Box & Fiddle - May 2016

Fiddle

39th Year No. 09 May 2016

£2.70

BOX& The magazine for Scottish music enthusiasts

DDMFA Festival Results CLUB REPORTS

Neil Sinclair

GUEST OF HONOUR

PLUS CLUB & DANCE DIARIES, REVIEWS, AND MUCH MORE...

Welcome

B&F • EDITORIAL

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...to the May 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 Fin Hope at the Dumfries Accordion & Fiddle Festival © Caroline Menzies 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

The end of the season is near and it is already time to start thinking about the next!

The Executive Committee is busy putting the final details on the AGM, and Willie and I are busy with the year-end accounts (he adds up, I phone around). Please help us by paying your various dues before the end of May. I will of course soon be getting at you to give Pia Walker, Editor me the dates for the next season. Please, even if you don’t have a guest artist, send me your dates, so we can show on the website that you are open for business (and of course if you do have the guest artists ready, so much the better).

Susan and Willie would like the last of the clubs, who haven’t paid their fees, to do so immediately, so you can be counted at the AGM. Charlie would like you to buy your Celebrity Luncheon ticket very soon, so we can give numbers to the hotel. Nicol would like you to decide if you are going to the Golf Outing on the 5th June, so he can make up the teams. (I’ll shock everyone who knows me by saying I’m looking forward to this outing!). So you see, you will be far to busy to go on your holidays yet. Oh! Marie just wants me to finish this editorial, so we can put the magazine to bed ☺ June is going to be busy. Hopefully you will all respond to the above requests. The Guest Artists hopefully will respond to the e-mail that went out in April. This means you should be able to get the Guest Artist Directory in hard copy form in the July issue, with a brand new look on the website too. (No pressure then, Marie). I will be visiting a fiddle group to talk about the NAAFC and the B&F in the hope that it can expand the audiences for the clubs, and we have the AGM, so will be working on The Speech as well.

At the end of April, we heard a Very Special Birthday broadcast, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer man - A man with a great knowledge and love of our kind of music and dance. I’ll let you read this magazine to find out who I mean. ?

Have a great May and I hope that summer didn’t fall on the one Monday!

Pia

Keep up with the latest news at

www.boxandfiddle.com Box & Fiddle (NAAFC)

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

B&F • CONTENTS

14 6

News Young Scottish Musicians Benefit from Club Support; Gretna Celebrations; The Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra; Letters; Magazine Stockists

11 The Dee and Don

Ceilidh Collective

Two rivers, six halls and hundreds of musicians

12 The Brandon McPhee Show Eden Court Theatre, Inverness

12 Take the Floor

Happy Birthday Robbie!

14 Festivals

DDMFA, Accordion and Fiddle Festival Results

17 Centre Stage

Margo Maclennan

Deadlines:

5

18

18 Neil Sinclair

Charlie Kirkpatrick talks to our Guest of Honour

21 Club News

The latest news from our clubs

35 Club Diary

You are never too old to go Clubbing!

39 Dance Diary

Find the nearest dances and ceilidhs

41 In Memory Bob McMath

43 Reviews

Gallop to Callop; Wick to Wickham; Scottish Pleasures; Rant; Russian Fiddle Tunes

48 Sheet Music

Welcome to Scotland by Tom McIver

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

NEWS

News

Send in your story. If you have a photo that tells a story, send it in with an explanation.

Young Scottish Musicians Benefit from Club Support A new scheme to support four young players of Scottish traditional instruments has been launched by The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh.

Front row: Lucy Ruuskanen, Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul, Ryan Corbett, Angus McGregor. Photo © Graham Carnie

Four young musicians, aged 12-16, have been chosen for their proficiency playing fiddle, clàrsach, accordion and bagpipes in both classical and Scottish traditional musical genres.

In return for playing at club events before an interested and varied audience throughout the year, they will receive an honorarium of £1 a day (£366 in this bonus leap year), mentoring by an experienced practitioner in their field and an annual master class. All of the mentors are performers, composers and recording artists in their own right.

The scheme, which will run for three years for each of the chosen musicians, is funded by members and supported by the Trustees of The Royal Scots Club. It is designed to encourage, support and develop traditional Scottish music by engaging the four talented young musicians whilst at the same time providing music on a variety of occasions within the Club’s busy social

programme. The young people will be given the unique opportunity to perform at least three times a year at club events.

