Album Notes

"Jean Duval's one-handed tinwhistle compositions and his recordings thereof, could easily be overlooked as a novelty or, worse, a joke. They are neither. This music is lively and charming in its blend of Celtic and baroque feels. The playing is expert and dazzling. It is
literally true that Jean Duval plays the tinwhistle better than many,including myself, with one hand tied behind his back!"

--Dale Wisely, Chiff & Fipple (www.chiffandfipple.com)


Here's something original for you. If you enjoy traditional Celtic music, you'll love this CD. All the music is composed by Jean (John) Duval, a multi-instrumentalist from Quebec with more than 20 years of background in playing Irish, Scottish, Québécois and Breton traditional music.

On this CD, Jean has narrowed down a bit though. He plays only the good old tin whistle - but with ONE HAND (he does have two in full working order). Why? Is he demented? "It was just a challenge I set myself," admits Jean. "I also needed to develop a repertory that could be played in a car or while doing something else with the other hand," he adds. A man with a practical turn of mind, obviously. An added challenge is that each suite of 3 or 4 tunes is in a different key, but played on the same whistle.

You may be thinking that this CD is for pure Celtic aficionados only. Wrong. Jean has been surprised by the reaction of friends, family and others who have bought the CD. Many people who are more into pop, rock or classical love this music.

The melodies are delightful and very musical - quite an achievement for the composer, since playing with one hand means some notes are simply not available. Listeners also enjoy the variety of traditional styles: Irish, Scottish, Breton and Québécois. If you can't tell the difference between these styles, you will be able to after listening to this CD.

The arrangements are simple and beautiful, a refreshing change from the busy sound on many modern Celtic albums. Jean is joined by a number of excellent musicians, all old friends from the Montreal area: his buddy Golo, guitarist, sound engineer and co-producer of the CD, Joanne St-Laurent on Celtic harp, Rachel Aucoin on piano, Philippe Longval on percussion and the late Dorothy Hogan also on piano.

It's bound to become a classic.