Jul 012013
 

With thanks to Charlie West.

The Folk of Stonehaven will be celebrating the town’s 25th annual Folk Festival this July. The weekend festival began in 1989 with a series of concerts in the Town Hall and a number of fringe activities including workshops, sessions and a Tradition Bearers singing concert.

The festival has grown over the years to include many more events such as the World Paper’n’Comb Championship – a fun ‘competition’ with a different theme each year and the unique Aqua Ceilidh held in the Open Air swimming pool.

Dancing is to a live ceilidh band and includes well known favourites such as the Splashing White Sergeant and Drip the Willow. Rain or shine this is one for all the family.

This year the organisers have placed an emphasis on highlighting some of the exciting new young talent alongside well-established artists such as Scotland’s Dougie MacLean and Paul Brady ( pictured above ) form Ireland. Dougie is well-known as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and is famously the composer of Caledonia.

In the 70’s Paul started with the supergroup Planxty, going on to establish a very successful solo career in America before returning to his roots in Ireland.

Among the new breed of up-and-coming talent is Rura – a five-piece band featuring pipes, fiddle, bodhrán, guitar and vocals and including three BBC Young Tradition finalists, and Zoe Bestel, the girl with the ukulele, a singer-songwriter of amazing talent and depth of understanding whose repertoire of self-penned songs covers a range of subjects, often with an interesting twist.

There will also be the North East Folk Collective led by Sharon Hassan – a group of 13-18 year olds with some amazing tunes and tight arrangements all ensuring the good health and future of Scottish folk music.

In addition to the Town Hall concerts, there is also a full programme of activities on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday there is, weather permitting, a concert in the square, featuring festival artists and local singers and musicians.

In case of rain the concert will be held in the Town Hall. At 12 noon in the Belvedere Hotel, a tutor from Scottish Culture and Traditions (SCAT) will lead slow sessions giving less-experienced musicians a chance to learn some tunes and join in the fun.

There will be a big singaround during the afternoon with Danny Couper and Arthur Johnstone showcasing some of the best of traditional Scots song and singers and a series of hosted sessions and workshops throughout the afternoon.

At 1600 the World Paper’n’Comb Championship kicks off, with the theme Loud Shirts. Just about anything goes and fancy dress is optional.

Sunday starts with the unique Aqua Ceilidh in the Art Deco open air pool. The pool has heated seawater so it is always at a pleasant temperature for dancing to the NE Folk Collective Ceilidh Band. This is followed by the Cowie Fringe in the nearby recreation club. This is a mix of festival artists and guests with additional fun things for kids of all ages to do, rounded off with a fun Family Ceilidh.

Also around the town there is the Tradition Bearers concert featuring four of the best traditional singers in the UK followed by the Chorus Cup – a fun completion to see who can get the loudest chorus. There will also be workshops with members of the band Breabach and sessions around the town.

For full details, visit www.stonehavenfolkfestival.co.uk.

Tickets are available online from the Town Hall Trust web site http://stonehaventownhall.org.uk/ from Celtic Chords in Barclay Street, Stonehaven or from the ticket line 07766 851596.

Thursday 11th July

Stonehaven Folk Festival weekend starts here :

Opening Concert in Stonehaven Town Hall – featuring Dougie MacLean, one of Scotland’s most successful, respected and popular musicians, Singer-songwriter, composer and ‘magical’ performer, he is also a fine guitarist and fiddle player.   He will be supported by local singer and musician Ken Clark.

Friday 12th July

Stonehaven Folk Festival big Concert Ceilidh night in the Town Hall starts at 7:30 ‘till late (well 1 o’clock). Featuring Ray Moore, Rura, Mairearad Green and Anna Massie plus the Occasionals Ceilidh Band.

Saturday 13th July

Stonehaven Folk Festival Weekend : things gets going at 11 o’clock with workshops, sessions, afternoon Open Stage at the Plainstones (Town Square) featuring local artist and Festival guests. Evening concert in the town Hall, guests are the North East Folk Collective, Kristina Olsen and Braebach.

During the day there will be a singaround led by Danny Couper and Arthur Johnstone. There will also be the Steenhive Big Sing with Christine Kydd – a chance to join a group of people and sing together, no experience is necessary and Christine will ensure everyone has fun while learning some songs and harmonies. Don’t forget the World Paper’n’Comb championships – this year with a “Loud Shirt” theme.

