Album Review: The Edinburgh Rollick

by Charlie Kusiel King

The forthcoming sophomore album of the New York City-based early music ensemble Ruckus, is a collaboration with solo violinist Keir GoGwilt that brings a fresh and exciting look to the roots of Scottish dance music. The Edinburgh Rollick celebrates the work of Niel Gow (17271807), the legendary Perthshire fiddler, presented now in new arrangements by the musicians. Recorded in 2024 alongside premiere performances of these arrangements in Massachusetts and New York, Ruckus and GoGwilt form a virtuosic ensemble that perfectly captures dance’s infectious spirit.

Across the eleven tracks on The Edinburgh Rollick, the group presents a variety of sets and pieces from Gow’s collections, published in 1784 and 1788. When listened to in full, it recreates for the listener a thrilling evening in the dance hall. In “The Jenny Sutton Set,” the album begins with a melodic line played by GoGwilt over the drone of bass by Douglas Balliett, who forms much of the musical bedrock through the record. This ascends into an upbeat tune and continues by seamlessly moving between rhythmic motifs of varying tempos, for the first time exemplifying a skillful, precise sequence of tension and release that pervades the entire album. Second is “The Forrest Set,” which begins in a more bittersweet tone led by GoGwilt, at once presenting the impressive range of the ensemble. Elliot Figg, playing the harpsichord, leads the group again into a confident and fastpaced dance, which then concludes the introductory tracks of the album.

The two slower pieces which follow offer the listener a chance to catch their breath after the excitement.

“Lord Gregory” sees the first of two appearances by vocalist Fiona Gillespie, a specialist in Celtic music and a standout performer of The Edinburgh Rollick. Perfectly complimenting GoGwilt’s delicate playing, the two pass a poignant melody between each other over a sturdy foundation in the low register by Ruckus. Next is “Mr. Morthand’s Favorite,” another piece that features a lilt in the violin alongside careful support from the ensemble, in particular the steady theorbo playing of Paul Holmes Morton, also the guitarist of the group. A countermelody is performed by baroque bassoonist Clay Zeller-Townson, whose sound has an arresting—though subtle—vocal quality.

“The Lord Macdonald Set” launches the album back into another irresistible, highintensity dance, once again exemplifying GoGwilt’s absolute command of the violin as he leads Ruckus between complex, mindbogglingly tight rhythmic changes. Ruckus themselves are not to be understated, either, as they provide the necessary groundwork of a band totally in sync with one another. Just as impressive is Ruckus’s ability to adapt to and exceed the demands of a new genre, off the tails of their exceptional 2019 debut album Fly the Coop: Bach Sonatas and Preludes with Emi Ferguson. GoGwilt touches upon this stylistic intersection in his essay "The Gow Collections with Ruckus," writing:

Given that Ruckus is a baroque continuo band, some of the 18th-century Italianate influences visible in Gow’s collections are baked into our sound: gut strings, short bows, and instruments like the harpsichord, baroque bassoon, and viola da gamba. Rather than accepting the notated versions in Gow’s collection as authoritative texts, we play these melodies with an ear to their cumulative historical and contemporary soundings.1 pieces and sets of quick and buoyant dance tunes. Notable moments include a beautiful feature of Ruckus’s strings in the opening of “The Gigg Set,” a return of vocalist Gillespie in “The Broome of Coudenknowes,” a driving percussion solo by El-Aasser in “Colonel Robertson’s/Charannald’s,” and the careful exchange of melody between Zeller-Townson, Balliett (now playing viola da gamba) and GoGwilt in “Robie Dona Gorach.” The album ends with Gogwilt again at the helm in the celebratory "Jenny Nettles Set."

“The Lord Macdonald Set” is a testament to the incredible precision of Ruckus: percussionist Rami El-Aasser is solid and unflinching, as are string players Balliett and Holmes Morton, while Zeller-Townson and Figg at times play in perfect unison with GoGwilt’s lightning-fast gigue.

Though their accuracy is never sacrificed, the nature of The Edinburgh Rollick appears almost improvisatory, as if each member cannot help but join in the fun as the sets ebb and flow. This spirit is exuded onto the listener: the end of each piece is both a moment of disappointment at its conclusion and anticipation for the introduction of the next. The rest of The Edinburgh Rollick follows this pattern between measured, melodic 1. GoGwilt, Keir. kgogwilt.com/The-Gow-Collectionswith-Ruckus.

Listening to Ruckus and GoGwilt play to the fullest, I am reminded of my experiences of folk dancing, which took place coincidentally just towns away from Putney, Vermont, where these recordings were produced last year. The Edinburgh Rollick releases on March 11, 2025, and will undoubtedly appeal to a wide audience—not only lovers of dance and chamber music. but also those with no prior experience with the genres.

Charlie Kusiel King is the regular host of The Early Music Show.

To hear more from members of Ruckus and Keir GoGwilt, tune in on March 7th during The Early Music Show, which airs on Friday mornings from 9:30-12pm.