Well-deserving of its royal moniker, Dwayne Côté and Duane Andrews‘ sophomore album The Empress is certainly set to impress. Like their debut self-titled album, The Empress finds a striking balance between the rich complexities of the music they play and the simple instrumentation of only a fiddle and a guitar.
Those who love their signature style, mixing the traditional music of Cape Breton and Newfoundland with gypsy and jazz sounds showcased on their first multi-award winning album (2010), will be delighted with the new tracks which include a tribute to Cape Breton greats Winston Fitzgerald and Estwood Davidson as well as a modern instrumental interpretation of the Newfoundland classic “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s”. With the addition of selections from Austrian violinist Fritz Kreisler and French Gypsy guitarist Gusi Malha, their pallet broadens with a hint of global flair. This, combined with new original tunes from both Côté and Andrews, culminates in a well crafted album that seamlessly blends the old with the new.
Multi-award winning guitarist Duane Andrews has literally brought his music around the world from his home in Newfoundland to Tasmania, Australia with stops in between at the Newport Folk and Montreal Jazz festivals among many others. The late great John Allan Cameron simply said it all about fiddler Dwayne Côté, calling him “the best kept secret in Celtic Music”. Presumably a secret no longer, last year saw the duo take home the Triple Crown of Atlantic music prizes for their self-titled debut CD with ECMA, MusicNL and MusicNS wins, along with the international Independent Music Award in the instrumental album category.
Don’t miss Dwayne Côté and Duane Andrews, Thursday, June 14, 7:30pm at Flavor 19 in Sydney and Saturday, June 16, 8pm at MacBouch Beverage Room in St. Peter’s. Admission is $10. And if you just can’t wait til the show, The Empress is available now at iTunes and CD Baby.
Dwayne Côté & Duane Andrews – The Empress from HEAVYWEATHER on Vimeo.
