Box & Fiddle March 2016

Fiddle The magazine for Scottish music enthusiasts

Bill Ewan

GUEST OF HONOUR ON STAGE / OFF STAGE

We remember Bill Black CLUB REPORTS PLUS CLUB & DANCE DIARIES, REVIEWS, AND MUCH MORE...

39th Year No. 07 Mar 2016

£2.70

BOX&

Welcome

B&F • EDITORIAL

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...to the March issue of Box & Fiddle The magazine for Scottish music enthusiasts

Editor • Pia Walker 7 Tarvit Gardens Cupar, Fife, KY15 5BT Tel: 01334 657 850 Mob: 07715 115 489 editor@boxandfiddle.com Designer • Marie Irvine mamidesigns@hotmail.com Section icons by: FlatIcon

Cover Image Bill Ewan Photo: ©Pia Walker Printer • Meigle Colour Printers www.meigleprint.co.uk

NAAFC Chairman • Nicol McLaren 9 Sheila Road, Blairgowrie Perthshire, PH10 6RP Tel: 01250 874 526 nicol@boxandfiddle.com Vice Chairman • Iain Cathcart Tel: 01555 661 017 iain@boxandfiddle.com Secretary • Susan MacFadyen Carlung Farm, West Kilbride Ayrshire, KA23 9PU Tel: 01294 823 865 susan@boxandfiddle.com Treasurer • Willie Johnstone treasurer@boxandfiddle.com Executive Committee: Charlie Kirkpatrick David Cunningham Margo Maclennan Richard Ross Tom Orr

I have snowdrops in my garden and daffodils peeking up, so hopefully spring and summer will be just round the corner, I certainly hope so, it is always nice to see where you are going when driving to an event! March sees the NAAFC Flagship Festival – I do hope to see you there.

If you are arranging a festival – do let me Pia Walker, Editor know in good time, if fact whatever you are arranging, let me know in good time (2-3 months before would be ideal – having just spent 3 hours on a Sunday chasing up missing diary dates!). Which brings me to communication, and something I picked up on Facebook: “I wish people would communicate better. I try to organise events for our club. Send messages; quite often get no response at all … So difficult to organise anything when you do not know what, where or when you will get a response. Gripe for the day over!”

Sigh! I hear this from so many dance event organisers too, not just clubs. They approach musicians for their event and hear nothing in return. It should be common courtesy to acknowledge a potential customer and give them an answer, as most are polite enough to hold back until you reply. I know of many people who have said: “I am never going to contact that band again”. Of course event organisers have to do the same. If you are going to confirm or cancel, do it if possible as quickly as you can, don’t leave it for weeks. Many bands operate a sensible ‘first come, first serve’ policy and they may miss out on other gigs due to your tardiness.

Finally, I now get many reports sent from a person called ‘Sent from my iPad/iPhone’ – This person must go to many clubs ☺.

Could Mr/Mrs ‘Sent from my iPad/iPhone’ please check for ? predictive texts and funny symbols such as , they are currently the bane of my life!

Enjoy the music and look out for our Guest of Honour articles in the next issues.

Keep up with the latest news at

www.boxandfiddle.com Box & Fiddle (NAAFC)

Pia

The editorial team reserves the right to refuse or edit all copy. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor. Use of material and advertising from this publication is strictly prohibited without permission in writing from the editor.

While every care has been taken in compiling Box & Fiddle to ensure that it is correct at the time of going to press, Box & Fiddle assume no responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions.

