‘Smokin,’ the new release from Floriane Blancke, Quentin Cooper and Brian Fleming will enjoy its second launch at the Trad Fest in Ennis in November,
The album initially came about in response to an invitation to play at Fest Ireland in Pleaux, France. They realised French musicians would be keen to get their hands on their original tunes and they were right. The album quickly sold out after the French launch, necessitating an Irish launch.
“It’s as much about the process as the content” the band explain. The album was recorded in their home studios in Co Clare, mostly with all three playing live together so that the mood and improvisations are spontaneous. “Someone said it’s like we captured smoke in a bottle”
Between them they have played on over 100 albums. Floriane Blancke (harp/guitar/vocals) Quentin Cooper (Guitar/Mandolin/banjo/Vocals) and Brian Fleming (Percussion/vocals) are embedded in the traditional music heartland of North Clare.
However, their music is coloured by their own unique international roots (from France, Peru and Ireland) and influences from playing across many genres. Performances are full of spontaneity and improvisation, unpredictable musical choices and playful interaction between the three.
The album playlist ranges from original reels and jigs to Peruvian ‘Chicha’ music, an instrumental tribute to Tom Petty’s ‘Mary Jane’s Last Chance,’ a sublime arrangement of Bill Monroe’s ‘Last Days on Earth’ and a demented interpretation of Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine. Somehow the musicianship and the constant playfulness pull ‘Smokin’ together into your favourite mixtape.
SMOKIN’ is available to buy here and on Bandcamp.