John Williams and Dean Magraw
[img_assist|nid=2232|title=John Williams and Dean Magraw|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=180|height=135]A truly magical evening of Celtic music - trad. tunes, shining original compositions influenced by the tradition, and a great deal of fun and cameraderie, celebrating 10 years of wintertime concerts together at The Cedar.
John (from Chicago) and Dean (from St. Paul) have a fruitful, if long-distance relationship -- typically they meet up somewhere in the U.S. or the British Isles to play concerts and festivals. When they do, sparks fly and the music comes alive again.
A button accordion and concertina player of enormous integrity and innate empathy with the music, John Williams (founding member of Solas) received his music from his father Brendan and grandfather Johnny who lit up countless house dances in Doolin, County Clare with reels, jigs, and hornpipes on concertina and button box. His style is fluent, full of maturity, vitality, and tunefulness.
Dean Magraw's passion transcends all perceived musical boundaries, yet the vital essence of his distinctive style is ever present, whether he's performing and recording as a solo artist, leading his own ensembles, or in collaboration with such notables as Japanese shamisen prodigy Nitta Masahiro, classical violinist Nigel Kennedy, South Indian vocalist and veena virtuoso Nirmala Rajashekar, jazz bassist Anthony Cox, Boiled In Lead, Eight Head, and countless others. Once the listener gets beyond the history and into the mystery, Dean the musician takes over: with tone and taste, unveiling soulful melodic grooves intricately designed to heal the broken dancer, confuse the boldest mathematician, and eradicate ennui in our lifetime. Dean and John's first recording together is titled Raven, released by Compass Records from Nashville:
"This loose-limbed Raven soars effortlessly. (Williams) brings a zest to both traditional and original tunes, and he's found his spiritual equal in guitarist Dean Magraw, who's a mean draw when it comes to tune writing, too. There's enough space in between this pair's playing to let the oxygen molecules truly ignite... What matters most of all, though, is the duo's utter confidence in the music's ability to carve its own identity without a hint of posturing. An inspired pairing."
- Siobhan Long, The Irish Times
Tickets are on sale now from Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), Cedar outlets, and online at Ticketweb.
You're a fan of John and Dean, and looking for more terrific Celtic music? Don't miss these upcoming Irish and Scottish shows at The Cedar: the sweet sounds of fiddle and cello from Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, an amazing double-bill of Dervish with Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, and incomparable vocalist Karan Casey. Or looking for more great accordion music? Try Cafe Accordion Orchestra, and absolutely don't miss the genius of Chango Spasiuk.
