Skipinnish Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite
February 3, 2012 IN the 10 years or so that Angus MacPhail and Andrew Stevenson have been together as Skipinnish they may have grown from a duo to a five-piece, and frequently more, but the ethos behind their music hasn’t changed. Good West of Scotland ceilidh music has always
been at the heart of the band and that still holds true. The line-up for this concert included Robert
Robertson, Ali Murray, Scott Wilson, fiddle ace Allan Henderson, the pipe major of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band Duncan Nicholson and Gaelic singer Rachel Walker. It’s a big band with a big sound that filled the packed Strathclyde Suite.
There were good tunes aplenty (The Hens March, John Morrison of Assynt House, My Home Town, Dr Flora McAulay of Carradale to name but a few) all played in that glorious swinging West Coast style with big Angus keeping the music flowing on the accordion. Robert and Rachel shared the singing duties with aplomb and there was even some community singing, although teaching the audience the words to Runrig’s Going Home was a little pointless as there wasn’t a soul in the place who didn’t already know them. Returning for the second half, the band were dressed in boiler suits and yellow wellies, proving they have a keen sense of humour but never let that get in the way of making fabulous music that lifts your spirits faster than a bottle of Islay’s finest malt. l CHRIS MACKENZIE
Ceolas Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite
February 4, 2012 THIS concert featured some of the tutors and graduates from the Ceolas summer school held every year in South Uist.
The cast list was a veritable “who’s who” of the traditional music scene in the Highlands. Compered by Rona Lightfoot and Kathleen MacInnes (who both also sang) there was a very impressive set of jigs on the pipes by Seonaidh Mac- Intyre, Gaelic songs from Gillebride MacMillian, Paul MacCallum, and Margaret Stewart, step dancing from Sandra Robertson and Frank McConnell and even a cameo appearance from Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus singing in Gaelic, to list but some of the performers.
Despite having slightly a school concert feel with folk traipsing on and of the stage, there were some terrific performances but none more so than from the three MacKenzie brothers. Calum (piano), Angus (Border pipes) and Kenneth (fiddle and pipes) who dazzled for three sets of music Cape Breton style. There was more in that vein from Cape Breton fiddler Dawn Beaton who also demonstrated her con- siderable talent as a step dancer. Angus MacKenzie also featured along with Fin Moore and Angus Nicolson as a pared down version of Seudan for a set of wauking songs and some jigs.
The closing sets had the whole shebang on stage for a set of strathspeys and reels and some community singing to finish. l CHRIS MACKENZIE
Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton of the Treacherous Orchestra
Treacherous Orchestra and Gabby Young and Other Animals O2 ABC • February 4, 2012
THE Treacherous Orchestra album launch at the O2 ABC opened with Gabby Young and Other Animals, who weren’t really on the same wavelength as the crowd.
Gabby has an excellent voice and was backed by an instrumental infusion of brass from trumpet to tuba, but the crowd wasn’t suitably lubricated to participate in singing along. Treacherous Orchestra know how to work an audience, and with such a line-up of various instru- ments had created so much tension that by the time Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton brought the pipes in, the crowd were in an absolute frenzy. For this special show, they enlisted to help of ‘back- up fiddlers’ Patsy Reid, Seonaid Aitken and Amira Bedrush-McDonald. These talented women added a bit of oestrogen to the line-up, dressed in LBDs (little black dresses) and bright red lipstick, they thickened up the string section to create a more orchestral sound which worked very well. Treacherous gigs are hypnotic and they have developed a cult-like following, attracting many fans who don’t take a wider interest in traditional music. They are certainly bringing new and younger audiences to Scottish instrumental music and generating considerable influence. While there seemed to be some technical prob- lems with the mics for flautist Kevin O’Neill and pipers Ross and Ali, they got it sorted out in time for Kevin’s solo start with new track Sea of Clouds, which was beautiful. For the encore, bodhran player Martin O’Neill was wheeled out on a piano dressed in a Jimmy Savile-esque gold jumpsuit and sunglasses, with the band launching into Daddy would you like some Sausages which caused the dance floor to erupt into a moshpit. A rousing non-stop three-set encore
ended the evening in spectacular style. Although it was a fabulous performance, it was a bit disappoint- ing that only a couple of their sets were new, as they have been performing with the same repertoire since 2009. Ross and Ali are a terrific credit to Highland piping and together are a tour de force on stage, with their furious finger work cutting through the strings and percussion.
ALL IN, Celtic Connections delivered 18 days of fabulous music and revelry to counteract the winter blues. I saw bands I have long been a fan of, and many others for the first time. Every year, I try to see a band a bit outwith my ‘comfort’ zone, and this year I chose Orchestra Baobab, a Senegalese big band who fuse Afro-Cuban sounds with Congolese rumba, Ghanaian high life, griot singing and other local African styles. Performing at the Old Fruitmarket, they had the en- tire floor dancing and definitely provided a different dynamic to the festival programme. Opening for them were RURA, an up-and-coming group of young tradi- tional instrumentalists from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland who have just added singer-songwriter Adam Holmes to their line-up. Featuring Steven Blake on pipes and whistles, they are fast gaining a reputation for their superb arrangements of traditional Scottish music and are scheduled to perform at lots of events and festivals in the next year.
In general, it is interesting to note that a wide range of traditional musicians are playing a lot of pipe tunes in their repertoires — from classic jigs penned by Donald MacLeod to a wide variety of compositions from Fred Morrison and Gordon Duncan. While it is more difficult to adapt fiddle tunes or songs to the pipes, it is rare to hear pipers playing tunes written for other instruments. Amid the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, keep an eye out for the Celtic Connections programme for 2013 — you will not be disappointed by the wide range of music on offer. Only 46 weeks to go! l ANDREA BOYD
PIPING TODAY • 29
Photo: John Slavin@Designfolk Ltd
FESTIVAL
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52