James Bauld "Where I Belong"
Own Label, 2023
Scottish wooden flute - not something you encounter every day. There are some notable players, but most concentrate more on Irish music. Not so James Bauld, who builds on his highland background and his time at the Plockton music school to present a debut album of his own compositions very much in a Scottish style. Although he is now based in Glasgow, that famous song doesn't feature on Where I Belong: instead we have reels and strathspeys, jigs and hornpipes and slower pieces celebrating a sense of belonging in Romania, Albania, France, Macedonia, and closer to home. Information is scarce on this release, so I'm filling in and fabricating a bit: bear with me!
The opening Uist Reels are from the funkier end of this island chain, in a contemporary style, tasty tunes which casually wave to the West Highland tradition from a Hebridean passing place. Partick Interlude is even more relaxed, a slow-motion melody as the waters of Clyde and Kelvin lap the sun-kissed sand. Final Steps to the Water of Leith is a powerful descriptive piece starting on impressive solo flute, adding other elements as it progresses to capture the intricacies and intensity of arriving at a marathon journey's end. The 5/4 rhythm of Walking Back From La Fontaine is perfect for this lyrical take on the saunter home from a wee bistro off the Byres Road.
Unusual rhythms also feature on First Cycle of Spring, but not on 200 Macedonian Denar Taxi or From Bajram Curri to Shkoder which both have stories attached: let your imagination run wild as you listen to James Bauld's pleasant slipjig and hornpipe creations here. On these and most other tracks the flute is joined by names you may recognise: Zak Younger Banks on guitar, Chloe Bryce on fiddle, Callum Cronin on double bass, Lauren MacDonald on kit and other percussion, Euan McLaughlin on bouzouki, and of course that Michael Biggins chap on piano. Where I Belong is a fine debut full of interesting new music, attention-grabbing, not too polished, with enough quirks and questions to qualify for repeated listening.
© Alex Monaghan
Justin Theriault, Kyle Burghout & Susan Toman "The Castle"
Own Label, 2023
Irish music from the middle of Canada: whatever next? We hear more about the Scottish traditions preserved by our Canadian cousins, but there's a great Irish legacy too and these three young musicians have tapped into it big time. Playing together around Ottawa and Toronto since 2019, although Kyle is now based in Winnipeg, the trio has also absorbed music from the best sources in New York, Clare, Galway and Limerick to name but a few. This is their debut recording, with Toman on harp, Thériault on whistles and flute, and North American Irish Fiddle Champion Burghout doing what he does best. Old tunes claim the lion's share of The Castle, and rightly so: there are some great ones here, from The Green Mountain to Donnybrook Fair and all points in between.
A couple of nice Joe Bane barndances, Redican's Mother and a relaxed version of The Tar Road to Sligo, the version of Lady Ann Montgomery which I am familiar with, and a great set of reels starting with The Tap Room were among the highlights for me. It's all good, and full of spark and variety. A few tracks change tempo or rhythm, and the flute and fiddle take turns to lead. Susan's harp is usually accompanying but it comes to the fore on two gorgeous slow airs: the neglected Carolan classic Bridget Cruise Number 4, and the Scottish song tune Tha M’aigne fo Ghruiam. All the best Irish albums have a Scottish tune! As if that wasn't enough, Justin switches to the uilleann pipes for a pair of fine old hornpipes, and Kyle plays a waltz and a lilting Canadian-Scottish jig of his own composition. Not too many of the pieces here have known composers: Paddy O'Brien and John McEvoy get a credit, and the title track starts with a Sean Ryan jig, but most of this CD is music from a nameless spring, well loved and well played.
© Alex Monaghan
Rura "Dusk Moon"
Own Label, 2023
Another very impressive album from Rura, Dusk Moon is suave and sensuous as well as energetic and uplifting. A perfect balance of the two sides of the Scottish psyche, the warrior and the poet, this music can be listened to in quiet moments or blared out for Hogmanay. I tend to think of Rura as pipes, fiddle and flute, taking for granted the great work of Adam Brown on guitars and bass, but also the contribution of piper Steven Blake on keyboards: sorry guys! Here their importance is clear, underpinning and indeed introducing the first two pieces. Although Jack Smedley and David Foley take the bulk of the composing credits on this album, the arrangements are very much a shared performance. Smedley's fiddle doesn't come to the fore until well into track two, and Foley's flute waits until track four to shine in solo mode. Fiddle and pipes, flute and fiddle, and other combinations fill the spaces in between, along with intricate guitar and percussion. All four lads pile in for the powerful ending of The Grove, and Steven Blake gives us a solo blast of pipes on Rise. The delicate Hollow Ground is beautiful on flute and fiddle with atmospheric keyboards and surprisingly sensitive bodhrán, building to a full finish like many of the tracks on Dusk Moon. Adam's hypnotic guitar rhythm emphasises the drama of The Crossing, another accelerating piece inspired by near-death experiences. The final three-tune medley harks back to Rura's Voices album and adds two new tunes for an upbeat ending: sometimes haste is your friend, and time pressure has produced a fine result in the shape of Reel o' Garten which wraps up this album in dramatic style.
