Irish Music Magazine - October 2020
Review of The Great Southern Ocean
On the cover, it says of Laura Flanagan’s first solo fiddle album, The Great Southern Ocean, that it is “A dynamic collection of traditional Irish tunes on fiddle accompanied by bouzouki and guitar”. And it does “just like it says on the tin”, so to speak. First of all, let me introduce you to Laura. She’s from Lubbock, Texas, and tells us that over the last 15 or more years, she has travelled widely in the United States and Ireland to study with fiddlers Randal Bays, John Carty, James Kelly, Martin Hayes, and Brendan Larrissey.
What we hear proves that she has learned well, and when she says that she “has a deep belief in the power of community in music, and a love of the fiddle playing of Irish masters like Bobby Casey, Paddy Canny, and Joe Ryan”, you know that having gone to the source, she has joined the masters. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Texas Tech University and was an orchestral director in the Lubbock, Texas public school system for fifteen years.
Laura is planning to pursue a Master’s in Music Education, also at Texas Tech. Some would say that having put in the hours and submitted her thesis – so to speak – as evident in this production, she has earned herself a higher degree in fiddle playing. Laura says that the “album was made with gratitude to mentors and friends who have graciously shared and passed on their love of the music” and I can hear their response, “Didn’t she do well and do us all proud?” She plays like she was born to it.
The accompanists are two of Australia’s most respected musicians, guitarist Peter Daffy and Luke Plumb bouzouki player. They provide just the right amount of backing support to give the extra ‘lift’ for Laura’s playing that makes for an altogether pleasing performance. Laura says of Luke, “His collaborations include the Scottish band Shooglenifty, the Irish singer and bouzouki great Andy Irvine, a longstanding musical partnership with Peter Daffy, as well as groups under his own name.” With these two musicians, Laura has chosen well.
The CD comes with a generous amount of background notes on the jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas, an air and one waltz. We’ll leave the final word to Laura, a gifted musician and teacher: “When I began putting together sets I’d like to record, I gravitated towards tunes I love and which have been important to me as I’ve grown as a musician. Music is strongly linked in the brain to memory, and for me, each of these tunes marks cherished moments with my extended musical family.”
Aidan O’Hara
Folk World - 2021
Review of The Great Southern Ocean
Laura Flanagan is from Lubbock, West Texas, but fond of the glorious sounds of Irish fiddle masters like Bobby Casey, Paddy Canny and Joe Ryan. Her debut solo album "The Great Southern Ocean" is a fine selection of jigs and reels as well as the occasional hornpipe, march and polka. Most of them are from the depth of the Irish tradition, with an Ed Reavy, Bobby Casey, Paddy O'Brien tune thrown in for good measure. I must not forget the gorgeous "Belltable Waltz", composed by Stockton's Wing's Maurice Lennon and Kieran Hanrahan and beautifully fleshed out by Laura Flanagan. She sparkles like The Little Diamond that gave a popular polka its name. Laura is also a promising composer; the album concludes with the title track, a slow air picturing the sights and sounds when standing on the Melbourne beach overlooking The Great Southern Ocean towards Antarctica. She says she had been raised by bouzouki players and loves support that is not just accompaniment; she found this attitude again in esteemed Australian bouzouki player Luke Plumb (who spent a decade with Scotland's acid croft band Shooglenifty)[74] and his mate, guitarist Peter Daffy.
© Walkin' T😊M