Founded in 1983 by Irish traditional musician Micheal O'Domhnaill and American violinist Billy Oskay, Nightnoise maintained its pure, nearly hypnotic style of Celtic based music throughout a twenty year span. Blending performances that slip effortlessly from melodic tapestries to crisp and exciting up-tempo, often “off-beat” offerings that catch the ear and command attention, Nightnoise offers up an unequaled listening experience featuring passionate fiddle, exuberant, soulful flute with solid, traditional-based guitar and keyboard underpinnings and, at times, stunning vocal seasonings.

Windham Hill has done an excellent job of the impossible task of reducing over two decades of amazing melodies onto one sixteen song album. PURE Nightnoise is an accurate representation of the unique “feel” of the group’s musical career, transporting listeners to imagined as well as remembered places and times, danced along by the brilliant instrumental offerings of this amazing collaboration of musicians. The compilation contains several selections from earlier Nightnoise albums that are no longer in print.

Nightnoise was formed by O'Domhnaill after his relatively short but highly influential period with the Bothy Band which consisted of O'Domhnaill and sister, Tríona, with Donal Lunny, Paddy Keenan, Matt Molloy, and fiddlers Paddy Glackin/Tommy Peoples/Kevin Burke.

In the early eighties O'Domhnaill emigrated to the U. S., performing as Nightnoise with fiddler Billy Oskay, first as a duo, and then later with Tríona on keyboards and vocals and flutist Brian Dunning. On later albums, Oskay was replaced by fiddler Johnny Cunningham.

O'Domhnaill also played, toured and recorded with fiddler Kevin Burke resulting in two of the finest traditional albums, “Promenade” and “Portland” and also had a fine reputation as an album producer, including the highly successful string of “Celtic Christmas” albums.

Sadly, this brilliant singer, musician, composer, and producer died suddenly on July 7th 2006 at his home in Dublin.

Nightnoise had previously lost another prominent voice when fiddler Johnny Cunningham passed away in December 2003. Cunningham’s soulful and passionate contribution to the Nightnoise sound was nothing short of heaven sent.

In addition to the Nightnoise recordings, Johnny Cunningham’s amazing fiddle music can be enjoyed through recordings with the group Celtic Fiddle Festival where he was joined by Kevin Burke and Christian Lemaître, a melding of three of the absolute finest fiddlers in the Celtic world.

~ Lynn Alison Trombetta, Reviewer

Shadow of Time

At the End of the Evening

Celtic Fiddle Festival: Play On

Bill Leslie:

Peaceful Journey

Kevin Burke: In Concert