TOMCATMUSIC.COM Pauline Cato & Tom McConville
		Pauline and Tom's first album together was released in 1996. By Land and Sea contains a mixture of songs and tunes and features superb guitarist / producer, Chris Newman. Pauline Cato Northumbrian Pipes Tom McConville Fiddles, vocals Chris Newman Guitars, mandolin, bass, keyboards 1 The New High Level / Mr Kennedy North / La Grande Chaîne 2 The Death of Blind Willie / Billy Johnson's Jig 3 Ashokan Farewell 4 The Acrobat / Frenchie's Reel / Errol Mitten's Reel U 5 Border Spirit / The Left Handed Fiddler / The Right Handed Piper 6 Beeswing U 7 The Duke of Fife's Welcome to Deeside / Escape from Bodmin Jail / Jean's Reel 8 Coaly Tyne 9 The Locomotive / The Hawk / The Quayside 10 Herr Roloff's Farewell 11 Here's the Tender Coming / The Hawk Polka Review - By Land and Sea Folk on Tap, Mar 97 Tom McConville has long been acknowledged as one of the leading fiddlers of the British Isles, combining stunning technique with warm tone and great expressiveness. In recent years he has performed regularly with Pauline Cato, one of the greatest exponents of the Northumbrian Smallpipes. "By Land and Sea" is their first duo album, and what a gem it is! The combination of pipes and fiddle produces a full, mellow sound, showcased to great effect here by a selection of first-rate tunes from Northumbria and beyond (mainly Scotland and Canada).     That Tom is also a fine singer is underlined by the four vocal tracks, all excellently sung, with the standout for me being the sensitive reading of Richard Thompson's "Beeswing". Add to the above, sympathetic guitar accompaniment by the wonderful Chris Newman and you have an album of fine music, expertly played by musicians who sound as if they are really enjoying themsleves. Highly recommended.  Review - By Land and Sea Musician, March 1997 The traditional music of the North East of England has clear and distinctive characterisitcs. Pauline Cato (Northumbrian Pipes) and Tom McConville (fiddle) are both outstanding exponents of the style of playing appropriate to that music. The material on this album is mainly instrumental, and is drawn largely from Northumberland and Durham, with occasional foreys further afield to Scotland, Canada and the USA. We are also given four songs, one of them by one of today's greatest songwriters, Richard Thompson.     The Northumbrian pipes are essentially an indoor instrument, giving a delicate mellowness that is not always associated with pipe music. Here, the combination of pipes and fiddle works very well, giving the music a flavour almost of chamber music. The instrumentals are at their most effective when the fiddle breaks into counter melody. The drive of the dance rhythms, particularly the reels, is well complimented by occasional guitar and piano. Eddie Upton
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