REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

 


 

 

 
ARCHIE McALLISTER - A Fiddler’s Tapestry

ARCHIE McALLISTER - A Fiddler’s Tapestry

Lochshore CDLDS7012

This latest release from one of Scotland ’s finest fiddle players is just the thing to cheer everyone up during these hard times. And if you’re one of the lucky ones who isn’t having a hard time, then it’ll cheer you up further as well!

Archie is joined here by his frequent sparring partner Ross Kennedy on guitar, bouzouki and tenor banjo, and we also have contributions from Marc Duff, whistles and bodhran; Shemus McNeil, piano and keyboards; Chris Armstrong, pipes; Davy McDonald, accordion; Stevie Lawrence, percussion; Jerry Holland, fiddle and stepdance; Fred Lavery, guitar and keyboards; Fred Morrison, smallpipes and whistle; Angus Lyon, piano and keyboards; and Donald Shaw, piano, keyboards and accordion. With such an outstanding bunch of musical pals, there is a great variety to the instrumentation, as well as a quality which makes this tapestry a very rich one indeed.

The sets are well thought out, with lots of opportunities for the different musicians to put their stamp on the overall sound, and at the core is Archie’s West Coast style of playing, which is always sensitive to the nature of the tunes being played, whether blistering reels and jigs or haunting slower melodies.

There is little doubt that Archie ranks amongst the top exponents of his craft, and a listen to this will instantly tell you why - a thoroughly good album, well-balanced and very, very tasty.

Gordon Potter

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This album was reviewed in Issue 84 of The Living Tradition magazine.