Contents

7 6

News

8

AGM Notification

CD reviews, Celebrations

Book now for the Celebrity Luncheon and the Box & Fiddle Awards

9

Centre Stage

We talk to Suzanne Croy

10 BAFFIs

Your chance to vote fo this year’s awards

12 Bill Ewan

Guest of Honour

16 NEW - On Stage Off Stage

We ask both musicians and listeners their favourite tunes

17 Club News

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42

42 Take the Floor

Lindsay Weir and Her SDB

43 Dance Diary

Find the nearest dances and ceilidhs

46 In Memory

Bill Black and John Ellis

48 Reviews

The Alistair McCulloch Collection Volume 2; Scandinavian Folk Tunes for Accordion; Irish Folk Tunes for Accordion; Miss Milligan’s Miscellany; Here ‘n Now; The Third Sheaf Collection of Scottish Country Dances; Out Of The Shadows

54 Quiz

56 Sheet Music

The Urquharts of the Port

You are never too old to go Clubbing!

Deadlines:

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See how many you can answer

The latest news from our clubs

36 Club Diary

B&F • CONTENTS

by Alistair McCulloch Trio

All articles, adverts, club reports and text for the magazine must be e-mailed to the editor by the 5th of every month at the latest. Copy received after this date cannot be guaranteed to feature in the next issue.

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B&F • WWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM

Bill Ewan GU

ES T

6 OF HONOUR 201

“I came fresh and inexperienced from PE college where all the pianists were LRAM-trained, when someone asked me to take a SCD class in Leslie. I arrived and there was this lad playing the piano.

I assumed that all pianists were as good the ones in College, so little did I know what an absolute gem I had on my hands. He is a tremendous pianist and was such a gift to start out with.”

T

hese are the words of Alice Oliphant, a well-known dance teacher in Fife, and they were ringing in my ears as I went to Markinch, Fife to interview pianist Bill and his wife Jean in their lovely home.

Bill Ewan was born in Milton of Balgonie on the 29th of June 1941 to mum Cathy and dad Willie Ewan a miner.

On Saturday evenings everybody listened to music on the radio. You could walk down the street and hear the same programme from all the houses. On

Starting out

hearing pianist Charlie Kunz at the age of 3 or 4 Bill knew immediately that he wanted to play the piano.

Bill used to march round the table with the fireside brush as a prop ‘playing the pipes’ – this nearly killed him once when he slipped and the brush almost skewered his neck.

Every Saturday he would go to his gran who lived two doors down and as she baked for the Sunday family gathering, she would lay out clothes pegs like piano keys for Bill to play on while he sang Cruising Down the River.

When he was about 5½ his mother begged the travelling piano teacher, Mr Cook, to teach Bill.

(Mr Cook incidentally also taught a certain David Cunningham Senior and thus has been a cause of many a great musician in Fife). Although Mr Cook advised that Bill should wait until he was 7 years

B&F • MARCH 2016

The John Crawford Trio

Joss Taylor, Alifie LIttle, Wullie Wright, Helen Little, Bill Ewan

of age, he went to meet this desperate-for-lessons child and he kept returning as Bill was so keen – and as Bill says: “I’m still as keen”.

Mr Cook taught Bill to read music and to play a variety of styles. He died when Bill was 14 and at Grade 5 level and Bill decided to stop going to lessons. “The local teachers taught classical only, I wasn’t interested in that, so didn’t want any other teacher”.

Bill began playing in various concerts from the tender age of 8. As soon as he finished primary school in Milton of Balgonie and moved to Markinch Secondary, he started playing for SCD-classes and school concerts and has done so ever since.

Bill recalls that he spent most of the last day of the summer terms in the school music room. He could play all kinds of modern music, so the other classes always wanted him to play for them. It was apparently no hardship.

When he left school at 15 he played for classes in his home village. At this time he was also The Bluebell Band

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approached by a local band leader, Alfie Little of the Bluebell Dance Band. They played a mixture of styles as was the norm at that time.

When asked about the difference in music then and now, Bill takes a long time to think and replies: “Tempos were faster then than now, although I have always instinctively played to suit the band and the occasion.”

In 1960 John Crawford, who also played with the Bluebell Dance Band, invited Bill to join him in auditioning for the BBC’s Scottish Dance Music Programme as the East Neuk Band. He accepted, they passed, and so his extensive broadcast carrier began. For 7 years they broadcast live from either the Coldside Library in Dundee or in the Queen Street Studio in Edinburgh. John and Bill also had spots on “For your Entertainment” under the producer Ben Lyons in Glasgow.

