Hi Bob, I agree with you about Laura; I attended a workshop she gave out here in Summer 2002 and she's a great teacher. I have her CD "The Merry Making" which I like quite a bit, but I was initially disappointed in it because I'd first heard her play for a dance I attended and her playing on the CD was nothing like what she did at the dance; that was much more spirited and jazzy, where the CD is more polished and much tamer. I suppose some of that is just the difference between sitting down in the studio and recording vs. playing live for a group of appreciative dancers! I think it's not that there aren't a lot of Scottish CDs out there (although I'll agree that there are probably a lot more Irish recordings); it's just that so many of them are so hard to find here in the States. I end up going online to MusicScotland.com for a lot of my purchases. Regarding performances of older tunes, have you heard Elke Baker? She's based more or less in your area, in Maryland. In addition to being a superb fiddler (former US National Scottish fiddle champion) she's a music scholar and tends to unearth fairly obscure old tunes; her CD liner notes have a lot of detailed info on tune sources & history, etc. I own 2 CDs by her: Over the Border and Glenelg, and can recommend them both (of the 2, Over the Border is my current favorite but that might be because I only recently purchased it, whereas Glenelg has been on my frequently-played list for a couple years now). BTW, Elke is also the only fiddler I know who can simultaneously play and dance a Highland Fling! -Steve
[EMAIL PROTECTED] said: > Hi all, > > My dad bought me the CD _Celtic Dialog_ by Laura Risk for Christmas. When > I saw the title, my first thought was "ug." It's on Dorian, and was > released in 1999. > > But I've been to a few workshops that Laura has done (she's a great > teacher, if you ever get the chance). Anyway, I played the cd the other > day, and it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I've got another of her > CDs and the playing is more cosmopolitan, but this is just fiddle and > piano. To my ears, the style is Scottish. > > I looked at the liner notes this morning, and she says the cd was inspired > by David Johnsons book _Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century_ (Which > I've read twice now). > > She also says that all of the tunes are found in the book, but that thier > approach in playing them was modern (as opposed to trying to recreate > ancient music, I suppose). It's not like jazzy or anything. > > One of the tracks is William McGibbon's _Minuet in A_. I wonder if there > are any other recordings of that ilk. > > There aren't that many CDs of Scottish fiddle music (compared to Irish, or > Bluegrass, say) so I thought I'd mention it. I don't think it will ever be > my favorite CD, but I like it well enough so far. > > Bob Rogers > South Carolina -- Steve Wyrick - Concord, California Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
