Search - Tim Hart :: Five After Four

California Celtic artist Tim Hart's debut solo recording ?Five After Four? is an exploration of the many voices of one of the oldest instruments in Irish traditional music, the whistle. Hart?s original compositions nestle alongside pub-session favorites in a compilation of jigs, reels, waltzes and more that is at once listenable and danceable, marrying centuries-old sounds with modern sensibilities. Joining Hart on the self-produced recording are California talents Richard Mandel (Tipsy House) on guitar; Ann-McChesney-Young (Tinker?s Damn) on button and piano accordions; Michael Mullen (Tempest) on fiddle, viola and guitar; and Tom Wagner (Oak, Ash & Thorn) on guitar. Hart offers up percussion on bodhrán. Hart?s style of play on the whistle is unique, showing respect for traditional sounds and techniques but also not afraid to meld time-honored sounds and techniques with modern themes, at times taking phrasing cues from swing and jazz. His musical selections range from pub-session favorites such as the Roasted Chestnuts set (Reels: Over the Moor to Maggie / Dunmore Lasses) to introspective and soulful pieces like the original title track, as well as the Tull-esque Wayward Priest set (The Musical Priest / The Earl?s Chair), an irreverently fresh take on a pair of old favorites. A true blend of these ideas is found in the CD?s final track ? simply dubbed ?Dessert? ? a lithe and romantic take on E.Y. Harburg & Harold Arlen?s "If I Only Had A Brain" ? a piece that casts the whistle in a new musical role and portrays it in a new emotional light.