Sunday 14th July

Stonehaven Folk Festival Weekend – the day gets going with Aqua Ceilidh in the town’s open air pool, a great way to clear the cobwebs. Dancing to the North East Folk Collective with dances such as Drip the Willow and the Splashing White Sergeant. The day continues with the Cowie Family Fun Day at the Recreation Club plus more sessions around the town.

During the afternoon there is a Tradition Bearers concert with four great traditional singers Henry Douglas, Bella Hardy, Jerry O’Reilly and Moira Stewart followed by the  Chorus Cup competition.

The Festival closes with an evening concert in the Town Hall featuring Zoe Bestel, Bella Hardy and legendary singer songwriterPaul Brady.

Workshops with members of Breabach and day two of the Steenhive Big Sing with Christine Kydd.

MC For the weekend will be Martin Kasprowicz

Although tickets are usually available on the door, people are advised to buy tickets in advance as most concerts sell out.

Tickets are available from Celtic Chords, 8 Barclay Street in Stonehaven (01569 763193) or by calling the ticket ‘phone 07766 581596 or visiting the Stonehaven Town Hall web site http://www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/7885/chk/0d5c

There will also be a Festival Office located in the Upper Town Hall over the weekend; it opens from 4 o’clock on the 11th July for ticket sales and programme information.

May 172013
 

There’s some world class music and comedy coming to Woodend Barn and Braemar over the next week. With thanks to David Officer.

On Friday 17 May Woodend Barn  welcomes back one of Scotland’s finest folk groups, Blazin’ Fiddles.

What began as a project for the Highland Festival almost 15 years ago, continues as one of Scotland’s top traditional bands. From remote village halls to the BBC Proms, Blazin’ Fiddles have delighted audiences with their highlands and islands tunes and tales.

The audience has a rare opportunity to hear pieces featuring the regional styles of each fiddler followed by all hands jumping in for a wonderful explosion of music.

£15.00 full, £13.00 conc. £5.00 U16 in advance + bf
£17.00 full, £15.00 conc. £7.00 U16 on the door + bf

Then on Saturday 18 May in Braemar, we’re putting on Vamm – a brilliant young trio that weave melody and harmony together, creating a rich sound, bursting with texture and groove. Expect to be wrapped in a full sound that is contrasted by dynamic subtleties and moments of intimate quietness that will take your breath away.

Inflecting the sound with their own musical traditions, fiddlers Catriona Macdonald (Shetland), Patsy Reid (Perth) and Mandola player Marit Fält (Norway) relish the unlimited possibilities that great melodies possess, and play them in a fun and exuberant fashion.

£12.00, £10.00, £5.00 u16 in advance + bf
£14.00, £12.00, £7.00 u16 on the door + bf

Then, back at the barn on Sunday 19th May at 6.30pm we’ve got Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Claudio Abbado as part of our live screening series.  They’ll be performing a wonderful programme of Mendehlsohnn and Berlioz.

£12.50, £10.50 conc, U16 £5 in advance + bf
£14.50, £12.50 conc and U16 £7 on the door + bf

Finally, we’re really excited about the return of Jo Caulfield on Wednesday 24th May.  Not only is she Graham Norton’s main writer but she’s a fab stand-up in her own right and had us all in stitches on her last visit.  This is going to be another busy night full of laughs!

Friends will save £1 on advance tickets but these must be bought by phoning or calling into the box office.

£10.00, £8.00 in advance + bf
£12.00, £10.00 on the door + bf

Apr 262013
 

With thanks to David Officer.

Placido Domingo set to wow Deeside audience

Monday 29th April  at 7:15 p.m.

Placido Domingo, one of the famous Three Tenors, is set to entertain in Banchory when the Royal Opera House production of Nabucco is screened, via satellite from Covent Garden, to the Woodend Barn, when he makes his debut in the lead role.

Verdi’s Nabucco, which is based on a biblical story telling of the plight of the Jews under the rule of the Babylonian King Nabucco, was written in 1841 and first performed in 1842.  The original production was such a triumph that it was revived the same year with a run of 57 shows.

As Verdi wrote at the time:

“With this opera, it can truly be said that my artistic career began.”

This production by Daniele Abbado is set in the second half of the 20th century and makes imaginative use of large-scale video projections to accompany and reflect the action on stage.

The score throughout the opera blends rhythmic vitality and powerful drama with an enormous chorus lending weight to epic numbers such as Immenso Jehova  – the Hebrew slaves’ triumphant hymn of thanksgiving – and their song of exile, Va, pensiero, which is considered by many to be Italy’s unofficial national anthem.

