October, 2006........The album that Kevin has been working on most recently, a joint effort with Cal Scott, is now scheduled for a release date in January 2007. This exciting project, featuring several traditional pieces as well as compositions by both Kevin and Cal, has been developing over the last couple of years. Cal was working on a TV documentary about the Troubles in Northern Ireland ( "The Road to Bloody Sunday") and engaged Kevin in the project as a consultant. When the documentary was done Kevin and Cal continued to meet mainly for the purpose of investigating further some of the various musical possibilities that arose during their collaboration on the TV project. The friendship and musical relationship grew and the decision was made to record some of their ideas just to see where they might lead. This CD is the result of several of those ideas.

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Patrick Street on tour in England and Ireland....

Kevin pretending to be Brendan Gleesan

Andy gets the sound check going.....

Jackie and John

John

September, 2006........Patrick Street had a wonderful two weeks touring in England. The English leg of the tour concluded with a tremendous concert in the beautiful Sage Theatre in Gateshead and "the lads" set off in great spirits for a week of concerts in Ireland. The emotional high was short-lived, however, when, after an early start the following morning, the band had to spend many hours stuck in motorway traffic. They reached the airport with just enough time to make the flight - or so they thought! In normal circumstances that would have been true, but with the increased security restrictions and the intransigent attitudes of the airline and airport staff they were denied access to the flight. Luckily there was a flight later in the day so all was not lost. At ten minutes to nine that evening the band arrived at Tullamore Rugby Club for a nine o'clock show! Everyone involved was wonderfully helpful and patient, particularly Tom Stapleton the promoter, and before long the concert was underway and a great night was had by all! Even Gerry Conway was there, from the long departed and lamented legendary Bolger's Hotel (home of Mrs. Flannery's Folk Club). Once the music took over it didn't take long for the travel tribulations to be banished. Again, many thanks are due to Tom Stapleton for helping to steer such a hideous day into a wonderful night. Thanks, Tom.

Patrick Street has also begun working on a new CD, scheduled to be released in late 2007 for their US tour in Oct/Nov. This will be Patrick Street's first recording since John Carty joined the band.

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August, 2006........It has been confirmed that the great violinist Gilles Apap, will be joining Kevin and his friends on the Celtic Fiddle Festival US tour which begins in late October. Due to prior commitments Gilles will not be able to perform on the opening dates of the tour; but, from October 29th in Fairfield, Connecticut (and possibly, with a little luck, from October 28th in the Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA) until the final date in The Ark, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Gilles will be able to join in for all the concerts. It should be a great meeting of musical ideas and styles!

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July 14, 2006........Micheal O Domhnaill, dear friend and long time musical colleague, passed away at home in Dublin on Saturday, July 8th, 2006. This shocking news has brought immeasurable sadness to his family and friends. His loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him and by all who were ever held in thrall by the power and beauty of his music, R.I.P

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October 2005........Since 1994, when they first met, Kevin and singer/instrumentalist Ged Foley have played a lot of music together but In Tandem is their first duo recording. It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows their music that this CD is a work of smooth, unhurried elegance. Ged's recent move to Germany from Ohio has increased quite drastically the geographical distance between these two men (Kevin makes his home on the West Coast of America) but musically they have never been closer.

Their initial meeting in '94 was brought about when Ged joined the renowned Irish band "Patrick Street" of which Kevin was a founding member. Since then, through the work of both "Patrick Street" and "The Celtic Fiddle Festival", most of their playing has been heard in a group context but In Tandem highlights the strength of their musical bond with a thoughtful and eclectic mix of material drawn from traditional and contemporary music. The contemporary material ranges from two of Kevin’s compositions to a song written by Sting; the traditional from Ged’s formative years in a mining village in County Durham to Kevin’s involvement as a boy in Irish music sessions in London and Sligo.

With a major European tour scheduled for late 2005 and with news of Ged's imminent departure for Germany, Kevin & Ged decided it was time to bring to fruition the idea of making the duo record that had been casually discussed many times over the years. In mid 2005, they entered the studio of their good friend Bernie Nau in Pomeroy, Ohio, set up some microphones, checked that the sounds of the instruments and voice were to their liking, and just sat down and played; they played pieces old and new, familiar and near forgotten, simple and more complex, until finally, two days later, the recording was complete. With a minimum of studio 'effects', the sophistication of the production skills and musical craftsmanship is very much in evidence as is to be expected from two musicians who for many years have been playing music at the highest level of the genre.

In Tandem presents the listener with both the intimacy and immediacy of a deeply personal, almost private, performance - not to be missed!

In Tandem is now available for purchase on this website!