Although a lot of gigs were local, then, as now, musicians had to travel and as everyone know, incidents happen, and Bill had a few with the East

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B&F • WWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM

This is another reader idea where we ask various people for the names of their favourite tracks and why they have chosen them. We will each month ask a musician and a dancer or someone ‘off stage’ for their 5-6 favourite tracks and why. Who better to start this than well-known accordionist Tom Alexander who received an MBE in the 2005 New Year Honours List and the lovely dance teacher Jessie Stuart who received a well-deserved BEM in this year’s New Year Honours List.

Tom Alexander As reasons to why he had selected these, Tom in a phone call to me explained that Jack’s death had been such a great loss to him.

These were tracks he and his brother Jack had recorded together on CDs over the years and they remind him of happy times.

• Penny Arcade • Flying Scotsman • Clarinet Polka • Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves • American Savoy Medley

ge a t S On e g a t S OFF • In the Lamplight Freeland Barbour - Winter`s Journey • Findlater Castle Colin Dewar and his band – A’ the best fae Banffshire

Jessie Stuart I have lots of favourite tracks and most of my selection is from a dancer’s point of view where tempo and standard of playing is so important. We have a wealth of talent in young players and bandleaders at present, but we should not forget the hard grafters of the past who played without all the modern technology available now.

• Our Lady of the Snows Drummond Cook and his band - Scottish Dances Vol 6 (Highlander) • Pygmies Polka Graeme Mitchell - Caricatune • Our Compliments to Wm Marshall Ron Gonella and George MacIlwham - Scottish Dance Masters • Veleta: Pierrette Bobby Crowe and his band - The Shores of Loch Alvie

B&F • CLUB NEWS

Club News Just remember to seek permission to publish the photos and tell us the name of the photographers.

To ensure a more readable section, please only send in max 250-300 words.

A photo tells a better story, so add one or two of those too. Why not of your audience? If you don’t have a report to write, then mention someone from your club or a special event and send in a relevant photo. Information in Club News helps attract visitors to your club, so make sure your club sounds like the place we want to go to.

ANNAN ST ANDREW The guest band in January was The Matthew Maclennan Scottish Dance Band, comprising Matthew Maclennan on lead accordion, Duncan Black on second accordion and George Gray on drums. Matthew began playing whilst still at Primary School and before he left Secondary School was playing regularly at functions. Since 2002 he has been a finalist in the All Scotland Accordion Championships on numerous occasions and has gained a host of awards. The Band commenced the evening playing for popular dances.

The local players, accompanied by Ian Wilson on keyboard and Billy Porter on drums were: John Douglas on piano accordion, instantly recognised as he has his own band. He kindly agreed to play second accordion for the other local players. Barbara Fisher from Carrutherstown, played piano accordion. Amongst the tunes played was The Boys of the Mhairi L, composed by the late Ewan McGowan from Dumfries. Ian Woods from Allendale in Northumberland

Janet Graham, Arbroath

played three sets of music on fiddle. Jim Fraser from Dumfries, a long-time supporter of the club, played piano accordion. Willie Little from Dumfries played three sets of well-liked tunes on whistle.

John Waugh from Carlisle, who is also a dance band leader, played piano accordion.

The guest band then returned to the stage and completed the evening with music for further dancing.

Although the music was superb and it was a very entertaining evening, MC Jack Murdoch decided to finish half an hour earlier than normal due to the adverse weather. He

thanked the band and the local players and also those present for braving the elements and supporting the club.

ARBROATH JANUARY Club Chairman Tony Simpson was the MC at our first meeting of 2016. On accordion we had: Margaret Patullo, John Hart, Alan Petrie, Cora Wilson, Eric Davidson, Arthur Wood and Tony Simpson. Dave Smith was on fiddle with piano accompaniment being shared

by John White and Tony Simpson and Avril Abbot on drums. Ron Ramsay gave a

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B&F • WWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM

Club Diary Please contact editor@boxandfiddle.com for any corrections to the diary.

