Transatlantic Sessions at Celtic Connections 2014

This unique concert is enriching and heart warming.

There was more banter tonight with fun chat between songs and as always superb playing by the strong cast of musicians. It was clear how much fun they all have playing together and Jerry Douglas even said this was his favourite time of the year. I know too how much I enjoy the buzz during Celtic. My son usually comes to Transatlantic with me and he enjoys seeing guys like Douglas and Aly Bain playing – he’s now at Aberdeen University so I missed him tonight.

The stage was set with the Scottish musicians on the left and the American musicians on the right. Musical directors - Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas. Also, Phil Cunningham, Danny Thompson, Russ Barenberg, Bruce Molsky, Mike McGoldrick, John Doyle, John McCusker, James Mackintosh and Donald Shaw.

Bands don’t come much better than this one and it is always a joy to hear them play!  I always enjoy John Doyle and Danny Thompson on their dynamic rhythm section. One of the reasons for the success of the TS is the way they have the stage set as an informal jam session, with those not performing sitting on a couch at the side of the stage with their customary onstage ‘green room.’

Kris Drever

We were treated to some excellent singers at this concert – Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis sang a beautiful version of McCartney’s Blackbird, while Kris Drever, who’s had a brilliant year, sang the songs - You are The Call, Isle of France and Shining Star.  Kris and Julie joined in also with the band and clearly enjoyed every minute.

Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott

There was also the top quality from American singers were – Shawn Colvin and Sarah Jarosz. Shawn Colvin had success in the 80s.

Plus two very talented American regulars at Transatlantic, who are from West Virginia and Kentucky respectively - Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott who recently released a duo album, entitled Memories & Moments.  Brilliant guitarist Russ Barenberg played one of his lovely guitar melodies. There was the emotion of Aly’s fiddle and the highly individual drama of Jerry Douglas's resonator guitar - a highlight of the night is his solo performance at the start of the second half. (Douglas is an award winning American Dobro master)

Jerry Douglas

Transatlantic is the big event for the last weekend and now tours the UK after its two sold out shows at Celtic Connections.

I also attended a couple of Late Sessions at the Piping centre and saw some quality artists there too. I am now sad the fun weeks of the festival are over for another year.

Phil Cunningham, Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas

**SET LIST :  Band - Waitin for the federal; Kris Drever – You are the call, Isle of France; Sarah Jarosz – Runaway, Ring Them balls;  Band - The Hull; Julie Fowlis – Blackbird, 

Bruce Molsky - Blackest Crow; Band - Wee Michael; Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott - One more Drink; Darrell Scott – Come into the room;  Shawn Colvin  - All Fall Down, Don’t worry me now.

Second half. Band - Irish Beauty Air; Sarah, Julie, John D, Jerry, Danny, Donald, John, Mike -

Build me up from bones;  Shady Grove - Sarah Jarosz, Tim O’Brien – Brother Wind; Russ Barenberg – Out Time; Julie Fowlis – Roghain air and The Choice;  Kris Drever – Shining Star: Shawn Colvin – These Four Walls, Diamond in the Rough.

Lau Glasgow City Halls Celtic Connections 2014

The stage at the City Halls was set with a line of glowing lights and the sign on Martin Green's keyboards, which was set on it's side, proclaimed 'I Love The NHS'. Lau of course is an Orcadian word that means 'natural light.' 

Lau are an award-winning folk band who have been gaining attention last year for their music of traditional folk voices and traditional folk song themes mixed with contemporary influences. They played on the BBCs Jools Holland show in 2012. The band are - respected singer songwriter and guitarist Kris Drever, acclaimed fiddler Aidan O’Rourke and an innovative accordionist Martin Green.  

 

They played mostly instrumental tunes and also some songs. Kris sang with his warm voice the songs Ghost and Midnight Feast.  Martin said their Ghost EP was about social migration and documented how we are stronger through our diversity.  

During the concert tonight Lau played one of the first performances for the UK's first New Music Biennial as part of Glasgow 2014 Events - 'The Bell That Never Rang.' 
The piece was commissioned by Celtic Connections and PRSF and composed and performed along with the contemporary experimental strings of the Elysian Quartet.  The music was carried through with Drever’s subtle guitar, while the layering textures and challenge of Lau’s traditional folk sound worked perfectly with the classical musicians.

Kris often leans forward on his guitar and they pull their energies together. Aidan is a powerful fiddler who moves a lot as he plays. While Martin experiments with varied soundscapes, and on one tune he played the soothing sounds of the sea

Lau are an experimental outfit and also work on Lau-land mini festivals and on other collaborations and they are taking folk in new directions and crossing boundaries with their music.

