Musicians of the world unite as Glasgow parties

Published on Monday 29 January 2007 01:44

FIDDLERS' BID INTERNATIONAL ****

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL

RIDING a sea of Shetland reels, the ebullient, fiddle-driven septet Fiddlers' Bid continued the international emphasis at Celtic Connections, introducing a divertingly eclectic range of guests, such as Olov Johansson on nyckelharpa, the Swedish keyed fiddle, and, from the Faroes, the astonishing Eivr Plsdttir, all flailing Viking tresses and stratospheric vocalising.

From the New World came the burly Cape Breton Island guitarist and songwriter JP Cormier, the duo Samus Egan (banjo and whistle) and Winifred Horan (fiddle) from the Irish-American band Solas, and a vision in pink satin who toted a mean cello, Rushad Eggleston of the Boston-based outfit Crooked Still.

And it never let up, really - massed Nordic strings drawing upon a seemingly inexhaustible repertoire of mainly Shetland dance tunes, with memorable exchanges along the way. There was the polska Johansson had written as a duet for himself and the Bid's Scottish harpist, Catriona McKay, a quirky blend of bright and grainy strings; and the mid-flight moment when the twang of Egan's banjo suddenly hijacked a Shetland set across the Atlantic.

There were transatlantic exchanges, too, in an exuberant guitar stand-off between Bid's guitarist, Fionn de Barra and Cormier, and the latter's heartfelt song about the Scots settlers, while there was a bizarre vocal exchange between Plsdttir and Eggleston. Then it was back to... yes, you guessed it, more Shetland reels in a fast and furious finale, plus further Plsdttir vocal fireworks - enigmatic but not easily forgotten.

JIM GILCHRIST

DERVISH WITH LUKA BLOOM ***

ABC, GLASGOW

SLIGO-BASED Dervish have been chosen to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in May. We won't hold that against them, but it does seem like an unusual choice for an acclaimed traditional folk band with 17 successful years under their belts.

Rattling off foot-stamping jigs and reels - and one mazurka - without apparent effort, Dervish also slid easily from mandola and bouzouki to guitars, backing the clear, powerful voice of singer Cathy Jordan in well-crafted if maudlin ballads.

Alternating songs and tunes, they delivered a toe-tapping folk set with their own distinct flavour.

The other half of this Irish double bill, singer-songwriter Luka Bloom, performed an astonishingly wide-ranging set of songs, beginning with a political song about the Iraq war and taking in mermaids, asylum seekers and a romantic rap number, before finishing with the inspiration of Nelson Mandela.

Bloom has worked hard to stand clear of the shadow of his elder brother, Christy Moore, developing his own unique, and occasionally eccentric, style.

It will be a revelation to some that it was he, and not Christy, who penned the song City of Chicago and that he is reclaiming it on his new album, due out next month.

What stays most powerfully in the mind, however, is No Matter Where You Go, There You Are, inspired by an Algerian friend who fled his homeland and has forged a new life making fiddles in Galway. It's a song of rainbow-nationality, which sounds both Irish and Arabic: a marvellous piece of songwriting.

SUSAN MANSFIELD

JULIE FOWLIS *****

CITY HALLS, GLASGOW

THIS was a concert that saw the future and glowed. First up were Genticorum, three guys from Quebec, like a younger, slimmed-down version of La Bottine Souriante, who interspersed songs full of infectious harmonies with hilarious stories. Then the five Stairwell Sisters, whose gorgeous modern take on Southern old-time string band music will turn them into the find of this year's festival. As they sassily body-clapped, step-danced and delivered their country blues old and new with quiet charisma, they immediately earned themselves a legion of fans. One could tell these 'good-time gals who love old-time tunes' will be following up their r first trip out of the United States very soon indeed.