Chosen to be the first club fiddler is Lucy Ruuskanen aged 12, a pupil of Broughton High School and a member of the Junior Orchestra within the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

The chosen clàrsach player is Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul aged 15, who comes from An Caol, Wester Ross and is studying at Edinburgh’s St Mary’s Music School. A Gaelic speaker, she is especially efficient in the traditional playing of the small harp.

The chosen accordion player, Ryan Corbett (16) is currently studying in Douglas Academy and the Junior Conservatoire of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, but in September he will be taking up a scholarship place at St Mary’s in Edinburgh.

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B&F • WWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM

Magazine Stockists The magazine continues to be printed during the summer month and again this year several retailers have again agreed to stock the magazine over the summer (some stock all the year round).

From May the following will have copies for sale: l Concorde

Music Shop, 15 Scott Street, Perth PH1 5EJ. Tel: 01738 621 818 (all year)

l R

W M Domestic Spares, Victorian Market, Inverness IV1 1PG. Tel: 01463 220 506 (all year)

l High

Level Music, 62-64 Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0DL. Tel: 01595 692 618 (all year) Douglas Music, 9 Great King Street, Dumfries DG1 1BA. Tel: 01387 256 479 (all year)

l Robert

Rolston, Alloa Business Centre, Office 95, Whins Road, Alloa FK10 3RF. Tel: 01259 211 868

l Scottish

Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR. Tel: 0131 556 9579 (all year)

l Skye

Music Shop, Bayfield Road, Portree, Isle of Skye IV51 9EL. Tel: 01478 611 980

l John

l Spences

l June’s

l The

l Music

l W

Card & Gift Shop, 51 High Street, Dingwall IV15 9HL. Tel: 01349 861 336 (all year) Station, 71 Bank Street, Galashiels TD1 1EL. Tel: 01896 754 554 (all year)

Music Shop, 4 Buccleuch Street, Hawick TD9 0HW. Tel: 01450 372 115 (all year) Violin Shop, 7/11 Blackie Street, Yorkhill, Glasgow G3 8TN. Tel: 0141 339 8078 (all year)

D Hutton, 1 Auchenreoch Holding, Milton of Campsie G66 8AF. Tel: 0141 776 2344

Individuals who have copies for sale throughout the year: Charlie Kirkpatrick, David Cunningham, Tom Orr, Tom Riddell, Iain Cathcart, Charles Todd, Margo Maclennan, Richard Ross, Susan MacFadyen, Nicol McLaren, Pia Walker, Leonard Brown and Willie Johnstone. (A heartfelt thank you to you all!)

You can also pick up a copy at the clubs that are running throughout the summer, but please let them know in advance so they can reserve a copy for you. Some dedicated club committee members still receive magazines and deliver them to members although the club has shut for the summer (My heroes!). The NAAFC and the Box & Fiddle team are very grateful for the service these people and many others extend to us.

Don’t forget that you can also summer subscribe by filling in the subscription form on page 4 and sending it to me. l

ANSWERS TO THE MARCH QUIZ

1. Ray Milbourne 2. Addie Harper 3. Clyde 4. October 5. Ron Kerr 6. Paul Anderson 7. Newtongrange 8. 1955 9. Giovanni Gola, production manager at Hohner 10. Gus Millar and Ally McIntyre The winner is: Mrs Joyce Beaton, Turriff

B&F • MAY 2016

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The Dee and Don Ceilidh Collective Two rivers, six halls and hundreds of musicians

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hat is a ceilidh? An opportunity to meet new people in the context of an informal gathering? A celebration of our common history?

A fun-filled night of wild dancing that ends with someone sliding over a tabletop?

Often it would seem that older interpretations of the ceilidh have been usurped by the latter, although the tradition of performing music, songs and poetry and telling stories persists in some areas.

The Dee and Don Ceilidh Collective is a local response to the Crerar Hotels Trust’s offer of a £25,000 award (Together: Young and Old) bringing together members of the community of all ages. The purpose is twofold. It aims to support and develop the local heritage of traditional Scottish music by encouraging experienced musicians to share their skills with those for whom playing at a ceilidh might be a new venture, and to bring together young and old through traditional ceilidhs. It’s worth stressing ‘traditional’: These are gatherings at which people will not only play traditional dance music, but also sing, tell stories and play new tunes. Anyone who wants to can add to the party – whether they consider themselves an old hand or a fresh-faced novice.

