Jesse Smith & Ryan McGiver

House concert at the home of
Ted Davis & Tina Lech (new location!):

37 Fells Ave, Medford, MA

Phone: (617) 818-4017

Jesse Smith was born into a musical family and grew up in Baltimore immersed in the thriving Irish music tradition of that city. He started playing the fiddle at an early age, studying with renowned fiddle player and teacher Brendan Mulvihill. In 1998 his love for the music took him to Ireland to stay, where he made his mark as a fiddler touring and recording with the great Irish band Danú for three years, consequently receiving an award from the BBC in 2001. His well received 2002 debut solo fiddle CD Jigs and Reels was among the top ten Irish traditional music CDs cited by music columnist Earle Hitchner in America's largest Irish weekly, "The Irish Echo". This was followed by a collaborative release (with Belfast flute player Harry Bradley and London guitarist/pianist John Blake) entitled The Tap Room Trio. His 2010 release, The Ewe With The Crooked Horn (2010), recorded with button-accordionist Colm Gannon and John Blake on flute, guitar, and piano, received high praise. He has also appeared as a guest musician on albums by Harry Bradley, Cherish the Ladies, Colm Gannon, Alan Kelly, Sharon Shannon, Enda Scahill, Tim Dennehy and Donna Long. He teaches at many of the Irish music summer and winter festivals including the Frankie Kennedy and the Willie Clancy schools.

From his Baltimore roots to his research thesis on Sligo’s Michael Coleman, completed while obtaining a Master of Arts degree from Dundalk Institute Technology, Jesse brings a level of skill, confidence and artistic judgement to his playing. His fiddle playing is understated and tasteful; his bowing, remarkable. A passion for the Irish traditional fiddle music of the 78rpm era can be seen in his choice of material, and his concert performances invariably include classics from the repertoires of the great Sligo fiddle trinity: James Morrison, Paddy Killoran and Michael Coleman.

Ryan McGiver, guitarist and sought-after accompanist on both sides of the Atlantic, is teaming up with Jesse on this tour. His music has been showcased on the National Irish radio station, Raidió na Gaeltachta, and he has toured throughout America, Europe and Asia, including performances at the Kennedy Center here in Washington and the Cercul Militar National in Bucharest. Ryan has taught workshops at home and abroad including the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia, and shared stages with performers like uilleann piper Cillian Vallely of the band Lúnasa, Connemara fiddlers Liz and Yvonne Kane, young concertina phenom Edel Fox and many others. When not working as a stone mason or playing his own music, Ryan can be heard in NYC sessions and touring with Dublin born Grammy Award winning singer Susan McKeown. Ryan’s debut album, Troubled in Mind, an Indie-folk record of imaginative musical interpretations of old Appalachian ballads is scheduled for release in April.