Box & Fiddle February 2017

Fiddle The magazine for Scottish music enthusiasts

David Cunningham Snr. NIEL GOW FESTIVAL

Centre Stage CLUB REPORTS

TAKE THE FLOOR

PLUS

NEWS, REVIEWS, CLUB &

DANCE DIARIES AND MUCH MORE...

40th Year No. 05 Feb 2017

£2.70

BOX&

Welcome

B&F • EDITORIAL

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...to the February 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 Martin mamidesigns@hotmail.com Section icons by: FlatIcon

Cover Image David Cunningham Snr 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 • Lorna Mair 7 Lathro Lane, Kinross KY13 8RX lorna@boxandfiddle.com Treasurer • Willie Johnstone treasurer@boxandfiddle.com Executive Committee: David Cunningham Charlie Kirkpatrick Susan MacFadyen Margo Maclennan Tom Orr Richard Ross

February! The New Year resolutions are still holding up I hope and I hope you all look forward to the rest of 2017. It was such a pleasure to talk to David Cunningham Snr, the subject of one of the articles in this issue.

If you have anyone you would like to talk about, feel free to send in articles/interviews to me.

Pia Walker, Editor The beginning of the year always starts with good intentions, and a promise to plan ahead, so get your diaries out and start pencilling in all the dates for the NAAFC and club events. There’s lots to look forward to.

First on the NAAFC calendar is the ‘Inchyra’ Festival on the 4th of March; it certainly is one of my highlights with great music, great company and a dance at the end. I hope to see many of you there.

Why not get a group together, hire a minibus and come and visit?

That way you don’t have to drive in the dark after the dance. Later in the year we have the NAAFC Golf Day Out. Even if you are a non-golfer you can still enjoy it in the evening when the music starts. And, of course we have the AGM in June with the Baffies.

Voting forms will go out in March, so make sure you vote and return them to me directly.

You also will have to think about subscribing for the summer months – do remember that we still publish all the year round.

This goes for committee members too; you may miss some pertinent information by not reading your magazine. For example, the deadline for your club news is the 5th of every month and the length should be 250-300 words. Recently I have received reports of more than 500 words and although the meeting was in, say, November, I received them in the middle of January. This means they won’t see the light of day until March.

Committee members - it is also time for you to send me your meeting DATES for 2017 even if you do not have a guest artist.

It is in your interest that people know you are open for business.

Hope to see you all soon.

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

B&F • CONTENTS

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News

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Festivals

Music from Strathspey; Happy New Year from Carrbridge

The Annual Niel Gow Festival

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David Cunningham Snr

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Club News

30

Centre Stage

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Club Diary

A man of many talents

The latest news from our clubs

Bill Ewan

You are never too old to go Clubbing!

Deadlines:

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Dance Diary

39

Take the Floor

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Reviews

Find the nearest dances and ceilidhs

Scott Band SDB

Luke Brady & His SDB Marian Anderson & Her SDB Graham MacKenzie Excited States

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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NEWS

News

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

Music from Strathspey – via Australia

Grantown’s own Maggie Adamson, the Shetland fiddler with Grantown roots, again made Strathspey a very special place this Hogmanay. Along with fellow Shetland musicians Peter Wood (accordion) and Brian Nicolson (guitar) and supported by local piper Donald Macgregor and fiddler Eric Pirie, a crowd estimated at 4-5,000 were entertained in Grantown Square beneath the town’s hugely

impressive fireworks and Christmas lights display. What is especially remarkable about this event is that Maggie flew home from Australia especially for the night, immediately returning on January 1.

It is that hoped Maggie will be back in Grantown at the end of June (23/24th) for the Fiddler of Strathspey Festival.

Bill Saddler

Welcome to a new member of the B&F Team – a proof reader, which I know will definitely delight a lot of you.

Denis has attended Aberdeen Accordion and Fiddle Club since its beginning and has always been interested in Scottish music. He is a committee member of Aberdeen Folk Club and Aberdeen TMSA and sing, recite and play mouth organ. Furthermore, he is a dance-caller and a long-standing entertainment duo called Denis and the Menace. English grammar has always been second nature to him and he is happy to help the Box and Fiddle to be the best magazine possible!

The photo show Denis winning a bothy ballad competition.

B&F • NEWS

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A Happy New Year Over recent years we have seen some New Year packages offered by hotels reduce their entertainment content to a token piper and a disco. This year, the 3-day package holiday offered by The Carrbridge Hotel in conjunction with Pan Records offered entertainment and dancing every evening.

