"A lot of people think Irish music is wistful and melancholy," says Kevin Burke, one of its very finest players; "That's one side of it, but there's also a great, rough, resilient spirit in the music, an element of joy underlying even the most plaintive melody." Kevin is a master at unearthing that joy with the sparkling, lyrical playing that has made him one of the world's most respected fiddlers of any genre. Born and raised in London, Kevin sought out Ireland's fiddle masters during his family's regular vacations to its native County Sligo; he counts the musicians of the Sligo style as primary influences, as well as fiddlers from counties Clare and Ulster. In the early 70s, Kevin worked with the great Irish singer-songwriter, Christy Moore, before joining two of the most influential Irish groups of all time, the Bothy Band and Patrick Street. Re-settling in Oregon in the late 80s, he formed the short-lived but critically acclaimed traditional music project, Open House, and released several solo albums, most recently In Concert (1999, Green Linnet). This year, Kevin received the United States' highest honor in folk and traditional arts, a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment For The Arts.