Their feisty spirit was shared by the remarkable Julie Fowlis, surrounded by an A-team of male musicians, including fiddler John McCusker and Celtic Connections director Donald Shaw on harmonium. While almost everything Fowlis sings or plays on her whistle comes from her home in North Uist, musically she locates the Western Isles inside the Irish sea. Rhythms ripple through her body as she sensually sings stories related to generations of her own extended family, making hundred-year-old elopement scandals sound like they happened yesterday.

And by refreshingly interweaving fluent bilingual chat in Gaelic and English (Gaelish?), she undercuts that self-conscious 'differentness' Gaelic tradition has so often been given. Winning numerous awards has simply strengthened her natural confidence and fire. A gig made in heaven.

JAN FAIRLEY

MALINKY/RANARIM/LAUREN MACCOLL ****

STRATHCLYDE SUITE, GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL

WINNER of the 2004 BBC Young Folk Award, Black Isle fiddler Lauren MacColl opened Saturday's three-course concert with a beautifully executed selection of traditional and original material, flanked by James Ross on piano and Barry Reid on acoustic guitar. The exceptional grace and lyricism of her playing was displayed to advantage in several Gaelic song airs, while some twinkle-toed dance medleys highlighted its agile lift and swing, although a touch more dynamic contrast within these faster numbers wouldn't have gone amiss.

Next up were Swedish five-piece Ranarim, who captivated the crowd with a sparkling performance centred on their two female lead vocalists. Their closely entwined chiaroscuro voices, backed with the swirling tones of a nyckelharpa and taut, punchy grooves on guitar and percussion, blended sweetness, piquancy and drama in similar fashion to Finnish supergroup Vrttin.

Following a major personnel reshuffle in 2005, with the departure of co-founder Karine Polwart and accordionist/whistle player Leo McCann, Scottish quintet Malinky came to Celtic Connections in wonderfully relaxed yet authoritative form. Now comprising Fiona Hunter (vocals/cello) and Ewan MacPherson (guitar/mandolin/mandola) alongside original members Steve Byrne (vocals/guitar/bouzouki/cittern), Jon Bews (fiddle) and Mark Dunlop (whistles/bodhran), they served up an adroitly balanced mix of newer numbers and refreshed old favourites, retaining their primary focus on song.

Highlights included Hunter's commanding rendition of Edom O Gordon and a jaunty arrangement of Dundonian deflowering ditty The Overgait, before Ranarim reappeared for a memorable joint finale, including a resplendent bilingual version of The Twa Sisters.

SUE WILSON

MAEVE MACKINNON/LISA KNAPP ****

PIPING CENTRE, GLASGOW

OPENING this afternoon double bill of young female vocalists was Londoner Lisa Knapp, a promising newcomer to the English nu-roots scene, self-accompanied on fiddle and banjo, with her three-piece band swapping between guitars, percussion, accordion and another fiddle. Her stripped-down, slow-burn treatments of largely traditional material, including such classics as She Moved Through the Fair and Salisbury Plain, showcased a winningly elastic range and imaginative phrasing, although the actual timbre of her delivery often sounded slightly overstretched amid the arrangements' wide open spaces and lingering pace. Strangely, the exceptions were the unaccompanied numbers, in which the absence of any aural safety net brought out extra colours and resonance in her voice.

One of two up-and-coming Gaelic singers who share the same name, the Maeve Mackinnon performing here is a recent RSAMD Scottish music graduate from Glasgow, with strong family roots in Skye. This mixed Lowland/Hebridean pedigree is reflected in a diverse Scots and Gaelic repertoire which took in everything from puirt-a-beul and an ancient heroic ballad, to a slinky waltz-time take on The Wild Rover and an Appalachian version of Silver Dagger, learned from a Dolly Parton record. Backed by guitarist Innes Watson, fiddler Patsy Reid and double bassist Duncan Lyall, Mackinnon's supple, fluid singing incorporated plenty of light and shade, adroitly set off by her accompanists' deftly jazz-accented stylings.

SUE WILSON