Finnegan, Brian : Yama

Brian Finnegan - Irish flute and whistle player, composer and Flook front man presents his new album YAMA, five years on from the critically acclaimed Hunger of the Skin.YAMA was created in the late autumn of 2025 and recorded in Bannview Studios, Co Antrim in early 2026

Coming off the back of a busy 30th celebratory year with Flook, which included three visits to Japan - whose tectonic beauty, mountains and forests, were a key inspiration when writing the seven new compositions on YAMA.

All the tracks were put down with Sean Og Graham and Brian Finnegan, at Sean Og's studio (Bannview), where they had previously forged a great partnership in the making of Hunger of the Skin. The album features an envious cast of 22 musicians, including Liam Bradley (drums) Patsy Reid (fiddle) and Conor McCreanor (bass) who formed the backbone of the album.

The album also features the brilliant young Ottawa Valley fiddler, Tom Fitzgerald , soulful pianist Rory McCarthy , innovative Danish powerhouse trio Stundom ; flute player Sylvain Barou from Brittany, tsugaru-shamisen duo Ki&Ki from Tokyo with their mind- bending shamisen virtuosity, and closer to home, the beautiful music of The Arco String Quartet. Both of Brian's sons, Ollin (15) and Emil (8) join him on five of the seven tracks, playing everything from handpan to floor toms, whilst the masterful Joseph Carmichael (guitar) and Eamon Murray (bodhran) round out the ensemble cast.

YAMA is available on white vinyl and digipak CD editions.

"A musician of global importance." - BBC Radio Ulster