Rubai

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:07:18 -0600

Between the 2000 release of Flatfish, Flook’s first studio recording, and their World Village debut, Rubai, the band enjoyed some great adventures all over the world. Rubai (a four-line poem in perfect rhyme, full of music, rhythm and breath) kind of tells the story of that journeying and growing up, through their tune writing and the music collected along the way. The virtuosity of the band is remarkable, here backed up by guest performers on bass, fiddle, trombone and percussion. After listening to the disc, you’ll be surprised to discover that most of the (all instrumental) tracks are not traditional tunes - a remarkable tribute to Flook’s songwriting skills. Rubai is a beautifully packaged and excellently produced CD which will appeal to any lover of Celtic music.

Haven

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:07:18 -0600

Flook has always been celebrated for their organic, fluid yet arrestingly innovative all-acoustic fusion of Irish folklore with modern and trans-national rhythms. But what really makes them extraordinary is the way their sound emerges from a sixth sense, allowing each band member to communicate on a subliminal level. There is an uncanny interplay between the players; each seems to respond not only to what is presently being heard but to as-yet-unvoiced impulses. Even when performing tunes they have interpreted many times previously, inspiration leaps between them like multi-hued tongues of flame and long-familiar tunes become utterly transformed, fresh and new. A simple jig’s catchy and repetitive triple beat may suddenly list to one side, a mellow alto flute declaim a throaty bass line, or a mandolin channel a sound from the sub-Sahara. With symbiotic support from Senegalese percussionist/kora (African harp) virtuoso Seckou Keita, British banjoist Leon Hunt, County-Clare concertina player Padraig Rynne, Scottish harpist Catriona McKay and Andy Davis from Bath, UK on Hammond organ, Flook has achieved a feverishly inventive and flawlessly crafted personal best.

New Music From Flook on Calabash Music

Rubai

Haven