pipes, clarsach, Scots Gaelic and more: Young Trad Tour 2008 CD

TMSA Young Trad Tour 2008 Live



They come from Robert Burns country in Dumfriesshire, from the Western Isles off Scotland’s north coast, from Edinburg, Carrbridge, Dunblane and other parts of the Scottish compass, these eight musicians whose work is featured as recorded live during the Young Trad Tour in 2008. Individually, they’ve won competitions and played prestigious stages to be invited to the tour, and are all winners or finalists in the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award for 2008.

What they offer here is a lively, sparkling program of ten sets during which they play in varying ensembles and connections, featuring pipes, clarsach, singing, guitar, accordion, whistles, and bodhran. The music they choose is varied too: there’s a strong base of traditional Scottish of all flavors, seasoned with contemporary trad music from Jim Malcolm, Gordon Duncan, and Angus Lyon among others, and there are tunes from Ireland and Cape Breton as well. Each of the eight join in on the Opening Set, which includes Merrily Danced the Quaker’s Wife, Thorton’s Jig, and Mary Mack. Steven’s Highland Pipes finds Steve Blake and Innes Watson on a set that mixes trad and newer pipe tunes, while Scots Gaelic singer Catriona Watt. anchors A Chailin Alainn/ The Beautiful Girl, and Scots singer Amy Lord leads Jim Malcolm’s song The Battle of Waterloo. Ewan Robertson, 2008 Young Trad winner on guitar plays and also sings here; other artists are James Duncan MacKenzie on pipes and whistles,
Robert Menzies on accordion and piano, and Ailie Robertson on clarsach.
The project was produced by top harpist and composer Corrina Hewat.

It’s the year of Homecoming Scotland, with events, including Young Trad concerts, all across the country through November. Each of these artists appear solo and with other bands and ensemble too, all well worth your listen. The future of Scottish music? A good snapshot of it, anyway. Whether you make any of the concerts or not, this isc is a good introduction to what's going on with rising artists in the Scots trad music scene just now.

If you’re interested Scottish music, you’ll also want to learn about the Traditional Music and Song Association, which sponsors the tour.

you may also want to see
malinky: flower & iron
four Scots musicians
eddi reader, willie stewart, and the search for haggis