March 2016 DATE

CLUB

GUEST ARTISTE

VENUE

TIME

CONTACT

1

Campsie

Ewan Galloway SDB

Glazert Country House Hotel, Lennoxtown G66 7DJ

7.30 pm

Billy Hutton 0141 776 2344

1

Fort William

Gordon Pattullo & Malcolm Ross

Railway Club, Inverlochy, Fort William PH33 6LY

8.00 pm

Alisdair MacDonald 01397 701 505

1

Islesteps

Alisdair Maccleod Qrt

Locharbriggs Social Club, Locharbriggs DG1 1XS

7.30 pm

Ian Gray 01387 760 276

1

North East

Susie Simpson

Royal British Legion, Keith AB55 5EN

7.30 pm

Mrs Petrie 01542 860 246

1

Seghill

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Seghill Comrades Club, Cramlington NE23 7TQ

7.30 pm

James Youngson 01670 356 410

2

Dingwall

Nicky Mcmichan Trio

National Hotel, Dingwall IV15 9HA

7.30 pm

Elspeth Weir 01349 877 675

2

Glenfarg

Leonard Brown & Malcolm Ross

Glenfarg Village Hall, Glenfarg PH2 9NU

8.00 pm

Russell Robertson 01577 830 642

2

Montrose

Steven Carcary

Park Hotel, Montrose DD10 8RJ

7.30 pm

Ron Ramsay 01241 879 487

2

Orkney

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

The Reel, Kirkwall KW15 1KD

7.30 pm

Jim Marwick 01856 874 474

3

Crieff

The Pentlands Ceilidh Band

The British Legion, Crieff PH7 3EB

8.00 pm

Irene Anderson 01764 654 298

3

Galashiels

John Fairbairn Memorial Club Night

Clovenfords Hotel, Galashiels TD1 3LU

7.30 pm

Robert Cleland 01896 754 463

3

Isle of Skye

Leonard Brown & Malcolm Ross

The Royal Hotel, Portree IV51 9BU

7.30 pm

info @skyemusic.co.uk

3

Lewis and Harris

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Caladh Inn, Stornoway HS1 2QN

8.00 pm

Janette MacIver 01851 704 870

3

Oban

Gary Sutherland

The Royal Hotel, Oban PA34 4BE

7.30 pm

Anne McFadyen 01631 562 077

3

Rothbury

Alan Small & Gemma Donald

Queens Head Hotel, Rothbury NE65 7SR

7.30 pm

Mary Davidson 01668 281 307

3

Turriff

Andy Kain

Commercial Hotel, Cuminestown AB53 5WJ

7.30 pm

Pat Steele 01888 562 486

4

Thurso

Carol-Anne Mackay and friends

Pentland Hotel, Thurso KW14 7AA

7.30 pm

Ian Wright 01847 892 050

5

Uist and Benbecula

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Church of Scotland Hall, Benbecula HS7 5QA

8.00 pm

Angus MacDonald 01870 602 432

6

Arbroath

Bon Accords (AGM)

Arbroath Artisan Golf Club, Elliot, By Arbroath DD11 2PE (Doors open at 7.30pm)

8.00 pm

Tony Simpson 01241 875 326

6

Gretna

Liam Stewart

The Gables Hotel Gretna, Gretna Green DG16 5DQ

7.15 pm

David Bell 01228 523 957

8

Blairgowrie

Gordon Pattullo & Malcolm Ross

Red House Hotel, Coupar Angus PH13 9AL

7.45 pm

Helen Aitchison 01821 670 302

8

Dunfermline

Tom Alexander

Sportsman Bar, Rosyth KY11 2NX

7.30 pm

Mr Bob Adam 01383 306 142

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B&F • TAKE THE FLOOR

Take The Floor LINDSAY WEIR AND HER SCOTTISH DANCE BAND

L

indsay Weir and her Scottish Dance Band have recorded regular Take the Floor broadcasts since 1995, including two outside broadcasts from Dingwall and Strathpeffer.

