Jason O’Rourke launches new solo album in The Cobblestone, Dublin.
The Belfast traditional Irish musician will present his second solo album on Saturday 27th February. Jason will be joined by Stevie Dunne, Teresa Clarke, Seonaid Murray, and special guest Paul O’Shaughnessy.
“Jason O’Rourke’s music has matured down the years into a fully cohesive and finely-tuned style; each note executed with pin-pricked precision. He stands on his own merits among concertina players in Ireland and elsewhere, and his music finds full maturity on this outstanding set.” John O’Regan, The Living Tradition.
Alongside a wealth of traditional music, the CD features four of O’Rourke’s own compositions and recent material by Andy Dickson, Eric Thézé, and Fabio Colussi. The other musicians on the album are: Tim Edey (guitars), Stevie Dunne (guitars), Teresa Clarke (fiddle and piano) and Seonaid Murray (tenor sax). The recording may contain the first combination of concertina and sax in Irish music. It was engineered and co-produced by Dónal O’Connor at Redbox Recording Studios, Belfast. The cover portrait is by acclaimed Belfast artist Neil Shawcross.
‘The Northern Concertina’ follows on from O’Rourke’s first solo project ‘The Bunch of Keys’ (2000). Jason has been playing concertina for around thirty years, and this is his sixth full-length recording. The album was funded by an Arts Council of Northern Ireland Artist Career Enhancement Scheme (ACES) award.