Soirée avec 'l'Accordeoniste Desaunay 'On The Pig's Back'

Ou host Isabelle and ensemble 

With all the delights Cork city has to offer, with numerous music venues, it would take something special to coax us out to the suburbs to hear live music.  However  our discerning guide to the very best of  whazon in Cork directed us to the popular French establishment, On the Pig's Back' in Douglas  on Thursday night.  There was an air of anticipation in  the air around the vino quaffing patrons of the  convivial wine bar  for a Franco Irish  musical collaborative anchored around visiting  acclaimed Breton accordioniste, Serge Desaunay

Following a  a pre-show shuffle for  seating  in the intimate brightly lit space, the first set featured  Desaunay and fiddler Kieran Fahy originaly from the West but now settled in Belgium  Fahy's fiddle sounded mellow and his   style leaned on jazz and classical elements    The diatonic accordion is quite a more substantial musical animal than the button accordion we are used to hearing. More like a bandoneon in the way that Desaunay opened the bellows to his full arm span and frequently beginning  a tune with a ground on the  bass buttons, There was a pleasant mix of traditions in the set  with tangos and tarantellas mixed with  waltzes and musettes and the odd song. It was a potent harmonic  brew that packed quite a musical punch. There was the odd jig and reel too but nothing too dizzying or frenetic to perturb the mellow late evening mood . The duo were joined by local musicians Eileen Healy and Ray Barron on guitar and mandolin  for the second half.  *

The musicians in the  audience included  fiddle player Edel O Sullivan and singer Josie Harrington. 

**While the amplification was subtle and not overpowering, one wondered if this metal barrier  of stands and mikes between musician and listener  was necessary  in this compact space.