Hello there everyone!
How you arrived here on my little part of cyberspace is a mystery....you are all most welcome ,feel free to say hello....I hope you enjoy some of my music and paintings.i will try to keep you updated regarding exhibitions and gigs.....and whatever else i think you may be interested in..
Here goes the spiel
I grew up in an musical household and was encouraged to take up various musical instruments at a young age.I was fortunate enough to have been taught by some of the best performers in irish music...including Seamus Tansey,Robbie Hannon and Ronan Browne.After being dragged around every festival of music the world over i was eventually transformed into a professional musician.Since then i have toured the world over,i have performed alongside some of the greatest musicians in the world,i have recorded widely and my compositions have been covered by artists such as Karan Casey and Flook.At present i perform in both a solo capacity and as a part time member of the band "At first light"alongside john mc sherry and donal o connor, Also of late i have been performing with Brian finnegan (of flook fame) in his mammoth production "the singing tree"
When i am not playing music i am an artist,i am represented by "gormleys fine art"and my work can be viewed at www.gormleys.ie
The Irish Times (Siobhan Long) Reviews 'The World Looks Away'
Fleet of foot, of fingers and of tongue. Belfast flute player, piper, singer and songwriter (and in his spare time, accomplished painter) Barry Kerr brings a remarkable maturity to a swathe of topical issues, not to mention showcasing an unhurried finesse on flute and pipes on The World Looks Away. The opening salvo, Guantanamo Bay , hints at a heavy handedness that never materialises, as his languid self-possession takes firm rein of political commentary and personal tales with equal ease. Pipes and flute dip and soar with avian elegance on the set of reels, Nipper Quinn's and flute again flourishes alongside Donncha Moynihan's guitar on Aoife's Lie in. Karen Casey (a long-time Kerr patron) lends suitably subdued backing vocals and shade what is a mighty fine calling card.
Mike Harding of BBC radio two comments
"Like Gaughan and Moore but with his own thing going on,I just love this guy!"
Pay the Reckoning ( www.paythereckoning.com) reviews ‘The Three Sisters’:
‘A mere lad at the time the album was recorded, Kerr’s years belie his musical maturity. Adept on flute, whistles and pipes, Kerr is no mere player. He is a conjuror of emotion, capable of one minute of rakish wit and at another of plumbing the depths of melancholy.’
Irish music magazine comment on Barry’s playing on ‘The Three Sisters’ album:
‘…there is little doubt that Kerr is among the most gifted traditional musicians of his generation…’
Geoff Wallis reviews ‘The Humours of Piping’:
‘…as anyone familiar with his piping would expect, Barry Kerr runs away with the show by some distance. Fast-paced and tight-fingered like his major influences, Johnny Doran and Paddy Keenan, his playing of ‘Tá an Coileach ag fogairt an Lae (When the cock crows it is day)/ The Blackthorn Stick (single and double jigs respectively) is just breathtaking.’
Geoff Harden his guide to folk, jazz and world music in the Newsletter reviewed Barry’s latest album ‘The World Looks Away’:‘The album is a masterpiece'
The Lyric Theatre Belfast gives a description of Barry’s art work:
‘…. Co.Armagh artist Barry Kerr, already something of an icon in the traditional music world. Barry has transferred his passion for music from reed to brush, creating powerful portrayls of Irish life, receiving his seal of approval when picking up the 2004’ Open House Festival’ award for ‘Best Contribution to the Traditional Arts’ and adding the legendary J.B Vallely and the playwright Marie Jones to his list of patrons.With four sell out exhibits under his belt and invitations to exhibit abroad, Barry looks set to become an important figure in contemporary Irish art.’