The weekend proved to be a feast of entertainment with dancing to The Kirkjuvagr Ceilidh Band from Orkney, The Fergie MacDonald Ceilidh Band, Ian Cruickshanks Band and both The Brandon McPhee Scottish Trio and Country Band. We had songs and laughter from Scotland’s Son of Fun, Eddie Rose, some very listenable Gaelic and Scottish songs from Mikie Henderson (a voice of gold) and we were led up to The Bells with a great performance from Robert Lovie with, of course, a piper to help welcome the New Year – and what a welcome it was. The entire weekend had a great atmosphere. For me personally, the

highlight of Hogmanay was to hear the late Will Starr’s famous ‘4-row’ play again in the hands of Brandon McPhee. Robert Lovie caught the moment perfectly when he remarked, “That accordion probably thinks that Will Starr has been reincarnated!” Robert Lovie and Brandon McPhee together also performed ‘Jimmy Shand the Legend.’

Mikie Henderson also deserves a mention for sound engineering over the weekend. I’m sure many people wondered why he was wandering around staring intently at a laptop during performances. The wonders of modern technology!

I really cannot finish without congratulating Colin and Theresa Watt, owners of The Carrbridge Hotel, and their staff for their tremendous and generous hospitality. Their attention to detail seemed to us to mirror the approach of promoters Pan Records and contributed hugely to everyone’s enjoyment of a unique New Year celebration. Ben Macdonald

Letters Dear Pia It is with deep sorrow that I have to inform you of the passing of Bobby Abbot. Bobby was a master of the five-row accordion. He was a great composer; he composed dozens of tunes for pipe bands and compositions for the accordion. He played with the great Dick Black Band for 15 years as second accordion. He also played regularly at Harthill and West Calder for the classes. He leaves a son and two daughters.

Yours sincerely, George Linsey

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Festivals

Youth concert

The Annual Niel Gow Festival I

n March every year, fiddlers from all over Scotland and from further afield converge on Highland Perthshire for the annual weekend feast that is the Niel Gow Festival.

The festival includes concerts, workshops, guided walks and informal sessions and in 2017 celebrates its 14th anniversary.

Niel Gow is often acclaimed as the patriarch of Scots fiddlers. Born on the 22nd of March 1727, near Inver on the banks of the Braan, he achieved great fame during his lifetime as a fiddle player and composer. When only 17 years old, he performed for no less than Bonnie Prince Charlie and his entourage at Blair Castle, and in his later years met Robert Burns who was a great fan of his music. As a teacher, Gow passed his skills on to his sons and they in turn took them to Edinburgh and to London.

The music of Niel Gow and his sons is some of the finest in the Scots fiddle repertoire.

Casual visitors to Dunkeld are unlikely to spot Niel Gow’s headstone in the kirkyard of Little

Dunkeld. They just might find a beautifully carved bench beneath Niel Gow’s Oak on the bank of the Tay, and if they know where to look, they might even notice the plaque on the wall of Niel Gow’s cottage in Inver, which quotes Robert Burns: “Nae fabled wizard’s wand I trow Had e’er the magic airt o’ Gow When, wi’ a wave, he draws his bow Across his wondrous fiddle” (From ‘To Mr Gow Visiting Dumfries’) It was the absence of any prominent and informative memorial to this most significant of Scottish musicians that prompted the birth of the festival in 2004, and it has gone on to become a living memorial in its own right. The ultimate goal of a statue or other edifice, a conspicuous, significant and lasting memorial to Niel Gow in Birnam and Dunkeld, has yet to be realised. l Pete Clark

B&F • FEBRUARY 2017

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David Cunningham Snr.

– a man of many talents

By Pia Walker

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s soon as I started Scottish dancing, I heard about David Cunningham Snr. and in January, I sat down with him to do a ‘brief’ interview. 3 hours and I had material for a book almost. If anyone has not been mentioned, it is most likely because of lack of space and not due to any wilful omission.

His Wikipedia entry, and what you can find in the B&F archives, just does not cover all he has done. He made his name as a musician, performer, owner of a recording studio and taught many of our well-known band leaders too. He readily admits that the journey on which the music took himmade playing incidental.

David Cunningham Snr. has been a performer from a very early age. He is a Fifer, an only child, from Kettlebridge, Fife. Widowed in 2010 after 50 years with his teenage sweetheart, he remarried in 2014. He has two children: Diane, whose dog he walks most days; and David Jnr., a gentleman not unknown to us all either.

His dad, William (Bill), was born in Fife and travelled to Canada in 1929 “To farm on horse back as he was horse mad. Being horse mad has travelled down the line to my daughter Diane and granddaughter Faith.” He eventually decided to return to Scotland to farm Kinnaird Farm, Dairsie, only to change direction into joinery. He married Christina (Chris) Ireland from Claybraes (hence the tune The Claybraes Two Step). Bill played the melodeon, but only at home although he was quite musical. “He understood the music, although he couldn’t read it.” David tells me. “Actually the musical ability goes further back, all the way to my mystery grandfather, who I was told was a casual farm labourer and semi-pro musician who played the melodeon for dances. My mother was a fine singer as well, a further addition to the musical gene pool.”

