Liz CarrollLiz Carroll has become a revered figure in traditional Irish music despite what many on the scene consider three strikes against her. In an art form long dominated by men, she's an instrumentalist with such technical poise and unbridled energy that her concerts are thrill-inducing affairs. In a field where a player's sound is often defined by his or her county of origin in Ireland, Carroll, the child of Irish immigrants, is a product of Chicago's vibrant Celtic music scene. But her most unlikely achievement might well be that Carroll has composed more than a dozen tunes that have become standards among her peers.

Judging by the work of her colleagues, Carroll's tunes are as intoxicating as a stiff shot of whiskey, as musicians throughout the Celtic world have included her music on their recordings. Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon digs into a Carroll reel on her new album "Tunes." Cape Breton, Canada, fiddler Natalie MacMaster interprets Carroll's trademark arrangement of "The Silver Spear" on her latest CD, "Blueprint." Scotland's Battlefield Band covers Carroll's "The Sisters Reel" on the 1999 album "Leaving Friday Harbor." And fiddler Darol Anger opens 2004's American Fiddle Ensemble album "Republic of Strings" with a blazing version of Carroll's "Lost in the Loop," the title track of her acclaimed 2000 album.

"Liz is one of the most intense Irish fiddlers on the scene," says Anger, who first gained notoriety as a founding member of mandolin master Dave Grisman's "Dawg Music" Quintet and went on to create the jazz-oriented Turtle Island String Quartet. "She's playing with such heightened emotional and technical concentration that every note is like a dart aimed at the heart, and her compositions reflect her intensity. You can see her thinking, 'How can I stretch this? How can I play something even more amazing?' She'll pursue an idea until she's completely run it down and mastered it." (text by Andrew Gilbert, Los Angeles Times, June 24, 2005)

Daithi SprouleTonight at The Cedar, Liz will be joined throughout by long-time musical partner (together, they were two-thirds of Trian), guitarist Dáithí Sproule (Altan).

Tickets on sale now from Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), Cedar outlets, and online at Ticketweb.

$18 advance, $20 day of show

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