Groundbreaking Celtic/Jazz group Alba's Edge recently celebrated the local release of their debut album Run to Fly (Paddledoo Music) in front of a packed house at the back room of the Burren in Davis Square, Somerville, MA.The concert was presented by WGBH's Brian O'Donovan, who called the band “innovative, unbridled, adventurous.” The energy in the room was electric as fans lined up to experience the quartet's enthralling performance and get a copy of the new album. Alba's Edge is fronted by Neil and Lilly Pearlman, a brother-sister powerhouse on piano and fiddle, and grounded by a rock solid bass and drum rhythm section in Doug Berns and Jacob Cole. They have been rapidly garnering industry attention and gaining fans for their original brand of music, the product of their myriad musical backgrounds in Jazz, Scottish, Funk and Latin music traditions.
Run to Fly was produced and mixed by Aidan O'Rourke, the 2014 BBC Folk Musician of the Year, one of Scotland's greatest living fiddle players and a member of the experimental Scottish folk trio Lau (“The UK's best live band” -The Guardian). O'Rourke's involvement in the album marked a major milestone for the band, whose music has been heavily influenced by his work over the years. As Neil puts it, "working with Aidan was a dream come true. Lilly and I grew up listening to his work and couldn't think of a more perfect fit. We were blown away that he wanted to work with us and that he believes in our music." The first full length release from Alba's Edge, Run to Fly presents music written and developed over the past year. The music draws on the imagery of sunrise, life cycles and cosmic cycles, inspired by the double meaning inherent in the band's name: the word “Alba” as both Gaelic for “Scotland” and Spanish for “Dawn”.
Neil and Lilly Pearlman grew up in a family steeped in Scottish traditional music and dance. Neil has gone on to become an innovative pianist who has received international acclaim for his work blending traditional Celtic accompaniment with modern Jazz and Latin piano techniques (“a tremendous pianist” -BBC Radio Scotland). His piano blends seamlessly with Lilly's fiddle. A recent graduate of Barnard College, Lilly is turning heads as one of the top Scottish/Cape Breton fiddlers of her generation, touring the country with multiple projects and teaching at fiddle music camps such as Maine Fiddle Camp and Alasdair Fraser's Scottish Fiddle & Cello Camp at Ashokan. Holding down the low end, Doug Berns brings a wealth of experience to the table from years of playing Jazz, Funk and Afro-Beat in New York City. Doug is a part of countless projects around the city, most notably the Afro-Beat band Emefe, who are on the rise as a new voice in the genre. Rounding out the rhythm section is Jacob Cole, a versatile drummer from California by way of Puerto Rico. Although he holds a degree in Jazz Performance from New England Conservatory of Music, Jacob's varied musical chops have found him playing with established groups in a variety of genres ranging from Indie-Rock (Eksi Ekso) to Ska (The Toasters).
Alba's Edge is the synthesis of these musical backgounds. Their music layers fiddle tunes with cycling and building motifs, Jazz improvisation and Latin/Funk grooves to create a momentum that makes each piece a journey, pulling the listener along for the ride. Run to Fly is available online through iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.
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