Lauren Collier "Uddevalla"
Own Label, 2023
I first heard this eclectic Glasgow-based fiddler at the Scots Fiddle Festival 2023, with a full band backing her on pieces from several continents. Her debut album repeats much of that live show, adding a few more guests and effects: the result is a highly varied and entertaining collection of fiddle music including two songs, designed for listening as much as dancing, modern arrangements edging towards folk rock but with a strong fiddle lead.
Mickey Doherty "At Home"
Eighty-seven tracks, one hundred tunes, on this double CD from arguably the finest Donegal fiddler ever recorded: Mickey Doherty is less well known than his brother John, but reckoned by many to be the better fiddler. Mickey died in 1970 before John Doherty shot to prominence on radio and television. These recordings were made in the 1960s, in a relaxed family setting at Mickey's house in Stranorlar, East Donegal: Mickey's great-nephew Simon McGinley brought a reel-to-reel tape recorder on several visits, and Simon's fiddling features on a few tracks here with his great-uncle. These home recordings have been digitised and optimised, and the sound quality is really very good. There is a bit of background conversation at times, but the music is crisp and clear.
Rant "Spin"
A banquet of fiddle music from four mistresses of the instrument, Spin is the fourth album from RANT and features Bethany Reid, Lauren MacColl, Anna Massie and Gillian Frame in a quartet spanning Scotland's highlands and islands. Each track here is an explicit tribute to one or more musicians, solo or as part of a group, offering a spread of styles and material rarely concentrated in a single release. Spin is aptly named - a new take on old favourites, from Capercaillie to Väsen.
The Schmoozenbergs "Mouse"
The Schmoozenbergs are four extremely talented musicians, punching well above their weight. Well you have to in Bristol! This is their second album of all-original music - fiddle, double bass, and two guitars making a more Mediterranean sound than most jazz folk groups. Folk, gypsy jazz, Americana: call it what you will, it's easy on the ear and tempting for the toes. I'd describe this music as chamber concert rather than ceilidh dance: there are moments on Mouse which felt a little over-thought, but not a single note was disappointing. From the frankly saucy Hot Club tones of Captain Headspin to the contemporary fiddle fantasy of Happy Landings, this is an album full of smiles and pleasant surprises.
Serena Smith "Fiddle Me That"
With a US fiddle background and a long immersion in Irish music, Serena Smith brings a lot to this genre of popular folk band performances. Backed by a band of guitar, bass and drums, with spots of keyboard, Serena contributes lead fiddle on most tracks, plus whistle and mandolin. The fiddle tunes are definitely the highlights, a mix of Irish, Scottish and English material: The Golden Keyboard, Superfly, The Otter's Holt and Arthur Darley's Jig, new and old compositions neatly woven together.
Siger "When We Fly"
Siger is a duo of brothers Hartwin and Ward Dhoore,[80] and When We Fly is their second album: their first, Rodeland, made my top ten in 2023. The Dhoore brothers play their own compositions here, Hartwin on diatonic accordion and Ward on strings and synths. In the Flemish style, descriptive rather than dance music, most of the pieces here are gentle and contemplative, not what we often associate with accordions. Ward weaves rich soundscapes behind the opening Orchard Breeze and the dreamy Irish Bird - a far cry from Galway Girl. The title track is livelier, a joyous march perhaps, and Downhill Drifters has an ominous energy, like an avalanche sweeping all before it. The sauntering Airboys is another up-tempo track, leading to the lovely farewell waltz We'll Meet Again led by mandola and finished off with another finely layered synthesiser arrangement. When We Fly is music for relaxed times, destressing, sinking into the tapestry which Siger have slung like a welcoming hammock of Flemish folk.
Various Artists "Africatown, Alabama"
This is a folkumentary, a record of the sounds and stories and music of the African-descended people of a small town on the edge of Mobile, Alabama. The town was founded by the last shipment of slaves to come to the USA, in 1860, and it has kept alive its West African roots. Much of the culture has been lost, but the people of Africatown still remember the original slave community which worked in the oil refinery on the Mobile river. In a very varied half hour of recordings, Ian Brennan has captured the voices, the thoughts and the environment of these descendants of slavery who still live and work around the factories where their ancestors were chained and exploited.
Arthur Coates & Kerran Cotterell "Music for Cows"
A hugely talented young fiddler, Arthur Coates has performed and recorded solo and with various groups since his early teens. He teamed up with guitarist and bouzoukist Kerran Cotterell after COVID, and they have toured extensively since then. This is their first album as a duo, and it covers a bewildering range of styles from Western Swing to Woodstock, English ballads to French Canadian fiddle songs. There are six vocal tracks here, but each song is paired with a tune or a tremendous instrumental break. The other six tracks are an even mix of Kerran's compositions and Arthur's Quebec-style medleys.
