Review Text
Following his critically-acclaimed duet album with fiddler John McEvoy on the Cló Iar-Chonnachta label in 2007, Roscommon flute-player John Wynne releases a new album which brings his solo playing back into focus. Ar Nós na Gaoithe/Like the Wind is an absorbing collection of fourteen virtuosic tracks, played with precision, discernment and breathtaking control. Nine years after his debut solo album, With Every Breath, John Wynne was compelled to make this second album, sensing his playing had turned a corner and that he had something new to offer. As flute-player Conal Ó Gráda writes on the sleevenotes, 'In flute playing, the elemental link between music and breath creates a dynamic tension of it's own... John moves air through a flute with aplomb. In turns powerful and commanding... be prepared to be blown away!' A repertoire of popular session tunes which John learned from musicians over the years, Ar Nós na Gaoithe/Like the Wind also includes new compositions from fiddle players Tommy Peoples, Ed Reavy, Martin McGinley and Liz Knowles. Originally from Roscommon, John Wynne began playing on tin whistle at eight and subsequently learned flute from Patsy Hanley. Hearing Sligo flute-player Peter Horan in full flow in the 1980s made a lasting impression, as did the solo recordings of Seamus Tansey and Matt Molloy. He recorded two albums with the band Providence with whom he toured for several years, and is a member of the Roscommon Traditional Arts Forum, a pioneering organisation which released the album The Flute Players of Roscommon, which John produced. John Wynne is a regular tutor at summer schools and workshops in Ireland and beyond.
