Box and Fiddle Magazine - March 2019

Fiddle

42nd Year No. 07 Mar 2019

£3.00

BOX& The magazine for Scottish music enthusiasts

THE YOUNG GENERATION

Rhiann Matthew

DAVID OSWALD SDB Take the Floor

REVIEWS

e i h c Do allum McC 9

01 2 r u o n o H Guest of

PLUS

NEWS, CLUB & DANCE DIARIES AND MUCH MORE...

Welcome

B&F • EDITORIAL

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...to the March issue of Box & Fiddle The magazine for Scottish music enthusiasts

Editor • Pia Walker 7 Tarvit Gardens Cupar, Fife, KY15 5BT Tel: 01334 657 850 Mob: 07715 115 489 editor@boxandfiddle.com Designer • Marie Martin mamidesigns@hotmail.com Front cover Rhiann Matthew © photo by Heather Anderson Section icons by: FlatIcon

Printer • Ivanhoe Caledonian Printing Company Ltd Eskmills, Musselburgh, EH21 7PE

NAAFC Chairman Nicol McLaren The Shian, Woodlands Road Blairgowrie, PH10 6LD Tel: 01250 874 526 nicol@boxandfiddle.com Vice Chairman Iain Cathcart Tel: 01555 661 017 iain@boxandfiddle.com Secretary Shona MacFadyen secretary@boxandfiddle.com Executive Committee: Scott Band Charlie Kirkpatrick Susan MacFadyen Tom Orr Richard Ross Liam Stewart

The days are getting longer, which means that the nights are getting shorter – except during festival time, that is, and March is THE festival month for NAAFC. I hope to bring you more on who won the championships with lots of photos in our April issue.

We are fast heading for the close of the Pia Walker, Editor club season! Now is the time to send me your dates with or without guest artists. Please help me to get the diary into shape before the summer holidays (yours and mine!).

As you know, the magazine is published throughout the year, and from now and during the summer you will find the summer subscription form within. This way you can get your magazine delivered through your door during summer.

You will also see the BAFFI voting slips – please use them!

Or vote online via our website. Clubs will have extra forms sent too. Think about whom and what you will vote for. Who in your club deserves to be nominated as club supporter of the year?

Which CD published in the last 12 months is the best?

I am still looking for retailers to stock the magazine throughout the year (or just during the summer) – so please, could clubs investigate if they have a friendly shop nearby. This may be a particularly good idea if your meetings are held at the end of each month. It would then be a service to your audience who could pick it up at the beginning of each month, and having the magazine on display outside the clubs would mean more people could see it and perhaps get interested in visiting your club. Inside this issue, you will also see a letter from a less than happy reader- so please ensure that your sellers know they can order more from me.

In this issue, we have the first of the Guests of Honour articles and interviews are currently ongoing in connection with the rest of the people the NAAFC are honouring this year.

So don’t forget to pick up your copy from now on.

Keep up with the latest news at

www.boxandfiddle.com Box & Fiddle (NAAFC)

Pia

The editorial team reserves the right to refuse or edit all copy. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor. Use of material and advertising from this publication is strictly prohibited without permission in writing from the editor.

While every care has been taken in compiling Box & Fiddle to ensure that it is correct at the time of going to press, Box & Fiddle assume no responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions.

Contents

B&F • CONTENTS

46

7

7 News & Letters 8 The Young Generation 10 Guest of Honour 2019 Duncan (Dochie) McCallum

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43 Deadlines:

17

Club News

37

Club Diary

42

Take the Floor

43

In Memory

44

Dance Diary

46

Reviews

48

Sheet Music

The latest news from our clubs

You are never too old to go clubbing!

David Oswald SDB

Dr Ian Hall, John McLeod White

Find the nearest dances and ceilidhs

Midnight & Closedown - Lau

Duncan McCallum’s Farewell to the 70th

All articles, adverts, club reports and text for the magazine must be e-mailed to the editor by the 5th of every month at the latest. Copy received after this date cannot be guaranteed to feature in the next issue.