Gjermund Larsen Trio "Tøyen Sessions"
On an album of his own compositions, Norwegian fiddler Gjermund Larsen is joined by Andreas Utnem on piano and Sondre Meisfjord on double bass. This sounds like a jazz trio line-up, but Tøyen Sessions is firmly folk, with ties to the Norwegian and other Scandinavian traditions despite its recent genesis. Morgenslått seems close to a Danish or English reel, while April could be a contemporary Celtic polka. There are intros and outros, solo breaks and variations, making every track a mini masterpiece of arrangement. The fiddle leads, sometimes multiply overdubbed with bowed and plucked harmonies, but the trio possibilities are explored too, adding to the musical variety here.
Albin Brun & Kristina Brunner "Innerland"
From deepest Switzerland, or perhaps highest Switzerland, their second album of folk/jazz/classical music sees Brun and Brunner duetting on saxophone and cello, and also on two Schwyzerörgeli, the Swiss version of the humble diatonic accordion. All the music here was written by Albin or Kristina. Although there is more than a generation between them, these two musicians share an approach and an understanding in their evolution of Swiss music. There are elements of many genres and traditions here, certainly German and French and Italian influences as well as American styles, but the result is unlike Mediterranean or central European or even transatlantic music.
Leonard Barry "Littoral"
Piper Leonard Barry has released a couple of fine albums recently - New Road and Hurry the Jug - with impressive friends from the Irish tradition. His music rarely strays far from the heart of the uilleann piping repertoire, but boy does he bring it to life. Sweet modern pipes and swift fingerwork are part of it, but on his circuitous journey from Kerry to Dublin Barry has developed a deep appreciation of all this music and an ability to express its beauty. He's joined on this recording by Irish luminaries Kevin Burke and Mike McGoldrick, as well as the best of accompanists in Brian McDonagh, Shamie O'Dowd, Michael Holmes and guitarist Shane McGowan, with some great fiddling from Andy Morrow and Scottish cello from the excellent Alice Allen.
Louise Bichan "The Lost Summer"
Orkney composer, photographer and fiddler Louise Bichan (pronounced a bit like chicken) has spent the last few years mainly in the USA, through choice or necessity, and has picked up quite a bit of bluegrass influence from her partner in many things Ethan Setiawan who also appears here. Together they recently released Hildaland, an eclectic album full of good music, and they are also part of the New England group Corner House. This second solo album from Louise is a combination of her Scottish and Orcadian background with Americana: more than half the tracks on The Lost Summer are Bichan compositions alongside the best of new and traditional tunes from both sides of the Atlantic. Guests add guitar, mandolin and cello throughout, with spots of banjo, piano, double bass, whistle and hammered dulcimer.
Notify "Airneán"
The concertina has really made a comeback in Irish music - not just in traditional bands and sessions, but also in the more pioneering, out-there music of Niall Vallely, Colm Begley, Cillian King, and of course Pádraig Rynne. This is Pádraig's third album with his band Notify, and each time the music evolves, spreads, builds on what has gone before. Airneán is an even mix of new and old elements, traditional and contemporary musicians, high energy and more contemplative pieces. With a core of Tara Breen, Davie Ryan, Adam Taylor, Rory McCarthy and Hugh Dillon, Notify enlist a few guests along the way.
Rolf Roys "Spoler Bakover (Live)"
A full Norwegian ceilidh - I suppose they would call it a folk dance - this digital album contains eighteen polkas, waltzes, reinlenders, mazurkas and hamborgers recorded live with all the atmosphere of a community dance and all the sound quality of a professional production. Rolf Roys is not a dodgy Australian car brand but a fine dance band from south eastern Norway: fiddle, accordion, guitar and bass providing the perfect balance of a strong beat for dancing and a range of pleasing and catchy tunes. The melodies here often have uneven phrasing, either for specific dances or for couple dances where the phrasing is less important.
From the Ground "From the Ground"
A thoroughly modern sound, this Glasgow-based duo brings multiple instruments to bear on some exciting music here. They released an EP in 2019 which passed me by, but this is their first full-length recording and only one track has been carried over. Laura-Beth should be familiar from Kinnaris Quintet and previously The Shee: her American mandolin, vocals and tenor guitar have probably always been at the contemporary end of folk. Ali Hutton started out as a piper alongside Ross Ainslie, and still plays with Ross but has ranged wider with Treacherous Orchestra and Old Blind Dogs amongst others, as well as numerous accompanying roles on guitar and keyboards. Add to these a plethora of electronic effects, plus the formidable talents of Patsy Reid, Duncan Lyall, Paul Jennings and a handful of backing singers, and the stage is set for a first class album.
