SPIRO
Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow
Real World Records 206

www.realworldrecords.com
 

As far as I know, this Bristol, England, quartet has little or no competition. First off, they are completely instrumental – featuring acoustic stringed instruments for the most part, along with accordion and piano. Secondly, most of their material is original. But what’s most striking about Spiro is that they occupy an unusual position, straddling the folk, classical, and even rock worlds. Their melodies certainly have a pastoral English feel, but the intricacy of their arrangements and obvious virtuosity recall the finesse required to play what is generally considered classical music. Some of the faster passages even rock out a bit, but in a gentle way.

Listening to this CD in one sitting feels like listening to an informal symphony, with each track making up a “movement” or two. The moods, tempos, and textures change, but there is a consistency throughout this recording which marks it as a complete work.

Violin takes up most of the lead melody work here, with mandolin providing occasional accents on top, accordion filling out the middle spaces and guitar supplying most of the rhythm. Spiro creates quite a full, orchestral sound with those few instruments (augmented occasionally by piano and cello).

Spiro definitely brings something new to the world of folk based music. Anyone who appreciates outstanding musicianship should definitely check them out. I also recommend sharing this with any devotees of classical music you may know. They might really enjoy it.

— Ken Roseman