Longstanding band members Colin Garvin (2nd accordion), Gordon

Young (drums) and Alan Kitchen (piano) were joined by John Sinton (bass) in 2007. In 2013 Gemma Donald (fiddle) joined, bringing an exciting new dynamic to the band. Initially popular for oldtime and ceilidh dancing, the band are also now in demand for Scottish country dancing throughout the UK. Recent musical highlights included a band trip to the 2015 Shetland Accordion and Fiddle Festival and a trip to Vancouver, playing for Scottish Country dancing.

Lindsay enjoys sourcing new material for Take the Floor sessions and showcasing the many excellent modern day composers. The band members particularly enjoy playing Alan Kitchen’s special arrangements for Bandleader’s Choice – this time round look out for an Elton John number! The programme also includes two tributes to the late Mark MacDougall. Mark and Lindsay were life-long friends: Mark was a founder member of Lindsay’s band and played in all her Take the Floor sessions until 2005.

Lindsay considers herself fortunate to have been consistently busy with band work for almost 30 years and for having the opportunity to perform as guest artiste at the vast majority of Accordion and Fiddle clubs in Scotland, as well as record 4 commercial albums, including one for the RSCDS. l

05/03/16 - Lindsay Weir SDB 12/03/16 - Ewan Galloway SDB + Inchyra Concert 19/03/16 - BBC Get inspired family ceilidh

Craig Paton SDB 26/03/16 - Archive session from Jimmy Shand Jnr.

+ Band Competition Inchyra

B&F • DANCE DIARY

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Dance Diary

View the Scottish Country Dances online at www.dancediary.info/index.html Contact: ceilidh@dancediary.info Tel: 01389 767718 or send your entry to: Alasdair Graham, 1 First Avenue, Dumbarton G82 2PU

Ceilidh & Old Time Dances

Regular Weekly Events

DATE

TOWN

HALL

BAND

TIME

COST

CONTACT

COMMENTS

Every Monday

Kirkwall

St Magnus Centre

Live Music

7.30-10pm

£3/£1

Door - All Welcome

Orkney Dance Assoc.

Dumbarton

St Patrick’s Hall

Recorded

7.30pm

£4

Door 01436 268 238

Jim & Sue

Dundee

Abertay University

Recorded

7pm

£1

Door Pia 01334 654 427

Class

Bonnyrigg

Pitcairn Centre

Live Music

7.30-10pm

£4

Door Jennifer Johnstone

Ceilidh & Old Time

Coupar Angus

St Anne’s Church Hall

-

7pm-9pm

£2.50

01828 628 480

Ceilidh-Tracy Thom

Every Wednesday

Garelochhead

Parish Church

-

2pm-4pm

£2 (tea)

01436 671 089

Social Club

Glasgow

St Andrews in Square

Live Music

7.15pm -9.30

£5.50 Bar

Door Tricia Matthews 01324 716855

Ceilidh & Old Time Class

Midlem

Village Hall

Live Music

8pm-10pm

£2 (tea)

Door 01835 870 244

Old Time Dance Group

Stornoway

Primary School

-

7pm-9pm

-

01851 704 870

Ceilidh & Old Time

Every Thursday

Kirkton

Village Hall DG1 1ST

Live Music

7.30pm -10pm

£3 refreshments

John M Caskie 01387 710 975

Old Tyme Dance Group Stops on 24th March

Every Friday

Stornoway

Primary School

-

7.30pm -9.30pm

-

Janette Maciver 01851 704 870

Ceilidh & Old Time Term Time Only

Ceilidh & Old Time Dances

March 2016

DATE

TOWN

HALL

BAND

TIME

COST

CONTACT

COMMENTS

4

Portobello

Town Hall EH15 1AF

Canongate Cadgers

8pm-11pm

£8

07815 741 699

Dances & Requests

4

Dumfries

Locharbriggs C.C.

