"A stark, honest recording." That's how the core quality of RANT’s third outing is described on RANT's Bandcamp site. It may be a slightly surprising choice of words for music that's very controlled, touching on modern classical in some places, played by a quartet of Scotland's finest (Bethany Reid, Anna Massie, Jenna Reid and Lauren … Continue reading Album Review / RANT: The Portage
Tag: fiddle
Album Review / Martin Hayes & Brooklyn Rider: The Butterfly
I like my malt whisky straight. Very rarely I go for even a drop of water and never, never ice. So, naturally, I approached the new album by Irish master fiddler Martin Hayes with some skepticism. He plays here with the Brooklyn Rider String Quartet, one of the foremost in their field in the USA, … Continue reading Album Review / Martin Hayes & Brooklyn Rider: The Butterfly
A better-late-than-never Album Review / Kinnaris Quintet: Free One
Kinnaris Quintet and their debut album Free One have been around for a while already but for some reason I got to listening to it only recently. Which makes this another of my better-late-than-never reviews. I’ll start with an embarrassing confession: the mere word ’quintet’ in the ensemble’s name led me to believe I was … Continue reading A better-late-than-never Album Review / Kinnaris Quintet: Free One
A better-late-than-never Album Review / Mike Vass: The Four Pillars (2018)
So it took me some time to get around to listening to this work by Mike Vass. Better late; I’ve enjoyed his various and versatile solo and collaborative projects very much and this is no exception. The album info on the web tells me that this work was ”commissioned by the Scots Fiddle Festival ... … Continue reading A better-late-than-never Album Review / Mike Vass: The Four Pillars (2018)
Retro Review / Alasdair Fraser: Dawn Dance (1995)
When I began to get interested in Celtic trad and folk, I might have stayed a longer time in the doorstep, peeking curiously in but not really entering the house had it not been for two artists: Capercaillie and Alasdair Fraser. Capercaillie's Celtic crossover was a virtual key to this music to someone who adores … Continue reading Retro Review / Alasdair Fraser: Dawn Dance (1995)
