Scottish Folk News

A big hello from Foot Stompin' bringing you more news reviews and events from the great trad music scene here in Scotland.
1. New at Foot Stompin': Aly Bain & Ale Möller, Simon Thoumire & David Milligan, Proud to be Scottish
2. Peerie Willie Johnson 1921-2007
3. Musical Traditions: Lizzie Higgins, Daisy Chapman, Joe Rae
4. Reviews: Includes Re-Echo by Finlay MacDonald Band
5. Books: Beginning to Read Music for Traditional Musicians
6. Foot Stompin' Celtic Music Internet Radio
7. Foot Stompin' Celtic Music Discussion Forum: includes Jerry Holland - An Appeal
8. Events
9. FREE Podcasts
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES.
1. New arrivals at Foot Stompin' Celtic Music (10% discount on all sales after first
purchase.)
COME FLY WITH ME!! Third Flight Home - Simon Thoumire & David Milligan: Simon Thoumire (concertina) and David Milligan (piano) are two of the finest exponents of the contemporary Scottish music scene. Bringing the two worlds of folk and jazz to their collaboration, theirs is a stunning mix of musical virtuosity interlaced with moments of delicacy and humour. Third Flight Home - a follow up to their highly acclaimed debut CD "The Big Day In" is a sparkling collection of contemporary and more traditional material, taking in reels, jigs, slow airs and sundry other tunes. £9.90 (£10.99for first time customers)
http://www.footstompin.com/music/concertina/third_flight_home
ZINGING STRINGS!! Beyond The Stack - Aly Bain and Ale Möller: On this the second collaboration from fiddler Aly and mandola player Ale, there is the unmistakable sound of two masters at work. Most of the material has its origins in the Shetland tradition), with sideways excursions into over-lapping Scandinavian tunes and diversions into the Scottish and Irish traditions. Sublime! £11.70 (£12.99for first time customers)
http://www.footstompin.com/music/fiddle_music/beyond_the_stacks
MONARCH O' THE GLEN!! Proud To Be Scottish: Another fine Foot Stompin' compilation featuring fiddles, bagpipes, folk bands, Scots & Gaelic song and more. The music on 'Proud to Be Scottish' represents a rich musical heritage and thriving culture. Includes tracks from Stuart Cassells, Back of the Moon, Jenna Reid Anna Massie Band, James Graham, Shona Mooney and more.. All tracks on this album are on CDs which are available to buy on the Foot Stompin' Celtic Music website. £5.40 (£5.99for first time customers)
http://www.footstompin.com/music/footstompin_music/proud_to_be_scottish
2. Peerie Willie Johnson: 1921 - 2007
Shetland guitarist Peerie Willie Johnson passed away on 22nd May. A wonderful musician and a brilliant character who welcomed all into his company, he was known far beyond the shores of Shetland and respected by all who knew him.
In 2005, his lifetime’s achievements were honoured in Shetland with the launch of the annual Peerie Willie Guitar Festival, and, in the same year he was one of the first Inductees into the Scots Trad Music 'Hall of Fame'.
An excerpt from the Scots Trad Music 'Hall of Fame' website (http://www.tradmusichall.com/PeerieWJohnson.htm):
"His name may be permanently prefixed with the Shetland dialect word for “small”, in reference to his diminutive physical stature, but as a guitarist, Willie Johnson has long been revered as an international giant.
Born in Yell, one of Shetland’s northernmost islands, Willie originally began playing as a result of a severe childhood illness, when his mother bought him a ukulele to allay the tedium of convalescence. Soon progressing to the guitar, he began performing with a local band at age fourteen, and in 1936 was invited by Anderson to join, the renowned Islesburgh Dance Band. Over the ensuing half-century, in company with Anderson, Willie toured extensively across Europe and North America, contributed to many notable recordings, packed 'em in with an annual Edinburgh Festival residency from 1973-1980, and featured in Aly Bain’s pioneering 1980s TV series Down Home. In 2005, his lifetime’s achievements were honoured in Shetland with the launch of the annual Peerie Willie Guitar Festival.
