Gerry Diver
The Speech Project – When in New York feat Joe Cooley
The Speech Project – Old Time Musicians feat Joe Cooley
The Speech Project – Famine feat Danny Meehan
‘Cards on the table…this is brilliant’ Colin Irwin, fRoots reviewing The Speech Project
Born in Manchester to Irish parents when the burgeoning Manchester Irish community was a hotbed for song, dance and music, Gerry Diver started playing Irish traditional music at an early age. Starting on the fiddle and progressing to a large number of instruments (mandolin, banjo, accordion, whistles, guitar, piano, drums, bodhran and a few more), Gerry entered the Fleadh Cheoil (Irish music competitions) held each year, winning a total of six British champion titles on various instruments.
A move to Ireland by the family at the age of fourteen saw Gerry immerse himself even more in Irish traditional music as well as diverging into electric guitars, synths and electronic music. At eighteen Gerry was accepted into the ethnomusicology degree course in University College Cork where he studied under famed Irish composer Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin.
‘A flash of fire from a fiddler’s heart – Diver is divine’ Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin
After graduating Gerry moved to London. He joined the Irish/world music group Sin é and was signed by Paddy Moloney (The Chieftains) to Paddy’s new world music label Wicklow Records BMG which released the Sin é album ‘Deep Water Drop-off’.
Sin é disbanded as various members moved out of London. Gerry took the opportunity to record and release a solo fiddle album, ‘Diversions’, an Irish traditional album with a global outlook which met critical acclaim.
‘Diver… is a major talent. No two ways about it. A modern classic. Utterly contemporary and yet solidly traditional.’ Pay The Reckoning
Gerry went on to become a member of Shane McGowan’s The Popes as well as guesting with artists including The Irish Folk Ballet Company, Van Morrison, Naomi Bedford, Laurie Anderson and uber rock producer Youth
‘Rarely do you find in music with such a diverse display of passion, soul and magic combined with a virtuoso talent of so many diverse instruments …genius’ Youth (producer to Paul McCartney, U2, Killing Joke, The Orb, The Verve)
In recent years Gerry has moved into music production. In 2007 he produced the debut album ‘Wild And Undaunted’ by English folk singer Lisa Knapp which was voted ‘Folk Album of the Year’ by Mojo magazine (2007) and nominated for a 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award.
Subsequent production work has included work with Paul Heaton (The Beautiful South, The Housemartins), Justin Currie, Alasdair Roberts, The Straw Bear Band and Sam Lee amongst others.
‘An outstanding muti-instrumentaist – fantastic!’ Mike Harding. BBC Radio 2
Gerry has now spent a number of years working on a very special project and labour of love to which he’s given the working title of The Speech Project, and which is a culmination of his work to date as a multi-instrumentalist and producer while also delving deep into his Irish heritage and experiences.
The result is ground-breaking new music inspired by the lyrical sounds of the speaking voices of Irish artists who have shaped the history of that country’s music.
In 2012 The Speech Project will take to the road with a tour which sees live performance and specially commissioned video combine to bring this unprecedented project into the live arena. The tour will be supported by the release of The Speech Project album.
Reviews in for The Speech Project:
‘A concept so original it might even be regarded as groundbreaking…the more it plays the more depth emerges and you find yourself listening to the music (and indeed speech) in a completely different way.’ fRoots
‘A work of the opriginality and quality of The Speech Porject distinguishes Gerry Diver as an artist of rare perception’ **** Songlines
‘Rich depths of imagination, sentiment and emotion’ **** Mojo
‘A hugely exhilarating musical experience’ **** Hot Press
