Music
Press
...“Enda does things on the banjo which should be impossible”...
Irish American News
...“just about the strongest banjo we’ve ever heard”...
Celtic Beat
“Best Male Newcomer of the Year” - 2000
Irish American News
…“simply divine”…
Irish Music Magazine
...“Incredible virtuosic playing”...
Paddy Moloney, The Chieftains
- Various
"Leon Hunt is to banjo playing what Nickel Creek's Chris Thile is to mandolin, namely The Daddy. Leon shines brightest when he whips out a rendition of the Pat Metheny tune 'James'. With this record he manages to smash all preconceptions about what a banjo can and can't do and leaves you both satisfied and wanting more."
Guitarist Magazine
"A richly fluid fusion of bluegrass and jazz with a healthy sprig of Celtic roots. Riveting stuff."
Uncut Magazine
"Hunt has his bluegrass chops as good as any, but has a better appreciation of music outside the genre than most… Miles Apart stands alongside the best. He is aided by some of the top players in America and far from being overawed by them, his music and playing challenges them… as good as any American recording and better than most of them."
fRoots Magazine
"Banjo wizardry in a style totally unique. Leon plays with brilliance and soul - you don't aways find the two together"
Mike Harding - BBC Radio 2
"A cracking instrumental album from someone who has taken all of the many stereotypes about the 5-string banjo and shattered them. Leon Hunt is a fluent, versatile and hugely inventive musician… The performances are all impeccable, the arrangements intrinsically interesting – something that should give it the wider appeal it deserves"
Songbook 2004
"This record shows how world-class Leon’s playing really is."
Banjo NewsLetter (USA)
"This one sure ain't pickin' and grinnin' - somebody call the banjo police! The playing is exemplary throughout…this is a very refreshing album… a dream team debut."
Living Tradition Magazine
"A diverse collection of material but Hunt brings it all off in fine style."
Maverick Magazine
"Leon Hunt is probably the most adventurous banjo player in the UK. His roots are aligned to Bluegrass. You can hear the influences on this work from Earl Scruggs, Bill Keith, Tony Furtado and Bela Fleck and this album puts him out there with them."
British Bluegrass News
"Leon's banjo playing makes me sick (I used to play the banjo myself) his solos are dazzling. It almost inspired me to get playing again...but it's finding the time...and then there's the kids"
Nick Barraclough - BBC Radio 2
"The very best five-string reading of Irish music I have ever heard
… the Jeff Beck of the banjo"
fRoots Magazine
"An impeccable sense of time, a refreshing approach to improvisation, and an uncanny ability to draw a smooth silky tone from his banjo. Leon is truly the most exciting and innovative 5-string banjo player Britain has produced."
Tony Furtado
"Leon has established his reputation as an authority in both traditional and progressive styles, and has gained a level of respect in the British Isles that previously only a US player could aspire to."
Banjo NewsLetter
"The banjo is one of those instruments you either love or hate, but when you hear the silky smooth effortless flow which Leon Hunt produces you can't help but come down in favour."
Classic Rock Society – July 2004
- Various
"Calm dreamy tunes on perfectly synchronous accordion and banjo on easy tempo that savours sentiment over speed."
Fintan Vallely, THE SUNDAY TRIBUNE.
“ one would have to lack eardrums to find this album anything less than a delight.” Norman Chalmers, SCOTLAND on SUNDAY
“ She plays in a lyrical, unrushed, unself-absorbed, clear-stream style that draws out the richness of each melody.”….”she loves to play. You can hear it in every note from her banjo.”
Earle Hitchner, IRISH ECHO
"Tradition glancing backwards and forwards at the same time. Mighty fine!"
Siobhan Long, THE IRISH TIMES.
- Various
“...to say John Joe Kelly plays the bodhran, is like saying Mount Everest is a bit of a climb”
Paul Saunders, SIDMOUTH MUSIC FESTIVAL
“ John Joe Kelly is the best Bodhran player in the world…virtually all other Bodhran players will tell you so….It is very, very rare within the tradition that you can point to a certain musician and state definitively, he or she "is the best". As many great percussionists as there are in Trad, one stands alone. There are no words.”
Livies Awards 2005, Male Musician of the Year, LIVEIRELAND.COM
“John Joe Kelly is everyones' choice for best bodhran player….”
CHICAGO IRISH AMERICAN NEWS
“John Joe Kelly – unequivocally the best bodhran player in the known universe”
Mel McClellan, BBC FOLK AND ACOUSTIC WEBSITE
- Various
'... A lot more than your traditional rhythm guitarist. His fingerpicking became complex at times, but he always retained a clear, bell-like tone which one seldom hears on a steel strung guitar'
IRISH MUSIC MAGAZINE
“Ed Boyd on guitar …. continues to blaze new ground in the accompaniment category with his powerful approach and unique chordings”
CHICAGO IRISH AMERICAN NEWS
- Various
“…bodhrán/ mandolin player John Joe Kelly and guitarist Ed Boyd are virtuosos known for their innovative approach to traditional Celtic music.”
