Dervish’s bold new ‘Spirit’

Though not as cohesive or polished as “Midsummer’s Night,” Dervish’s new studio recording, “Spirit” (Whirling Discs WHRL 007), is a generous (72:32 in length), refreshing, risk-taking achievement for the band.
There are some detectable, and delectable, stylistic borrowings. A L_nasa-like use of caesura to heighten expectation can be heard during the four-jig medley “Father Jack,” and an Altan-like fiddle fire simmers during the second and third reels of the four-reel medley “John Blessings.”
There’s also plenty of originality here. Dervish’s arrangement of two jigs, “Trounsdells Cross/Whelans,” includes some intriguing exotica from Chris Hinderyckx on sitar. The medley also features S