Willie is cited as an inspirational influence by numerous younger musicians, as much for his legendary listening ear and musical generosity as for his stylistic innovations. He’s still to be found frequenting Shetland’s best-known musical hostelry, the Lounge bar in Lerwick, where at his birthday party a few years back, having surveyed the panoply of young women playing in the session, he reportedly took a drag from his cigarette, a hit from his inhaler and declared, “What I wouldn’t give to be seventy again...”"
http://www.tradmusichall.com/PeerieWJohnson.htm
Read the Peerie Willie Obituaries:
Shetland Times: http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/opinion/Peerie%20Willie%20-%20a%20musical%20giant.htm
The Herald: http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.1428498.0.0.php

3. Musical Traditions: Lizzie Higgins, Daisy Chapman, Joe Rae
Always keen to increase what we have to offer in the "Scottish Traditions and Culture" category, we have this month added CDs featuring three very fine traditional singers - Lizzie Higgins, Daisy Chapman and Joe Rae.
Lizzie Higgins:
In Memory of Lizzie Higgins (Double CD): Daughter of renowned singer Jeannie Robertson, the story of this gentle woman and superb singer is simply told. Born into a Traveller family in Aberdeen, she lived a largely settled life, working as a fish-filleter and marrying before coming to public attention at the age of 38, and dying of cancer only twenty-six years thereafter. The CDs contain 34 recordings of the best of her songs, many of which have never been published before. The 36-page booklet contains a brief biography and an appraisal of Lizzie's singing style by Dr Ian Olson, full song notes and transcriptions - and lots of photos.
2CDs, 34 tracks, 155 mins: Runner-up in fROOTS Critics Poll 2007: £14.39 (£15.99for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/music/obj52878/in_memory_of_lizzie_higgins
Daisy Chapman:
Ythanside: Daisy Chapman - The great but rarely-heard Buchan, Aberdeenshire, singer (1912-1997). learned her songs from her mother and grandmother as a girl, but more or less stopped once she was married. She began singing again after her husband's death - at kirk functions, pensioners' concerts and the like - and in the mid-'60s came to the notice of song collector Peter Hall who was himself a singer and a founder member in 1958 of the Aberdeen Folksong Club, who introduced her to the world of clubs, concerts, festivals, recordings - and long-distance travel. The CD has all the songs she is known to have recorded from 1965/70. 23 tracks, 68 minutes: CD plus an erudite, lucid, and highly informative 32 page integral booklet. £11.69 (£13.99for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/music/obj52878/ythanside
Joe Rae
The Broom Blooms Bonny - Ballads, songs and stories from Ayrshire: Joe Rae: Joe spent much of his youth with his maternal grandfather, John Rogerson, who worked as a shepherd at Blackside, just above Thorn. He worked at "the oot-bye places aifter ma grannie died" and it was from John that Joe first heard many of the songs, ballads and stories that he performs today. Joe, like many Scottish singers, sings complete songs. There are very few fragmented texts in his repertory. And almost all of his songs and ballads are sung slowly to strikingly beautiful tunes. 15 track CD plus excellent detailed 20 page integral booklet.. 73:15 minutes. £11.69 (£13.99for first time customers).