© Alex Monaghan
Summers & Silvola "Sølvstrøk"
Heilo, 2023
Another great album from this talented and wide-ranging duo, with a little help from their friends! Finnish guitarist Juhani Silvola and Scottish fiddler Sarah-Jane Summers are now both resident in Norway, and that combination of traditions strongly influences the music here. At first I thought of Sølvstrøk as a journey, starting in the highlands, crossing to Shetland, on to Oslo and then further north, but the more I listened the more this recording seemed like a maelstrom, a circle spinning between these nordic nations.
Starting with Tune for Alistair, a march with more than a smidgin of Scandinavia about it, the tables are turned for a tune from an 18th century Scottish collection which seems to come from much farther north. Sarah-Jane's two Owerset compositions remind me of the fiddle shenanigans of Trolska Polska, about as much fun as you can have with Danish music, contrasting with a pair of eighteenth century Scottish tunes in more formal mood: the grand strathspey Donald Morison and the powerfully arranged reel Miss Mary MacDonald. In between are a haunting air and a lush arrangement of the Shetland fiddle classic Christmas Day ida Moarnin.
Sølvstrøk mixes almost solo playing with a mini string orchestra: Summers and Silvola are joined by a double handful of the finest fiddlers, viola players and cellists to be found around the North Sea, and by the excellent double bass of Ellen Brekken. My favourite piece here, Call and Response, makes full use of that range of possibilities. The final In Dispraise of Whisky shows off just a little of Silvola's jazz guitar mastery before sashaying into a swing version of this ironic Scottish slipjig. Moments of grace and beauty, musical merriment, and marvellous playing throughout: track this one down if you can!
© Alex Monaghan
Tellef Kvifte "The Norwegian Bagpipe 2"
Taragot, 2022
Norwegian bagpipe music, a rare thing: these pieces were learnt by Tellef Kvifte from the Norwegian folk traditions, fiddle music and songs, before he had the idea of playing them on bagpipes. In the mid 1990s he experimented with various European bagpipes, and recorded a number of Norwegian pieces on instruments made by Alban Faust. The fourteen tracks here are the second batch of these recordings released into the wild. Played on an instrument modelled on French pipes, bellows-blown with a short stoppable drone parallel to the chanter and two longer drones from a common stock, all the pieces here are solo, unaccompanied save for the distinctive rhythmic foot-tapping of Norwegian music. The material is a mix of Hardanger fiddle tunes, where the pipe drones play the role of sympathetic strings, and traditional song melodies.
Transferring Hardanger fiddle music to the pipes was, and still is, unusual and even controversial: can another instrument capture the modes and resonances of the Norwegian fiddle? The two volumes of The Norwegian Bagpipe certainly make an interesting case for experimentation. As a professor of musicology, with decades of experience playing Norwegian folk music, Tellef Kvifte is the right person to try! Gangars and springars, polskas and listening pieces, old tunes and relatively new additions to the tradition, Kvifte produces them all from the limited notes of the pipe scale. The ornamentation is relatively simple, similar to French piping, and indeed there is a Central European sound to many of the tunes played in this fashion. Some have a definite Norwegian character - Bonde etter Håkon Asheim or Polska av Eva Sæther for example - but others could be French, Dutch, or even German without the distinctive Hardanger fiddle sound. This short selection is surely of interest to pipers and to any players of Scandinavian music.
© Alex Monaghan
Jens Ulvsand "Trad Groove 1&2"
Go Danish Folk, 2021/2022
Two EPs from a Danish guitar experimenter, Trad Groove 1&2 are improvisations within traditional frameworks, released by Jens Ulvsand in 2021 and 2022 after time spent in musical musings during the Covid pandemic. A member of several touring bands, Ulvsand has taken old Danish polskas and waltzes, together with airs from Shetland and Ireland, and produced guitar arrangements which reflect music rom the Renaissance to the present day. Each EP has four tracks, each has one waltz and multiple polskas, and Trad Groove 2 adds the two airs from other traditions. Acoustic guitar leads each piece, augmented on Trad Groove 1 by percussion, keyboards and occasional vocals: Trad Groove 2 is much sparser, some overdubbing and subtle post-production but basically nothing except guitar. This music evokes John Renbourn, John Williams, and perhaps Will Ackerman - but it also follows the Danish tradition closely, and is quite good for dancing too!
© Alex Monaghan
Henriette Flach "Skyklokke"
Go Danish Folk, 2022
Alternating fast and slow pieces, her own compositions in a broad Scandinavian style, Henriette Flach plays fiddles and nyckelharpa on her first "solo" recording, supported by Villads Hoffmann on cittern, Petrus Dillner on additional nyckelharpa, and Anna Østerby on continental button accordion. The overall sound is rich and varied, led by the high sweetness of nyckelharpa and Hardanger fiddle. There's quite a lot of nyckelharpa here, which is a good thing in my view. Skyklokke expresses many different moods and emotions, from the energetic rush of the playful Flickflach to the final Zen-like meditative Skyggemaleren.
