Bill Wyman, Capercaillie, and Fusions at Celtic Connections 2008

The 2 February program at Celtic Connections 2008 includes former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, Angus Grant, Bill Wyman, Koshka World Gypsy & Jazz Band with Lialia Shishkova & The Celtic Connections Festival Orchestra, bluegrass act Alison Brown Quartet featuring special guests Joe Craven & John Doyle with The Greencards, Colin MacIntyre with Devon Sproule, Fraser Fifield Band with the Nedyalko Nedyalkov Quartet & Cora Smyth, Guitar Summit with Russ Barenberg & Bryan Sutton, and Scottish stars Capercaillie with Kirsty McGee Hobopop Collective.

Complete program:

come&try
Gospel
Sat 2 February, 11am
£6
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Feel the freedom and experience the excitement of Gospel Style singing in this fun packed session led by Eddie Binnie. This workshop will include warm ups, harmony and the possibility of solo voice improvisation. Complete beginners are very welcome as well as those with more singing experience.
Lots of fun for all abilities.

Public Workshops
Learn the Small Pipes in a Day
Sat 2 February, 11am
£30
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Buchanan Suite

This workshop covers use of bellows, blowing and fingering techniques and tuning of drones. During the day, Dave Shaw will teach you a relatively simple tune, generally a jig or Northumbrian reel. Numbers are strictly limited and pipes are provided.
Over 14 years and complete beginners only please.

Public Workshops
Mandolin for Beginners
Sat 2 February, 11am
£6
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Lomond Foyer

The Lanarkshire Guitar and Mandolin Association will introduce basic techniques of the mandolin, including playing melodies and chords. The general introduction to music includes looking at a variety of styles, the basics of reading music and music theory. This is a good introduction to the mandolin for players of other fretted instruments.

Public Workshops
Bodhran for Beginners
Sat 2 February, 11am
£6
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Clyde Foyer

This workshop is for people who have started learning the instrument. Please bring your own bodhran and Mark Dunlop will take you to another level of playing. Learn about the subtleties of this fine accompanying instrument and you will be warmly welcomed at every session- you and your goat!

come&try
Harmony
Sat 2 February, 1:30pm
£6
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Discover the intensity of singing and blending voices in a large group. An opportunity to learn some great harmonies with one of Scotland’s most dynamic singers, Corrina Hewat. Use your ear to navigate a song and develop your confidence and ability to find harmony in 2, 3 and 4 parts with some of Corrina’s most favourite songs. This workshop is for people who have always wanted to try harmony singing but have little or no experience.

Public Workshops
Bodhran for Players
Sat 2 February, 1:30pm
£6
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Clyde Foyer

Mark Dunlop will show you how to expand your repertoire of rhythms and make real progress with your playing. This workshop is for players who can play jigs and reels at real reel time and want to develop their own individual style. Please bring your own bodhran.

Danny Kyle’s Open Stage hosted by Gibb Todd
Sat 2 February, 5pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Hosted by Danny Kyle’s good friends Gibb Todd and Liz Clark, the Open Stage is a chance to see new musical talent as they try to win a coveted support slot at next year’s festival – and all absolutely free!
In partnership with the Evening Times

Great Originals: Angus Grant
Sat 2 February, 6pm
£10
City Halls, Recital Room

A mere 30 years after his self-titled debut, the legendary Lochaber fiddler Angus Grant recently released his second album, The Hills of Glengarry. Angus is accompanied tonight by Ross Martin (guitar) and Christine Hanson (cello).

Bill Wyman & the Rhythm Kings with support
Sat 2 February, 7:30pm
£24, £22
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium

After 30 iconic years as half of "the straightest rhythm section in rock", former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has now been letting the good times roll in company with the Rhythm Kings, the moveable all-star feast of vintage virtuosos he formed in 1997, to play the kind of classic rhythm and blues that first inspired him to pick up the guitar as a teenager.

Blues, soul and old-time rock’n’roll also feature in the mix, performed with impeccable chops by a glittering line-up that tonight includes guitar legend Albert Lee and ex-Dr Hook vocalist Dennis Locorriere, together with Beverley Skeete (vocals), Geraint Watkins (piano), Graham Broad (drums/keyboards), Nick Payn (saxophone), Frank Mead (saxophone) and the band’s co-founder Terry Taylor (guitar).

Koshka World Gypsy & Jazz Band with Lialia Shishkova & The Celtic Connections Festival Orchestra
Sat 2 February, 7:30pm
£16
City Halls, Grand Hall

Several years in the planning, tonight’s concert witnesses a unique convergence of traditions from eastern and western Europe, linked onstage as throughout history by the wild, impassioned strains of gypsy music.

Hosting the occasion are the Glasgow-based trio Koshka, comprising violinists Lev Atlas and Oleg Ponomarev with guitarist Nigel Clark, whose fiery, sophisticated blend of gypsy tunes and Hot Club jazz has earned standing ovations at previous Celtic Connections gigs.

Joining them direct from Russia is the Lialia Shishkova Band, an authentic gypsy folk ensemble led by Shishkova’s enthralling vocals, while our very own Celtic Connections Festival Orchestra conducted by Greg Lawson completes the line-up.