Philip Van Vleck, BILLBOARD MAGAZINE
“…Jon Jo Kelly takes the humble Irish drum into another dimension; Ed Boyd's relaxed, swinging guitar is full of harmonic surprises…”
Norman Chalmers, SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY
“…Ed Boyd on guitar and John Joe Kelly on bodhran are a creative force of nature…”
LIVEIRELAND.COM
“…fizzing rhythmic support from Ed Boyd's guitar and John Joe Kelly's bodhrán…”
Simon Broughton, EVENING STANDARD
- Various
Discography
Individually the members of BANJAXED! have recorded a huge number of cds including:
Enda Scahill:
“Humdinger” (with Paul Brock)
“Pick It Up” (solo album)
“Brock McGuire Band”
Angelina Carberry:
“Angelina Carberry and Martin Quinn”
“Memories from the Holla” (with Peter Carberry and John Blake)
“An Tradisúin Beo” (solo album)
Leon Hunt :
"Miles Apart" (solo album)
"To Kill A Mockingbird" (with Josh Clark)
"The Big Scoop" (with Daily Planet)
"Clark's Secret" (with Daily Planet)
"Small Town" (with Southern Exposure)
"Raw Material" (with Southern Exposure)
Ed Boyd and John-Joe Kelly recordings:
“Haven” (with Flook)
“Rubai” (with Flook)
“Flatfish” (with Flook)
“Fused” (with Michael McGoldrick Band)
“Wired” (with Michael McGoldrick Band)
Photos
Bio
The members of BANJAXED! first appeared in August 2008 to play a collaboration gig put together by Glór Irish Music Centre in Ennis Co. Clare. Such was the overwhelming reaction of the audience; this one-off project became a band and has in the short time since its inception found itself in much demand!
The hallmarks of BANJAXED! live in concert are; excitement, delicacy, accuracy and adventure. The members of this group individually possess fiery technical brilliance but collectively display a virtuosity that surpasses mere technique and moves towards the sublime.
Featuring four duelling banjoists alongside what is often described as the “dream team” of accompaniment, the foundation of the music of BANJAXED! lies strongly within the Irish tradition but their repertoire also includes exciting arrangements of Bluegrass and American Old Timey traditions.
Their individual biogs are inspiringly impressive. Enda Scahill comes from a very musical family from in East Galway in the West of Ireland and has long established himself as one of the finest exponents of traditional Irish banjo playing. He has been a member of The Brock McGuire Band since its inception in 2001, has performed with several other bands including the Furey Brothers and The Frankie Gavin Band. Irish American News in Chicago said “Enda does things on the banjo which should be impossible”.
Marcus Maloney from Cappamore, Limerick again in the West of Ireland and hails from another family steeped in traditional Irish music. Marcus has played all over the world, with various different bands and has also guested on several albums. He is held in high esteem for his distinctive style, both percussive and improvisational, and also for his dexterity on the instrument.
Leon Hunt is deservedly the UK's best-known 5-string banjo player. A former student of American banjo virtuoso, Bela Fleck, he is renowned for pushing the banjo's traditional boundaries and experimenting with techniques. His music effortlessly spans several musical disciplines. Guitarist Magazine said "Leon Hunt is to banjo playing what Nickel Creek's Chris Thile is to mandolin”.
Angelina Carberry was born in Manchester, into a County Longford family steeped in traditional music for generations. Her unmistakable and captivating sound is at times dark and earthy and at other times light-handed and deft. You can be guaranteed, at all times however, it is always deadly accurate with a deeply grounded rhythm, and a momentum in her playing that is measured and unstoppable.
Ed Boyd is one of the most sought-after guitarists on the folk music scene today, both in the UK and in Ireland. Brought up on jazz and classical music in Bath, his playing has been a major force behind the success of the mighty Flook with whom he has played for the past 10 years. He is also a member of Michael McGoldrick's big band, and he has toured with Sharon Shannon and The Bumblebees.
John Joe Kelly, also a member of Flook and Mike McGoldrick bands is from Manchester and started playing percussion at a very young age. His style is unique with his deep rhythms and funky variations. He has worked with many of Irelands most well known artists including Altan & Paul Brady. His playing has become legendary throughout the traditional scene. In recent years he has been involved in many world music collaborative projects. On this stage he has performed alongside some of the best percussionists in the world such as Zakir Hussain and Adam Rudolph.
Together these six musicians create one of the most exciting sounds to come out of Ireland in recent times.
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