Quote Aidan O'Rourke on Lau's website - the band's music makes excursions into jazz, world, Gaelic and classical music and fiddling to the fore of another magnificent supergroup, Kan. “We’re folk musicians but firstly we’re musicians with a love of different styles and we don’t think we’re cheating on anybody by drawing on that. We all love and play a wide range of music but what we have in common is a deep love of hardcore traditional music.”

They were well supported by Canadian Annabelle Chvostek, who was previously with the Wailin Jennys. She had a silky soft-toned voice and played country folk tunes with echoing violin and electric bass.    

I saw several other faces from the Scottish music scene at the concert, such as Louis Abbot of Admiral Fallow (Lau supported his band at the Queens Hall Edinburgh last year).

The event was preceded at the City Halls by the press launch for the UK's first New Music Biennial as part of Glasgow 2014 Events. (funded by PRSF for music)

http://www.lau-music.co.uk/

Imelda May Old Fruitmarket Celtic Connections 2014

May rocked the Old Fruitmarket.  

She sparkled on stage and moved and shimmied with a free energy as she bounced her mic, clapped and appeared to enjoy her set of upbeat dance tunes.

May has a fine set of vocal pipes, as well as loads of personality.   

She performed songs from her forthcoming new album due in 2014 and also older favourites - such as the songs Mayhem and Here Comes Johnny.  

For her encore she sang along to only a ukulele, a song Dreams Are Free, and then with full band she sang Breakdown.
 

 

 

There was lots of clapping along to the songs and the packed hall was full of both younger and aging rockers eager to relive fun times! 

Imelda Mary Higham, from Dublin has had amazing success and she clearly fills a niche for rockabilly and rock n roll nostalgia. 

RM Hubbert Concert Hall Celtic Connections 2014

Guitarist and singer songwriter RM Hubbert supported Glasgow band Mogwai at the Glasgow concert hall. I had read that Hubbert's 2013 album had won the SAY (Scottish Album of the Year Award) 2013, so I came with some expectations to this concert. Even so, some artists take you off guard and as I have followed music over many years it can be all too easy to become jaded hearing samey songs.

Hubbert appeared genuine and unassuming musician, whose music was all about his guitar.

He played mostly instrumental tunes. For his second song he played his own very good interpretation of I Once Loved a Lass, a favourite folk song of mine. His next tune had moody beating drums guitar and a husky voice. He showed a clear understanding that music is firstly about what moves us and secondly about techniques and using those skilled to best ability.

He played his tunes with unexpected subtleties, strong strumming, dancing fingers, slow pauses, hesitant steps guitar strings plucking and questioning notes. He also managed to hold the packed concert hall attention throughout with both his informal chat and well crafted tunes.

On one particularly emotional tune, entitle For Joe, he spoke first about his parents death and that he felt able to speak to an audience - and I guess he gets to speak through his music too. This tune had talking guitar and expressed the many complex feelings of grief and loss – from  missing you to happy memories and returned to missing you feelings.

 

The singer Aiden Moffat joined Hubbert on stage of Car Song which was another highlight.    

I was truly impress and even bought the CD - this doesn't happen a lot! 

Hubbert is a member Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, and also a member of the Glaswegian DIY music scene since 1991.

Guitarist RM Hubbert

Sometimes the support artists are as interesting as the main artist at a gig. Such was the case for last night’s concert when guitarist and singer RM Hubbert took to the concert hall stage in support of Glasgow band Mogwai, Celtic Connections 2014,  (full review to follow)

Roaming Roots Revue Celtic Connections 2014

I was at a Laurel Canyon concert Sunday, such great songs came out of this era – and this concert was about the young people keeping this groove alive today….

The concert was a journey through the California sounds of Laurel Canyon with some of the newer Scottish and American artists along with those summer breezes -  both nostalgia and looking forward and proved a real treat for both aging hippies and younger fans!

Forty years ago in the early 1970s when the music in New York became too corporate, many young musicians seeking artistic freedoms and sunshine took off for LA – The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Jackson Browne. It was a time of longer hair and flowing skirts, peace signs and flower power dreams. I chose this concert because last years inaugural event received top reviews and also because the early 70s produced so many top albums  and some of my all time favourite sounds.

Scottish singer songwriter Roddy Hart and his quality band The Lonesome Fire opened this colourful and varied concert with the Byrd's song So You Want to Be A Rock n Roll Star.