Altan "Donegal"
Back to their roots with a new studio album, Altan celebrate their home county in four songs and six sets of tunes. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh sings three numbers in Irish, and one in English - the Norfolk bawdy ballad The Barley and the Rye. The other three songs have links to Mairéad's family home on the island of Arranmore, as well as to Counties Mayo and Kildare: gentle and graceful, they are beautifully sung here. Mairéad's fiddle is supported on the instrumentals by stalwarts Mark Kelly and Ciarán Curran, long-time Altan member Dáithí Sproule, and the accordion of relative newcomer Martin Tourish and the fiddle of brand new member Clare Friel. Clare also spells Mairéad on lead vocals, with other band members singing harmony. The arrangements throughout Donegal are stripped back, simpler than some previous recordings. Guests are used sparsely, and the overall sound comes close to a live Altan performance.
Anna Massie "Two Down"
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, broadcaster and bonne-viveuse Anna Massie has taken a wee while to record a second solo album but to be fair she has done quite a lot in the meantime. Accompanist and then front-line fiddler with Blazin' Fiddles, one quarter of RANT for the last five years or so, a duo act with Mairearad Green before that, and a mainstay of Live at Five during COVID with her Black Isle Correspondent column, she is a familiar face on the Scottish folk scene and a welcome addition to international tours and festivals. This almost totally solo recording features her facility with fiddle, guitars, banjo, mandolin, keyboards and the traditional Moray Firth mouth trumpet, as well as vocals on five fine songs. The instrumental tracks are very much in the Scots idiom - hornpipes, marches, reels and jigs are led by fiddle or guitar with good solid accompaniment, technically excellent and musically exciting, mostly Anna's own with one piece by Gideon Stove and a couple of traditional tunes.
Cillian Vallely & David Doocey "The Yew and the Orchard"
Almost an hour of music from two great players, this album spans Irish, Scottish and American oldtime music on Cillian's pipes and David's fiddle, with whistles, concertina and bouzouki in places, and a spot of accompaniment from Sean Óg Graham and Caoimhín Vallely. The Yew & The Orchard is an early contender for my 2024 Top Ten: its warm and easy mood makes each track a pleasure, and the material is chosen from the best of three traditions. The playing is not too fast, but never too slow either, and the overall sound is excellent.
Mads Hansens Kapel "Fanø i Flammer"
Longer than their 2017 EP, shorter than their 2019 full album, this digital release from Danish band Mads Hansens Kapel offers a selection of pieces from the island of Fanø which has its own music and dance traditions. On the western edge of Denmark, Fanø's music is soulful, relaxed: almost the cool jazz of the Danish tradition, going back hundreds of years. Fanø i Flammer captures that character and spices it up a little with Mads Hansens Kapel's zesty modern approach.
Miguel Girão "The Northern Isles Suite"
Four pieces on solo acoustic guitar based on traditional tunes from Shetland and Orkney, this EP by Portuguese guitarist Girão puts a different face on old fiddle tunes. Now living in Glasgow, Miguel has long had an interest in the music and culture of Scotland's Northern Isles. Here he combines his background in classical, jazz and Iberian guitar styles with old melodies from the northern edge of Europe.
Northern Resonance "Vision of Three"
Album number two from this Scandinavian trio follows their dreamy debut recording. The combination of Petrus Dillner on Swedish nyckelharpa, Jerker Hans-Ers on Norwegian Hardanger fiddle, and Anna Ekborg on viola d'amore gives them more sympathetic strings than most bands, and makes for a very pleasing vision too with plenty of beautifully crafted and decorated instruments gleaming on stage. Maybe that's what inspired this album title.
Portage "Portage"
Stretch a cloth from Portage la Prairie in the west to St John's in the east, and from Gaspé in the north right down to Galax in West Virginia, and you'll cover most of the traditions where Portage draw their material. I say most, because some of this music extends further north and west, and some of it looks east across the Atlantic to Europe, but these five fiddlers capture a huge amount of the music from the old traditions of Canada and the northern USA. Portage leap right in with a rake of Irish-rooted polkas from Newfoundland, crooked and crossed with French influences at some point, dance music with no holds barred. This selection is followed by a few fancier tunes from Quebec, again combining the French creole sound with Irish origins: the delightful Fred Kennedy's Reel, the grinding low groove of Father Morris' and a reel called The Rocky Road to Dublin which bears some resemblance to the Irish slip-jig but probably refers to a township in Ontario.
Project Smok "The Outset"
A second full album from this whistle-led contemporary folk trio is a treat indeed. A little more mature than their previous Bayview release, but just as exciting, The Outset is mainly compositions by whistle and pipes virtuoso Ali Levack, with assistance from ace guitarist Pablo Lafuente and stand-out drummer Ewan Baird. There are nods to their traditional backgrounds - the inclusion of Dan Murphy's Polka, Mike McGoldrick's Baltimore Beginners, and the traditional Hebridean Ille Bhig gun Togainn Thu - but Project Smok are boldly going where no folk band has gone before.