The dramatic middle section of this album is a real attention-grabber. Hvepsen takes the Swedish polska on a breakneck journey through Baroque and backwoods styles. The cryptic ForGlemMigEj evokes churches and sepulchres with its echoing purity, and then Smiling Sun emerges into the open air with a laid-back waltz. The title track proclaims joyful celebration in a stately march, perhaps a wedding march or a Christmas procession. The next two tracks are funkier, a slow jig and a frenetic reel or polka capped by another pulsating polska. And breathe, as the beat slows before the gentle caress of that cathartic last track. Skyklokke is a balm for the soul, and a feast for the ears.
© Alex Monaghan
Matti Kallio "Waterfjord"
Own Label, 2023
A clever title, but that's not the best thing about this CD from a young Finnish exponent of the Irish button box. Waterfjord is Matti Kallio's third album, and like its name this recording is about 90% Irish. Five of the pieces here are Matti's own compositions, combining Irish and Finnish influences in different proportions. The final waltz is the traditional Metsäkukkia, a beautiful tune played with more than a touch of tango (blackcurrant probably), and it's almost matched by the Kallio original Valo. The rest of this collection - a dozen and a half tunes - is pretty firmly Irish, loosely traditional, and played with rare skill and conviction.
Classics like The Trip to Cullenstown, Scatter the Mud, The Rakes of Clonmel and The Upperchurch are trotted out in all their finery. There's a clear bias towards the Munster and Connemara repertoires, polkas and slides and jaunty hornpipes, but all four proinces of Ireland are represented from Donegal to Dublin and down to Waterford. Matti Kallio is ably supported by Tony Byrne on guitar, Colm Murphy on bodhrán, and Liam Flanagan on occasional fiddle. His slow air The Snowy Mountain is another beauty, and there are plenty of other high points including an unusual version of The Cliffs of Moher and a fantastic pair of reels starting with Matti's Milk of the Black Cow and moving into Jeremiah McLane's delightful New England reel Mariposa on box and fiddle.
© Alex Monaghan
Anna Rynefors & Miriam Andersen "Skånska Spelkvinnor"
Nordic Tradition, 2022
Subtitled "Forgotten Female Fiddlers", this CD presents music associated with nine musicians from the southernmost tip of Sweden, the county of Skåne, who were born in the 1800s and happened to be female. In the 19th century it was rare for women to be extensively documented or for their achievements to be acknowledged, so these were probably exceptional musicians. They have left some great music - songs and tunes, not the complex twisting competition pieces of Swedish music but a more accessible repertoire. Slow pieces, love songs and lullabies, as well as polskas and other rhythmic dance tunes are sung and played on harp, flute, percussion, clog fiddle, nyckelharpa and Swedish bagpipe. There's a lot to enjoy, and a lot to learn and add to your own repertoire, on this beautifully performed and nicely presented album. The sleeve notes in Swedish and English are also excellent: it must have taken a lot of research to find and collate this material. Being a female musician is easier these days, although we still have a way to go for equality in folk music.
Miriam Andersen sings and accompanies her songs on harp and percussion, with Anna Rynefors leading the instrumentals on fiddles and bagpipe as well as contributing to the song arrangements. The opening piece and a few others have a definite Renaissance or even medieval feel, especially with the use of pipe and drum. Others are more like nineteenth century parlour pieces, elegantly formal: Natten, Kvalen and Jag är Lik den Liljan are good examples. Rynefors and Andersen also play some catchy dance tunes, Anglaiser and Pollonoiser for instance. There's some lovely flute-playing on Hannas Durpolska, and great clog fiddle on Träskopolska. About half the tracks have lyrics, provided and translated in the notes, but large sections of these pieces are instrumental breaks or tunes set alongside short songs. The other half are instrumental with a few passages of wordless vocals, something between scat and lilting. The overall effect is pleasant and varied, even if you don't understand Swedish. I only recognised two of the pieces here, so there will probably be new material for most listeners. Skånska Spelkvinnor is a remarkable and highly entertaining album, produced to a very high standard.
© Alex Monaghan
Bragr "Live at Gnisten"
GO Danish Folk Music, 2023
A second live album from this Danish crew underscores their popularity but also their spontaneity - live music is never the same twice, and Live at Gnisten captures a powerful and enjoyable performance. No change in line-up from their 2020 recording Live at Engelsholm Castle, but a completely new repertoire: the quartet of Perry Stenbäck on nyckelharpa, Christine Dueholm on percussion and vocals, Kristian Bisgaard on piano and Jesper Frost Bylling on acoustic bass guitar claims composing credits for five pieces here, with another five traditional Nordic numbers and one by fiddler Mats Wallman.