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May 2005 .......In April Patrick Street toured Ireland for the first time in many years. The band performed ten highly successful concerts in ten days and was greeted with great acclaim all around the country. John Carty was included in the lineup for the first time. The addition of his banjo and flute playing coupled with the twin fiddling of John and Kevin have greatly broadened the sound of the band.

Many old friends came out to enjoy and renew their acquaintance with Patrick Street on this Irish tour including several well known people from the Irish music world.....Sharon Shannon, singer Niamh Parsons, the great Cork fiddler Matt Crannitch, Winnie Horan and Deirdre Scanlon from the wonderful Irish band, Solas, and Bill Whelan, composer of Riverdance and producer of Patrick Street's third album, Irish Times.

Patrick Street is following this successful Irish tour with a UK tour in September 2005 and a US tour is being planned for February/March 2006.

 

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April/May 2005 .......Kevin is one of Irish America Magazine's Top 100 Irish Americans. "There are those who made our list simply because they make us happy through their music, such as Kevin Burke, the Irish Fiddle player......" Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief

 

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March 2005...While in New York, Kevin was delighted to be asked to make a guest appearance on Tony Demarco's new recording.

At the controls in the studio....... Fionn O'Lochlainn.

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Some photos from the March 2005 Celtic Fiddle Festival tour........

...........................................Play On

 

Ged and Andre during the recording of West Virginia's great radio show, The Mountain Stage.

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Christian and Andre in search of backstage refreshments.

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Kevin and Andre play a few post-concert tunes in the hotel room. Luckily the neighbors didn't mind - they were there!

 

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Vintage Celtic Fiddle Festival

1993 Christian, Kevin, Johnny and John McGann ................1994 Johnny, Soig Siberil, Christian and Kevin..........1998 Christian, Tony McManus, Johnny and Kevin

 

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February 3, 2005 ..... Kevin is currently on the East Coast. He joins Phil Cunningham, Susan McKeown, Seamus Egan and Aidan Brennan for a series of Johnny Cunningham Tribute Concerts. Johnny passed away in December 2003 leaving behind a legacy of wonderful music. These concerts will be an opportunity to remember and celebrate Johnny's life and music, and will also assist in raising funds for the "Johnny Cunningham Foundation" which is being set up to benefit younger Scottish musicians of the future.

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Celtic Fiddle Festival

February 3, 2005 ...... "Play ON..." is scheduled for release in February 2005. Recorded in Portland, Oregon, this new CD is dedicated to the memory of Johnny Cunningham and also welcomes the spirited Quebecois fiddler, Andre Brunet. The group will be touring the US in March 2005 and are in the process of arranging a visit to Europe in January 2006.

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February 3, 2005 ...... Kevin has recently been working on a new solo recording which is tentatively scheduled for release some time in the later part of 2005. It features guest appearances by several performers, such as Cal Scott, Johnny B.Connolly and Michael McGoldrick.

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February 3, 2005 ....... Patrick Street has expanded its line-up with the inclusion of the multi-talented, multi-intrumentalist John Carty. John won the coveted "Traditional Musician of the Year" award and will be a great addition to the band. Patrick Street's first tour with the line-up is scheduled for April 2005 and will feature approximately a dozen concert appearances throughout Ireland.

Patrick Street will be touring the UK in September 2005.

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Aisling Benefit Concert

February 3, 2005 ........ Just before Christmas 2004 a wonderful concert took place in Vicker Street. Sean Smyth (of Lunasa) was one of the principal organizers of what turned out to be a great evening of music featuring Lunasa, Altan, Karan Casey's band and a special guest appearance by Kevin. Kevin was particularly honoured to be invited to participate in the concert as all the proceeds were donated to Aisling, a charitable organization based in London. Aisling is doing fantastic work aiding so many of the less fortunate elderly Irish people who may wish to go back to their homeland after so many years away.

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SUMMIT MEETING OF IRISH MUSIC STARS
First time ever - One night only - in Westport, CT - Concert on May 7th...

March 2004........The West of Ireland meets America's West Coast as two Irish traditional masters, fiddler Kevin Burke and accordionist John Whelan, join forces with California guitar great John Brennan in a dynamic evening of traditional Irish tunes and exciting original works.

The concert is the brainchild of Brennan, a former fixture of the Southern California country-rock scene (POCO, Graham Nash, The Eagles' Bernie Leadon and The Byrds' Chris Hillman), now a Westport resident and Irish music enthusiast. "One of my dreams has been to approach traditional Irish music with traditional American instruments, such as slide guitar and dobro," he says.

Brennan has begun working with John Whelan, a seven-time All-Ireland champion with a dazzling performance style, a London, England native who has also settled in Connecticut. The Irish Echo reviewed one of their local performances as "skillful, spot-on playing, spiked by welcome risk-taking and wit. Intriguing medleys included Brennan's bluesy, down-in-the-delta bottleneck guitar to Whelan's masterfully played slow airs and reels...a graceful rendition of 'The Water is Wide' shifted into a western swing tempo...It all worked splendidly."

