Kevin Burke in Australia

**Graham** · 26th March 07, 05:42 AM

What an amazing fiddler!
Here was one of the greatest Irish legends playing in a small, remote area of Tasmania.
He was playing with Ged Foley and gave an amazing performance.

I managed to meet Kevin after the performance and record an interview with him. Like many great Irish musicians, he's a very humble, gentle man.

**wgority** · 26th March 07, 05:57 AM

Originally Posted by Graham

What an amazing fiddler!
Here was one of the greatest Irish legends playing in a small, remote area of Tasmania.
He was playing with Ged Foley and gave an amazing performance.

I managed to meet Kevin after the performance and record an interview with him. Like many great Irish musicians, he's a very humble, gentle man.

Kevin Burke is all that and more on fiddle. I was lucky enough to meet him back in 2003 in Pittsburgh during the Celtic Fiddle Festival tour with Christian LeMaitre and Johnny Cunningham. He is a very real gentleman.

On a side note, Ged Foley is no mean fiddler himself as well as a very good Northumbrian smallpiper (he is responsible for piquing my interest in that instrument through his work with The House Band)and singer, and a brilliant guitarist. I've never heard anyone else get as much music from a guitar as Ged.

**Graham** · 26th March 07, 06:16 AM

wow, I wish Ged had brought his pipes, that would have been very special!

**wgority** · 1st April 07, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Graham

wow, I wish Ged had brought his pipes, that would have been very special!

Sadly, he doesn't play them much, if at all, anymore. Even in the last few years The House Band was together, he had pretty much stopped using them in the band setting. Part of the issue is that the reeds in smallpipes (especially Northumbrian smallpipes) are just too durn finicky to allow them to travel and play in tune 100% of the time. For a professional musician to allow anything less than perfection is less than professional - which is why he stepped back from playing them on tour or recordings. Or that's what he told me.

BTW, Ged also played with The Battlefield Band back in the 1980s (Guitar and Northumbrian smallpipes). They even recorded Sir Sidney Smith's March when he was with them - a right old Geordie tune, that is. Off the top of my head, it was on the Home is Where the Van Is disc, but I could be wrong.........