http://www.footstompin.com/music/obj52878/the_broom_blooms_bonny
4. Reviews
CD 'Re-echo': The Finlay MacDonald Band. Reviewed for Scotland on Sunday by Norman Chalmers
With the ubiquitous Kevin MacKenzie and Chris Stout on guitars and fiddles, over drum and bass, this is a slice of contemporary Scottish tradition - where bagpipes lounge around wearing shades and tracks have titles like 'Abdul's' and 'Bulgarian'. MacDonald is one of our finest younger pipers, on Highland and Border versions, and has a lovely touch on the low whistle, as in the affecting 'Miss Elliot's', sparkling with acoustic guitar. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com
http://www.footstompin.com/music/celtic_bands/re_echo
CD 'Quantum Leap' Chris Armstrong. Customer Review 5 stars
This CD made me go straight out and buy his book! Great fun to listen to, the tunes are well executed and lovely to lose yourself in.This is by far his best work..... Dave Longbotham
http://www.footstompin.com/music/bagpipe_music/quantum_leap
CD 'Grinn Grinn' Cliar. Customer Review 5 stars
I bought this Album in a wee CD shop in Portree (sorry Foot Stompin') and played it constantly as I drove around the West Coast, absorbing the wonderful and unique sounds, the beautiful voices, and just plain good tunes. Now back in London, I listen to this album a lot with the visuals of the scenery in my memories to accompany the music....just fantastic.... Stu Mitchell
http://www.footstompin.com/music/celtic_bands/grinn_grinn
5. Books: Beginning to Read Music for Traditional Musicians
Fiddle player Sarah Northcott wrote this book because she couldn't find one to recommend to her adult students which wasn't either full of jargon from the start, based on classical music theory exams or aimed at children. This book covers the basic concepts of reading music and music theory. In simple, jargon-free language and diagrams. Sarah is one of the Scots Music Group's most experienced and popular tutors, equally at home with straight fiddle tuition, mixed instrument groups and music theory workshops. £4.49 (£4.99 for first time customers)
http://www.footstompin.com/books/scottish/beginning_to_read_music
6. Foot Stompin' Celtic Music Internet Radio
Our playlist for 1st June 2007 features Caledonian Hardy Sons by Silly Wizard, Stepping Out by Alasdair MacCuish and the Black Rose Ceilidh Band, In Memory of Lizzie Higgins by Lizzie Higgins, Third Flight Home by Simon Thoumire and David Milligan, Everything You See by Runrig, ReEcho by Finlay MacDonald Band. You can listen to it at http://www.footstompin.com/radio
7. Foot Stompin' Celtic Music Discussion Forum:
Here are some of the topics under discussion at the moment on our Foot Stompin' Celtic Music Forum. Feel free to join in!
Jerry Holland - An Appeal
Back of the Moon are on tour in the US at the moment - they have forward this appeal concerning Cape Breton fiddler & composer Jerry Holland:
http://www.footstompin.com/forum?threadid=83665
First 'First Minister's Questions' for Alex Salmond
Simon T and I went along to Holyrood this morning for Alex Salmond's first 'First Minister's Questions' . The public gallery was full and there was a definite buzz in the debating chamber.
We thoroughly enjoyed it!
Even the hard-bitten political commentators apparently described it on TV as 'electric'.
http://www.footstompin.com/forum?threadid=84141
8. Events
8th - 10th June: Keith Traditional Music Festival: The little town of Keith lies on the A96 between Aberdeen and Elgin and every year, in June, it hosts a wonderful Scottish traditional music and song festival. As well as lots of ceilidhs there are also competitions, concerts, open air events, a special Sunday church service featuring the folk festival guests and more.
http://www.footstompin.com/articles/festivals/june/keith_festival
10th June: Scotland’s Music ’07: Two of Scotland’s foremost traditional singers, Michael Marra and Catriona Watt (the 2007 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year) join the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Scotland’s Music 07, BBC Scotland’s year long festival of Scottish musical styles. This free concert at Glasgow City Halls marks the half way point in this stirring series of Radio programmes and events that have brought about some exciting collaborations between great traditional Scottish artists and the BBC SSO. Scotland’s Music ‘07 is presented by Mary Anne Kennedy and will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland. The tickets are free, and can be obtained by calling the City Halls Box Office on 0141 353 8000.
http://www.footstompin.com/forum?threadid=83474
15th - 17th June: Partick Summer Fling: A little summer festival based in and around The Annexe, in Stewartville St. in the town centre. Guests - Adam MacNaughtan, A J Roach Trio (Texas), Kris Drever
http://www.footstompin.com/articles/festivals/june/obj79097
27th - 30th June: Fèisean nan Gàidheal are organising 4 ‘Ceòl nam Fèis’ showcase concerts, involving around 50 of the cream of young singers and musicians who take part in Fèisean. The concerts - in Perth, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh - will bring the best of traditional music and song from the youngsters involved in Fèisean to parts of Scotland where they haven’t played before in this year when Scotland celebrates Highland Culture. More details:
http://www.footstompin.com/forum?threadid=83478
9. FREE Podcasts
Why not check out our free podcasts. We've added more discussions including Sheena Wellington and Finlay MacDonald and a new radio broadcast. You can download them from the address below or subscribe to them on itunes.
http://www.ayepod.net/podcasts/podcasts.htm