Search - Liz Carroll, John Doyle :: In Play

Both fiddler Carroll and guitarist Doyle began their careers young, recognized as instrumental virtuosos. Carroll won the Senior All-Ireland Championship at age 18, not a small feat for an American. While Carroll traveled eastward across the Atlantic, Doyle moved westward, relocating from his family home in Dublin to New York. Introduced to Irish music by his grandfather Tommy, Doyle was playing professionally by age 16, and soon joined an energetic collection of New-York based Irish musicians, including Eileen Ivers and Seamus Egan. Doyle?s partnership with Egan became Solas, the supergroup which would come to define Irish-American music. Doyle pioneered a rhythmic, sophisticated approach to Irish guitar accompaniment, setting a new standard for the instrument. Doyle and Carroll deliver gracefully, with the squeaky clean gem only they could pull off: an all instrumental, self-produced recording with no additional musicians necessary. Most of the tunes on the thirteen-track In Play are Carroll originals, with one Doyle tune, one Carroll/Doyle co-write, one Johnny Harling tune, and three traditional melodies arranged by the duo. Doyle offers a subtle texture change with bouzouki parts on several tracks, and both musicians explore the range of their expressive capabilities, proving themselves equally at home with heartbreaking slow airs and upbeat dance tunes. In Play is a record of consistent beauty from three old friends ? Carroll, Doyle, and Irish Music.