Francesco Turrisi featuring Róisín Elsafty

“Whether he is providing rhythmic propulsion, introspective stirring flights, or meandering sleepy lines, one leaves knowing his playing and his musical charisma carries weight and originality.” - Totally Dublin

Italian born, Dublin based jazz pianist, musical conceptualist and explorer of new sonic realms, Francesco Turrisi furthers his previous explorations into the ancient melodies of sean-nós with this special performance with traditional Irish singer Roisin Elsafty. Turrisi, a multi-instrumentalist is a graduate of jazz and early music from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and has performed with the New York avant-garde ensemble Bang on a can as well as touring with Bobby Mc Ferrin. This project will feature Roisin Elsafty with whom he previously collaborated with in his 2013 album for piano solo and voice, ‘Grigio.’ Róisín Elsafty, winner of the Irish Music Award 2010 as best Séan-Nós singer, has been innovative in both theme and style of this old tradition. While still respecting her self imposed limits of the Connemara style where she was born, Róisin revives old songs with fresh arrangements and has brought contemporary issues into the thematic content of sean-nós as well as Arabic influences into the vocal style of this music.

“She renders sean-nós’s impenetrable qualities gloriously transparent with her delicate ornamentations, which betray the subtlest of Arabic influences" - The Irish Times

In this collaboration Turrissi reimagines the ancient melodies of sean-nós in bold new settings. Turrisi’s intent with this collaboration was not to accompany the already complete Sean-nós songs but to create a colour that might add an unusual or different element to the songs to achieve something original. The original soundcape created by Turrisi’s technique such as his use of ebows in Eleanor a Run, or his overdubbing of sounds created with his hands inside the piano creates what gives the illusion of an almost electronically created soundscape.