CEL
In its 15 year history Celtic Connections has grown to be the largest winter festival and also one of the most significant
global celebrations of music and culture anywhere. From relatively modest ambitions this year’s event will see over 300
headline artists and 1000 plus musicians in all take the stage in a dozen venues across Glasgow’s city centre. TIC CONNECTIONS
Now in his third year as artistic director, Capercaillie’s Donald Shaw is justly proud of the festival’s reputation not only for its
refreshingly thoughtful presentation of Scottish traditional culture, but for its bold programming giving a showcase for some of the
best music in the world – and creating the sort of artistic environment where you wouldn’t normally find it. Artists with apparently
little in common find themselves on stage working up impromptu sets together, while many memorable collaborations have
been forged late at night in the club sessions that have become such a vital element to the Celtic Connections experience.
Musicians from over 20 countries, spanning the continents form Asia to America via Africa and of course Europe will give this
year’s event its broadest reach yet. The city is simply awash with musical possibility. Here is a selective guide to some of the very
best of this year’s event.
Some of the artists, such as cover star Cara Dillon along with Ruthie Foster, Martin Green, Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko
and Aiden O’Rourke are playing but also feature elsewhere in the magazine. So not wishing to repeat ourselves they are not
included in this section, but they are no less a part of this years exceptional line up. For anyone reading this that hasn’t been
lucky enough to get there this year, we cannot recommend strongly enough that you start making your reservations for 2010.
You are guaranteed one hell of a party.
KARINE POLWART...
Few artists of any genre match the class, consistency or versatility of Stirlingshire’s Karine Polwart. She
sings magnificently, has rare qualities as a questioning and provocative songwriter and, apart from
the famously joyous gigs with her own excellent band, she shows an insatiable appetite for musical
exploration, forever popping up in unexpected line-ups (she plays with Rachel Unthank in Glasgow
and if you get the chance, her show with Corinna Hewat and Annie Grace is a MUST). Even in the later
stages of pregnancy she managed to record two stonking albums, the stark, all-traditional set Fairest
Floo’er and her impassioned self-written This Earthly Spell, nominated as Album Of The Year in this
year’s BBC Folk Awards.
HEIDI TALBOT...
Last year’s engagingly varied In Love And Light album may have taken many by surprise, but
Heidi Talbot has paid some colourful dues and pursued a circuitous route before achieving
her solo breakthrough. Leaving Ireland in her teens, she joined a wedding band in New York
before winding up with America’s celebrated Cherish The Ladies. She was back in Ireland three
years later, but a Celtic Connections appearance triggered a series of events that led to In Love
And Light – including surprising covers of the old Inkspots standard Whispering Grass and a
blissful version of Tom Waits’ Time - and a productive partnership with a Scots national treasure,
John McCusker.
BELLA HARDY...
From the lovely village of Edale in Derbyshire’s Peak District, Bella Hardy is one of Brit folk’s most
precious new talents. She cut her teeth playing with The Pack and Ola, was a finalist in the BBC Young
Folk Award and finally released her gorgeous fiddle-singing debut Night Visiting in 2007. Her grippingly
poignant Three Black Feathers – since covered by Jim Moray - was short-listed as best new song at the
BBC Folk Awards, which has also seen her nominated as best new artist for the last two years. After
joining forces with irrepressible concertina virtuoso Chris Sherburn she played 22 festivals last year,
including the London Folk Proms. Bella is currently working on her second album.
SHOW OF HANDS...
Predominantly built around the impassioned, striking songs of Steve Knightley and the instrumental
virtuosity of Phil Beer, Show of Hands have long been an acoustic master-class, culminating in three
remarkable self-promoted headlining shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Regularly nominated for
gongs at the BBC Folk Awards both as a duo and individually (Knightley for his stirring clarion song of
English identity, Roots and this year Beer is up for Best Musician) their enduring quality is underlined by
the beautifully packaged double-CD compilation Roots: The Best Of. Their live sound is expanded with
the addition of Miranda Sykes on double bass and vocals.
Click on any ALBUM COVER to buy now
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