NEW VOICES – JAMES ROSS (Strathclyde Suite, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 16 January 2005)

17 Jan 2005 in Music

ROB ADAMS savours a major step forward for Caithness pianist and composer James Ross in the first of this year’s New Voices commissions at Celtic Connections.

THE CAITHNESS coastline and the surrounding waters were evocatively portrayed in Wick-born pianist James Ross’s New Voices commission for Celtic Connections, ‘An Cuan’.

Written in six sections for an octet comprising soprano saxophone, two fiddles, viola, cello, double bass, percussion and piano, the work confirmed Ross as a composer totally in charge of the materials at hand, with only one real loss of momentum in the second movement showing any hesitation in a performance of otherwise impressive authority.

The piano remains something of an outsider in traditional music, certainly in terms of being a frontline melody instrument. But Ross has followed other examples, notably his chief mentor, Irish genius Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, and David Milligan of The Unusual Suspects and Bachue, in developing a keyboard facility that allows him to play the nimblest of jig or reel tunes while maintaining a strong rhythmical impetus.

His early accordion lessons with the late, much-loved Caithness tunesmith and multi-instrumentalist Addie Harper, his classical grounding with the Edinburgh-based tutor, Mary McCarthy and his liking for the quiet grooving of Swedish jazz pianist Esbjorn Svensson also bore fruit in An Cuan.

The Gaelic title translates as ‘The Ocean’, and there was a tidal tranquillity to its piano intro which gave way to a certain storm-at-sea turbulence before an exuberant dancing theme brought a palpable sense of tension and joyous release.

“If there’s any justice, it will hasten Ross’s progress towards the higher profile that his talent deserves”

Ross’s writing for the strings particularly showed great imagination and the ability to capture a visual image in sound. The way he shared the melodic focus between fiddle, viola, cello, saxophone and piano, often working in pairs, was especially effective in giving a sense of geographical movement and expanse.

His musicians, drawn from groups including Filska, Fine Friday and Fiddler’s Bid, served Ross splendidly in bringing the notes off the page, with Susie Mackenzie, of the ECM-styled jazz duo Mackenzie-Medboe, contributing some eerily atmospheric soprano saxophone playing and James Mackintosh, of Shooglenifty, maintaining a subtle presence on assorted drums and shakers.

In the end, though, it was the piece as a cohesive, well-crafted whole, rather than individual contributions, that stood out as a success. The New Voices series has produced work of varying quality over its eight year history. ‘An Cuan’ certainly ranks as one of its most impressive achievements, and if there’s any justice, it will hasten Ross’s progress towards the higher profile that his talent deserves.