Some of the melodies here are well-known - Eklunda Number 3, Skålarna by Byss-Calle, and indeed Wallman's Julottan, but the arrangements are a bit special. Bragr bring bags of energy to their music, fuelling catchy rhythms, inspired harmonies and impromptu party vocals. This approach makes even the most familar material sparkle with a new light. The original pieces by band members are equally striking: Stenbäck's hornpipe-like Springschottis whose mischievous spirit is kept in check by Dueolm's drumbeats, Tarantella fra Helgenæs with its bold Latin rhythm on drums and piano, the heavy metal bass lines of Ragnarök, and the contrasting gentleness of Bisgaard's Længsel. Christine Dueholm's soft voice is perfect for her touching song of loss Jeg Kalder på Dig Klip, while the Calypso/Zydeco arrangement of Poul sine Høns suits its stronger male vocals.
The final two tracks are definite crowd-pleasers, Finnish tango and Swedish comic song, brilliantly played behind slightly more relaxed singing. Once again, Bragr have delighted their audince and provided a highly entertaining record of that event for the rest of us to enjoy.
© Alex Monaghan
La Bastringue "Re-Release"
Own Label/Go Danish Folk, 1986/2022
Originally released as an LP in 1986, this album was made by a six-piece band who introduced French Canadian traditional music to Denmark in the 1980s. Button box and fiddle, foot percussion and chorus songs made a fine approximation to the music of Quebec: the only big differences between La Bastringue and bands like la Bottine or Grosse Isle are that the eighties sound was rather smoother than today's interpretations, less aggressive perhaps, and the vocals were in Danish! otherwise this is great Québécois music by any standards.
All the classics are here - nothing written after 1985 of course, but reels, waltzes and more. Reel St Sauveur, Galope de La Malbaie, Reel Voyageur, La Grande Gigue Simple, La Valse des Jouets by Michel Faubert and La Valse des Esquimaux by Frankie Rodgers, better known nowadays as Ookpik Waltz. Traditional French Canadian songs have been translated, keeping the melody: I can't comment on the story line. Turlutes and traditional song-tune medleys are to be found throughout this album, with seven purely instrumental tracks to the dozen. The core sextet is augmented by guests on harmonica, sax and more. There's impressive solo fiddling on Reel des Éboulements and handy box-playing on Reel Isidore. La Bastringue finish with a romp through their version of Les Cinq Jumelles, written for the Dionne Quintuplets born in 1934, a fine ending to this very welcome re-release.
© Alex Monaghan
Hawktail "Place of Growth"
Padiddle Records, 2022
Still fresh, still funky, but now ripening like a good cheese, Hawktail offer a third album of innovative American string music. If you thought their last release was brief, wait till you hear this one with eight tracks squeezed into just 28 minutes. Place of Growth is like a lost message in Morse Code: three short, two long, and three in between. Gone are the repetitive Bluegrass structures of break and chorus, gone are the endless variations on a single theme. Instead we have a more varied, freeform approach to pieces. Take Antilopen, one of several playful names here: it starts out as a fiddle song in contemporary style, garnished with guitar and chopped mandolin, but then the bass butts in on the melody, mixing it up with virtuoso bowing, and the mando comes back with even faster licks. Take a breath, and we're back to basics - fiddle lead, three part rhythm section, and a finely orchestrated ending.
The short tracks, each around one minute, are all called Wanderings with various qualifiers. They might have been developed into much longer pieces - perhaps that is a project for the future - but they stand as brief evocations, mood pieces, scenes from an imaginary movie maybe, betwen the longer items. At six minutes, Updraft is the second longest piece here and possibly the closest to conventional string band numbers. It has a bit of a hoedown feel, with some contemplative sections, and generally the front line stays in front and the back line stays behind, except for short breaks from bass and guitar. Big Sun is rather different, starting with a picked guitar intro which sounds like it should tee up a song but in fact Brittany's fiddle steps in for a spell, before Paul's bass again takes an impressive bow. Fiddle and bass ebb and flow, Jordan's guitar cuts back, and some low down dirty mandolin from Dominick fills out the sound in a final flourish before it all fades gradually away. With Place of Growth Brittany Haas, Dominick Leslie, Jordan Tice and Paul Kowert have once again put Hawktail at the pinnacle of string band music.
© Alex Monaghan
Viorel "Flandriens"
Trad Records, 2022
An album of dance music for bal folk, the craze which has swept across Northern Europe almost without the mainstream noticing where all the young people are going at the weekend, Flandriens consists of compositions by box-player Hartwin Dhoore and guitarist Jeroen Geerinck. Actually most of the pieces are by Jeroen, but Dhoore plays the melody while Geerinck provides the rhythm for dancing. Schottisches, waltzes, mazurkas, just the one double-time bourrée, a Breton hanterdro and an elusive chapelloise should be enough to keep most dancers happy. The tunes are a mix of influences, as you might expect - Irish on Captain Emmet, a touch of Americana on Uncle Wilbur's, a Breton feel to On Tour and its reflection No Tour, and French flavours on Simon's Waltz and the mysterious mazurka Jax. There's a range of tempos too, from the ultra-slow mazurka Le Due Torri to the pumping beat of the bourrée, but the spiritual side of bal folk precludes the wildness associated with ceilidh music. Attractive and energising, Flandriens is fresh dance music from a fine Flemish duo.
