The Vernacular Music Center at Texas Tech University School of Music is proud to present an evening of traditional Irish music on fiddle and guitar by Randal Bays, a recognized master of the genre.
"A commanding presence on the fiddle."--The Irish Times
"His playing has power and passion...simply a joy to listen to."--Dirty Linen Magazine
"A rare beast, a master of both the fiddle and the guitary"--The Irish Examiner
Randal Bays is a self-taught US-born musician who's been playing Irish fiddle for more than thirty years; he's now widely recognized as a master of that complex, ancient art, in particular the traditional styles of Co. Clare and Co. Galway. He's among the best Irish style fiddlers of his generation," according to Fiddler Magazine.
Randal has toured and recorded with many of the great Irish musicians of the day, including James Keane, and Daithi Sproule (in the band FINGAL), James Kelly, Martin Hayes, Micheal O'Domhanaill and many more. He also has a string of great independent recordings to his credit, including his life CD "House to House" (with Roger Landes), which was picked by the Irish Times as one of the "top five traditional recordings of 2005."
Bays is also famed as a fingerstyle guitarist, having recorded two seminal albums with Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, also with contributions to the "Masters of the Irish Guitar" CD on Shanachie Records. Randal recently released his first album of solo guitar work, "Oyster Light."
He has also performed all over the United States, Europe and Canada, and is in great demand as a teacher of Irish fiddle. He co-founded and served for ten years as Artistic Director of the Friday Harbor Irish Music Week, and is now Program Director of the Cascadia Irish Music Week on Whidey Island, Washington.
For more information, contact Roger Landes at roger.landes@ttu.edu
