Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and American cellist Natalie Haas have released their fourth album Abundance on Fraser’s Culburnie label. It is an impressive addition to their catalog and an entertaining tour through some of the many possible settings for Celtic style music – strict duets through full-band arrangements, traditional Scottish to chamber folk to full-on world music.
Fraser, of course, is one of the best-known (and best) Scottish fiddlers, and his Culburnie label has become one of the most critically acclaimed sources of Scottish folk music. Haas is a member of the burgeoning young generation of musicians who are following in the footsteps of pioneers like Mike Marshall, Darrol Anger, Bruce Molsky, Bela Fleck and others, honoring and expanding the legacy of traditional Anglo-Celtic-American music. Some of them join Fraser and Haas on a few of this disc’s generous 16 tracks, including bassist Corey DiMario and fiddler Brittany Haas (Natalie’s sister) of the groundbreaking Americana ensemble Crooked Still; multi-talented Hanneke Cassel on piano; trumpeter Kai Welch (Abigail Washburn, Wu Force), and percussionist Stefan Amidon.
In fact Abundance is bookended by big, energetic full-band numbers: First “The Corrie Man,” a suite of mostly traditional tunes including a strathspey, a “puirt à beul” or mouth music tune and a couple of pipe reels with a big brass ensemble, sprightly piano and some excellent mandolin from Dominick Leslie; and ending with Fraser’s “The Kelburn Brewer,” a very contemporary big band tune by Fraser.
Mostly, though, the album features the delightful interplay of these two musicians, either as a duo or with a few accompanists. My favorites are the more traditional pieces, including the strathspey-reel suite on the second track, with just Fraser and Haas plus DiMario on bass. Fraser tosses off a few bars of 16-note octave triplets during “The Old Reel,” accompanied by DiMario’s droning bowed bass, in a real show of fiddling pyrotechnics. Also catching my ear is “Keys To The Cellar,” another medley of traditional tunes with DiMario, Brittany Haas and that superb mandolinist Dominick Leslie again – Natalie and Corey play an excellent rhythmic accompaniment on the first melody, “Tarbolton Lodge.” “On The Wings Of A Skorrie” is a really superb slow reel by the late Michael Ferrie of Fiddlers’ Bid, with some textbook Scottish bowing from Fraser and multi-tracked accompaniment by Haas on the cello.
Also not to be missed is the diverting suite of contemporary tunes in several styles by Fraser, “Connie’s Suite,” that includes a slow reel, a waltz, a jig, a strathspey-reel blend played in a Django jazz mode, and a world-music style reel called “Ouagoudougou Boogie” with African percussion and kalimba, also known as mbira or thumb-piano.
This fourth collaboration between Fraser and Haas is every bit a meeting of equals, as the old master and the young prodigy bring out the best in each other. Beautiful sleeve design and fine liner notes complete the package.
(Culburnie, 2014)
