It’s a bit of a bold choice for Taste of Chicago to host The Chieftains, leading proponents of traditional Irish music for the past fifty years. They’re not pop, rock or hip-hop. But don’t be fooled; while they’re well known for making their audiences feel like old friends sitting in an Irish pub, Paddy Moloney, Matt Molloy and Kevin Conneff have continuously stretched the boundaries of Celtic through collaborations with musicians from all over the world. I’m especially fond of their Grammy-winning album “Santiago,” which explored the Celtic roots in Spanish music from Galicia, Spain, Cuba and Mexico, and featured Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, Carlos Nuñez, Ry Cooder and others, and “Long Black Veil,” which featured Sting, Van Morrison, Ry Cooder, Sinéad O’Connor and Mick Jagger. Clearly not your ordinary Irish band. At Taste, we can expect explorations into bluegrass with guest artists Nashville guitarist Jeff White and fiddle player Deanie Richardson. Jeff has supported Vince Gill and Patty Loveless for over twenty years and Deanie has played with Bob Seger, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr., Del McCoury Band and Marty Stuart, to name just a few. An additional guest is harpist Shawna Selline. Regular touring members also include the very talented Jon Pilatzke (fiddle and dance), Alyth McCormack (vocals), Cara Butler and Nathan Pilatzke (dance). A local choir and traditional Scottish pipe band will join in for a few tunes. Also on the bill: Chicago bluegrass band Special Consensus. (Gail Dee)
July 10 at Petrillo Music Shell, 235 South Columbus, (312) 742-4763. $15/$30.