Crerar Hotels awarded its grant to the Collective at a ceremony held at Deeside Inn in Ballater. The Collective has developed a programme of workshops and ceilidhs to run over six weekends across Deeside and Donside. Workshops will be delivered by top local musicians such as fiddler Paul Anderson, Jonny Hardie (Old Blind Dogs), songwriter Jenny Sturgeon and singer Shona Donaldson. Workshops will run though the day on Saturdays culminating in evening ceilidhs. Sunday mornings are given over to informal sessions for any musicians who’d like to take part. Think Fèis – and you’ll have an idea of the Collective’s intentions.

Who developed the initiative?

Megan Albon from Aboyne describes the intergenerational music sessions in Ballater and Tarland as hugely welcoming and as having given her the ‘best thing ever to do in the evenings’.

Joanna Whysall manages the Deeside Inn in Ballater. She is passionate about reinvigorating the local economy by expanding the traditional music

Prize-winner Madeleine Lenthall, S2, Alford Academy, with art teacher Jenni May and DDCC’s Megan Albon scene and sharing the northeast’s musical treasure trove. Steve Cameron (Glenbuchat) hosts regular gigs with musicians from all over the world. Mhairi Duncan (Financial Controller at the Deeside Inn – and now also at the Collective).

Getting kids involved

The Collective asked local schoolchildren to participate in a competition to design a logo. 90 entries were submitted by pupils at Alford and Aboyne Academies. The winning logo was designed

by Madeleine Lenthall, in S2 at Alford. Along with three runners-up, Madeleine won an Easter goody bag and free entry to all the Collective’s weekends, as well as the winner’s prize of a family dinner at the Deeside Inn.

The first weekend

The programme kicks off on 14/15 May in Ballater at the Victoria and Albert Halls. Workshops include upper and lower intermediate fiddle, led by Paul Anderson and Averil Blackhall, respectively, guitar (Pete MacCallum), pipes, whistles and flutes (Fraser Fifield), song (Shona Donaldson) and songwriting (Jenny Sturgeon).

Saturday’s ceilidh will be led by Deeside-based Alasdair Johnston of Clachan Yell and the New Distillery Ceilidh Band. The ceilidh will run from 7.00pm and is open to everyone. As well as encouraging workshop participants to play at the ceilidh, the Collective welcomes contributions from storytellers and poets… and that’s not to say no-one will slide over a tabletop…

Wendy Simpson

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B&F • WWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM

Neil Sinclair

by Charlie Kirkpatrick

GU

ES T

6 OF HONOUR 201

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n November last year I had the honour of being guest artist at the 40th birthday celebrations of Oban Accordion and Fiddle Club. While there I met up with one of the founder members, an old friend of mine from schooldays, namely Neil Sinclair from Connel. During the interval, I had a chat with Neil, surely one of the unsung heroes of our music scene.

Neil was born in 1948 in Connel, 5 miles outside Oban, the youngest of four children to Peter and Peggy Sinclair. Neil’s father had a croft and some of Neil’s earliest memories are of having to milk the cows and then deliver milk round the village before setting off for school. In the byre was an old piano and after church on Sundays, Neil used to sit at the piano trying to play the hymns he had just heard. When he was about 10 years old Neil was given an accordion by his uncle and he seems to have practised non-stop, because the story goes that Neil’s father used to complain that he couldn’t get to eat his breakfast in peace because of the incessant sound of the accordion. Around this time Willie Lowe, the bass player with Bobby MacLeod’s band, came to live in the village and he was a great inspiration to Neil assisting him with chords and all different types of music.

On leaving school, while working as a postman and also with the Forestry Commission, Neil joined Colin Campbell’s band and at that time bought his next accordion, an Excelsior Multi Musette, from J D Forbes’ music shop in Dundee.

This was an exciting time for the band and they got their big break when Alasdair Gillies asked them to tour with him. Gigs all over Scotland and even as far afield as the Royal Albert Hall in London followed.

They made over 60 appearances on the Alasdair Sings programme for STV and also made several LPs. One experience in particular sticks in Neil’s mind. On the island of Lewis it was normal to do a two-house concert followed by a dance. However on this occasion the dance seemed to be finishing early at midnight, but the band’s hopes of an early night were dashed when they found that they had to go a few miles further down the road set up the gear and play for another dance, which then finished at about 5am.