© Alex Monaghan
Siger "Rodeland"
Trad Records, 2022
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Siger is a duo of brothers Ward and Hartwin Dhoore, among the finest of Flemish folk musicians, playing mostly their own compositions on octave mandola and diatonic accordion respectively. Rodeland is their homage to the area where they grew up, rich in traditional music of which there are a couple of catchy examples here. In the recent crop of instrumental albums from Flanders, this CD stands out for the power and the polish of the performances: the delicate fingerpicking of Scheldewals, the dark brooding of Barbaren, the joyous accordion on Houtem Jaarmarkt. The Dhoore brothers' playing is tight and intuitive, delivering dance music and mood pieces with equal passion and understanding. Their duo needs no guests, but Ward adds a bit of guitar, harmonium and other things on a few tracks.
I'm pretty sure De Trambaan refers to light rail transport rather than the black sheep of the brass family: either way, its gentle melody eases us into this collection with front and back lines shared between box and mandola. The second half is the first of many waltzes here, a graceful tune with its own charm on Hartwin's accordion. De Stokerij gets the obligatory 7/8 out of the way early, a front-loaded rhythm which morphs into a driving jig. Meander does what it says on the tin, weaving slowly on mandola to a loose 9/8 beat. Ward adds piano and programming to enhance the landscape for a very relaxing experience. Flamsk Fika ups the tempo to a schottische, happy and dancing, before the traditional Meiwals medley of delightful waltz and jig tunes. Steenbakkers is a punchy new slipjig to work up an appetite for pizza and beer perhaps, before the final traditional slow march De Vier Gasten drags tired feet upstairs at the end of a long day and an excellent album.
© Alex Monaghan
Loogaroo "Nautilus"
Trad Records, 2022
This Belgian duo took me by surprise, hinting at Mediterranean and Black Sea connections rather than the North Sea sounds of Flanders. Then I looked at the names - Florian De Schepper on guitar, already known for his eclectic tastes, and accordionist Pablo Golder whose background spans southern climes as well as the windswept lowlands of Holland. Nautilus is their debut recording, but benefits from decades of experience in other groups. The combination of Golder and De Schepper covers Flamenco vibes on La Chiave and 7h45, North African tones on Baobab and Simo, Balkan twists with Rikitikitavi, and cool jazz on Gazela where a saxophone appears as if by magic. The Flemish character is more evident on Coeur de Lion and the final Moreton Bay, but as melodies and harmonies are swapped between this pair it's hard to pin a label on their music. My favourite tracks are the musing Certuban with its guitar meanderings before another saxophone visitation, and the rhythmic waltz Ibi which combines delicacy and charm with a pulsing beat. All these pieces are composed by Pablo and Florian, roughly half and half. It's not clear which of them becomes a brass player at the full moon, but Loogaroo certainly leaves its mark on the listener.
© Alex Monaghan
Folk from what they call Inner Switzerland, from the remote Muotathal in the high pastures, Ambäck is a trio of fiddle, Swiss melodeon and double bass. Too young to give any political connotations to their album title, these three musicians have written all the music here and perform it with intense and varied arrangements. Their sound is strong and compelling on two pieces by bassist Pirmin Huber and five each from fiddler Andreas Gabriel and box-player Markus Flückiger. Dance music and descriptive pieces are delivered with old souls and contemporary technical mastery. The opening Mood is well named, switching from smooth tones to dissonant chords, reminding me of Trolska Polska in its mix of musical mischief and malice. The next two tracks are open and airy, often silent and sparsely populated like the Swiss highlands. Eau de Chien bridges from folk to jazz, and Neufrentsch moves into Retro-Romanisch gypsy music on fiddle, approaching the Taraf style.
The lyrical Holzeggerli smacks of American oldtime, perhaps even of musicals such as Oklahoma and Annie Get Your Gun. The swirling button box on Ströpsel Nr 12 is more like what you might expect at a Swiss ceilidh, close to the traditions of Bavaria or Tyrol, executed with precision but also a tenderness and sympathy for the tune. Mitte refers to the central Apline plateau rather than the middle of the album, and is another sparse open stretch before the funky quasi-calypso of Vliesen Bereit extends Ambäck's musical pallette beyond even the vistas from the Schärhorn. Raum finishes with three dramatic tracks of dance music, demonstrating virtuosity on bowed and plucked bass as well as fiddle and Schwyzerörgli. Gabriel channels jazz, classical and bluegrass in addition to folk fiddle, and his bandmates strut their stuff to schottische and polka rhythms in a final "meet the band" arrangement. I would have like a crashing up-tempo finale - maybe the live show has such an encore - but even without that ultimate release this album is an hour well spent.
© Alex Monaghan
Assynt "Where from Here"
Own Label, 2023
Following on from their 2018 debut release Road to the North, this album from top Scottish trio Assynt is almost all composed by fiddler Graham Mackenzie and piper David Shedden with a bit of input from guitarist Innes White. Together these three produce a full and varied sound, with Shedden swapping to low whistle at times and guest Charlie Stewart providing occasional upright bass.