Alan Gardiner

8pm-12mn

£8 Tea BYOB Adv. Ticket

01387 710 975

Charity – MS Society

5

Polmont

Inchyra Hotel

Burns Brothers Ceilidh Band

0131 660 1926

Part of NAAFC Festival

5

Midlem

Village Hall

Neil Hardie

7.30pm -11.30pm

£6 Adv. Ticket Own Supper

01835 870 244

Bar & Raffle

5

Largoward

Village Hall

Bon Accord

8pm-11pm

£5 Tea

07961 437 615

Weekly Dance KY9 1HZ

5

Tranent

Rannoch House

Ewan Galloway

7.30pm -11.30pm

£5 Bar

01875 615 138

Pay at Door

5

Inverness

Kirkhill C. Hall

Steven Carcary

8pm-12mn

£5 Tea

01463 870 508

Social Dancers - B.Y.O.B.

5

Sorn

Village Hall

Ian Cruickshanks

7.30pm -11.30pm

£6 BYOB

01560 700 219

Pay at Door.

All Welcome

11

Irvine

Volunteer Rooms

Johnnie Duncan

7.30pm -11.30pm

£7 BYOB

01292 316 815

Ayrshire Ceilidh Club

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B&F • WWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM

Reviews

If you wish your CDs, DVDs or books to be reviewed, please send them to: Bill Brown, 3 Galahad Close, Cippenham, Slough, SL1 9DT

The Alistair McCulloch Collection Volume 2

41 Original compositions for fiddle and a guide to fiddle ornamentation.

Published by Alistair McCulloch, Ayr, Scotland Printed by Kestrel Press (Irvine) Ltd.

This is a really nice booklet from Alistair McCulloch. He not only gives us a set of really good tunes to play, he also gives us advice and information on how we can embellish these tunes to give them our own characteristics. His instructions on such features as ‘Lower Mordents’, ‘Cuts’, Birls’ etc are presented thoughtfully using segments of his own tunes to show how they can be enhanced. We are given license to ‘Experiment and decorate the tunes tastefully in a way that enlivens and enhances them to create the effect you want’.

However, he does warn us that any ornamentation should be ‘subtle’.

How true. I am sure we have

all heard tunes that have been all but destroyed by musicians who have tried to be too clever!

Alistair writes in a very clear and precise manner, which makes his instructions easy to understand.

His musical compositions display the same features and I am sure several of them will find their way into the repertoire of Strathspey and Reel Societies and various Ceilidh and Dance Bands around the country. Alistair not only give us the tunes, the ideas on how to embellish them and harmonies, but also links to where we can get orchestrations for them. In other words, the whole package. The only thing that is missing is a CD pocketed in the back cover. Now that would have been brilliant!

This publication is called Volume 2, Volume 1 was published 12 years ago, I hope it will not be so long again until Volume 3.

George T Watt George T Watt is a writer and poet in Scots and is the Membership Secretary of the Scots Language Society. He is also a qualified teacher of Scottish Country Dancing and takes classes in Arbroath and Dundee. He is former Chairman of the RSCDS Dundee Branch. George also plays the fiddle.

Scandinavian Folk Tunes for Accordion

(61 Traditional Pieces) Published by Schott Music www.schott-music.com

This is a delightful music book edited and arranged by Jonny Dyer. Jonny is a multiinstrumentalist specialising in traditional music from the British Isles and Scandinavia.

There is a CD with a duration of over 50 minutes that accompanies the book where Jonny plays each of the tunes with great style and expression and a CD track listing is included at the end of the book.

I had only heard a few of the tunes before, but I was immediately drawn to the different styles and I particularly like those in 3/4

The Urquharts of the Port

Sheet Music

Dedicated to Donald and Catherine Urquhart of Portmahomack, East Ross, for their many years of kind hospitality during the summer tours of the Scottish Highlands by the Alistair McCulloch Trio.