Irish fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes and Chicago-born guitarist Dennis Cahill possess a rare musical kinship, ranking them among the most memorable duos of our era. Last seen around these parts in last year's Highland, Heath & Holler show at Zellerbach Hall, co-sponsored by the Freight, the twosome holds listeners spellbound with their slow-building, fiery performances, releasing the pure, distilled beauty of traditional Irish music. Their new CD, Welcome Here Again (Compass), captures the amazing fire and chemistry of their duo playing.

Martin plays in the unhurried, lyrical style of his native Ireland's East County Clare. His father, P. J. Hayes, was the leader of the famed Tulla Ceili Band and Martin developed a great reverence for the older generation of players, whose music, as Martin puts it, "contains the longing and essence that moves you at the level of your soul." Now residing in Seattle, Martin has been an All-Ireland fiddle champion six times over, and has taken home a National Entertainment Award, the Irish equivalent of the Grammy, for Traditional Musician of the Year.

Dennis studied at Chicago's prestigious Music College before working with Martin. The musical rapport he has with the fiddler is so strong that it is often said they appear to be playing one instrument, working on a seemingly telepathic level: their live performances weave tunes in what Martin describes as "a three-way conversation between the two of us and the music."