Where from Here is actually quite hard to review: it's too easy to lose yourself in this music, to become immersed in the flow, and forget to do any critical listening. The gentle currents of the three Mackenzie compositions on Gordon Stewart's for example can carry you away, first at a slow waltz tempo and then as a lilting jig down the Dalnaspidal Valley before the final Lochinver Loop spins you round with a slipjig to look back and realise how far you've travelled. Several of the tracks here have that tendency to take you on an unexpected journey - the dreamy whistle and fiddle of St Andrews Drive, the hypnotic arrangement on The New Normal which builds and builds, or the musing title track with its misty guitar backdrop to the deliberate tramp of pipes and fiddle.
Other tracks are more traditional, pipes or fiddle or both driving down familiar roads - whether it's the gritty Gaelic melody of Nighean Donn nan Gobhar, Shedden's piping medley Rescues, or the opening John Morrison of Assynt House which was conspicuously absent from that previous release. The final Alive in Astley selection underlines this band's ability to make new material in the Scottish idiom, fresh tunes with an old sound, exciting music which knows where it's come from and is facing a bright future.
© Alex Monaghan
Assynt "Where from here"
Own label, 2023
The young Scottish folk scene is absolutely buzzing at the moment, and Assynt is one of the recent top bands evolving from the scene. “Where from here” is the second album of the trio, and it is superb. Fully instrumental, nearly all of the material is composed by one of the three musicians in a traditional Scottish style. And the musicianship is superb – as you would expect given their accolades: Both Graham Mackenzie (fiddle) and David Shedden (pipes/whistles) have been finalists in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Musician of the Year, and Innes White (guitar/mandolin) is winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. As a trio, Assynt won ‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’ at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2018. Su-a Lee "Dialogues"
A glorious album, a celebration of so many styles of music, Dialogues showcases the cello phenomenon that is Su-a Lee. In her collaborations with traditional musicians, with classical orchestras, with folk bands and with the funkiest of contemporary ensembles, Su-a has carved a space for herself in Scottish music which is far bigger than her physical presence, even with her cello. This debut almost-solo release captures her playing with musical partners across the spectrum of folk music, fringing into classical at times, solid as a rock behind her collaborator, stretching the melody as a soloist. Fiddles, flute, free reeds, a pianist or two and a brace of singers boost the cello, but Lee is in the driving seat, a creative force, forever flexing and inventing - and we haven't even mentioned her prowess on the musical saw!
Su-A Lee "Dialogues"
This is an incredibly elegant, exceptional and stunning cello album, which sets new standards for the Scottish folk cello and will be an inspiration for folk cellists for years to come. Alice Allen & Patsy Reid play James Scott Skinner "Strathspey Queens"
It’s wonderful to see the cello making such a strong comeback in the Scottish folk music scene, and here we have another exceptional album of Scottish cello music, which sets equally sets standards – although it is very different to Su-A Lee’s debut reviewed above. Kate Rusby "30 happy returns"
Like Kate herself states in the sleeve notes, I myself cannot believe that it’s already 30 years that Kate is on the road – in my mind she is still one of the folk youngsters! To celebrate this big jubilee, this exquisite folk singer has put together an impressive album, returning to 15 of her songs from various times of her career. But rather than compiling the original songs, she newly recorded them, often with a host of impressive guest musicians. Merema "Eryamon’ Koytneva - Spiral of Life"
Electronic trad from the region Mordavia, in Western Russia. The band Merema want to preserve Mordavian traditions, in a region where today only 40 % of the population professes to be Mordavian. The blend of traditional Mordavian chants and ancient instruments such as (depicted on the cover only so I am somewhat guessing!) hurdy gurdy, lute, digeridoo (?!) and hand drum, with electronic sounds and programming makes the Mordavian music perhaps more intriguing to international audiences than it would do otherwise. Despite the electronic elements, the music sounds archaic, ethnic and at times shrill. The power of the female singers is impressive. The album finishes after just over half an hour – and while listening to the album is an experience, I have to admit that 30 minutes of the music at a time is quite enough for me...
Uusikuu "Karuselli"
Uusikuu’s music is fun, light hearted and full of swing. The band - of Finnish singer Laura Ryhänen and violinist and singer Mikko Kuisma, plus three German musicians - is revisiting the Finntango, Nordic folk entertainment music from the 1930s. The band revives songs from that era with the very own Uusikuu-take on it, and adding their own material in the same style. We hear the Finnish dance style Jenkka, Humppas, Kaiho - the Finnish version of the Portuguese saudade, but also a fair dose of Jazz and swing, waltzes, and tango. There’s also a Finnish version of the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest winning “Nous les amoureux” (the Luxemburg entry). I wish I could understand their original songs, which apparently tell fairy tales for adults about the oddities of Nordic life - sounds intriguing. But even without understanding the lyrics, I wholeheartedly enjoyed this album – it’s swinging, happy, lively and invites to hum or sing along (yes even for non-Finnish speakers!).