After a few years on tour with Colin Campbell, Neil

B&F • CLUB NEWS

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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?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 for March was the Marian Anderson Scottish Dance Band, comprising Marian on piano accordion and Max Ketchin on drums. Marian resides in Falkirk and began playing the accordion when ten years old. When she was thirteen she joined her father’s ceilidh band and in time formed her own. She has produced 12+ CDs and has appeared on ‘Take the Floor’ on numerous occasions. Max Ketchin is a gifted musician in his own right, having accompanied a number of noted players over the years, including the great Jim Johnstone. Marian and Max began by playing for favourite dances.

Local players, accompanied

by Ian Wilson on keyboard and Billy Porter on drums were: Kenny White from Rigg playing two contrasting sets on piano accordion; Richard Brown from Aspatria played for Saunter Together on piano accordion; Kenny Jackson from Stonehouse on piano accordion; Barbara Fisher from Carrutherstown played piano accordion; Norman Swainson from Wigton played a small piano accordion with a tremendous ‘lift’; Jim Fraser

L-R: Issy, Marian and Max, Arbroath

from Dumfries played for a quickstep on piano accordion; Willie Little from Dumfries played several well-liked tunes on whistle; The final local player was Newby Park from Carlisle playing piano accordion.

The guest band then returned and played for further dances.

At the end, MC Jack Murdoch thanked the band and local players.

ARBROATH Avril Abbott, Vice Chairman welcomed a capacity audience and the music swiftly followed with our local and visiting players. On accordions, respectively, were John Hart, Eric Davidson, Margaret Patullo, Fred Davidson, Cora Wilson, Tony Simpson and Scott Band who helped out by playing

second box for a number of groups as well as giving us a fine rendition of tunes. Also on accordion was a newcomer to our club, Barbara Archibald, who just recently moved to Arbroath. On fiddles we had Dave Smith and Liz Arthur with Avril Abbott on drums and accompanying various groups on keyboard were Tony Simpson and John White. A first for our club was Eck Hodgson playing guitar and singing a couple of ballads as well as telling a couple of funny stories.

Many thanks to all these players and haste ye all back.

The guest band, Marian Anderson SDB, had the audience completely captivated throughout their performances.

Marian on lead accordion, Max Ketchin on drums and Issy Hodgson on piano gave us a

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B&F • CLUB DIARY

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

May 2016 DATE

CLUB

GUEST ARTISTE

VENUE

TIME

CONTACT

1

Arbroath

The Burns Brothers

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

8.00 pm

Tony Simpson 01241 875 326

2

Thurso

Jim Mackay SDB

Pentland Hotel, Thurso KW14 7AA

7.30 pm

Ian Wright 01847 892 050

3

Campsie

Wayne Robertson & Malcolm Ross

Glazert Country House Hotel, Lennoxtown G66 7DJ

7.30 pm

Billy Hutton 0141 776 2344

3

Fort William

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Railway Club, Inverlochy, Fort William PH33 6LY

8.00 pm

Alisdair MacDonald 01397 701 505

3

North East

Gavin Piper

Royal British Legion, Keith AB55 5EN

7.30 pm

Mrs Petrie 01542 860 246

3

Seghill

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Seghill Comrades Club, Cramlington NE23 7TQ

7.30 pm

James Youngson 01670 356 410

4

Dingwall

Nicol McLaren Band

National Hotel, Dingwall IV15 9HA

7.30 pm

Elspeth Weir 01349 877 675

4

Glenfarg

Iain Cathcart Trio

Glenfarg Village Hall, Glenfarg PH2 9NU

8.00 pm

Russell Robertson 01577 830 642

4

Montrose

Callum Wallace & Jimmy Cassidy

Park Hotel, Montrose DD10 8RJ

7.30 pm

Ron Ramsay 01241 879 487

4

Orkney

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

The Reel, Kirkwall KW15 1KD

7.30 pm

Jim Marwick 01856 874 474

5

Crieff

Iain MacPhail

The British Legion, Crieff PH7 3EB

8.00 pm

Irene Anderson 01764 654 298

5

Isle of Skye

Jock Fraser SDB

The Royal Hotel, Portree IV51 9BU

7.30 pm

info@skyemusic.co.uk

5

Lewis and Harris

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Caladh Inn, Stornoway HS1 2QN