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B&F • NEWS

NEWS

News

N

Send in your story. If you have a photo that tells a story, send it in with an explanation.

Young Fiddler of the Year 2019

Benedict Morris

I began playing the fiddle through my local branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, St. Patrick’s CCE, Coatbridge at the age of 5. After taking classical lessons a few years later, I joined the Junior Conservatoire of Scotland and went on to study the BMus Classical programme at university where I am now in my final year.

Classical tuition became a major factor in how I play my traditional music. Being able to have a good foundation of technique enables you to have

control over your sound and the instrument and I try to use this to express emotion and character in my playing while still keeping the lively feel to the rhythm that makes traditional music what it is. One of my current projects in which I try to explore this is with duo partner and guitarist Cormac Crummey from Belfast.

Our album is a culmination of four years of playing music together, bringing a broad palette of styles together along with own compositions to form driving, energetic and intelligent music

in a stellar partnership. We have just released our debut album Wavelength in November 2018, enjoying sell-out shows during our album launch tour of Scotland and Ireland. I also play for five-times world champion Irish dancer and Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist David Geaney from Dingle, Co. Kerry.

We enjoyed appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 and then on Broadway, New York in 2018 for a 2-week stint in the New Victoria Theatre.

Moving into 2019, the first event that hits you is Celtic Connections. It’s a phenomenal festival with so many amazing acts throughout the three weeks and this year it was made even better for me when I was announced as BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year. It was an amazing night in the City Halls and the music throughout was fantastic - all the other finalists played outstandingly.

I’m delighted and very much looking forward to a recording session with the BBC as well as performing at this years HebCelt Festival. I have lots of plans for 2019 and couldn’t be more excited to see where the year takes me.” l

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19 0 2 r u no o H f to s e u G

I

) e i h c o D ( n a c n Du McCallum

was recently looking through my collection of music books when I came across a tune called Dochie McCallum Esq. in Graeme Mitchell’s excellent collection of compositions. To paraphrase Graeme who writes of Dochie, a fine exponent of the three-row Shand Morino accordion: “Dochie sits down and meticulously works out the best possible usage of bellows and rows to achieve a more flowing style of playing, the end product being a massively ‘chunky’ and ‘canny’ style of playing that for me demonstrates great control and expertise.”

Thinking about this tune took me back to the early sixties when one of my favourite bands on Scottish Dance Music was the Hamish Menzies Band from Callander. My recollection is that the band had a great tight, swingy sound and also that, although it was normal at the time for bands to play the original tune then two alternatives before returning to the original, this band played the original along with three alternatives. A number of years later I saw them playing at the Highlanders Institute in Glasgow and

as an aspiring button-box player was entranced by the button-box player who, although he was playing the tune, hardly seemed to be moving the bellows.

This button-box player was Dochie MacCallum.

Duncan McCallum, or Dochie McCallum as he is universally known, was born in Dubh Loch Cottage, Rowardennan on the banks of Loch Lomond and has lived all of his life in that area. This is the same Dubh Loch Cottage that gained fame some years later when Fiona MacMillan composed a 4/4 march in its honour – a tune that has featured many times on Take the Floor. After leaving the local Balfron High School, Dochie worked for several years with the Forestry Commission before becoming the local postie in the Drymen area for 16 years. A change of career saw Dochie working with Scottish Water before taking early retirement in September 1994.

Our readers of course will mostly know Dochie through his amazing ability on the Shand Morino button-box. He was given a melodeon by an uncle when he was four years old and in a comparatively

B&F • CLUB NEWS

Club News Just remember to seek permission to publish the photos and tell us the name of the photographers.

To ensure a more readable section, please only send in max 250-300 words. A photo tells a better story, so add one or two of those too. Why not of your audience? Information in Club News helps attract visitors to your club, so make sure your club sounds like the place we want to go to.