Paul Walker & Karen Pfeiffer "Auf Wiedersehen, Me Duck"
A warm, appealing and versatile singer-songwriter album by this Anglo-German duo. The two jointly write their songs, drawing on local history (such as the end of the “golden” industry age of Stoke-on-Trent or a village May Queen festival), a musician’s life (lighted-heartedly), or also more serious topics. Of the latter, “What if my pockets were empty”, is one of the thought provoking highlights of the album, reflecting on a statistic that over four million people in the UK were just one payday away from being homeless. Alongside their original work, the duo also offer the Joan Baez Song “Diamonds and Rust”, John Spillane’s “Under that Old Clare Moon”, and the classic German song written by prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp: “Peat Bog Soldiers / Die Moorsoldaten” - and this is the only song featuring German singing, alongside the English version. Paul and Karen are joined on the album by a range of backing musicians, including Paul Hutchinson on accordion and Ciaran Algar on fiddle. Kinnaris Quintet "This too"
An absolutely delightful second offering of the talented Scottish Kinnaris Quintet. The five young ladies have found their very own distinctive sound: Original tunes which are steeped in Scottish traditions yet uniquely different, with subtle classical, bluegrass and other influences. The arrangements of three fiddles (Laura Wilkie, Aileen Reid, Fiona MacAskill), guitar (Jenn Butterworth) and mandolin/tenor guitar (Laura-Beth Salter) are inventive, contemporary and captivating. For the recording of this album, like many other musicians, they faced the challenge of COVID restrictions - which meant they had to find a way to record live with separation, as they were keen to capture the live energy of playing together. Whatever the solution looked like, the result certainly is superb and feels live and energetic. Toasaves "Zwerver"
An unusual Belgian ensemble - focussing on traditional Flemish songs, Toasaves explores the links between these old songs and early music from Europe, as well as Eastern traditions and instruments. Founded in 2021 by Flemish oud player Tristan Driessens, the ensemble brings together nine musicians, from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and Cyprus, with broad musical backgrounds. Many of the instruments are unusual – certainly in the context of Flemish music: While there are Flemish bagpipes, violin and hurdy gurdy, these are met by oud, uillean pipes, dilruba, bow cistre, medieval lute and flutes, tambourine, santur to name but a few. The musical journey clearly takes its origin in Flanders, with archaic songs being brought to live in a style that merges early music, folk and world music in a highly effective and harmonic way. But the music ventures much further afield – to a Spanish ballad, an Italian estampie, Corsican dance music, classical court music from Turkey, and even, in the title track of the album, a folk tune from Afghanistan. The songs often have mesmerising choral backing vocals. A fascinating and highly appealing album.
"Rondes et Ronds Traditionells Chantes du Bas-Berry – Vol 2" (3 CDs)
This is another labour of love by the French Aepem label, and is part 2 of a project of recording all the songs collected and published in a multi-volume book in the 1930s. Here we have, on three CDs, 66 songs from the French Bas-Berry region, coming to a total of just over three hours of song. In combination with the 56 songs of the previous 3-CD release, this is indeed an impressive library of songs from this region. The folk songs are presented a capella, often with vocal harmonies, by 16 traditional singers. The booklet (French only) provides a detailed text setting the context of the album and the songs. These are two sets of albums which are not likely to have any commercial success, but it will be an important recording to allow keeping these ancient songs alive.
Chris While and Julie Matthews "Women of the world"
It feels appropriate for me to be writing this review on International Women’s Day. Angeline Morrison "The Brown Girl and other folk songs"
An album of traditional English song, largely presented a capella - sometimes solo, sometimes with multiple voices. A few of the songs have some subtle instrumentation, of recorder, dulcimer or autoharp. Angeline has a warm and expressive singing style which brings the old songs to life. The songs are all either from the Roud or Child song collections. A haunting album of traditional song scaled back to the minimum.
Assynt’s music is breathtakingly wonderful: Powerful, energetic and big tunes, often featuring the bagpipes, are interspersed with beautiful more gentle melodies. Played by three young masters, this is happy and uplifting music that makes you want to get up and dance.
Own Label, 2023
Starting with a baroque suite that would have brought a tear to Bach's eye, backed by composer Donald Shaw on piano, the cello smoothly morphs into a moody Argentine fiddler alongside Carel Kraayenhof's bandoneon for a classic Piazzolla milonga. Su-a next spars with the mistress of modern Scottish cello Natalie Haas, swapping parts on a piece written for her by Natalie. A very long Bothy Ballad, a slow jig with pianist James Ross, and a Phil Cunningham duet on his slow air The Wedding step up to some of my favourite tracks here: a strathspey and reel medley by Hamish Napier who leads on flute, a lovely old Gaelic air gracefully interpreted by Lee and fiddler Duncan Chisholm, a crisp series of powerful old fiddle tunes with Patsy Reid, and the Gaelic lament Mo Rùn Geal Òg sung by Julie Fowlis with weeping strings from Su-a.