Idlewild front man Roddy Woomble sang Neil Young’s Out On The Weekend and then a sons written by himself and Roddy Hart, Love Steals Us From Lonliness. Next James Taylor and Joni Mitchell look-alikes and sound-a-likes Zervas and Pepper performed Ghost Writer and Mitchell’s Woodstock. After which respected folk band Lau with Kris Drever on vocals, performed James Taylor’s Fire and Rain. 
The beautiful Webb Sisters sang their close subtle harmonies on  Everything Changes and Linda Ronstadt’s Heart Like a Wheel. Then Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire were joined on stage by lead man from California’s The Dawes for an excellent rendition of Jackson Browne’s After The Deluge. Frank Reader then sang a moving interpretation of a Judee Sill song, The Kiss. A treat to end the first half was a return of Cory Chisel and Adriel Harris, who both looked and sounded the part in casual American style and they sang Times Won’t Change and the Eagles Hotel California.

Second Half. Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire began with a rocking version of Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty. A highlight was dramatic American country singer Lindi Ortega with her song Cigarettes and Truckstop and the Eagles Desperado. After which we had new and top Scottish trio, Clark, Mitchell, Reilly, with Helpless (CSNY). Young Glasgow singer songwriter Siobhan Wilson sang her song All Dressed Up and then, with Tommy Reilly on piano, one of my all time favourite songs, A Case of You, with a beauty of voice and interpretation that captured the essence of the song and held the audience silent.  
The Webb Sisters sang Judee Sill’s song Jesus Was A Crossmaker, followed by Roddy Woomble and Lau with Roll Um Easy (Little Feat). An LA band The Dawes were another highlight with their songs Most People, A Little Bit Of Everything and Desperados Under The Eaves (Warren Zevon) plus an encore. Hart is clearly both a Jackson Browne and Dawes fan!

The cast of players finished on stage with some of Laurel Canyon’s biggest hits – Love The One Your With (Stephen Stills), Take It Easy (The Eagles) and California Dreaming (The Mamas and The Papas).

Quote Rolling Stone – 'It's about the vibe man and free jamming … Goldberg.‘ They want to be loose.. to have the freedom to groove their own groove.’    Photos and Review Pauline Keightley -  http://pkimage.co.uk/

Roddy Hart has pulled together and compared another top quality concert that offered the audience breadth, diversity and quality. Hart also organised Celtic’s "Forever Young: A 70th Birthday Tribute To Bob Dylan" Celtic Connections 2011, and were house band for Gerry Rafferty concert (2012) broadcast on BBC 2 Scotland. The concert drew on Celtic festival’s success with melding American and Scottish sounds to offer interesting cross overs and highlight the links between the Celtic music of the British Isles and the American States. -   http://www.roddyhart.com/

Nicola Benedetti performed Opening concert Celtic Connections 2014

Nicola Benedetti 

This night proved an eclectic wide-ranging night of exemplary world class music. The Celtic Connections opening concert showcased several of the artists performing at this year’s festival and offered an interesting taster of the three weeks ahead.

Duncan Chisholm and Wolfstone

Joy Kills Sorrow

Fiddler Duncan Chisholm and Wolfstone, who performed at the very first CC opening night, opened the concert with some well played reels and one lament – Big Archie, Irish Air, Flooded Meadow set.  Folk roots dig deep. Then Boston based string band Joy Kills Sorrow, with strong vocals from singer Emma Beaton in a red dress, played progressive bluegrass with a rocking energy and close harmonies.  

Next there was a real treat for festival goers with Scottish classical violinist and world class music star Nicola Benedetti who has been working on Scottish material for her forthcoming album with Shetland fiddler Aly Bain and accordionist and composer Phil Cunningham. Bain makes it all look effortless and Cunningham is a talented pianist and composer. She performed 6 tunes – Hurricane, Chan & Chanaidh, Dean Brig/ Banks, Gentle Light, Coisich, Puirt.  Nicola played a song with Julie Fowlis’s clear vocal tones, which was a delight to hear. Then fiddler Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham on piano both joined her on stage. It appeared Aly had been coaching her on folk music techniques – he is trained in traditional Shetland style with its shifting rhythms and defined edge. 

The tune Gentle Light, written by Phil Cunningham, provided interweaving pure melodies that offered subtle flights – a joy. After which they took the tempo up with some energetic reels. After the set Aly, who is a quiet unassuming man, gave Benedetti a big hug and it was evident his joy of working with the younger accomplished player. Master craftsmen easily make their instruments soar with layers of melody and harmony.  Collaborations may take us out of our comfort zones thorugh challenging raise us up. 

