brendan power & dean magraw

Dean and Brendan met for the first time at the Global Harmonica Summit in Minneapolis, June 2000. Total strangers, they were paired together for a concert by festival organiser Chris Michalek. Based of the personal rapport and musical empathy they immediately struck up, it seems that Chris has a sure future as a musical matchmaker - as their debut concert performance was judged by many to be the highlight of the whole festival (see below). The collaboration was so positive and energising for both musicians that they were determined to continue it - despite the fact Brendan lives in London, and Dean in St Paul Minnesota.

Dean is an elegant, exciting, and extraordinarily innovative guitarist whose influences reach from the British Isles to India, and who weds folk and jazz in a style all his own. His performances are full of surprises, with playing that ranges from quiet intensity to explosive power. The soulful sounds he coaxes from his instrument are amazing: sitar-like string bends that slide forever, percussive bass rolls, brilliant rhythmic chord inversions, and mysterious colors from a seemingly limitless tonal palette. Dean's range of influences and experience has made him a remarkably versatile guitarist, with the unique ability to thrive in any musical environment while maintaining his individual style. He has performed and recorded with classical violinist Nigel Kennedy, mandolin virtuoso Peter Ostruoshko, the traditional Irish supergroup Altan, singer/songwriters Paul Brady, Greg Brown, Claudia Schmidt, and John Gorka, jazz organist Jack McDuff, and many others. He has released two acclaimed solo albums, Broken Silence and Seventh One. Up against some of the best instrumentalists in the world, Broken Silence won the NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Distributors) Indie Award for Acoustic Instrumental album of the year in 1994. The award firmly established Dean as one of the America's premiere guitarists. As one reviewer stated, "With approximately 6 billion people on this planet trying to make a living playing the guitar, it can be tough to stand out - but Dean Magraw does". 

Brendan Power is a New Zealander who has developed a considerable reputation for his concert and recording work featuring the harmonica. Equally at ease on both the earthy Blues Harp as well as the sophisticated Chromatic Harmonica, he employs his own custom tunings to breathe fresh life into an often typecast instrument - especially in his original compositions, which feature on several of the instrumental CDs he has released to date. Since he moved to Britain in 1992, he has become known worldwide as an original and innovative voice on the harmonica, especially in the Irish/Celtic music scene. The 1994 release of the album New Irish Harmonica established his reputation in Europe and America; its fresh approach virtually redefined the role of the harmonica in traditional Irish music, and the album won considerable critical praise: the Irish Times described Power as a "master player" and the album as "electrifying". Its success led to numerous guest spots on albums by artists such as Altan, Sting, James Galway, Mary Black, Arty McGlynn & Nollaig Casey, Paul Young, John Williams, and many more. From 1996-99 he was a featured soloist in the Riverdance show, but has now returned to pursuing his own recording, performing, and writing projects.

While the tyranny of distance might be against a trans-Atlantic musical partnership like this, the sheer joy of music making and their professional approach will ensure that Dean and Brendan make it happen - for themselves and also for their audience. Witness these unsolcited audience comments from that first gig at the Cedar Cultural Center (taken from internet postings on the Harp-L harmonica list):

"My favorite musical occasion of the week was enjoying Brendan Power and Dean McGraw. They were pure music making... really the highest compliment I can give. It may seem like a small thing, but listening to a short passage where they played in unison at a highish speed, where the unison was MUSICALLY precise... it sent shivers up your spine. I am not certain what they played, you just wanted to go on and on hearing them. They obviously loved playing with each other... and joking with each other in the music. Truly a memorable performance and one which I will live with for a very, very long time." DOUGLAS TATE (co-designer of the Renaissance chromatic harmonica)

"The high point so far for me was the Brendan Power/Dean Magraw concert last night. This duo met only 1 week ago, but from their interaction, you know that they have had a lot of fun rehearsing and hanging out together. The two musicians were locked tight in the up tempo movements, with accents, body language, and "stop on a dime - wait 2 beats - and resume" completely orchestrating these songs. Other songs were performed so quietly that the audience was pulled into that state where no one was moving, coughing, or even breathing loudly. Both musicians were without ego, loving the music for its own sake, and this translated into a memorable experience for the listeners. I left feeling refreshed."  LARRY ‘The Iceman’ EISENBERG

With reactions like that, it must surely be their duty as a public service to play on....

Listen to Selected Excerpts from the Cedar Concert:

John Stenson's        Jig Jazz Solo       Seventh One        The Corner House       The Real Blues Reel

Sweet Bulgarity        The Drunken Landlady        Exhalaration

For gig bookings, email Brendan