Strathclyde Suite, Glasgow, 25 January 2004

GAELIC SINGER JAMES GRAHAM of Lochinver took the hotly contested title of Young Scots Traditional Musician when he beat off strong competition to take the prize in this year’s final, held as usual as part of Celtic Connections. This is the fourth running of the competition, and Graham is the first young man to take the award, following wins for Gillian Frame, Emily Smith and Anna Massie in previous years.

James Graham

Graham is blessed with a beautiful voice which would command attention in any setting, and combined that gift with highly expressive interpretations of the diverse range of songs he had chosen. His technical accuracy in pitching, phrasing and delivery was exemplary, and he sang his selections with genuine authority and understanding.

They included the anthemic ‘Canan nan Gaidheal’, accompanied by Harris Playfair on piano; a poignant unaccompanied lament; a much older song in which he was joined by clarsach player Phamie Gow; and a closing set with bouzouki player Aaron Jones which began with a fragment of a lost pibroch, and accelerated into a frenetic reel and jig, delivered with absolute security at hair-raising tempo.

The judges were apparently unanimous in their decision to award the young singer the prize, but the overall standard must have made it a tough call. Many felt that Jenna Reid, already an experienced performer and a linchpin of bands like Dochas and Filska, may have been the pre-contest frontrunner, and her performance on fiddle more than justified that expectation.

In common with three of the other contestants, Jenna also chose to present herself as a singer (and pianist), and that may have let her down. While she is perfectly acceptable as a vocalist, she is not at all outstanding, and may have made a stronger impact had she restricted herself purely to her instrument.

In the vocal department, Shona Donaldson of Huntly was the strongest of the other players who sang, and her assertive fiddle playing in the north-east’s strongly accented style was also impressive. Shona was a finalist last year as well, and came across confidently this time.

Confidence was not lacking anywhere, in fact. Even accordion player Tom Orr of Lanark, probably the least experienced performer on view, came across well, and played superbly. Clarsach player Rosie Morton from Edinburgh and fiddler Sarah Naylor from Skye also produced strong showings in a notably entertaining evening, rounded out with a set from the Anna Massie band while the judges retired to deliberate before announcing the verdict, and a worthy winner.

As compere Archie Fisher pointed out, however, while there may have been a winner, there were no losers on stage, a sentiment which would undoubtedly have been echoed by the packed house in the Strathclyde Suite. Unreserved plaudits go to all concerned.

© Kenny Mathieson, 2004