Matt & Shannon Heaton "Whirring Wings" [CD + Tune Book]
From Boston USA, or thereabouts, fluter Shannon Heaton and her guitarist husband Matt have long been mainstays of the New England Irish music scene. In 2020 they began an online guided session, which is still going strong, and partly from that came the idea to record selections of session tunes with the sheet music so people could learn and play along. Whirring Wings includes a dozen Shannon originals alongside the same number of tunes from the broad Irish tradition: all are notated in the accompanying book (an optional extra), except for one Liz Carroll piece for copyright reasons. There is also a Burns song which provides the title, written in 18th century Scots and sung by Shannon in best Massachusetts English.
Topette!! "On - Live at the Jam Jar"
There are two ways to look at this album, and to be frank it's pretty shiny either way. One is to see it is a compilation of the three previous Topette albums, as each track here is a reprise of music released on C'est le Pompon, Rhododendron or Bourdon - and indeed this live recording title takes the common element from all three previous CDs. The other way to view On is as a live album, with extra atmosphere and more of a dance focus, a more intimate slant on Topette!!
Scottish material is in the minority on Uddevalla, but there is handful of pieces by contemporary Scottish composers, including a couple by Collier herself. Lauren has collected music from around the world, and I suppose this album should properly be considered World Music. India, Haiti, France, Greece, Macedonia, Norway and Sweden are all covered and presented with sensitivity and flair. This is not an authentic representation of each tradition - that would be too much for one young musician - but Lauren Collier offers a convincing approximation of each of her sources, and clearly has a feel and a passion for this music.
Ranging from complex vocal ornamentation on Talariya Magariya to rhythmic bowing on Hiçaz Mandilatos, this album shows Lauren Collier's huge technical skill and ability as well as a great amount of musical soul and understanding. Collier is accompanied by Calum Muir on guitars, Paul Jennings on percussion, James Lindsay on bass and Ross Ainslie on ethnic woodwind. This ensemble produces a rich soundscape with Nordic, Balkan, Asian and other flavours, a very tasty musical banquet.
Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí, 2023
The material here is drawn mostly from the core Irish fiddle tradition - The Salamanca, Down the Broom, The Tarbolton, Tell Her I Am, The Irish Washerwoman and other familiar titles. Many are in a distinctly Donegal version, and all are touched with the travelling Doherty style in Mickey's extremely talented hands. Other pieces have a strong Scots flavour, such as the virtuoso Gladstone Reel or the several strathspeys here. Reels predominate of course - The Scholar, Big Pat's, The Flogging Reel, Bonnie Kate, Lord Gordon's and many more - but there is also a smattering of jigs and hornpipes, plus a fine take on the descriptive piece usually known as The Fox Hunt. Only three Donegal highlands are included, no mazurkas or germans, but there are a few reels which are peculiar to Donegal. I'm guessing Mickey Doherty liked to play the more flamboyant tunes for these family sessions, and he certainly puts flair and passion into his playing. There's also some chat from Mickey around the tunes, and there is an excellent booklet of notes. You could spend a long time just listening to this man and his fiddle, absorbing the tradition and appreciating the artistry of Mickey Doherty.
Make Believe Records, 2024
The notes are detailed and extensive, both on the players and their choices for this album, and on the sources of the music here. About half this material is old, and half is newly composed, but it could all be considered traditional albeit from Finnish, Swedish, Canadian and Irish traditions as well as Scottish. Some of it you might encounter at a session - Dr MacPhail's Reel, Roslin Castle, The Big Reel of Ballynacally, New York Jig and even James Brown's March, all reimagined for four fiddles and an occasional octave-strung fiddle for extra oomph.
Other pieces here are more suited to the concert platform. Mairtín O'Connor's The Road West was unfamiliar to me, as was JPP's Hale-Bopp, but both are powerful pieces superbly arranged for bowed and plucked and chopped fiddles. Also on the menu are the lyrical Boda from Karen Tweed and Timo Alakotila which sounds quite different from the keyboard version, and the iconic Hasse A's from the Väsen big band. RANT round off with a pair of eminently learnable Liz Carroll tunes, The Didda and Fly and Dodger, and a final four-abreast gallop through Aly Bain's virtuoso version of Le Reel du Pendu. Gorgeous stuff!
