Make that the Irish 36-string banjo.
That’s how British guitarist extraordinaire Chris Newman puckishly described partner Máire Ní Chathasaigh’s instrument, more commonly known as the Irish harp, at Friday’s show at The Minstrel in Morris Township.
With 42 strings between them, they were a veritable orchestra. Their enchanting and eclectic musical mix ranged from 200-year-old Irish folk tunes and Scottish reels to bouncy jazz numbers to Newman originals featuring dazzling fretwork and sublime melodies.
“If I played any one style, I would get bored,” said Newman, who calls Yorkshire, England, home.
He met Chathasaigh in Spain and they have performed in nearly two dozen countries since 1987. Friday was their fourth visit to The Minstrel, by Chathasaigh’s count.
This pairing of guitar and harp was so mesmerizing that we wanted to shoot some video for you, but the duo was not keen on that. So here is a clip from the artists’ website, to give you a flavor of the evening.
Folk fans may know Chathasaigh, who hails from West Cork in Ireland, from The Casey Sisters, a trio with her siblings.
For all the guitarists out there, Newman is flat-picking proof of the power of scales. He’s been practicing them faithfully for decades:
“I play major scales and harmonic minors, in all keys and all positions,” he explained to a dazzled admirer.
Openers Andy Cohen & Alan Kaufman got the night off to a good start with some old-timey chestnuts.
NEXT AT THE MINSTREL: The Heather Pierson Trio with Rupert Wates, Friday, May 4, 2018, at 7:30 pm, at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township. Admission: $10; children 12 and under, free.
