Jenna Moynihan & Owen Marshall with Neil Pearlman & Alden Robinson

Too often artists view tradition as a towering monolith to be either conquered or cowed by, by young Scottish fiddler and experimentalist Jenna Moynihan knows that tradition is meant to be a starting point for great inspiration, not a wall. On her new album, Woven, she darts back and forth like the shuttle in a loom, pulling the many strands of the Scottish fiddle tradition into a colorful tapestry that showcases her virtuosic control of her instrument as much as her deep sense of playfulness. To help her create this work, she’s brought together some of the best young traditional artists in her hometown of Boston, one of today’s hotbeds for new traditional music. The lineup here includes cutting-edge Scottish harpist Mairi Chaimbeul, renowned bluegrass guitarist Courtney Hartman (Della Mae), New England Celtic guitarist Owen Marshall, plus all-star guest fiddlers: Duncan Wickel, Darol Anger, and Alex Hargreaves. It’s easy to tell that the music on her new album stems from what must have been many late-night jam sessions with these friends, but the ease of companionship found on this album belies the complexity of Moynihan’s arrangements. As the harp rolls in counterpoint behind the racing fiddle lines, or as the guitar matches her beat for beat, this is music whose virtuosity lies in Moynihan’s construction of the atmosphere around each tune, and her delivery of each beautiful melody.

Jenna is from Lakewood, New York and is a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music. While studying, she was selected to receive the Fletcher Bright Award & and The American Roots Music – two awards given annually to one outstanding string player. She performs in a duo with Scottish harpist, Mairi Chaimbeul, with Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards, Darol Anger & The Furies, and has performed & collaborated with Old Blind Dogs, Hamish Napier, Bruce Molsky, Matt Glaser, Kimberely Fraser, Phil Cunningham, and as a soloist at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops.

Owen has performed and recorded with many of traditional music’s top performers including Aoife Clancy, Liz Carroll, Darol Anger, John Doyle, Andrea Beaton, Jerry Holland, Ari & Mia Friedman, his own traditional Irish trio “The Press Gang” and the acoustic trio “Haas, Walsh and Marshall”. His music has appeared on NPR’s “Thistle and Shamrock,” BBC television, and the back of his left elbow has appeared on MTV. In addition to being a respected performer, Owen is in demand at music camps throughout New England and the U.S., where he shares his approach to accompanying traditional music.

Pianist and mandolinist Neil Pearlman is rapidly distinguishing himself as a uniquely innovative artist in the contemporary traditional music scene. Called “a tremendous pianist” on BBC Radio Scotland and “a force to be reckoned with” by WGBH’s Brian O’Donovan, Neil is recognized in many Celtic music circles for his unique approach to the piano. Rooted in traditional Cape Breton piano styles, Neil brings in ideas from many other genres and the result is an exciting new sound that remains true to its traditional roots.
Alden Robinson learned to play the fiddle as a child growing up in coastal Maine. His earliest lessons came from Tamora Goltz, Katie Newell, and from the teachers at Maine Fiddle Camp. In college, he studied Irish fiddle in Ireland at University College Cork, and in several pubs.

For the past five years or so he has toured and recorded with The Press Gang, an Irish trad band from Portland. He also loves playing for contra dances and performs to several dance bands, including “Riptide”, which features Owen Marshall and Glen Loper. When he’s not playing with these groups, you can often see him carrying his fiddle around the streets of Portland to play in the city’s busy music scene.

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