SEÁN HEELY & BETH PATTERSON

Ranked among the most gifted artists of his generation and praised by the renowned fiddler Liz Carroll, Seán has won numerous awards, including titles as Scottish and Irish fiddle champion on American soil. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, he currently lives in Washington and also performs as a soloist with symphony orchestras.

Beth Patterson, meanwhile, is a native of Louisiana and a multi-instrumentalist, particularly a virtuoso on the Irish bouzouki. She began her career in Cajun music but quickly turned to folk. As a student at the University of Cork in Ireland, it was there that she developed an interest in and trained in the traditional music of the Emerald Isle.
Both already have several solo albums to their credit, and 'Stir the Blood to Fire' is their first as a duo. It features a subtle blend of instrumentals and songs that draw their origins from the various countries these two musicians have travelled through throughout their careers.

Several tunes and songs from Scotland, such as ‘Socair Ort, a Dhòmhnaill’ and ‘Seall’, written by the great poet from the Isle of Lewis, Murdo Macfarlane. Or ‘Tilg an Drumaire’, a puirt a beul (literally ‘mouth music’) song. Ireland is also represented on ‘Planxty Fanny Power’, which opens with a harp solo of T. O’Carolan.
Cajun culture is highlighted on ‘Aux Nachitoches’ and ‘The Christmas Two-Step’, which Beth performs in the Cajun language. And then, more unusually, we are surprised to discover an An Dro in the second half of the set, ‘The Wren’.
This album is therefore a mosaic of previously unreleased tracks discovered by the duo, old songs in their original languages and instrumental innovations, whilst introducing original fusions between Celtic and Louisiana sounds.

Own Label - www.seanheely.com