There are wonderful bass and baritone roles in the figures of Nabucco, based on the biblical King Nebuchadnezzar and Zaccaria, the Hebrew prophet.  Verdi also created a memorable anti-heroine in Abigaille who is at once both terrifying and pitiable.

The screenings from Covent Garden are always extremely popular and Woodend Barn hope to expand their offering with opera’s broadcast from Glyndebourne and performances from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in the coming months.

Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas reinventing traditional music

Thursday 2nd May at 8 p.m.

Master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser makes a welcome return to Woodend Barn on Thursday 2nd May alongside Californian cellist Natalie Haas.  The pair have formed a strong musical partnership over the years, regularly recording and touring together all over the world and their first album together, Fire and Grace, was awarded Best Album of the Year in the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2004.

The duo first met when Natalie was studying at a Scottish fiddling school where Alasdair was a director and was inspired by him to investigate the cello’s potential for rhythmic accompaniment to fiddle tunes.

Alasdair’s richly expressive playing transports listeners across a broad musical spectrum, ranging from haunting laments from the Gaelic tradition to classically-styled airs, raucous dance tunes, and improvisations based on traditional themes. His vast repertoire spans several centuries of Scottish music and includes his own compositions, which blend a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition with cutting-edge musical explorations.

Natalie, on the other hand, is one of the most sought after cellists playing traditional music today and has toured with Mark O’Connor as a member of his Appalachia Waltz Trio, premiered his double concerto for violin and cello For the Heroes with the Grand Rapids, East Texas and San Diego Symphonies and has been a guest artist on over 50 albums, including those of Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster and Irish super-group Solas.

This is the opening night of a short UK tour for Alasdair and Natalie which sees them also performing in Gateshead, Skye, Edinburgh and Uist.

Swashbuckling Fun with The Mark of Zorro

Friday 3rd May at 7:30 p.m.

Banchory is about to be the scene of a swashbuckling adventure when Visible Fictions bring their lively and inventive production of The Mark of Zorro to Woodend Barn .

The play follows our masked champion Zorro as he ricochets from one sticky situation to another in a world where adventure is the name and justice is the game.

Originally produced for The Traverse Theatre, this production has toured successfully in the US, including a run in New York with favourable reviews in the New York Times and the Huffington Post which both proclaimed it,  “…a triumph.”

The story follows Diego de la Vega, who is so enraged by grief after witnessing the murder of his father and various other the injustices as he grows up, that he dons a black mask and becomes the fugitive Zorro, seeking to end the wrongdoing of the local Captain.

The Mark of Zorro is a fun play for children age 8+ and adults looking for a bit of adventure.  Watch out for Zs scratched on the ground, it could lead to a thrilling escapade!

Tickets for all events are available from the Woodend Barn Box Office 01330 825431 or at www.woodendbarn.co.uk

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @Woodend_Barn for updates, all the latest gossip on events and exclusive special offers.

For further information, please contact David Officer on 01330 826520.

Apr 182013
 

With news that this duo were playing The Salmon Bothy, Portsoy, on 12th April, David Innes willingly raced to his native Banffshire to report for Voice.

On the back of scintillating live shows in the UK in late 2011, including a spellbinding night at Aberdeen’s Blue Lamp, and the unanimous industry approval of the duo’s latest album Our Lady Of the Tall Trees, this twosome have returned to our shores to play a considerable number of dates.

‘Shores’ is apt, for Portsoy’s cosy Salmon Bothy sits almost on the Moray Firth above the town’s rocky east beach and is a wonderfully-intimate, well-run and much-used community venue which we’ll feature in a future Voice  piece.

The setting also coincided with the realisation that the sea is a considerable influence on Cahalen’s writing, evidenced by the opening ‘Stone To Sand’ and continuing through ‘A Lady Does Not Often Falter’, ‘Jealous Seas’ and  ‘Fleeting Like The Days’.

The roots music which the pair deliver so splendidly is country and mountain-based, but their recordings and performances illustrate how traditional music, given the Cahalen and Eli treatment, can sound as old as the Appalachian Mountains, yet be as salty and fresh as the breeze that buffeted Portsoy.

“Cahalen and Eli’s music evokes a brotherhood of the road,” says the sleevenote of their 2010 album The Holy Coming of the Storm and their closeness as friends is as obvious as their instinctive and intuitive musical interplay and vocal harmonies.

Between songs, there is gentle teasing – about Cahalen’s small stature and his impressive moustache and about Eli’s attempts to learn the banjo and its negative effect on his IQ.  The setlist is in their heads, but they consult good-naturedly between songs, decide what feels right to play next and offer introductions laced with spontaneous wit and self-effacement.

When an audience member requests ‘Jealous Sea’, they shrug “OK, we love crowd participation in the setlist,” meet it head on and make a feature of Cahalen momentarily forgetting the words.  “It’s been a while”.

They also pay special mention to two visitors from Munich who made the trip specially to listen to the pair, last seen being herded post-gig towards The Shore Inn by Comrade Dunn in an effort to prove that between Bavaria and Banffshire there are no barriers when it comes to appreciation of wonderful music.

And beer, no doubt.

But it’s the performance that defines them and endears them to Banffshire hearts.

The songs are strong and the musicianship faultless and superbly honed.  The human voice, however, is the most spirit-affirming instrument available to us.  Both men are blessed with voices that are made to deliver emotion.

Cahalen’s is soulful, earthy and timeless – as rugged as the Portsoy cliffs yet, when needed, as gentle as the waves which kissed the rocky shore.

Eli’s softer tones and less intense delivery are a welcome foil.  Their enmeshment in harmony is the defining ancient sound of modern American roots music.

The surprise support for the tour is the duo The Kilcawley Family, whose short but entertaining warm-up and friendliness throughout the evening, as both performers and audience members, endeared them to the packed Bothy.

Fine singers both, Louiza’s autoharp and Damon’s guitar and harmonica provide ideal accompaniment to their own narratives and to a breathtaking arrangement of ‘Twelve Gates to the City’.  Now based in Morecambe and about to begin recording, they are worth keeping an eye on.

With thanks to Loudon Temple of Brookfield Knights for arranging Voice’s attendance.

Further information can be found at:

Cahalen and Eli                          – www.cahalenandeli.com
The Kilcawley Family                 – www.kilcawleyfamily.com
The Salmon Bothy, Portsoy      – www.salmonbothy.org.uk
Brookfield Knights                      – http://www.brookfield-knights.com

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Feb 082013
 

Richard Thompson returns with a brand new, guitar-driven record. “Electric” is released by Proper Records on Monday February 11th. Richard, who is a frequent visitor to Aberdeenshire, sent Aberdeen Voice an advance copy. Those who’ve heard it so far love it.

By Suzanne Kelly.

Richard’s Electric Trio will be taking to the road for a major UK tour on Wednesday February 20th, and will tour the USA starting in March.

The tour reaches Scotland on Thursday 28 Feb with a concert at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

Electric

After taking the bold step of recording his last album of new songs live, when it came to recording “Electric”, Thompson turned to Buddy Miller (Robert Plant’s Band Of Joy, Solomon Burke, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin) to produce it, recording at Miller’s home studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

Miller, who is renowned himself for his guitar skills recently told Rolling Stone:

“I played along on the record, playing rhythm guitar for him, and I got a two-week guitar lesson while he camped out in my house.”

The disc was recorded as an electric trio with Thompson, drummer Michael Jerome and bassist Taras Prodaniuk, who both sing background vocals. Jerome and Prodaniuk formed part of the band which recorded and toured Thompson’s UK Top Twenty album “Dream Attic”, released in August 2010.

They make up the trio with Thompson on his forthcoming UK dates, his first extensive tour in two years.

Guests on “Electric”   include the legendary Alison Krauss, who joins Thompson on “The Snow Goose”. English singer-songwriter Siobhan Maher Kennedy, formerly with River City People and now resident in Nashville, adds vocals on several tracks as well. Fiddle great Stuart Duncan also plays on the record: one of America’s leading bluegrass musicians, he played on recent albums by Robert Plant/Alison Krauss and Elvis Costello and will be familiar to UK audiences from BBC4’s Transatlantic Sessions.

Richard Thompson himself commented that:

“We did it ridiculously quickly. But it sounds great. It turned out surprisingly funky, sort of a new genre – folk-funk. It’s quite snappy, somewhere between Judy Collins and Bootsy Collins.”

“Electric”  will be released as a Standard CD, Deluxe two–disc set and on 180 gram vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Stony Ground
2. Salford Sunday
3. Sally B
4. Stuck On The Treadmill
5. My Enemy
6. Good Things Happen To Bad People
7. Where’s Home?
8. Another Small Thing In Her Favour
9. Straight And Narrow
10. The Snow Goose
11. Saving The Good Stuff For You

Recipient of a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award, Mojo’s Les Paul Award and curator of the prestigious Meltdown Festival at the Southbank in 2010, Thompson was most recently honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting by the Americana Music Association.

“Electric”  was recorded earlier this year, 2012 marking the fortieth anniversary of Richard Thompson’s debut solo album, “Henry The Human Fly”. Thompson has now released some forty albums, played on countless other classic recordings, and written more than 400 songs, some of which have been covered by R.E.M., Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, The Futureheads, Bonnie Raitt, Dinosaur Jr., Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, and many more.

Rolling Stone has hailed him as “a perennial dark horse contender for the title of greatest living rock guitarist.”
The Independent recently described him as “probably the best guitarist this country has produced, an utterly sui generis talent…”

Thompson says of his fellow trio members:

“Michael Jerome has been with me for about 12 years. He’s actually from Texas; he is a great musician, able to respond to anything that’s put in front of him.  Taras Prodaniuk worked a lot with Dwight Yoakam, and more recently with Lucinda Williams. His roots may be in country music, but he’s another extremely gifted and versatile musician.”

For more information and to pre-order the album visit …
http://proper-records.co.uk/richardthompson-electric/

For an extensive biography visit: www.richardthompson-music.com
For tickets to concert at Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Telephone 0131 228 1155.

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Oct 262012
 

All Things Must Pass, wrote George Harrison, and they do.

Sometimes, though, the death of someone who you don’t really know, but who has affected you in some way, can hurt.  That’s the case with Michael Marra, songwriter, performer, actor and artist who was defiantly and proudly Dundonian who died on Tuesday. Voice’s David Innes writes.

His refusal to drop the overt Caledonian influences and references in his writing when employed as a professional songwriter in London in the early 1980s saw him return home to Dundee and hone his talent to razor-sharpness without ever losing his desire to tell life stories, very often set in Dundee and seen through his own off-centre prism.

That was London’s loss.

His songs were supremely-crafted vignettes whatever the subject matter.  Whether a view on the state of humanity like Here Come The Weak, an observation of women at the berries dissing each other’s housing schemes in Baps and Paste, or a message to his great uncle who was disowned by his family as contained in The Lonesome Death of Francis Clarke.  

Equally as entertaining were his introductions to the songs where his clever, self-effacing humour would have audience members in convulsions of laughter.

When he playfully insulted Aberdeen in If Dundee Was Africa and got a laugh for it (even in the Lampie and the Lemon Tree) he would insist that he paid the city a tribute by having the Dons held up as heroes for redeeming the human race in the eyes of the fox in Reynard in Paradise.

His live shows were wondrous to behold.  Always nervous offstage, once he sat behind a piano he became a changed man.  Often, the instrument was his own electronic keyboard, or as he described it once when rippling arpeggios on the Jazz Club grand piano in the Blue Lamp:

 “a piece of plastic on an ironing board”.

He was an inveterate collaborator too.

There have been, and are, musical geniuses in his home city and Michael worked with them all – The Woollen Mill, Skeets Boliver, the Clarks, his own brother the supremely-talented Christopher etc.  These people inspired and were inspired by him and throughout his repertoire there were references to Gus Foy (Hamish the Goalie), Peter McGlone (Peter), Dougie MacLean (Niel Gow’s Apprentice) and Dougie Martin (Julius).

Michael was also an actor.

He appeared in Hamish Macbeth and The Big Man and delivered a well-received performance as Jim, the pyromaniac, in Chris Rattray’s acclaimed The Mill Lavvies for which he also wrote the songs.

He was characteristically self-effacing about his painting and drawing skills but he had talent in this area too.

For a man who cliché demanded had to be termed ‘Scotland’s best kept secret’, he was held in high respect and great affection by significant figures in Scottish artistic circles, yet he was a man who would rather discuss Dundee’s League-winning team of 1962, or The Beach Boys, than talk about his own talent and finely-crafted songs.

Michael was a private man, happy to chat with fans, but never keen on the limelight.  Often keen to play piano at the side of a stage helping out others.

The many touching tributes which have been paid by household names in the arts world are proof that this little grey-haired Dundonian with an easy grin, twinkling eye and black beret was regarded as an outstanding talent and, more importantly, one of life’s genuine and generous good guys.

Michael Marra 1952-2012.  Sleep easy, Michael.

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Sep 132012
 

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between lightning and the lightning bug” Mark Twain.

Aberdeen Voice carried a feature last year about Katie Scott’s quest to have a commemorative plaque erected in Inverurie for her grandfather, the Doric writer and performer Dufton Scott. Here’s Katie’s update.

My task was to have a plaque designed and made. The chosen plaque makers, Leander Architectural, were very supportive and helpful, offering me several designs from which to choose.

I was clear about the wording; it needed to include, Dufton Scott – the refined and original Scottish humourist.

But this sparked some debate in the family. Do we say Scots or Scottish or, dare I say it, Scotch? This led to some interesting research.

I found no end of debates around these words which brought in other items of interest including,

Scot free  – very interesting!

Scotch whisky

Scotch myths and Scotch mist, Scotch broth, Scotch tape, more commonly Sellotape.

Then we have English, Scottish, Irish, British, but American, Australian, Norwegian, Saudi Arabian, Brazilian.

This was a most enjoyable and interesting detour, as I love words and looking at their origins and derivatives and so on, but the choice seemed to be made for me. Dufton had described himself as Scottish humorist on an advertising flyer which I have. Note the spelling of his occupation , which led to another battle of words. A potentially expensive one for me, as I will shortly explain.

Once I had agreed the design, size and colour of the plaque, I double-checked the wording on it.

I was very happy.

It looked like this.

I paid for the production and delivery to Kellas, Solicitors. My next task was to arrange some kind of unveiling which proved to be much more difficult than I had ever imagined.

The Doric Festival is an important annual cultural festival.  The unveiling of the plaque to Dufton Scott would be an appropriate festival event, so I contacted Sandy Stronach, Festival Director, who was keen to support and help me. He wrote this on last year’s Doric Festival website,

“Unveiling a Plaque at Inverurie

Robert Dufton Scott

A communiction from Katie es verra day means that it hisna bin possible tae get aathin thegidder for pittin up a plaque es eer!

But we’ll leave es message here as we’ll maist certainly pit on an event neist year!

So look oot for “Dufton Scott” in 2012!

Dufton Scott was a noted writer of Doric plays and performer, including Gavin Greig’s “Mains Wooin”.

Born in Forgue in 1880, he eventually ran a shop in Inverurie, dying in 1944.

Not before time his grand-daughter, Katie Scott, is organising to unveil a plaque to her grand-father at the site of the shop, now Stronachs,(sic) the Solicitor at High Street, Inverurie.

At this stage we do not have a date or time for the unveiling, but we have told Katie that we will be present and will help out with readings.

If like the Festival Director you remember Dufton Scott in his shop or if you remember performances of his works then this is an event you should not miss!

Keep an ee oot on es page fer the hinmast times fin they come tae han!”

Also supportive was Charles Barron, so it was with immense sadness that I learned that this great Doric playwright, academic, actor and teacher had died earlier this year.

I am also sad that I have been unable to stay in touch with Sandy, so I do not have any information about this year’s Doric Festival. If anyone has this, I would love to know, do please contact me.

Another who has been of great help is Lorna Alexander, who told me that she is to perform some of Dufton Scott’s work, as well has her own, in Inverurie on October 2 as part of the Luminate Festival. Since I have come to a complete dead end in finding out anything about this year’s Doric Festival, Lorna kindly invited me to attend her readings at the Acorn Centre. It will be wonderful to hear Dufton’s work performed, and exciting to see the plaque which will be erected by then, with one major correction.

As I was going through my box of things pertaining to Dufton, I looked again at the flyer which had sparked my word hunt about Scots or Scottish.

As I said, I have always loved words and dictionaries and am always keen to learn more.

So I experienced a strange feeling as I looked again at the yellowing flyer, at my grandad’s handsome face, and at the strange way he had chosen to spell humorist.

Why would he, a wordsmith, spell it incorrectly?

My expression changed from puzzlement to horror. Oh no! Did I ever even check the spelling of the word?

I dashed for my Collins English Dictionary, a huge tome, much-thumbed, heavy and lovely. I tore through the pages to find the blasted word.

Good grief.

The correct spelling, of course, because Dufton would not have got it wrong, is humorist, although this really does look wrong doesn’t it?

I scrambled to the phone, but it was a bank holiday and there was no answer from Leander Architectural. I got up first thing the next day, phoned, to be told that unfortunately the plaque was already made, and ready to ship that day. Thankfully, they agreed to stop the order but unfortunately the whole plaque had to be recast. As I said, a most expensive mistake, but I am sure the people of Inverurie will be happier to know that one of the town’s most famous residents is commemorated appropriately.

A group of the Scott family is descending on Inverurie for the first week in October. We shall take pleasure and pride in viewing the plaque on the wall of Kellas, Solicitors. We are looking forward to meeting Lorna and hearing her performance of two of Dufton Scott’s pieces. If you have any memories of Dufton Scott, do please get in touch. We could share a wee dram!

It would be wonderful if we could also find the other grandchildren of Dufton Scott. Our father was Gavin Scott, but he had a brother, Robert, who had two girls, Frances and Margaret. What a joy it would be if we could trace them too.

  • Contact info and links:

e-mail –  Katie.scott@gmx.com

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/scot%20free.html

http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/09/scot-scotch-scottish.html

http://www.charlesbarron.co.uk/

http://www.luminatescotland.org/events/value-age-doric-sketches-lorna-alexander

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Nov 102011
 

A quest for recognition for the wonderful Doric comedian, Dufton Scott. By Katie Scott on behalf of the Scott family.

One of my earliest recollections (aged about 6) is nursing an orphaned baby lamb in the kitchen of my Uncle’s Willie’s Cothal farmhouse.  I remember begging his wife, my lovely Auntie Betty,  to ‘speak in  English’ so I could better understand her wonderful stories and tales.

Every long golden summer of my childhood was wrapped in the delightful Doric language of my relatives – we (my mum, sisters, brother and I) travelled the long journey from England each year – my mother’s accent changing with each mile north we travelled till it finally reverted to the language of her own childhood and matched that of the Doric spoken by her sister (my Aunty Betty) and my father’s brother, George Scott.

He used to run the newsagent and booksellers in Inverurie; Dufton Scott and Son. You may remember it? The building belongs to Kellas Solicitors now.

I was born in Nottingham in 1956, the youngest of four children. My father, Gavin Scott (George’s brother), had moved with my mother (Janet Monro) to England after the war.  My father was named after his father’s good friend and colleague, Gavin Greig.  Greig was a folksong collector, playwright and teacher.  My Grandfather (Greig’s friend) was Dufton Scott.

Dufton Scott gained great fame in Scotland as an entertainer and humourist.  (You can read more about him at the North East Folk Archive ).  Dufton died before I was born but I have discovered a lot about him, and I now find myself with a mission – and that mission is to bring my grandfather’s work to the attention of all Doric speakers and lovers of North East Scotland.  I am trying to have a commemorative plaque erected in Inverurie; let me tell you a little bit more about this quest.

In April 2010 my brother (also named Gavin Scott) died leaving no children.  He was the last of that Scott line. (Children born to my sisters and I have taken their fathers’ names).

Gavin’s death provoked a strong desire in me to find my roots. I began to trace our family tree (you may be interested to hear that I discovered that Robert Paterson, of the ‘Turra Coo’ fame, is my second cousin, on my mother’s side).  However, I became more and more fascinated with Dufton Scott and his work.

We sisters, Rosalind, Norma and I, talked for a long time about our childhood memories, and we all vividly remember listening to scratchy old 78 records of Dufton’s incomprehensible language telling his funny tales of farm workers and their masters, men and women, lawyers and farm servants.

We also had a couple of his books – equally impossible for us English youngsters to comprehend (Norma fared a little better, having the advantage of at least being born in Scotland).

It was just an oddity to us then, but as I have grown older, I’ve come to realise the great significance of these stories and of the man, Dufton Scott.

The Quest is going well I am pleased to report – Hamish Duthie from Kellas Solicitors has kindly agreed to the plaque being erected on their property.  Malcolm White, a Development Services Assistant (Buchan & Garioch) is helping me with the legal aspects.  We are hoping to hold a celebration of the unveiling of the plaque during the Doric festival next year.

Several people have offered help and support with this, notably Sandy Stronach, the Director of the Doric Festival: www.thedoricfestival.com, Charles Barron, who is a retired academic and Doric playwright:  www.charlesbarron.co.uk and Lorna Alexander, Doric writer and story teller.

Have you heard of Dufton Scott before now? How do you feel about our quest? Can you offer any ideas or support ? I will write again on this subject when we have more news.