Lynne Maciver Band, Aberdeen

ABERDEEN Our chairman Scott Gordon opened by wishing everyone a happy, healthy New Year and hoped for a successful season.

We had just enough local players to keep us entertained until the guest spot, and we started with Brian Stanger on accordion, Stanley Flett on piano and Dennis Constable on drums. The latter two stayed on to accompany Denis Shepherd on moothie, and also Morag Sinclair on accordion, who is a welcome visitor when visiting her wee granddaughter Bella!

Morag usually goes to the Beith club. Haste ye back: we all enjoyed your tunes.

Guests were our own Lynne

Maciver Band, with Susan and Scott Gordon on fiddle and drums and Scott Nichol on piano. We had a fantastic evening of music. Lynne gave us a great selection of every tempos and tunes included Flett from Flotta, Sprig of Ivy, The Starry Nights of Shetland.

We had a superb solo from Susan accompanied by Scott: The Sweetness of Mary, Jack Daniels and Miller’s Reel.

After tea and the raffle, we had a lovely selection from Sheila and Graham Reid on fiddle, after which regular Sandy McAllan played buttonbox accompanied by Esma Shepherd. It was great to see Esma back and looking so well. Last local performer was

singer Alison Pirie whose Star O’ Robbie Burns was enjoyed by all.

We then had more from this wonderful but rarely seen guest band! Tunes included Nicky McMichan’s Canny Man Sessions, Babes in the Wood, The Hayfield Two-Step and two beautiful waltzes. Susan and Scott also played the fantastic slow air Herr Roloff’s Farewell.

Thanks to Lynne for a superb programme that kept our feet tapping. Get your bookings in for this band - you won’t be disappointed!

ARBROATH Vice chairman Avril Abbott opened the meeting with a welcome to everyone, but it was with sadness she intimated the death of John White, a long time committee member, and a minute’s silence was held.

Thoughts are also with the family of John Davidson who is very ill.

A piano solo from Bill Ford in respect of John White was beautifully performed and set the tone for the exceptional music delivered by all. On guitar was Ian Ramsay, while fiddlers were Tom Truesdale, Liz

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F • MARCH B&F •B& CLUB DIARY 2019

37

Club Diary March 2019 DATE

CLUB

GUEST ARTIST

VENUE

TIME

CONTACT

3

Arbroath

Sandy Nixon (AGM)

Arbroath Artisan Golf Club, Elliot,

By Arbroath DD11 2PE

7.30 pm

Tony Simpson 01241 875 326

3

Clydesdale

Archie McAllister Duo

St Mary’s Club Rooms, Lanark ML11 7JS

2.00 pm

Shirley Cathcart 01555 661 017

3

Gretna

Frank Morrison Band

Richard Greenhow Centre, Gretna DG16 5AQ

7.00 pm

Robin Waitt 01387 371 423

4

Thurso

J Morgan

Pentland Hotel, Thurso KW14 7AA

7.30 pm

Ian Wright 01847 892 050

5

Campsie

James Coutts SDB

Glazert Country House Hotel, Lennoxtown G66 7DJ

7.30 pm

Billy Hutton 07889 021 972

5

Fort William

Marian Anderson Band

Railway Club, Inverlochy, Fort William PH33 6LY

7.30 pm

Alisdair MacDonald 01397 701 505

5

Islesteps

Martin Donaldson Band

Locharbriggs Social Club, Locharbriggs DG1 1XS

7.30 pm

John M Caskie MBE 01387 710 975 / 07711 573 071

5

North East

Leonard Brown

Royal British Legion, Keith AB55 5EN

7.30 pm

Rory Smith 07769 801 996

5

Seghill

Club Night (Visitors welcome)

Seghill Comrades Club, Cramlington NE23 7TQ

7.00 pm

James Youngson 01670 356 410

6

Dingwall

Roddy Matthews Band

National Hotel, Dingwall IV15 9HA

7.30 pm

Elspeth Weir 01349 877 675

6

Glenfarg

James Coutts SDB

Glenfarg Village Hall, Glenfarg PH2 9NU

7.30 pm

Stewart Smith 01577 830 296

6

Montrose

Ewan Galloway Band

Park Hotel, Montrose DD10 8RJ

7.30 pm

Ron Ramsay 01241 879 487

6

Orkney

Club night (Visitors welcome)

The Reel, Kirkwall KW15 1KD

7.30 pm

Jim Marwick 01856 874 474

7

Crieff

Joan Blue & Stella Wilkie

The British Legion, Crieff PH7 3EB

7.30 pm

Irene Anderson 01764 654 298

7

Galashiels

Club night (Visitors welcome)

Gala YM RFC, 4 Roxburgh Street, Galashiels, TD1 1PF

7.30 pm

Robert Cleland 01896 754 463

7

Isle of Skye

Gillian Stevenson Band

The Royal Hotel, Portree IV51 9BU

7.30 pm

Linda Shaw 01478 611 122

7

Lewis and Harris

Leonard Brown

Caladh Inn, Stornoway HS1 2QN

8.00 pm

Janette MacIver 01851 704 870

7

Oban

Duncan Black

The Royal Hotel, Oban PA34 4BE

7.30 pm

Anne McFadyen 01631 562 077

7

Turriff

Brandon McPhee

Commercial Hotel, Cuminestown AB53 5WJ

7.30 pm

Pat Steele 01888 562 486

10

Biggar

Robert Robertson & Ross Wilson

Biggar Bowling Club, Biggar ML12 6AX

2.00 pm

Charlie Todd 01899 308 327

12

Blairgowrie

Burns Brothers Ceilidh Band

Red House Hotel, Coupar Angus PH13 9AL

7.30 pm

Helen Aitchison 01821 670 302

12

Dunfermline

Iain MacPhail Band

Masonic Hall, Rosyth KY11 2BW

7.30 pm

Bob Adam 01383 306 142

12

Seghill

John Morgan

Seghill Comrades Club, Cramlington NE23 7TQ

7.00 pm

James Youngson 01670 356 410

13

Alnwick

Iain Anderson 4-Piece Band

Jubilee Hall, Newton on the Moor NE65 9JY

7.30 pm

Mungo Riddell 07836 637 638

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&F • WWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM B&F • BWWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM

Dance Diary

Contact: ceilidh@dancediary.info Tel: 01389 767718 or send your entry to: Alasdair Graham, 1 First Avenue, Dumbarton G82 2PU

Ceilidh & Old Time Dances

Regular Weekly Events

DATE

TOWN

HALL

BAND

TIME

COST

CONTACT

COMMENTS

Monday

Kirkwall

St Magnus Centre

Live Music

7.30 pm - 10.00 pm

£4/£2

Door - All Welcome

01856 873 534 Orkney Dance Assoc.

Wednesday

Coupar Angus

St Anne’s Church Hall, Forfar Road

-

7.00 pm - 9.00 pm

£2.50

Tracy Thom

01828 628 747 Ceilidh Class.

Wednesday

Glasgow

St Andrews in Square

Live Music

7.15 pm - 9.30 pm

£5.50 Bar

Door (Tricia Matthews) 01324 716855

Ceilidh & Old Time Class

Wednesday

Stornoway

Primary School

-

7.00 pm - 9.00 pm

-

Janette Maciver 01851 704 870

School term time only

Wednesday

Midlem

Village Hall

Live Music

8.00 pm - 10.00 pm

£2 (tea)

Grace Belle Scott 01835 870 244

Old Time

Thursday

Dumfries

Kirkton Village Hall

Live Music

7.30 pm - 10.00 pm

£4

John Caskie 07711 573 071

Old Tyme Dance Class with Tuition

Most Sundays

East Kilbride

Girl Guide Hall, Dundas Place

Phone to check time

2.30 pm - 4.30 pm or 7.30 pm - 10.00 pm

£2 (tea)

Door or tel : 01355 230 134 or 245 052

Ceilidh & Old Time Club 01294 212 267

Ceilidh & Old Time Dances

March 2019

DATE

TOWN

HALL

BAND

TIME

COST

CONTACT

COMMENTS

2

Tranent

Rannoch House

Ewan Galloway

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

£5 Bar

01875 615 138

Pay at Door

2

Largoward

Village Hall

Willie McFarlane

8.00 pm - 11.00 pm

£5 Tea

07961 437 615

Weekly Dance KY9 1HZ

2

N. Kessock

Village Hall

George Rennie

8.00 pm - 12.00 mn

£6 Tea

01463 222 393

Social Dancers BYOB & Food

2

Midlem

Village Hall

Robert Whitehead

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

£7 Bar

01835 870 244

Own Food

8

Irvine

Volunteer Rooms

Johnny Duncan

7.30 pm - 11.00 pm

£7 BYOB

01292 440 073

Ayrshire Ceilidh KA12 0BA

8

Bridge of Earn

Institute

Scott Band

7.30 pm

£5 No Bar

01738 813 997

Tea & Biscuits

9

Canonbie

Village Hall

Ewan Galloway

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

£6 BYOB

07704 727 463

(own food) DG14 0UX

9

Stow

Town Hall

Stuart Anderson

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

BYOB/ Food

01578 730 355

Old Time TD1 2QS

9

Largoward

Village Hall

Keith Robertson

8.00 pm - 11.00 pm

£5 Tea

07961 437 615

Weekly Dance KY9 1HZ

9

Glen Douglas

Village Hall

Ian Cruickshanks

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

£7 own food

07803 951 298

BYOB Raffle

16

Largoward

Village Hall

Bon Accord

8.00 pm - 11.00 pm

£5 Tea

07961 437 615

Weekly Dance KY9 1HZ

16

Daviot

Strathnairn Hall

Marian Anderson

8.00 pm - 12.00 mn

£6 Tea

01463 222 393

B.Y.O.B. & Food IV2 5XL

B&F • MARCH B&F • DANCE DIARY 2019

Ceilidh & Old Time Dances

45

March 2019 cont.

DATE

TOWN

HALL

BAND

TIME

COST

CONTACT

COMMENTS

16

Glasgow

Pollockshaws Hall

Andy Gordon

7.00 pm

£10 Tea

0141 848 0308

(tickets) www.hdscotland.org

17

Milnathort

Town Hall

Scott Band

2.00 pm - 5.00 pm

£5 Tea

01577 863 244

Proceeds to Charity. Pay at Door

17

Glencarse

Village Hall

Johnny Duncan

7.30 pm - 10.00 pm

£4 No Bar

01738 552 688

Set & Couples Dances

17

Ayr

Heathfield C.C.

Recorded

7.30 pm - 10.00 pm

Pay at Door

01292 440 037

Monthly Dance Club

23

East Kilbride

Calderwood Hall

Steven Carcary

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

£7 Tea/bisc.

01355 230 134

Highlanders Dance - BYOB

23

Largoward

Village Hall

Ian McCallum

8.00 pm - 11.00 pm

£5 Tea

07961 437 615

Weekly Dance KY9 1HZ

27

Dufftown

Memorial Hall

-

7.30 pm - 10.00 pm

-

01340 871 529

Monthly Social

28

Windygates

Greig Institute

Bruce Lindsay

7.30 pm - 10.30 pm

£5 Tea

01333 351 127

Monthly Dance-Tea & Eats

29

Helensburgh

Commodore Hotel

Lomond Ceilidh

8.00 pm - 12.00 mn

£10 Tea

01436 831 284

Highlanders Advance Ticket

30

Largoward

Village Hall

Tommy Newcomen

8.00 pm - 11.00 pm

£5 Tea

07961 437 615

Weekly Dance KY9 1HZ

30

Daviot

Strathnairn Hall

Dave Husband S.

8.00 pm - 12.00 mn

£6 Tea

01540 651 377

Cairngorm Dancers IV2 5XL

30

Hightae

RFT Hall

Neil Hardie

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

£7

01387 810 423

Bring & Share Supper

31

Glencarse

Village Hall

Wayne Robertson

7.30 pm - 10.00 pm

£4 No Bar

01738 552 688

Set & Couples Dances

Ceilidh & Old Time Dances

June 2015 April 2019

DATE

TOWN

HALL

BAND

TIME

COST

CONTACT

COMMENTS

6

Tranent

Rannoch House

Gavin Piper

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

£5 Bar

01875 615 138

Pay at Door

6

Largoward

Village Hall

Steven Carcary

8.00 pm - 11.00 pm

£5 Tea

07961 437 615

Weekly Dance KY9 1HZ

6

Daviot

Strathnairn Hall

Ewan Galloway

8.00 pm - 12.00 mn

£6 Tea

01463 222 393

BYOB & Food IV2 5XL

6

Dufftown

Memorial Hall

Ian Cruickshanks

7.30 pm - 11.30 pm

Pay at Door

01340 871 529

Old Time Dance

8

Orkney

Islands

Various

Islands Ceilidh Week

01856 873 534

Finishes 15th April

Dance Diaries can also be read online at www.boxandfiddle.com/dance-diary.html

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B&F • WWW.BOXANDFIDDLE.COM

Reviews

If you wish your CDs, DVDs or books to be reviewed, please send them to: Bill Brown, 3 Galahad Close, Cippenham, Slough, SL1 9DT

Midnight and Closedown Lau Reveal Records Reveal 078CDX

Lau return with their new album, Midnight and Closedown, produced by John Parish. This new record was released on 8th February 2019 and the release was supported by a nationwide tour taking in a diverse collection of venues such as Derby Guildhall, Norwich Arts Centre, Birmingham Glee Club, Leeds City Varieties Music Hall and the Cardiff Royal Welsh College of Music & Dram Theatre. For further dates, check out the band’s website at www.lau-music.co.uk.

Already acknowledged as thrilling live performers and folk music pioneers, Lau arrive at a new creative peak with Midnight and Closedown. The band’s 12 year recording career is resplendent with unexpected collaborations, accolades and innovative ideas. The sound of Lau in 2019 is perhaps closer to late period Beatles than to the traditional tunes and ballads of their 2007 debut Lightweights and Gentlemen. And yet the new album’s closing track Riad marks a full circle, stripping the line-up back to bare acoustic instruments. Midnight and Closedown is Lau’s first new music since 2015’s The Bell That Never Rang, which was both the Guardian’s and the Herald’s album of the year. Producer John Parish, widely celebrated for his recordings and collaborations with PJ Harvey, Eels, Sparklehorse, This is the Kit, Aldous Harding, Rokia Traore, M Ward, Giant Sand and many more, has captured the essence of Lau’s songwriting which is tender, bewitching, mournful, uplifiting, experimental and political. These are new sounds still rooted in the traditional music that brought together the UK’s three finest folk artists in Kris Drever, Martin Green and Aidan O’Rourke. Lau have pushed out the boundaries of modern folk music

”

Already acknowledged as thrilling live performers and folk music pioneers, Lau arrive at a new creative peak with Midnight and Closedown

”

with each successive release and now comes this bold, progressive new statement. Reading between the lines and the enigmatic album title, it could be suggested that this album could be Lau’s swansong, but equally, Midnight and Closedown, Lau’s finest artistic statement to date, could also prove to be the opening of a brave new chapter. Only time will tell.

The eight-track set list comprises I Don’t Want to Die Here, She Put on Her Headphones, Toy Tigers, Echolalia, It’s Hard to Seem to be Okay When You’re Not, Dark Secret, Return to Portland and Riad. l