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JUNO Award-Winning Contemporary Celtic Group LEAHY Share Hopeful Live Composition “Joie de vivre”

Renowned Canadian Celtic music group, LEAHY, is pleased to announce the release of “Joie de vivre,” the first single from their upcoming new album LEAHY Live In Concert (out October 25th, 2024).

The spirited accordion-led instrumental track is a medley of two original pieces composed by multi-instrumentalist Xavier Leahy, inspired by his exploration of jazz through his guitar. “I deliberately tried to write tunes outside the Irish or French boxes,” recounts the young musician, “basically trying to translate ‘jazz’ into ‘Irish.'”

Xavier‘s aunt, Erin Leahy, influenced by pianists in the Montreal jazz scene, adds rich and intricate layers underneath Xavier‘s accordion, igniting the feel with her Latin and jazz piano arrangement. In typicalLEAHY form, the band’s approach takes the track in unexpected directions melodically and rhythmically, leaving the listener exhilarated and satisfied.

Joie de vivre” was recorded during a regular live performance, filmed for a video series on which the band was working. When they listened back to the music from the show, the vibe was so dynamic that the band decided to release several tracks on an album. It’s the subject of the second episode in the video series, LEAHY: From the Inside.