Joining this summit meeting is Green Linnet recording artist Kevin Burke, considered one of the all-time greats of Irish music. Renowned for his silky, elegant fiddling in the County Sligo style, Burke is a veteran of Ireland's legendary Bothy Band and a winner of the NEA's National Heritage Fellowship. The New York Times calls him "impressively virtuosic...a superior instrumentalist in any idiom." Burke will bring his own rich tradition to this meeting of the masters, in what promises to be a very special night of shared traditions and new musical horizons.

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March 2004.....Kevin is currently on tour with the Celtic Fiddle Festival. The tour proceeded as planned with the addition of French Canadian fiddler Andre Brunet of La Bottine Souriante. The fiddlers are performing in memory of their dear friend and fellow musician extrordinare Johnny Cunningham.

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December 2003......"On Dec 16th, 2003 I received the shocking news that Johnny Cunningham had passed away earlier that day. Johnny was a close musical colleague and dear friend for many years and to have him taken away so suddenly is a source of great sadness. His music lives on and so do many wonderful memories. The photograph below shows Johnny on Hadrian's Wall adopting a very apt "Marauding Celt" posture." Kevin

Soig Siberil, Kevin and Johnny

 

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September 22, 2002 ........On June 6, 2002, The National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. announces that Kevin is one of the 2002 recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships, the country's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Fifteen awardees were chosen for their artistic excellence, authenticity and contributions to their field. These performers and craftspeople, who represent a rich cross-section of America's many diverse cultures, are honoured for their achievements as artists, teachers, innovators and guardians of traditional art forms. They join the ranks of previous National Heritage Fellows, including bluesmen B.B. King and "Pinetop" Perkins, cowboy poet Wally McRae and acclaimed musicians Zakir Hussain, Shirley Caesar and Bill Monroe.

Kevin and fellow National Heritage Award recipient Bob McQuillen (Contra Dance, Musician/Composer).

Kevin and Bob McQuillan

"We are fortunate to live in a country in which such a variety of cultural traditions can flourish side by side", said Eileen B. Mason, Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. "We owe a great debt to each of these talented individuals, not only for their lifetime of artistic achievement, but also for all they have done to preserve and to pass on their skills so that future generation can appreciate and enjoy these traditions".

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Patrick Street's latest cd "Streetlife" is now awaiting release in readiness for the group's tours of the UK in November 2002 and the US in February/March 2003.

"Streetlife", as one would expect from Patrick Street, highlights the love and respect that each member of the band holds for traditional tunes and songs but it also contains newer material, some of which was written by members of the band. Ged, for the first time on a Patrick Street recording, is featured as lead lead vocalist on two of the songs and "Matewan", a song written and performed by Andy, also features an appearance by old timey fiddler Bruce Molsky. The highly effective and original brass arrangements from Cal Scott of Tigard, Oregon together with the contributions of the other studio musicians involved in the project make this cd Patrick Street's most eagerly anticipated recording since the band's eponymous first release in the mid-80's.

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While Kevin was in Ireland this year he was delighted and honoured to be invited to feature as a guest musician on a new recording of pipe music by Michael Cooney.

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April 2, 2002........The Green Linnet release of "Bridgetown" has brought great recognition to accordion player Johnny Connolly. Recorded in Billy Oskay's Big Red Studio, Kevin's playing can be heard on a couple of the tracks on this, Johnny's first, release. Johnny and Kevin are often seen playing together at informal sessions in Portland, Oregon which is now home to both of these musicians.

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Kevin returned to the "Big Red Studio" a few months ago to record some tracks for the new Sliabh Notes CD "Along Blackwater's Banks". This record features several guest musicians in addition to Kevin, including Matt Molloy, Liam O Maonlai and Steve Cooney.

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The success of the latest Celtic Fiddle Festival release "Rendezvous" coupled with the overwhelming response to their recent tour has resulted in preparations already being made for their 2004 US tour. An appearance on NPR's "Morning Edition" disclosed the confession from one of the trio that breakfast consisted of "2 cigarettes and a can of coke". America raised a national eyebrow!

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December has been set aside for Kevin's now annual West Coast tour.

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There's a reissue of 20 Irish Fiddle Tunes from Homespun (on CD); and, a reissue of "Sweeney's Dream" by The Smithsonian.

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Irish accordion player, John Redmond, now resident in New York City, has released a new CD which features some live tracks he recorded with Kevin in Summer '99.

 

 

"Kevin Burke once again proves himself to be one of the grand masters." - CMJ