David aged 14

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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.

ALNWICK December was the club’s Christmas party night so no guest artist, but a tremendous buffet supper for the gathered company. A great night of music was provided by the local artists.

The local players were Di Jevons, Rachel Hales, Robin Dunn, Ian Woods on fiddles; Henry Knox on Northumbrian pipes; Jimmy Little on mouth organ; Ian Riddell played drums and Robin Cowens, Leonard Brown, Neil Riddell and yours truly were on accordions.

A great selection of tunes was played including The Corner House Jig, Margaret’s Waltz, Welcome Christmas Morning and many more. Leonard Brown led a tremendous stramash to round off a most enjoyable night.

Many thanks to everybody.

Mungo Riddell BALLOCH Our December evening was a club night. First up, introduced by our MC Jim Gray, was Bill Butler giving his Allessandrini piano box an outing. Bill had Archie Gardener on second box with Neil McGillvary on drums and John Strachan on piano.

Archie Gardener stayed on with his Roland accordion and was accompanied by Jim Gunn on drums and John Strachan (piano). Next was Archie Alexander accompanied by Messrs. Gunn and Strachan on drums and piano respectively.

Mr Alexander gave us our first Christmas tunes of the night. Now it was the turn of our resident moothie player, Jim O’Hare, accompanied by Jim Gunn (drums) and John Strachan (piano). Jim asked for a second box player and Wullie Scott duly obliged. Then we had our most senior member David Landers playing solo.

Then Wullie Scott played the French musette waltz Retour des Hirrondelles complete with the ridiculously difficult 4th part specially written for him by Stuart McKeown. Robert Dykes was next playing his new Paolo Soprani 3-row, which he got from Brandon McPhee. Robert wished Brandon had left some good tunes in it! Now it was my turn to inflict wrong notes on people’s ears with a quickstep quickstep, then a waltz, finishing with a set for the Virginia reel, all accompanied by my boy Wullie on second box with Neil McGillvary (drums) and John Strachan (piano). Thanks for making me sound reasonable.

We had hot Christmas pies and shortbread at the interval and finished with a Stramash with Robert Dykes, Bill Butler, Jim O’Hare, Wullie Scott, John Scott, John Strachan and Jim Gunn.

Finally, it was great to see John Strachan back after his recent heart attack (and not the stroke I reported last month).

John faithfully provided piano backing for every player to perfection. You can’t keep a good man down. John Scott BIGGAR Biggar club rounded off the year with a ‘Club Afternoon’ highlighting local players, with a little bit of ‘professional’ input.

Supporting players turned out in force. On accordions we had Fin and Jamie Hope, Davy Millar, Ian Ramsay, Ann Wall, Andrew Gibb, Harry Tolson, Aimee-Mae Smith (her first accordion club performance) and grandfather John Gray, Jim Gold, India Smith, Charlie Todd, Ian Graham, Alan Gardiner, Rose Cursiter, Sheena Dickson and Fiona Paul. On fiddle were Gilbert Logan, Emma Gardiner, Tom Gold and young Finlay Close from Pettinain also making his debut. On keyboard was Alan Gardiner, Keith

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B&F • CLUB DIARY

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Club Diary February 2017 DATE