Own Label, 2024
The bittersweet Klezmer flavour of Supermoon and Iseult's Bees, the sultry heat of Tango 20 and the cool cinematic jazz of Acceptance, the tin pan alley virtuosity of The Craic is Back or the skid row vibe of Funk Mole: each has a place in this panorama of feel-good folk. While Gina Griffin's fiddle leads on many tracks, the twin guitars of Sam Stennett and Tom Brydon-Smith are ever-present, essential, easing into the foreground on several occasions to show a different aspect of The Schmoozenbergs, playing Reinhardt to Gina's Grappelli. Ron Phelan on bass stays more in the background, with rare solo flourishes, but that crucial low-octave foundation is always in the right place at the right time. It all fits together beautifully, a bewildering variety of tones and textures from a foursome, and of course ten fine new compositions to boot, without even a whiff of cheese.
Own Label, 2023
Predominantly reels, with some slower elements such as the Shooglenifty classic Two Fifty to Vigo and the enigmatic English If You Will Not Have Me You May Let Me Go, this CD ranges from stirring jigs to elegant waltzes. Some arrangements are sparse - a mandolin crying in the wilderness - while others are full-on rock band while the fiddle bravely keeps its head above water. All are probably cloud pleasers at festive events, and most can get the feet tapping as well as showing off Smith's fine fiddling. For the experienced fan of Celtic traditions, there are a few new twists here which catch the ear. For the more generic folkie, this material may or not be familiar but it should bring a smile to your face and a swing to your kilt.
Trad Records, 2023
Free Dirt Records / PM Press, 2024
Starting with a simple blues on banjo, Africatown, Alabama includes traditional and modern jazz on piano and sax, old time religious songs, tales of family life and foreign military service, and even some rap music by the younger generation. In between these snapshots of the community are ambient sounds of wildlife, industry and traffic, tales of segregation and incarceration, and a range of makeshift percussion including a home-made marimba. The whole production is enchanting, moving, disconcerting in equal parts: the skill and strong emotions of these musicians, their faith in God despite generations of suffering, the constant noise and pollution, and the forgotten histories of which only fragments remain. A powerful experience.
Own Label, 2024
Tired of Me and The Lazy Farmer are established Americana, set to strong fiddle and guitar arrangements. Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and the Drum and Jean Ritchie's Now is the Cool of the Day are gentle protests against war and environmental destruction. From the English tradition, Jez Lowe's Taking on Men and the traditional Broken Ring are more straightforward tales of daily life. Kerran and Arthur share the vocals, solo or duetting. The instrumentals are definitely fiddle-led, although Cotterell comes to the fore on his own pieces, particularly the final slow For the Ducks. In between the songs are half a dozen Québécois tunes, delivered with energy and flair by Coates: I particularly like his Galope de Joyeux and the medley Les Coe-boys de la Mer. Lots to enjoy in a very varied programme from two rising stars.
Heilo, 2023
Sankthansvals makes me think of The Hobbit, a calm yet fantastic world. Avslått evokes the Nordic tradition of sympathetic strings and surprising resonances. Vintermarsj is slow and steady, a formal tune without the dark and brittle edge of many Norwegian melodies. Røros celebrates a regional dance tradition, swirling rhythms under high-energy virtuoso fiddling, and Kveldsvals II ends this recording with a relaxed contemplative piece. Fire and ice, savage and gentle, there is a wide range of music on Tøyen Sessions, all superbly executed by Gjermund Larsen and his trio.
Own Label, 2023
The opening Fex is what you might expect from an accordion duet: rhythmic, with a folk dance feel to its structured arpeggios. The next piece combines beautiful melody lines with the low buzz of accordion bass notes in a bluesy fantasy. Schratteflue brings in bowed and plucked cello for a more classical sound, slow accordion chords approximating a church organ. Albin en Sol, the first of three Brunner compositions, could be a French or Italian folk tune except for its 7/8 rhythms. The dark tones of Amatlan lean more towards gypsy jazz, and Dazwitsch combines that jazzy feel with a modern Latin American vibe. Before the end of Innerland we touch on Middle Eastern music, Tyrolean dancing, and Scandinavian marches. At times it seems that Brun and Brunner are playing more from the head than the heart, but their love for this music comes through clearly on Nachtblau and Aube among other pieces. Maybe it's the classical formality which makes this seem less like other folk albums: Innerland is certainly a unique experience, beautifully played and kaleidoscopic in its variety.
Own Label, 2024
Satisfying deep crans on the slipjig Last Night's Fun promise a CD combining open and closed styles of piping. Triplets pop neatly from the chanter on the unusual reel Jigging Away the Donkey, to be followed by spry Sliabh Luachra slides with deliberate high gracenotes. Leonard has little truck with regulators, but he uses low notes effectively to enhance his rendition of the air Aisling Gheal. Reels, jigs, and a pair of old hornpipes are rattled off in fine style on the pipes: the sound is excellent, both in tone and balance, except perhaps for The Road to Monalea where McGoldrick's flute is allowed to dominate - no bad thing in itself. The one departure from Irish music here is a pair of French-style mazurkas: Leonard Barry switches to low whistle for these two lovely melodies. As well as grand piping and a good number of unfamiliar tunes, Littoral has detailed sleeve notes with stories and origins of each piece.
