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Martin Hayes

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Martin Hayes is an Irish fiddler from County Clare, born in 1962 into a family full of musicians. His father P.J. Hayes played the fiddle and for years led the Tulla Céilí Band, which had been founded in 1946, partly by his uncle Paddy Canny. Martin began at the age of seven, was taught by his father and at thirteen won an All-Ireland Fiddle Competition for the first time. In 1981 and 1982 he became senior champion. As a teenager he played for seven years in the Tulla Céilí Band.

Music and breakthrough

In 1985 he moved to Chicago, where he played in the Irish sessions and in bars played all kinds of music to make ends meet. In 1989 he formed the group Midnight Court with the guitarist Dennis Cahill, which combined traditional Irish music with rock. His solo career began in 1993 with the album Martin Hayes, followed by Under the Moon in 1995. From 1996 he formed an acoustic duo with Cahill. Their album The Lonesome Touch appeared in 1997, Welcome Here Again in 2008.

Influence

Hayes plays calmly and lyrically, with a lot of space between the notes. A reviewer in the New York Times compared the duo's approach with the quartets of Steve Reich and with Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis. Together with Cahill, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Doveman he formed The Gloaming, whose first album won the Meteor Choice Music Prize in 2014. Since 2003 he has run the Masters of Tradition festival in Bantry. In this way he kept the Irish tradition alive and brought it to an audience beyond the session pub.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a reel or jig from The Lonesome Touch and notice the slowness: how does Hayes leave space between the notes, and what does Cahill's guitar do in that silence?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists