Happy Millenium...hope you are having a great one! 2000 has been been brilliant so far. The year started on a high when I saw one of my dreams become reality when at Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival on 21st of Jan. I took to the Royal Concert Hall stage with Natalie Macmaster, Annbjorg Lien, Mairead ni Mhaonaigh, Liz Knowles, Liz Carroll and a dream backing band, for our first outing as the String Sisters.
The idea for this line up of fab female fiddlers first came to me 2 years
ago when I yearned to meet and work with some of my female contemporaries.
It was no mean feat to get this idea together but Colin Hynd of Celtic
Connections grabbed the chance to premiere the event at his festival and
the experience was nothing short of earth shattering for all of us who
participated. Also on the concert night I launched my new cd `
',
on my own label. To say my feet never touched the ground that night is
an understatement!!!!.
Also at Celtic Connections I played with the Blazin` Fiddles at the Fruitmarket... a joy as usual, arriving in a white stretch limo and some rope tricks provided by none other than accordion ace Phil Cunningham. February, proved to be no less monumental as my best friend, ex-Anam singer and bodhran player Aimee Leonard gave birth to a beautiful baby boy Solly McLeod. Also at this time Blazin` Fiddles finished recording our album, `fire on` due out on 30th May at the Highland Festival.
March, an English multi-percussionist Peter Lockett and I were whisked off to Israel by the British Council to be part of a collaboration with some indigenous musicians, Samir Joubran playimg oud, the Arabic-forerunner to the European lute and Amir Shazar, playing the nai and other Persian flutes. What a musical culture shock!
I was to find that Arabic music is based around 60 or so scales containing a vast array of microtones. The music was intricate and so beautiful. It was very interesting and challenging to find a meeting of music and minds but at the end of a 10 day workshop period the concert was greatŠ..the contrasts being as interesting as the places of fusion that we found between our very different types of music.
Israel, if I'm honest, has never been on my wish list of places in the world to visit. I wrong about that!!! 10 out of 10 for people, shrines (I've got the photo of the sign that says Mary's Well Square...made me chuckle anyway!), fish, metzos, olives, music...can't wait to go back Coming home to Scotland I went straight into recording a film soundtrack with none other than Dire Straits' Mark Knopler. The film `A Shot at Glory' stars Robert Duvall, Michael Keaton and Ali McCoist and is about family relationships set against the background of the trials and tribulations of a small Scottish football team. It is set for release at the Cannes Film Festival. The music is written by Mark Knopler and fellow-Dire Straits keyboard player Guy Fletcher. The experience was amazing to meet and play with them and find that they are down to earth and great musicians!!! April, saw my yearly jaunt to Edinburgh's Youth Gaitherin where I met up with some of the brilliant young fiddlers from that area, a healthy indication of how strong the tradition is. Bodes well for the future of Scottish fiddling.
Also I've just been at home in Shetland for 2 weeks playing at the Shetland Folk Festival...on the same bill as Rolf Harris...even got a hug from him. What a thrill!! There were also lots of food and hugs from my gorgeous mum Alice, and I started work on the 'On the Line' millennium project that I will be heavily involved in for the rest of 2000.
`On the Line` was the idea of Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow who, looking to do something in schools to mark the millennium, came up with the idea of joining children from various countries along the meridian line, as they would all go into the 21st century at the exact same moment.
The umbrella project is vast, going right across the curriculum and I'm involved in the traditional music part called `Making Music On the Line'. This brings together children in Shetland, Newcastle, Bordeaux, Catalonia and Burkina Faso, by teaching all the children in each catchment area tunes songs dances etc from each of our own traditions. This will culminate in a big workshop and concert at the end of the year in each place. If you want to know more please look at the `On the Line ` website on www.ontheline.org As part of this project I am working with some incredible people and having to dust off my very bad French, as this is the main language of the project. It's at times like these you just wish you had paid a little more attention during higher french lessons!!
Well that's all for now. I'm setting off this week to the Highlands for the start of this year's Highland Festival with the Blazin' Fiddles. So, lots of alcohol-free early nights ahead for me!!!!!!!!
Thanks for your interest and support
