The Gloaming (Ireland)
When Irish music super group The Gloaming first assembled in early 2011, it brought together five extraordinary musicians eager to explore a new path in traditional music. Driven by the sound of enigmatic Irish fiddlers Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Martin Hayes, The Gloaming also boasts the exalted voice of Iarla Ó Lionaird, familiar as the charismatic singer at the helm of Afro Celt Sound System. Add to this the plaintive strumming of Chicago guitarist Dennis Cahill (born to Irish parents from County Kerry) and gifted pianist Thomas Bartlett (also known as Doveman) from the New York contemporary music scene, where he has worked with Antony & the Johnsons, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, The National and Yoko Ono. While each virtuoso has successful individual careers, they recognise a shared musical aesthetic that forms a sound as The Gloaming that is both ancient and utterly new, embracing haunting sean-nós traditional songs to rousing instrumental medleys and sparse, haunting airs. After an initial tour of Ireland in August 2011, the group reassembled in mid-2013 for concerts in London, Amsterdam, Paris and New York, flying high on the critical acclaim of its first, self-titled album that was hailed for taking unmistakably Irish music in captivating new directions.