More info about Dufton Scott here: Dufton Scott 1880 – 1944

 

 

 

Oct 072011
 

“There are people playing guitar who don’t even realise they’ve been influenced by him”, Johnny Marr observed of Bert Jansch who has died of cancer, aged 67. Jansch was a Zelig-like figure in modern British music. Like Woody Allen’s eponymous social chameleon, Jansch’s eclectic, groundbreaking presence and influence over more than 40 years was subtle but pervasive. Neil McLeod gives a fan’s view of a huge talent who straddled generations and genres.

From the mid-60s folk boom, through the blues-rock melting pot, via the cult of the introspective singer/songwriter and latterly in indie and Britpop, Jansch was there, a significant but frequently-unseen presence in the background of almost all modern British musical movements.
Born in Glasgow and raised in Edinburgh, Jansch was initially schooled in those cities’ folk clubs before moving to London in the early 1960s and honing his skills during incessant tours of UK folk clubs.

His reinterpretations of classic folk songs didn’t sound fey or singalong, but muscular, passionate and virtuosic.

A mix of standards and original compositions were recorded to mesmerising effect on his early LPs, particularly Jack Orion which featured his first recording of Blackwaterside, later taken up by Jimmy Page and recorded by Led Zeppelin as Black Mountain Side.

Jansch’s songs were beasts of such raw, genre-defying power that they could not be contained by the boundaries of the folk club. By the late 1960s his solo work and as a member of the now legendary Pentangle saw him achieve recognition and exert influence which took no account of musical barriers. Formed in 1967, Pentangle toured and recorded extensively until 1972 and reunited intermittently with Jansch’s participation right up to his final public appearance in August this year.

Jansch’s songs were beasts of  raw, genre-defying power

In the mid 70s, Jansch recorded further career highlights including LA Turnaround and Santa Barbara Honeymoon. These were expansive, lush efforts which tackled the mellow rock produced by the Laurel Canyon crowd, but kept a distinctively British voice both in Jansch’s delicate vocal phrasing and guitar playing.

Introverted and shy on stage, he was nonetheless a riveting performer. He was the archetypal non-conformist who cared little for personal possessions and who often had no fixed address. Like many artists he also succumbed to alcohol excess and this had a detrimental impact on his health and his output by the 1980s.

Thankfully, he recovered his health and his productivity by the 1990s and was by that stage benefitting from the patronage of younger generation giants such as Johnny Marr and Bernard Butler, who played with him on Crimson Moon in 2000. That long, late period of acclaim continued until his final days, with everyone from Neil Young to new folk darlings Fleet Foxes singing his praises.

With all this muso respect it would be easy to think of Jansch as being a bit too worthy and considered in his playing, appreciated reflectively by beard-stroking guitar bores. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jansch played his songs for the love of music and never let craftsmanship become over-elaborate or get in the way of the tune.

Bert Jansch was that rarity – a musician who legitimately deserved recognition and who retained that status throughout his career.

 

Nov 122010
 

With thanks to Interesting Music.

Interesting Music presents an interesting combination of musicians, each highly respected for their individual talent, at the Blue Lamp, Sunday, Nov 21st. ( see events calendar – click here )

Catriona McKay (Scottish harp) and Chris Stout (Shetland fiddle) play a dynamic and adventurous exploration of traditional Scottish music. Performing together for 15 years, they are connected to the traditions of their instruments while being highly aware of and enthralled by the possibilities they hold. They pursue a path to explore sounds that connect and challenge.

Their self-penned 2010 album White Nights is a modulation between past and present, between summer and winter, between reliability and risk. Music inspired by the heightened senses during the long light nights of summer in the north, and in contrast, music which celebrates reflections of winter landscapes and sounds.

Through colour and depth of tone, they abandon themselves on a journey to create one sound, yet they carve out space for one another to allow a musical dialogue. It is this unity along with communication that makes their music so compelling.

Catriona has just been short-listed for a Glenfiddich Award up against Biffy Clyro, Paulo Nutini and Isobel Campbell – an interesting line up to say the least!

http://www.mckaystoutmusic.co.uk

CATRIONA MCKAY AND CHRIS STOUT + SUPPORT
Sunday, 21 November 2010
The Blue Lamp, 121 Gallowgate, Aberdeen, AB25 1BU. Phone (01224) 647472
Doors 8pm
Tickets £10+bf in adv / £12 on door
Available from One-Up Records, Belmont Street, Aberdeen. Phone (01224) 642662 or http://www.ticketweb.co.uk

http://www.myspace.com/interestingmusic