Album Notes

Legacy drawn the rapt attention of music fanatics wherever they play. These talented multi-instrumentalists perform an extensive repertoire of tunes and songs from the Irish tradition. Their skill is undeniable, their arrangements complex and challenging, and their performances tight and energetic. Said Dirty Linen magazine: "This band fills the bill....a delicate combination of full-speed-ahead attack and subtle finesse." Legacy appears in varying configurations--for the summer of 2007 the band is performing in the classic power trio format (An Tri'read).

Valerie Plested (fiddle, vocals) is among the finest and most expressive young talents in the Southwest’s Celtic scene. An exceptional musician, Justin Murphy's (flute, whistles, guitar, bodhrán, vocals) powerful tone on the flute and swaggering rhythm have been compared to such contemporary notables as Seamus Egan and Frankie Kennedy. At the heart of this trio configuration, Michigan native Don Penzien's (guitar, bodhrán, whistles, vocals) DADGAD guitarwork provides the solid, driving rhythms that have long been a hallmark of Legacy performances.

Len Holton, Director of the Little Rock Folk Club, said:

“This trio configuration has required some shift in the tasks undertaken by the various members, and to this challenge arose the already well-respected multi-instrumentalist, Justin Murphy. Blessed with a robust tenor voice, he proves equally dexterous with the stringed instrument as on the wind instruments and creates new space for the other members to contribute down new avenues to the customary Legacy sound of lush excellence. Given that Justin is taking on a role frequently adorned by nightingale-voiced/vocal power-house Betsy McGovern, you might be well impressed by this transition!”

“Annual favourites at the North Texas Irish Festival for the past 15 years, Legacy are in the top flight of bands performing music from the Irish tradition, their loyal following regionally is both well-earned and well-deserved, and, in their current trio formation, underscores handsomely the veracity of the 'less is more' maxim.”

Legacy's latest album, An Triréad ("the trio") was recorded in New Orleans (pre-Hurricane Katrina) and in Alexandria, Virginia (post-Katrina). This lengthy album includes no fewer than 16 tracks--10 tune tracks and 6 song tracks--featuring all new arrangements of high-energy dance music and songs from the Irish tradition. Said reviewer Curt Marcus, "I have been listening to this new CD for hours on end, and it's really been a pleasure. The only thing better is Legacy live" (SCMA Ceili Vol. 26#2).