Secret Sessions

In view of his busy touring schedule with Riverdance, De Dannan and the London Philharmonic among others, it’s hard to imagine how accordionist Luke Daniels manages to find any time for recording – which might explain why his new CD features four lineups captured in four different locations. A high-octane kick-off featuring fiddler Cathal Hayden and guitarist Arty McGlynn contrasts intriguingly with an identical instrumental grouping (this time with fiddler Teresa Connolly and guitarist Ian Carr) but a far more restrained approach; after that, we get a trio of polished, intricately arranged tracks from a full jazz band complete with clarinet, guitar, piano, double bass and drums. But for sheer listening pleasure it’s hard to beat the final three numbers, on which Daniels duets with guitarist Dean Magraw – notably on Magraw’s original ‘Raven’.