Paddy Keenan
Suncook, New Hampshire, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
[Paddy] Keenan on uilleann pipes, with the assistance of English horn player Shelley Phillips, played a lament so keen for a recently deceased Bothy Band colleague that it left him speechless for a moment or two while she wiped at her eyes as she left the stage. - The Chronicle Herald
Tim O'Brien and The Crossing's set...took listeners on a musical journey from Ireland to the southern United States...Throughout the show, Paddy Keenan proved himself an invaluable asset to the band, and music in general, with his virtuoso flute and bagpipe playing. - Durango Herald
The opening act of the four-hour show featured three ex-members of the legendary Bothy Band...Paddy was in sparkling form and his solo slow air was the first of many high points of the night. - Folk World Live
The sheer amount of sound culled from the pipes is breathtaking, as Keenan expertly weaves intricate layers of resonant tones and wildly quick and expressive notes... In physical appearance and style Keenan is like the Irish Dickie Betts, fingering intricate lines of notes without disregarding the passion and sentiment of the song...Perhaps most important is the honesty in the music, and Keenan rocked the house with unique Irish flair. - The Cavalier Daily
Paddy Keenan returned to Celtic Connections and presided over one of the most white-hot, most gloriously musical displays in, never mind the festival's but, one suspects, the Royal Concert Hall itself's, history. - Glasgow Herald
In Irish music there are legends and legends and then there's Paddy Keenan. Paddy Keenan's playing is now at its peak. "Na Keen Affair" is one hell of a comeback. - Rock 'n' Reel
Discography
With the Bothy Band:
Bothy Band 1975
Old Hag You Have Killed Me
Out of the Wind Into the Sun
After Hours
Best of the Bothy Band
Bothy Band Live in Concert
Solo Albums:
Paddy Keenan (eponymous)
Poirt an Phiobaire
Na Keen Affair
Long Grazing Acre
Other Recordings:
Doublin'-- Paddy Glackin and Paddy Keenan
Dancin' to the Ceili Band-- The Bucks
Music in the Meadow: Live From Wolf Trap, The Washington Irish Festival
Gaelic Roots Festival at Boston College
The Piping Concert: Celtic Connections
Forgotten Roots: Celtic Colours International Festival
Live From the Katherine Cornell Theater
As Guest Musician:
Triona-- Triona Ni Dhomhnaill
Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill (eponymous)
Undocumented Dancing-- Pat Kilbride
Traditional Irish Music-- James Kelly
Famine Remembrance-- Patrick Cassidy
Os Amores Libres-- Carlos Nunez
The Windy Gap-- Larry Nugent
Two Journeys-- Tim O'Brien
What You Know-- Patsy O'Brien
Aon Do Tri-- John Walsh
Photos
Bio
The Keenans were an Irish Travelling family steeped in traditional music; both Paddy's father and grandfather were uilleann pipers, and Paddy's flowing, open-fingered style of playing can be traced directly from the style of the great Travelling pipers. Paddy himself took up the pipes at the age of ten. In the early 1970s he joined with a group of fellow musicians in Dublin and together they formed the legendary Bothy Band. The Bothy Band forever changed the face of Irish traditional music, merging a driving rhythm section with traditional Irish tunes in ways that had never been heard before. One reviewer who saw them live likened the experience to "being in a jet when it suddenly whipped into full throttle along the runway". Since the break-up of the band, Paddy has pursued a solo career. He regularly performs in the US, Canada, Ireland, Europe, Australia and the Far East. He has composed and arranged music for several films, and was featured, along with Liam O Maonlai, in the 2007 documentary, "Dambe: The Mali Project", which follows the two musicians as they travel through Mali, culminating in their performances at Le Festival au Desert in Essoukane. Generally acknowledged as the most accomplished uilleann piper performing today, Paddy is certainly one of the most brilliant musicians of his generation.
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