Tune In: Nuala Kennedy

When Nuala Kennedy came upon an old radio in a shop in her street in Edinburgh, she began to imagine what it would be like to turn the dial and hear the passing and unexpected sounds of the world, from opera to country swing to late night talk shows, sometimes crystal clear and sometimes fading away, Given that Kennedy is a musician, this soon provided the idea for an album. She's called it Tune in.

It ‘s a framework which invites, even requires, invention and adventure. Kennedy, a composer, singer, and flute player, takes to it all with good result, and a bit like the radio station tuning in different frequencies, she brings in musical friends to add their own notes and ideas in support, as well. Her companions on the trip include Norman Blake, Julian Sutton, Donald Hay, and Sua Lee, just to name a few.

Kennedy is an Irishwoman, now living in Scotland, who has traveled many places through her music. She draws on Irish traditional music for several tracks, including the Donegal Song Down by the Strand and the Fermanagh one The Blooming Star of Belle Isle. She adds in songs and tunes she’s learned on other parts of her musical journeys, and music she has written herself, often inspired by those travels. Especially notable among Kennedy’s own work here are All of These Days and and the Footsteps/Julian and Iwona’s set.


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