The final five tracks spread the maestro's net wider still. A Finnish waltz, a Carolan planxty with harpist Maeve Gilchrist, a Shetland march and a spooky piece of sorcery by Donald Grant gradually wind down to the final number, probably my favourite: a cello solo on the Burns waltz Ae Fond Kiss which I have loved ever since I heard the Corries sing it. Su-a Lee handles it rather differently, but just as beautifully, an emotional end to a very impressive collection which bestrides both folk and classical, proclaiming the place of the cello in Scottish music. Complete with great photos and full notes in a nice wee booklet, Dialogues is a first class package.
© Alex Monaghan
Sky Child Records, 2023
Scottish-Korean cellist Su-A Lee has a classical background, and has been for many years a prominent member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Over the years, she has become more and more involved in the folk scene – not least as part of Mr McFall’s Chamber and as popular recording and stage guest for a plethora of top Scottish folk musicians and bands.
“Dialogues” is Su-A's debut ‘solo’ album which features 15 duo recordings. In each, she is teaming up in with one leading musician from the Scottish and international music scene. If you’d ask me for highlights, I wouldn’t be able to pick – every single track is outstanding: Outstanding in the standard of playing (of course), the choice of tunes, the contributions of and interwovenness with the duo partner, the inventive, often unusual but always mesmerising arrangements which effortlessly bridge traditional, contemporary and classical cello styles.
The list of musicians joining Su-A is impressive: Her big inspiration, fellow cellist Natalie Haas; fiddlers Duncan Chisholm, Patsy Reid, Jenna Reid and Donald Grant from Scotland and Pekka Kuusito from Finland; Donald Shaw and James Ross each on piano; her (not only musical) partner Hamish Napier on flute, Dutch bandoneonist Carel Kraayenhof, harpist Maeve Gilchrist and accordionist Phil Cunningham. And the album also features two beautiful songs – one in Gaelic, the other in Scots - where Su-A is joined by Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart.
As I said, this album is exceptionally good throughout the generous 74 minutes: haunting music that draws the listener in. The album has been released in January, and I am confident that still by the end of 2023, this is highly likely to be THE album of the year.
Ardgowan Records, 2022
The cello had its original heyday in Scottish music in the 19th century, with James Scott Skinner being one of the most popular proponent of fiddle/cello duos of the time. But then by the end of the 19th century, and for most of the 20th century, the cello had nearly but disappeared from Scottish traditional music – until some 30 years ago, when North American cellists, Natalie Haas and Abby Newton, brought the cello back into mainstream Scottish folk music. It’s only in recent years that the cello has definitely more taken off in Scotland too.
This album is dedicated to James Scott Skinner, the great Scottish fiddler, cellist and composer, and features thirteen sets of tunes either composed or collected by him. The tunes are masterfully played by two formidable musicians, cellist Alice Allen and fiddler Patsy Reid, who breath fresh life into the old tunes. I was fortunate to see the duo in a non-amplified set at Celtic Connections in Glasgow City Hall’s recital room, which was for me one of the highlights of this year’s festival. It was obvious that Alice is most passionate about the history and place of the cello in Scottish music, and that she is a fountain of knowledge about it. And with Patsy Reid she has found the perfect duo partner.
A first-class album to be enjoyed by a wide folk music audience, and to hopefully inspire musicians to play Scottish folk cello and James Scott Skinner tunes for years to come.
Pure Records, 2022
Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s chants open the album with African translations of verses of Kate’s song “We will sing”. Other collaborators include Sam Kelly, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Sarah Jarosz, Darlingside and KT Tunstall. Of course, Kate’s husband Damien O Kane plays a prominent role on the album too. The music is further enriched by a brass section on two songs, and other musicians such as Michael McGoldrick and Donald Grant make also an appearance. Despite this illustrious line-up, the inimitable warm, distinctive, well beloved voice of the Yorkshire lass is always centre stage - and the voice still sounds as young and sweet as ever. The physical album closes with a bonus track, ”Secret Keeper”, commissioned for the Great Exhibition of the North, and featuring the Royal Northern Sinfonia
Many happy returns Kate!
CPL Music, 2022
Nordic Notes, 2022
Own label, 2022
Own label, 2022
This is uplifting catchy music, and I have found myself humming the tunes well after listening to the album.
Muziekpublique, 2022
Aepem, 2022
Fat Cat Records, 2022
The title track of the album tells the inspiring story about a young Afghan tech innovator, helping young girls in Afghanistan learn at home using old SMS phones with the hope that they will, with education, at last be “the women of the world”. Chris and Julie themselves are the kind of women who inspire – as the, apparently, longest-enduring female duo in Britain, who not only write and produce their own music from a shed converted into a studio in their back garden, but also run their own label, record company, and are their own managers. The album celebrates in a number of songs women who have inspired them, be it the youths of today who engage with the environment and politics, a teenage friend who lost her life at 17, or Chris’ mam. Other songs deal with the bigger issues – oppression and aggression, or the impacts of lockdowns. For the album, they gathered an impressive array of guest musicians, including the amazing Michael McGoldrick on whistles and uilleann pipes, Show of Hands’ Miranda Sykes on double bass or Urban Folk Quartet’s Tom Chapman on cajon and percussion. Their singer /songwriter style takes influences from Celtic, Americana, folk, soul, country and pop.
Own label, 2022
