Legacy of the Scottish Fiddle, Vol. 1: Alasdair Fraser and Paul Machlis

Alasdair Fraser (fiddle)
Paul Machlis (piano)
Natalie Haas (cello)
Todd Phillips (bass)

"...deliciously satisfying at every turn through its unerring sense of pace. Alasdair's exceptional fiddle playing is perfectly complemented by Paul's lithe yet understated piano accompaniment, also occasionally underpinned by bass or cello. The outstanding empathy between Alasdair and Paul - playing partners since 1983 - really shows on this sublime recording. More soon please! " ¾ David Kidman

".It's a beautiful recording ...these will, I'm sure, soon be regarded as the definitive versions of these classic tunes. Alasdair has outskinnered Skinner with this one! Madame Neruda, Chapel Keithack and Belmont are stunning." ¾ Alistair Brown CIXX-FM

"...the best Alasdair recording I've heard in a long time, if not ever, ...great to hear him playing good old Scots tunes" ¾ Ed Miller, KUT FM

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A note from Alasdair Fraser:

"The great treasury of Scottish fiddle music is full of beautiful melodies with enormous potential for expression, style and idiomatic language. Many of the composers were self-taught fiddlers; others honed their skills with considerable technical training. Some earned a living playing for dancing, performing in concert, teaching music, and publishing their tunes; for others, musicmaking was consigned to the after-hours. What they shared was a passion for fiddle music-music that can instigate a whole roomful of dancing within a few beats of a driving reel, or evoke tears through the sheer beauty of an air. As participants in a living tradition, these musicians inherited the legacy of the Scottish fiddle, borrowed from it, and paid it back with interest. Their compositions honour friends, family and patrons, celebrate engineering feats, recall a special place or landmark, and capture poetic moments. They represent a 250-year continuum of tunes and idiom being passed from generation to generation.

"My own passionate involvement in the Scottish fiddle reflects a family legacy. My paternal grandfather, along with other family members, helped found the Stirling Strathspey & Reel Society in 1930. My father, a piper and discerning enthusiast of the fiddle, recalls his granny at the old Culburnie croft singing Gaelic mouth music and having him sing the lines back to her until he had them note- and syllable-perfect.

"As time has passed my love for this music has only deepened. In 1983 I was fortunate to find a kindred spirit in pianist Paul Machlis in Berkeley, California. Over the years, amid many musical journeys both together and independently, Paul and I have maintained our love for this music, and finally dedicated time to recording some of it. We acknowledge here our debt to the great interpreters of this music in the past."

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The duo that "kickstarted the Celtic-New Age fusion that exploded in popularity in the '90s" (All Music Guide) presents a gorgeous new recording of classic gems of the Scottish fiddle tradition. Fraser (fiddle) and Machlis (piano) began collaborating in 1983, first recording their acclaimed album Skyedance (CUL101) - tapped for tracks on Celtic compilations with nearly 2 million in combined sales - and more recently, two albums with their Celtic supergroup, Skyedance. Fraser has gained international fame as a performer and musical contributor to such hit films as The Last of the Mohicans and Titanic. He has been featured on over 150 TV and radio programs worldwide, including U.S. national broadcasts of CBS Sunday Morning, Kennedy Center Honors, A Prairie Home Companion and NPR's Morning Edition. His many recordings include Dawn Dance, which earned a 1995 Indie Award for Best Celtic Album. Paul Machlis is highly regarded for the lyricism which he brings to the Celtic repertoire and to his original compositions on three solo albums.