
