WHERE JOHNNY DOHERTY MET JEFF BECK
BRIDGEND BAR
SUNDAY AUGUST 6TH, 12.30 P.M.
In the seventh of the series of LEGEND SESSIONS Ballyshannon Folk Festival is delighted to again host a virtual session exploring the possibilities where two musical genres coincide. This year the centrepoint will again be the legendary Donegal Fiddler John Doherty whose roots run deep in the Bluestack Mountains of his native county but who travelled and transcended musical boundaries throughout his life until his last years spent in the Rock Hospital in Ballyshannon.
The musical odyssey continues this year at the 46th annual Ballyshannon Folk and Traditional music Festival. This session imagines what might have evolved if Jeff Beck, widely regarded as one of the top lead guitarists of all time in a rock and R&B genre sat in on one of the many impromptu music sessions in which John Doherty the Virtuoso Donegal traditional fiddle player was the driving force. How would they have interacted and improvised; what direction would the music take; the tunes and songs that might have been swapped, the stories behind the music and finally the life experiences which they would have shared.
The imagined session will be personified by two legends of the current music world who have themselves travelled extensively sharing diverse musical talents and experiences literally all over the world but whose roots are firmly in the Bluestacks and the Blues.
Seamie O Dowd from Sligo is a multi instrumentalist and singer but for this session he will focus mainly (but not exclusively) on the fiddle in his portrayal of John Doherty’s music. Mark Langan from Ballyshannon, an accomplished rock, blues and classical guitarist will introduce the musical genius of Jeff Beck to the session. Together they will blend their unmistakeable blues soaked voices to push boundaries and break down barriers.
Be sure to join us on Sunday August 6th at the Bridgend Bar starting at 12.30. Note this is a free event but advance booking via Eventbright is strongly recommended.
As per normal “session protocols” emphasis will be on informality and the participants will make their own “rules” as they go along.
Further biographical info on Jeff Beck please follow the link below.