The Olllam Compass Records***

To box this recording under trad is, in many ways, to do it a grave disservice. Traditional music may be this trio’s springboard, but it’s not a straightjacket. Belfast piper John McSherry has never circumvented opportunities for collaboration. Here he lets rip on both the compositional and performance front with Detroit’s Tyler Duncan and Michael Shimmin, members of jazz outfit Millish. This wholly original collection sees the trio adopt rock/pop tune structures of the verse, chorus and bridge variety, and it mostly works. Shimmin’s percussion is often trance-like and Duncan’s piano is a subtle and playful foil to McSherry’s trademark lithe piping style. But the trad influences aren’t subterranean either. The propulsive The Follly of Wisdom recalls McSherry’s time with Lúnasa. The Olllam’s new sound will surely fly high in a live setting. compassrecords. com

Download tracks:The Follly of Wisdom