CLUB

GUEST ARTIST

VENUE

TIME

CONTACT

1

Dingwall

Addie Harper Band

National Hotel, Dingwall IV15 9HA

7.30 pm

Elspeth Weir 01349 877 675

1

Glenfarg

David Cunningham SDB

Glenfarg Village Hall, Glenfarg PH2 9NU

7.30 pm

Russell Robertson 01577 830 642

1

Montrose

George Rennie Duo

Park Hotel, Montrose DD10 8RJ

7.30 pm

Ron Ramsay 01241 879 487

1

Orkney

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

The Reel, Kirkwall KW15 1KD

7.30 pm

Jim Marwick 01856 874 474

2

Crieff

Charlie Kirkpatrick Trio

The British Legion, Crieff PH7 3EB

7.30 pm

Irene Anderson 01764 654 298

2

Galashiels

Frank Morrison’s Band

Clovenfords Hotel, Galashiels TD1 3LU

7.30 pm

Robert Cleland 01896 754 463

2

Isle of Skye

Iain Joseph MacDonald Band

The Royal Hotel, Portree IV51 9BU

7.30 pm

Linda Shaw 01478 611 122

2

Lewis & Harris

Robert Nairn

Caladh Inn, Stornoway HS1 2QN

8.00 pm

Janette MacIver 01851 704 870

2

Oban

Ross MacPherson

The Royal Hotel, Oban PA34 4BE

7.30 pm

Anne McFadyen 01631 562 077

2

Turriff

Gordon Pattullo

Commercial Hotel, Cuminestown AB53 5WJ

7.30 pm

Pat Steele 01888 562 486

5

Arbroath

Andrew Knight & West Telferton Band

Arbroath Artisan Golf Club, Elliot, By Arbroath DD11 2PE

7.30 pm

Tony Simpson 01241 875 326

5

Clydesdale

Craigowl SDB

St Mary’s Club Rooms, Lanark ML11 7JS

2.00 pm

Shirley Cathcart 01555 661 017

5

Gretna

Neil & Angie MacEachern

The Solway Lodge Hotel, Gretna DG16 5DN

7.00 pm

Robin Waitt 01387 371 423

6

Thurso

Brandon McPhee

Pentland Hotel, Thurso KW14 7AA

7.30 pm

Ian Wright 01847 892 050

7

Campsie

Gary Donaldson SDB

Glazert Country House Hotel, Lennoxtown G66 7DJ

7.30 pm

Billy Hutton 07889 021 972

7

Fort William

Hector McFadyen

Railway Club, Inverlochy, Fort William PH33 6LY

7.30 pm

Alisdair MacDonald 01397 701 505

7

Islesteps

Glencraig SDB

Locharbriggs Social Club, Locharbriggs DG1 1XS

7.30 pm

Ian Gray 01387 760 276

7

North East

Iain Macphail

Royal British Legion, Keith AB55 5EN

7.30 pm

Rory Smith 07769 801 996

7

Seghill

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Seghill Comrades Club, Cramlington NE23 7TQ

7.00 pm

James Youngson 01670 356 410

8

Alnwick

Jimmy Cassidy Duo

The Farriers Arms, Alnwick NE66 2XX

7.30 pm

Leonard Brown 07758 723 355

8

Forres

Gillian Stevenson Trio

Victoria Hotel, Tytler Street, Forres IV36 1EL

7.30 pm

Mrs Ann Sharp 01309 672 672

8

Inveraray

Alan Small & Gemma Donald

Inveraray Inn, Inveraray PA32 8XB

8.00 pm

Margaret Mather 01499 302 458

8

Langholm

The Laurie Family Ceilidh Band

British Legion, Langholm DG13 0DN

7.30 pm

Adam Grant 01387 371 423 / 01387 381 305

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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

Luke Brady & His Scottish Dance Band Dances from Miss Milligan’s Miscellany RSCDS CD083 The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society are the inspiration and driver behind many new Scottish dance band releases and this new recording from Luke Brady and his Scottish dance band is no exception. We shouldn’t forget the great work the RSCDS do and have done for decades to promote and keep our Scottish country dance tradition alive. The RSCDS have been around long before Strictly was a mere glint in the BBC’s eye.

Now I know Strictly is a ballroom dancing competition, but how great would it be if they introduced Scottish country dancing into their

roster of dances? That would sort the men out from the boys (or should I say girls) and most definitely give Craig something more challenging to think about!

The band line-up features Luke on lead accordion, Adam Brady (second box), Sarah Downie (violin), Maureen Rutherford (piano), Malcolm Ross (drums) and John Sinton (bass). Given the band includes some of the finest and biggest names, the standard of musicianship is superb. The majority of new Scottish dance

band releases that drop through my letterbox are invariably of a very high standard, so much so, it makes the job of a reviewer extremely difficult. Apart from great band chemistry and technically accurate playing, which is really nowadays accepted as a given, I’m fundamentally looking to be entertained. Applying that criteria, Luke and his band tick all my boxes. The thirteen tracks, comprising jigs, reels, strathspeys and waltzes really has something for everyone.

Apart from the dancing, which is the main purpose of this CD, it’s also a cracking good listen by a band at the top of their game.

When you include some classic tunes in the mix then you’re on to a winner. This is another great release from Luke Brady and His Band which deserves your listening attention.

Irish music found in the city. The island of Cape Breton provided further vision and inspiration for Graham during his study exchange on this beautiful island.

During that important exchange period, Graham brought home

Strathspeys and reels written in the Cape Breton style. The return to Scotland reflects Graham’s experience at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and his developing interest in pipe music.

Crossing Borders brings together traditional and classical styles demonstrated in Graham’s own compositions, first performed as a New Voices commission at Celtic Connections in 2015.

Graham is clearly a well-rounded musician with an international dimension to his music. The fusion

Graham MacKenzie Crossing Borders BDM001CD Crossing Borders is a journey through the places that have influenced Graham and his music.

Scotland represents the significant moments of Graham’s early years growing up in the Highlands and Islands.

Manchester reflects Graham’s period of study at the Royal Northern College of Music and the strong community of traditional