Adhyâropa Records, 2024
Starting with The Auch Jig, a modern Scottish composition, Bichan's fiddle trips lightly through John McSherry's Skipping Over the Bogs and the old Orcadian Holm Band Tune. The title track comes next, a nod to oldtime music with an Orkney accent, a complex and energetic arrangement marking COVID lockdown in Maine. Adam and Eric's is the first of five slower pieces, originally a fast reel but slowed down to make an outstanding slow strathspey. The joining of Deltingside with Squirrel Hunters bridges from Orkney to North America again, and adds clawhammer banjo and bluegrass mandolin to some mighty smooth fiddling. No squirrels in Orkney of course - not enough trees!
Tune for Claire is a gorgeous air, bittersweet and soulful. The Little Cowpig is more descriptive, jerky and modal, a soundtrack to a puppet show or a Russian folk tale perhaps, truly solo. Rhena's 80th brings us back to reel time with a dark and dangerous melody, the first Louise Bichan remembers writing. These three original pieces are the heart of the album, showing different aspects of a fine young fiddler. The next two tracks are medleys of tunes from several traditions, oldtime and Cape Breton Scots and Orcadian as well as the old Scottish favourite Little Donald in the Pigpen which still seems to be topical. The final slow march Coldstream sings the blues on fiddle, bringing this collection to an atmospheric close. The Lost Summer will please fans of fiddle music on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly towards the northern climes.
Liosbeg Records, 2024
The material on Airneán mainly comes from Rynne, and from the traditional repertoire, with contributions from several band members. After a couple of quirky contemporary pieces, one quick and one slow, both with striking arrangements, we come to the old song Tá me i mo Shuí, instantly recognisable but rendered in a modern idiom: straighter and more urgent, spelled by a newly-written jig for guitarist Jim F Murray. The next piece honours the late great Arty McGlynn with a modern reel led by Pádraig Rynne on concertina before fiddle and backing band bring in Tyler Duncan on uilleann pipes for a full band sound.
Guests Caoimhe and Séamus Ui Fhlatharta sing the traditional A Chomaraigh Aoibhinn Ó to a well-known air. This ethereal performance inspired Pádraig and Rory to write Idir, a jig which straddles old and new, Broadway show music and céilí band set pieces. The jazzier La Grene by Hugh has scope for fancy guitar fingerwork while still staying close to Irish dance music. The final An Raibh Tú ar an gCarraig? couldn't be more charged with the Connemara tradition, and the version here by Caoimhe and Séamus is gently accompanied to leave a lingering spiritual beauty at the end of Airneán.
Taragot, 2024
Rolf Roys' music is delicate, precise, but with plenty of lift. They play simple arrangements on some tunes, complex harmonies on others, and there's always a sense of fun. Many of these dances are in 3/4 or a similar triple time signature, rhythmic or lyrical, lithe or romantic. Others are closer to barndances or marches: the driving Reinlender etter Ola Haukjem or the quickstepping Hamborg etter Ole Berget. Contrast those with the gentle Torpovalsen or the sprightly Masurka etter Sverre Eggerud. These tunes don't seem to have seeped into the wider session or bal folk repertoires: the only one which really sounded familiar was Pere-Marit, a waltz associated with Ola Hakkelberg who lived roughly a hundred years ago. This is local music for local people, with its own distinctive feel, now being released online for a wider audience to enjoy.
Own Label, 2024
The material here - three songs and six instrumentals, some with more than one tune and some with vocal sections - is practically all by Laura-Beth and Ali: Jim Mackintosh gets a wee nod for his poem Broken Shores which follows two contrasting pieces on mandolin and low whistle. The songs, all from Salter's pen, are essentially protest ballads, lamenting and advocating for the troubles of today's world. War, death, emigration and destruction, staples of the folk tradition for hundreds of years, are painted afresh and presented in a 21st century musical setting. There are similarities to new songs by Breabach, Gnoss and other contemporary Scottish bands. Instrumentally, From the Ground is varied and dynamic: the opening heavy folk rock of The 11th Hour, the lovely slipjig Lifeblood, the whistle virtuosity and rebellious vocals of Aquila, the brittle winter themes of The Beautiful Cold. Listen to Braver One for a taste of LB's songwriting, and try the final Breathe medley to appreciate the full range of sounds on From the Ground.
