Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill
- Celtic
- Fiddle
- Guitar
- Trad
Irish fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes and American guitarist Dennis Cahill possess a rare musical kinship, ranking them among the most memorable partnerships of our era. Together they have garnered international renown for taking traditional music to the very edge of the genre, holding listeners spellbound with their slow-building, fiery performances.
Hayes is a master of the slow, lyrical County Clare style of fiddling which he learned from his well-known father, P Joe Hayes. He is regarded as one of the most extraordinary talents to emerge in the world of Irish traditional music. Cahill is a sublime guitarist whose spare, essential accompaniment is acknowledged as a major breakthrough in the Irish tradition. He was raised in Chicago by parents from the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry. The two met in Chicago in the 1980s, and after early years as an experimental Irish fusion group they formed their groundbreaking duo. Martin and Dennis have gone on to tour the world, appearing at major concert halls including Lincoln Center and the Royal Albert Hall, and have three acclaimed albums on Green Linnet/Compass Records.
After more than twenty years at the forefront of traditional music, Hayes and Cahill are still breaking new ground. As The Irish Times declares, “If your live music rations were limited to a single concert in the entire year, you’d be either crazy or foolish not to pass that precious time in the company of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill.”