8.00 pm

Janette MacIver 01851 704 870

5

Rothbury

Seamus O’Sullivan Duo

Queens Head Hotel, Rothbury NE65 7SR

7.30 pm

Mary Davidson 01668 281 307

5

Turriff

Brandon McPhee

Commercial Hotel, Cuminestown AB53 5WJ

7.30 pm

Pat Steele 01888 562 486

6

Castle Douglas

Frank Morrison SDB (Annual Dance)

Cross Michael Hall, Castle Douglas DG7 3JG

7.30 pm

Ian Riddet 01387 255 919

8

Arbroath

Burns Brothers Trio

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

8.00 pm

Tony Simpson 01241 875 326

10

Blairgowrie

Steven Carcary SDB

Red House Hotel, Coupar Angus PH13 9AL

7.45 pm

Helen Aitchison 01821 670 302

10

Dunfermline

AGM

Sportsman Bar, Rosyth KY11 2NX

7.30 pm

Mr Bob Adam 01383 306 142

10

North East

Gavin Piper

Royal British Legion, Keith AB55 5EN

7.30 pm

Mrs Petrie 01542 860 246

10

Seghill

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Seghill Comrades Club, Cramlington NE23 7TQ

7.30 pm

James Youngson 01670 356 410

11

Alnwick

Kyle Innes Trio

The Farriers Arms, Alnwick NE66 2XX

7.30 pm

Leonard Brown 07758 723 355

11

Forres

The Occasionals

Victoria Hotel, Tytler Street, Forres IV36 1EL

7.30 pm

Mrs Ann Sharp 01309 672 672

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B&F • MAY 2016

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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

Gallop to Callop Iain MacFarlane Independent

Gallop to Callop is the debut solo album from West Highland fiddler and Blazin’ Fiddles founding member, Iain MacFarlane.

Recorded at his Old Laundry Studio in Glenfinnan by engineer Keith Bird, the album brings together many wonderful musical alliances. This fiddle-led album has a host of fantastic guests, including Ingrid Henderson (piano and clársach), Ewan Robertson and James Lindsay of Breabach (guitar and bass) providing a powerful back line. Other guests include players such as Iain MacDonald (Ossian and Battlefield Band), Dermot Byrne (Altan), Hamish Napier (flute and keys), Allan Henderson (Blazin’ Fiddles), Ewen Henderson (Mánran), and Megan Henderson (Breabach).

The album portrays a wonderful variety of traditional melodies and

new compositions, rip-roaring jigs and reels and beautifully melodious slow airs. Gallop to Callop contains twelve exquisite tracks. The album begins with a great set of jigs featuring three tunes composed by Iain.

The first, Camus Eidhinn, was commissioned for a Blas Festival celebrating whisky. The second tune, Willie Macrae’s was composed by Iain for his friend Willie from Lewis who is a member of the Taransay Fiddlers Summer School team. Iain wrote the final tune in this set, Seumas Alec’s, for his son. It was the first tune ever recorded by Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain at the opening of Iain’s Old Laundry

FOR SALE 3 ROW FANTINI BRITISH CHROMATIC ACCORDION 105 bass with midi Mint condition Phone Tom on 07786 154 052 after 6pm

Studio in Glenfinnan. Every track on this CD is a gem and a complete fiddling masterclass for every young player aspiring to be the very best. Iain is to fiddling what Will Starr was to the accordion. If I was to pick out another favourite set it would have to be the one that features the title track Gallop to Callop, another of Iain’s many outstanding compositions.

There is a great story and a source of inspiration behind the reel Gallop to Callop. Iain has dedicated the tune to Fearchar MacRae, a fine fiddling legend.

Fearchar told Iain the story of two Irish roadmen living a mile outside the village who stole a horse from the local estate as a means to get to the pub. The horse went off at a gallop all the way home leaving one of the men in the ditch!

This new CD from Iain MacFarlane is one of immense beauty with some of the finest evocative tunes I’ve heard in a very long time. It is of the highest order and is worthy of your listening attention.

Shand Morino

3 row 40 note, No 36.

Good condition for age, normal wear and tear.

Good compression, recently checked over.

£3200

CONTACT

01786 841 739

f or Sale

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