Naomi de Bruyn wrote this review.
If you like fiddling and Celtic music, then you’ll like this first release by Alistair McCulloch, although the material is not all Celtic in origin and a great deal of it is original. Highly Strung is a showcase of Alistair’s talent, its wide range of material showing exactly how readily adaptable to any style of fiddling he is.
According to the liner notes, Alistair studied music at the University of Strathclyde, graduating with first class honours in 1998. He is a very, very busy musician, having appeared on over twenty albums as a session musician, and he is also a soloist with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. He has toured Europe and North America extensively, both picking up and writing some new material along the way. Alistair is also a member of the group Coila, who have achieved widespread acclaim.
A number of musicians joined McCulloch for this recording: Ross Kennedy (guitar), Douglas Whyte (piano, synthesizer), Stevie Lawrence (bouzouki, mandolin, Dobro, percussion), Morag Macaskill (cello), Lyndsay Mowat (cello), Dougie Pincock (flute, whistle, bagpipes, small pipes), Karen Connor (clarsach), David Cowan (bass guitar), James Taylor (drums).
My favourite track on this CD is a well known one. “Listen to the Mockingbird” is a traditional old-time fiddle tune. According to the liner notes, Alistair first heard this from the playing of the late Graham Townsend. He has added his own variations to the arrangement, including a number of bird calls. This tune brings back many memories for me, over a number of years and incidents, and is a fiddle classic.
Alistair composed “Waltz for Susan” for a friend’s 21st birthday. It is an American-style waltz and very lovely. This one proves Alistair’s ability as a composer of something outside of the Scottish tradition.
“Dargai/Maggie Cameron/Pumpkin’s Fancy” is another suite I have to mention. According to the liner notes, Dargai is a pibroch-style air, commemorating the famous heights in India which were taken by the Gordon Highlanders in 1897. It was written by J. Scott Skinner. The second piece is a pipe strathspey and a classic competition piece. But for me it is much more than that, for my dear Grandy was named Maggie Cameron, and there are family ties to the song. The third piece, “Pumpkin’s Fancy,” is a popular reel composed by Terry Tully of the Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band from Dublin. This track is rather long, being 8 minutes, but invigorating and delightful.
For anyone who loves the fiddle, this is a must-have for your collection. It can be enjoyed by young hearts and old alike.
(Fellside Recordings, 2000)
