DERVISH in Concert Saturday, March 25, 2017 at the KiMo Theatre ALBUQUERQUE New Mexico –an AMP Concert
Cathy Jordan, from County Roscommon, joined the Irish traditional folk group “The Boys from Sligo” in 1991, bringing with her a rapturous pop-rock vocal flair that lifted the group’s music to an entirely new level. A quick name- change ensued—to “Dervish”, suggestive of just how devilishly danceable their sound had become. Audiences and critics loved what they saw and heard. Fans flocked to Dervish shows, which soon moved from local Irish pub sessions to tv and radio gigs and concert halls and festival stages all over Europe, America . . . and the wide wide world! Today’s Dervish, in large measure the original line-up, is: Cathy Jordan, vocals and bodhran drum, Brian McDonagh, mandola, Tom Morrow, fiddle, Michael Holmes, bouzouki, Shane Mitchell, accordion and Liam Kelly, flute and whistles.
For their KiMo Theatre AMP Concert show March 25, Tom Morrow couldn’t make the gig but his role on fiddle was filled to a fair thee well by none other than former Bothy Band fiddler Kevin Burke, who gave us a fine mid concert solo work-out and then led the full band in a grand re-creation of a medley of Bothy Band instrumentals,with all the rock-flavored drive of that legendary Irish ensemble.
Dervish on this night flowed through high energy tunes to beautifully measured songs. Cathy Jordan’s witty comments and charming foot-tapping stage presence captured the crowd and held them rapt to the very end of the show, which was capped by her stunning solo rendition of “The Bold Fenian Men”, an Irish rebel lament which Cathy Jordan touchingly dedicated to the late IRA/Sinn Fein warrior and peace-negotiator Martin McGuinness (who was eulogized last week in Derry by former President Bill Clinton). A rousing full band encore instrumental closed out the show and all left with fine music whirling through our heads. A grand evening indeed!
