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SKIRDECHAL! - Folk On The Water

SKIRDECHAL! - Folk On The Water
Private Label ANGUSYM00001

At a time of shameful and short-sighted cuts to Local Authority funding, it is extremely gratifying to see what can be done when there is a will. This production by Angus Council, supported by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative, features young players from all over Angus, who are aged between 10 and 19, under the tuition of Katherine Liley.

Ranging widely for their tunes, which come from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton, Brittany and Galicia, these youngsters put their own stamp on the tunes and have a grand set of arrangements. These include fiddles, accordion, piano, flutes saxophone and percussion in various combinations.

The tunes are well thought-out and performed at a steady pace which reflects very well upon the performers’ ability. Given the age range, this is an incredible album, and surely a number of these bairns will be going on to places like Plockton and higher centres of traditional music education. I am sure that it won’t be long before we are hearing them as solo performers too.

Take a collective bow Ewan Barrack, Kerr Barrack, Jamie Cairns, Hannah Christie, Nathan Christie, Georgina MacDonnell Finlayson, Erinn Gray, Kirsty Hanes, Katherine Liley, Iain Massey and Robyn Olpihant, as collectively you are playing in a way which is a credit to you all.

There is a load of potential on offer here, and funding bodies around the country should be looking at this as a model for the future. Good luck and success to all involved.

Gordon Potter

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This album was reviewed in Issue 93 of The Living Tradition magazine.