Compass Records, 2024
A moody version of The Yellow Tinker opens this album, bouzouki and guitar introducing the melody before fiddles strike up, Steve Cooney adding some down-under atmosphere. A crisp set of Donegal reels centres on one of Tommy Peoples' well-known tunes, played at dancing speed and sure to set the toes tapping. Two newly-composed jigs by Mairéad are among several new and new-found tunes here: they are followed by a set from a recently discovered 19th century tunebook, Scottish influences shining through and the first chance for a wee accordion solo. This medley ends with Martin Tourish's own House of Baoithin, a fine punchy reel. Guitarist Mark Kelly contributes three cheekily-named reels, starting slow with An Gasúr Dána but kicking up a gear or two for An Ghirseach Dholba and the final Ríl na mBreac Beadaí. Songs and tunes are evenly spaced, setting up for a final rake of reels including favourites from Ed Reavy and John Doherty before the concluding composition from Mairéad: Scread na Bealtaine, a good old Donegal name. Once again, Altan have produced a world class CD in the best musical traditions of Gaeldom, Ireland, and Donegal.
Aye Like Music, 2024
The songs here start with one by Anna, a whimsical number concerning the quaint business of letter-writing which came back into fashion during the pandemic. Serious and satirical love songs by Rick Taylor, Tom Morgan and the ever-irreverent JP Cormier are strongly sung, tuneful and expressive. Anna's composition The Lovat Bar is almost a tone poem, a slow and sensuous reel, blues guitar and contemporary fiddle putting this one somewhere west of Washington DC. It's followed by an ominous rhythmic rendition of The Battle of Waterloo and a delightful languid take on the lazy Irish jig Out on the Ocean. There are two lovely waltzes towards the end of Two Down, and a Scots-style polka written by Anna's father Bob who joins her on mandolin for this piece while her mother Alison rattles her old spoons for a nostalgic family sound. The final song by Ritchie Cordell harks back to the sixties - a story of illicit love and possibly a secret cup of tea with a few Maltesers on the side. This mix of Americana and Caledonia, tunes and songs and a bit of fun, makes for a highly entertaining CD.
Own Label, 2024
Alongside a handful of their own compositions, Doocey and Vallely pluck gems from the treasure houses of Ireland: The Pride of Rockchapel, The Humours of Whiskey, The Peacock's Feather and Drogheda Bay which has been a favourite of mine since I heard Matt Molloy play it with The Chieftains around 1980. The Heights of Dargai, from the Scots piping repertoire, is a definite highlight: a haunting melody freshly interpreted here, and followed by the fabulous Paddy Joe's Reel. West Virginia is the source of Elk River Blues, an oldtime fiddle classic beautifully delivered on low whistle and fiddle. Another highlight is the final pair of Scottish reels, finishing with the Shetland favourite Oot be Est da Vong, but for me the finest track here is the set of four reels starting with Mickey Callaghan's Favourite.
Go Danish, 2024
Most of this album is based on the Sønderhoning dance tradition from Fanø's southern tip. Fiddle and clarinet share the lead on a number of iconic Sønderhoning dance tunes, such as Poul Jonas, possibly related to the Paul Jones dance popular in England half a century ago, and Æ Lam which is one of my favourite Fanø tunes. Piano, guitar and bass provide rhythm and harmony. Their are brief preludes and epilogues on pipe organ, and a spot of Sønderhoning scat singing. Short but varied, and quite charming, Fanø i Flammer should please Fanø fans as well as newcomers to this music.
Own Label, 2024
Da Day Dawn and Shelder Geo are among the older tunes in the Shetland tradition. Girão's treatment of Da Day Dawn reminds me of Renaissance lute pieces, perhaps Renbourn's settings of Dowland, sparse and soulful. William Lennie's Orcadian Deerness Reel, written in the mid to late 1800s, is taken slowly before the pace quickens for the Shetland reel in jazzier mood.
The Standing Stones of Stenness is an old Orcadian tune, slow and atmospheric, new to me. Unst fiddler Fredaman Stickle (b.1794) is credited with composing Da Trowie Burn, the final piece here, rhythmic and evocative with a powerful dark arrangement from Girão. This suite is entertaining and at times surprising. There's no doubt about Michel Girão's skill as a guitarist and an arranger, and his fresh take on these old tunes is intriguing.
Trad Records, 2024
Almost every piece here is written by members of the trio, sometimes separately, sometimes together. There is one exception, Voia Lilla Barnet, a lullaby by Jonas Olsson, a slow polska delicately arranged.
The band's own compositions show a surprising variety for a string trio: the driving Fasterud with its dynamic light and shade is followed by the more relaxed Kansas City, car horns and buzzing nykelharpa evoking urban life, and then the quirky Quarantine Waltz in a more classical mood with rhythmic bowing and bass notes on octave fiddle.