Julie Fowlis &Nicola Benedetti 

Second Half :  Peter Mawanga & The Awaravi movement provided colourful Malawi culture with dance rhythms followed by beautiful Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis who sang Smeorachb and An Roghainn, Puirt. She told us the moving song The Choice was about the wish for second chances. 

Yves Lambert trio

Montreal’s Yves Lambert trio took the tempo up with rollicking Cajun style songs and they have a deep rich sound. Yves Lambert, accordionist and singer, has been is a driving force in Québécois music for 30 years and a lead singer with the trio La Bottine Souriante with multi-instrumentalists Olivier Rondeau and Tommy Gauthier.
The surprise for the night was American country singer songwriter Beth Neilson Chapman, who has written may hit songs for pop and country artists and she sang Pray and Nothing I can do About it (a hit for Willy Nelson).  The concert was aptly finished by Benedetti and Phil with the fine tune Aberlady.   

Beth Neilson Chapman,

I am pleased to see the festival go from strength to strength and raise its game each year with the standard, quality and range of musicianship and artistry. It is a huge boost for Glasgow to host this world class music festival that celebrates not only the folk traditions but also contemporary and world music. A heart warming uplifting note to start the festival on!   Photos and Review Pauline Keightley.

All Photographs are copyrighted Pauline Keightley and are taken with the permission of the artists, the festival, and the venues involved. Please respect my copyright. Photos at Celtic Connections since 2008. http://pkimage.co.uk/celticconnections

Benedetti  studied violin from age 4, she attended the Yhudi Menuhin school of music and she was BBC Young Musician of the Year 2004. She has performed solo with Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, 

Celtic Connections 2014!

I am looking forward to Celtic festival 2014!

Celtic Connections includes well known musicians from traditional and roots music,world, indie, jazz, folk, soul and Americana. I always particularly enjoy the unique and often fun collaborations.  

This year the festival will host concerts at the new Glasgow Hydro venue and will showcase some of the cream of Scottish musical talents. Highlights include 80s Scottish band Del Amitri and respected rock band Mogwai along with RM Hubbert.  

Also an International Burns Night at the Hydro that includes - world musicians The Mahotella Queens, Alkinoos Ioannidis, Raghu Dixit, Neil Finn of Crowded House alongside Scottish talent with Karine Polwart, Salsa Celtica, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Capercaillie, Rachel Sermanni and Dougie MacLean

The Old Fruitmarket during Celtic hosts fun ceilidh nights with bands such as the Treacherous Orchestra and  Irish singer Imelda May.  

There are also wonderful small venue gigs worth checking out that include some of the stalwarts of the Scottish music scene including - Rab Noakes, Dick Gaughan. Plus the beautiful singing voices of Julie Fowlis, Eddi Reader, Mary Chapin Carpenter,  
  

Also a 30^th Anniversary concert for Capercaillie one of Scotland’s foremost Celtic bands. The band were among the first to connect Scotland’s Gaelic traditions to the pop and world music scene, with all the “boldness, sensitivity and deep-dyed musicianship” such cross-fertilisations demand. Their new album, At the Heart Of It All, circles back towards Capercaillie’s founding Gaelic wellspring, centring on Karen Matheson’s sublime vocals, arranged with consummately elegant restraint. 

Among the artists appearing  -  Del Amitri, Imelda May, Capercaillie, Bobby Womack, Mahotella Queens, Salsa Celtica, Amadou & Miriam, Lúnasa, AR Rahman & Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Mogwai, Peatbog Faeries, Julie Fowlis, Elephant Revival, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Manu Dibango, Treacherous Orchestra, Shawn Colvin, Nicola Benedetti, Stockton's Wing, The Gloaming, Lau, Suzanne Vega, Seth Lakeman, RANT, Boban Marković Orchestra, Alkinoos Ioannidis, The Olllam, Bill Callahan, De Temps Antan, RM Hubbert, Lloyd Cole & the Leopards, Kathleen MacInnes, Tim Finn, Dick Gaughan and The Stray Birds.

2014 will see Celtic Connections celebrates its 21^st year. Over 2000 musicians from every corner of the globe will come to Glasgow between 16^th January and 2^nd February 2014. 
 All Photographs are copyrighted Pauline Keightley and are taken with the permission of the artists, the festival, and the venues involved. Please respect my copyright. Photos at Celtic Connections since 2008. http://pkimage.co.uk/celticconnections

Next summer Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games. Celtic Connections has become the biggest celebration of the tunes and songs that connect Scotland’s musical legacy to the rest of the world.

 http://www.celticconnections.com/

Del Amitri Fri 24 Jan 2014, 07.30 PM
The Hydro

MOGWAI
Tue 28 Jan 2014, 07.30 PM
Main Auditorium