Alasdair MacCuish & the Black Rose Ceildih Band were formed in the early nineties at the height of the Ceilidh dance revival in Glasgow and have long been recognised as the 'leading lights' of the ceilidh band world. In great demand for radio and TV appearances, they have produced 4 studio albums. Their latest release, 'Stepping Out' has received rave reviews, most notably a 5 star review from Sue Wilson of the Sunday Herald where she notes that the bands arrangements demonstrate 'brilliantly sophisticated diversity and precision honed musicianship. With the ability to play at tempos to suit the most discerning dancer, the band's swinging style will have your feet stirring from the first note to the last.
The Black Rose Ceilidh Band are: Alasdair MacCuish - accordion, Scott Gordon - accordion, drums, Russell Hunter - piano, Roy Percy - double bass, Iain "Stretch" MacFadyen - drums, mandolin.
Guest Musicians are: Chris Stout - fiddle (tracks 4, 7, 13), Taj Wyzgowski - accoustic guitar (tracks 4,7,13,18), Davy Gracie - piano (tracks 4, 7, 13), Karen L. Connor - clarsach (track 18).
Media Reviews
.....brilliantly sophisticated diversity and precision-honed musicianship....
Scottish country-dance music tends to be something of a world unto itself within the wider folk scene - albeit a substantially populated one - but if any outfit is likely to challenge this ghettoisation then Alasdair MacCuish And The Black Rose Ceilidh Band must be major contenders. Such, in fact, is the explicit aim of Stepping Out, their fourth album. Young accordionist MacCuish mixes and matches a handful of tracks in contemporary folk rather than country-dance mode, while the brilliantly sophisticated diversity and precision-honed musicianship of the predominant dancefloor arrangements resoundingly reinforce the point
..a good example of how an ensemble should play together and generate this tight sound, which ultimately produces a wholesome and exciting result...A must for your collection.
This group of young musicians, under the direction of Alasdair, display their individual talents on this fine collection of Scottish music. The musical arrangements indicate a strong desire to present the music in a different way. Many bands have tried this before and failed, however on this occasion this outfit has been, in my opinion, totally successful. Here we have a good example of how an ensemble should play together and generate this tight sound, which ultimately produces a wholesome and exciting result. The choice of music includes great examples of Irish, Pipe and Gaelic, which Alasdair plays with tremendous feeling. The CD contains a variety of titles, which should go a long way to satisfying dancers and listeners alike. The musicians include Alison Smith (fiddle), Scott Gordon (accordion), Russell Hunter (keyboard), Roy Percy (bass), Iain "Stretch" MacFadyen (drums and mandolin); guest musicians - Chris Stout (fiddle), Tag Wyzgowski (acoustic guitar), Davy Gracie (piano) and Karen L. Connor (clarsach). Finally I would like to compliment Castlesound Studios on their expertise in producing this very fine product. A must for your CD collection.
Customer Reviews
The Perfect Ceilidh band Lilian Fergusson
The Black Rose Ceilidh band must be at the top of the league for dance bands. This CD is full of such great music, I am determined to learn how to do the dances!
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