Mandorla

Pierre Schryer is a household name in Canada and Adam Dobres is an accomplished guitarist who can play just about any style, from bluegrass to rock. As a duo they have a fine debut with Mandorla, a word they define as ‘an almond shape made by the intersection of two circles of the same radius creating the outline of a lens; a dynamic symbol that signifies the overlap of two entities and their commonality.’ We'll go with dynamic reality , because the intersection of Schryer on fiddles and feet and Dobres on guitars is both captivatingly energetic and utterly organic.

The album comprises predominantly Québécois and Irish traditional tunes (or tunes written in traditional styles), although a stately exception is a medley including compositions by Purcell and Dowland, ‘Twas Within a Furlong of Edinburgh Town/My Lady Hunsdon's Puffe/Carolan's Concerto’. Equal parts sprightly and melancholic, the recording also handily demonstrates that even tunes from different locales written at different times (‘Sheepskin & Beeswax/The Easy Club Reel/Tico Tico’) can find a mandorla in the skilful hands of musicians like Schryer and Dobres. Lovely stuff .