Phipps Hall, Beauly, 17 October 2012

AS THE capacity audience files in, an excited buzz of conversation grows louder and louder; it sounds like the start of a rather good party.

THIS IS not entirely surprising, because whether they’ve travelled thousands of miles to be here or just walked down the road, most of those here are Blazin’ in Beauly regulars. It makes for a warm audience but a very discerning one. So no pressure, then..

Dr. Mango and the Chickpeas

Tonight’s genial introductions come courtesy of Iain MacFarlane, never one to rush through a story. Many will have heard his opening saga of Ullapool shenanigans before, but familiarity never makes a MacFarlane tale any less hilarious. One of the protagonists of the shenanigans then walks on stage; guitarist Marc Clement, accompanying Adam Sutherland. Coincidentally the pair will be returning to Ullapool next month, but on a mission to record Sutherland’s first solo CD live at the Ceilidh Place, for which Sutherland has devised an innovative, potato-based twist on crowdfunding.

Despite his youth, Sutherland has had an impressive career as a player and tunesmith in Croft No 5, Peatbog Faeries, Session A9 and Treacherous Orchestra and a solo CD is long overdue. Judging by the three tunes he and Clements reveal this evening, it’s going to be a delightful affair with an unexpected, distinctly jazzy, Django-y feel to it. In the absence of Iain Copeland, who will be providing percussion in Ullapool, the audience needs no encouragement to fill in the drum solo with foot percussion.

The baton is handed on to another Blazin’ tutor, fiddler and singer Gillian Frame, accompanied by Anna Massie on guitar and Angus Lyon on accordion. Frame  begins with a moving, elegaic singalong, ‘Pegging Awl’, followed by Ali Hutton’s sweet ‘Smiler’ and a lively set called ‘Arran Ceilidh’ which sets all feet a-tapping again.

Dr Mango and the Chickpeas are a sassy, talented young outfit who close the first half at a cracking pace with a set which is folky but funky and full of humour with a sparky mix of classic and modern tunes. Singer Robyn Gray is a dab hand at the banter as well as the fiddle, and gets the audience singing along to Dick Gaughan’s magnificent – and sadly topical – ‘Workers’ Song’. In the heat of the moment she forgets to introduce herself and Canadian bodhranist Marissa Vachon, though she does do the honours for pianist Jen Austin (who also accompanies Rachel Sermanni) and accordionist Kirsten Macleod.

The second half is devoted entirely to The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc; to be frank, it’s not a terribly exciting name for a band. Olav Luksengård Mjelva, Anders Hall and Kevin Henderson (Fiddlers Bid, Session A9) who come from Norway, Sweden and the Shetland Islands respectively are, however, quite exceptionally exciting fiddle players, even in this week of fine fiddle players. Sharing the confident strength and forcefulness of the Nordic style, their playing is dazzling, but the reason they take the Phipps Hall by storm is their masterful, intricate, carefully woven arrangements which introduce so much space, light and shade into the music that it’s hard to believe that it comes from only three fiddles.

Among many delights, a Swedish Polska is given  the rock ‘n’ roll treatment, while ‘Mountain Bird’ is a musical picture, a thing of astonishing beauty. Several encores are loudly – very loudly – demanded, given and savoured before the audience reluctantly allows the evening to end.

© Jennie Macfie, 2012

Links

• Blazin’ in Beauly
• Jennie Macfie