Surprising titles such as The Great Pit and F*ck that Car reveal strong emotions in these pieces: Northern Resonance do delightful chamber music, but they can also conjure chaos and catharsis from their instruments. Brittas Polska and Number 1 show more restraint, but the energy still comes through. Most tracks here are arranged to maximise the resonant and rhythmic properties of these three instruments, and also to take advantage of the contrasting dynamics of one versus three, bowed versus plucked, soft versus strong. Route 83, for example, alternates powerful dance rhythms with a gentler rippling feel, mixing instruments and techniques to paint a changing musical picture. The final Nobody's Marsch ends Vision of Three in a grand stately manner, a wedding march or royal procession, a tribute to tradition with a contemporary twist, and a fitting end to a very fine recording.
Falcon Productions, 2024
A pair of Scottish-sounding oldtime reels bring us to one of five compositions by these ladies. My Friend Michael is a lovely waltz by Anne Ledermann from Manitoba, in Bb but falling easily for the fingers. This and the Cape Breton Set which follows are two highlights for me: powerful contemporary strathspeys in two different tempos, typical of Cape Breton dances, and then a couple of classic reels. Three stately jigs, somewhere between New England contra and Old England Playford style, are sweetly led by Laura Risk, the only one of these five not originally from Canada but steeped in Celtic, American and Quebec styles. Erynn Marshall's slow Dawning of the Pacific Rim starts an oldtime set which finishes with the sole song here, the tragic Raleigh & Spencer with strong fiddling throughout. Two Acadian tunes, a medley of compositions by Newfy member Christina Smith ably supported by her regular duo partner Jean Hewson, and a great selection from the indigenous Manitoba fiddle tradition complete a superbly varied and stunningly executed collection. Guest fiddlers Wendy MacIsaac and Bryan Poirier add Nova Scotian and Acadian support. The band members provide guitar, cello, piano and vocals, so if you catch Portage live you can expect to hear pretty much the same refreshing blast of sound as on this album.
Own Label, 2023
Stellar quality is certainly not lacking here, but the biggest asset of this band is its originality. There have been whistle-led groups before - Deiseal and Emer Mayock, Flook and John McSherry to name a few of my favourites - but all have stayed closer to the tradition than Project Smok. Ali Levack and friends are trekking a more contemporary route, a trail marked out by the likes of Moxie and Notify in Ireland, Elephant Sessions and Sketch and many others in Scotland, perhaps springing from the solid foundations laid by Shooglenifty.
Think of this music as a natural extension of the established movement to bring Scottish music onto the mainstream dance floor. The Outset is eminently danceable: check out the rock vibe of Folex, the sultry blues of 1984, and the rave energy of the final Airborne. Even the slow pipes-driven anthem of the title track has its place in contemporary music culture, whether you're waving phone torches at a festival or dancing round handbags in a dark and dingy basement. If you have any interest in contemporary Scottish instrumental music, The Outset is a must-hear album.
Eats Records, 2024
Jigs and reels are seasoned with Shannon's beautiful march for the LeBlanc twins of Prince Edward Island, the glorious old Golden Castle Hornpipe associated with Junior Crehan, and a gentle Heaton waltz commemorating The Last Days of Fourth Grade. Older pieces include a nicely turned version of Rose in the Heather, a reel learnt from East Clare fiddler PJ Hayes, Paddy Fahey's Jig from East Galway, Finbarr Dwyer's jig Aherne's Egg, and the reels Mother and Child and The Milliner's Daughter. All are flawlessly performed on wooden flute with sensitive accompaniment from Matt. Brendan Mulholland joins in on his Mouse in the Toaster, getting fancy on the flute harmonies. The final track combines a lyrical Irish-style march with the reel Chicken Dinner, another great tune from Shannon with appropriately crisp low notes. For listening, for learning, for playing along or just for fun, Whirring Wings is a feast of the finest traditional music.
Own Label, 2024
Talking of slants, the inclusion of Niall Vallely's wonderful Oblique Jig, plus an old Norwegian Halling and the final Galician piece, takes this recording beyond the confines of Anglo-French traditions. That being said, the Topette sound stays true to its roots in Blowzabella, The English Country Dance Band, La Bamboche, Bougnat Sound and others: compositions by Cutting, Cartonnet and Delarre are very much in the bal folk style, and the traditional pieces revolve around a central French groove.
As an added advantage of the live format, the final five tracks on On are augmented by Romain Chéré on pipes and fiddle together with Antoine Turpault on button box, providing more firepower and an emphasis on the French tradition, but not altering the character of Topette's music: three of their compositions are on the set list here, and of course on previous Topette recordings. All this melodic variety is underpinned by Stradling's acoustic bass and Buisse's cheeky bodhrán to give a steady beat for dancers. Whether dancing or dallying, listening or playing, this CD is a good hour of top class entertainment. As Shakespeare might have said, "If music be the food of love, play On!"