Colin MacIntyre with Devon Sproule
Sat 2 February, 7:30pm
£12.50
Òran Mór

He may have shed his erstwhile collective alias, but the artist formerly known as Mull Historical Society is keen to reassure his many devoted fans that nothing else has changed. In other words, Colin MacIntyre remains the quirkily freebooting, brilliantly magpie-minded soul he ever was, meshing irresistibly catchy hooks and soaring choruses with his trademark one-man-band experimentation, as he prepares to release his fourth album The Water, in early 2008.

Guitarist and songwriter Devon Sproule is known for her gorgeous laid-back Southern-tinged music (Maverick magazine). Her recently released album Keep Your Silver Shined, perfectly highlights her talent for combining Appalachian, folk and jazz influences and was another important contribution to the Great American Songbook.

Alison Brown Quartet featuring special guests Joe Craven & John Doyle with The Greencards
Sat 2 February, 7:30pm
£15
ABC

Grammy-winning banjoist Alison Brown makes a welcome return to the Celtic Connections stage this year after being forced to miss last year due to the impending birth of her son Brendan. Alison has invited two of her favourite musicians – multi-instrumentalist Joe Craven and Irish guitar great and rhythm genius John Doyle – to join quartet regulars John R. Burr (piano), Garry West (bass) and David Heyer (drums).

Alison describes this sextet as her dream band: "It’s not too often that I get all these guys together on the same stage, but when it happens it always blows the roof off."

Two Australians and an Irish-descended Brit who hooked up in Nashville, The Greencards splice timeless folk lyricism with mettlesome jam-band attitude. Described by Rosanne Cash as ‘a little island of Truth and Beauty in a sea of artifice and mediocrity’, they released their third album, Viridian, in 2007.

Fraser Fifield Band with the Nedyalko Nedyalkov Quartet & Cora Smyth
Sat 2 February, 8pm
£12.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite

The latest in western and eastern folk/fusion comes together in this collaborative encounter between Scotland’s Fraser Fifield Band, led by its eponymous, consistently inventive saxophonist, piper and whistle player, and Bulgaria’s foremost contemporary folk ensemble, Nedyalko Nedyalkov Quartet, combining an array of traditional instrumentation with the stunning vocals of Stoimenka Nedyalkov.

A featured soloist in Michael Flatley’s hit show Lord of the Dance, Mayo-born fiddler Cora Smyth also guested on the Chieftains’ Grammy-nominated album Water From the Well, before releasing an acclaimed duo CD with her whistle-playing sister, Breda, in 2005. Her eagerly-awaited solo debut, ‘Are We There Yet?, mixes up traditional and original tunes with Latin sizzle and urban grooves and her fantastic live show promises an exhilarating feast of audio and visuals.

Guitar Summit with Russ Barenberg & Bryan Sutton
Sat 2 February, 8pm
£12.50
St Andrew’s in the Square

A dream-team pairing of two breathtaking US guitar virtuosos, who between them have worked with Dolly Parton, Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris, Earl Scruggs, Tim O’Brien, the Dixie Chicks, Béla Fleck, Ricky Skaggs and many, many more.

Capercaillie with Kirsty McGee Hobopop Collective
Sat 2 February, 9:30pm
£16
Old Fruitmarket

Now firmly established as one of the world’s top contemporary Celtic acts, Capercaillie balance mature sophistication with unfailing enthusiasm for the music they play, from Karen Matheson’s sublime singing in Gaelic and English to barnstorming instrumentals.

Expect a fair few tasters from their eagerly-awaited new album, the band’s first studio recording since 2003’s Choice Language in what will be their debut Old Fruitmarket gig.

Their current line-up, described by MOJO as "a marriage made in heaven" continues to set the bar in Celtic music with a front line boasting Michael McGoldrick (flute), Charlie McKerron (fiddle) and in a chance to swap hats, the festival’s Artistic Director, Donald Shaw on accordion.

Kirsty McGee Hobopop Collective is the latest development in a career that has seen the talented singer songwriter go from strength to strength. The quartet has her constant musical sidekick and collaborator, Mat Martin joined by jazz bassist Nick Blacka and Rob Turner (drums) to bring a new dimension to the material and add a grainy groove to their already woody and mellow sound.

Celtic Connections Festival Ceilidhs
Sat 2 February, 10pm
£8
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Get your dancing shoes on! Enjoy the perfect post-concert fling or pre-festival warm up, with the brilliant Scott Harvey Ceilidh Band.

Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Sat 2 February, 10:30pm
£7.50
Central Hotel

The late night club ensures there is even more music to enjoy after all the gigs are over. Join local and international artists as they make special unbilled appearances or join in one of many sessions happening in the bars.

With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning whilst witnessing some of the best musical collaborations of the festival.

Master of ceremonies, Gibb Todd returns to present each act on stage and Doris Rougvie hosts The House of Song in a peaceful oasis away from the main stage.

 

The 15th Celtic Connections festival takes place over 19 days in January and February in 14 venues across Glasgow, Celtic Connections is the UK’s premier Celtic music festival, with over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops.

Tickets can be booked:

In person Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
2 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow, G2 3NY
City Halls and Old Fruitmarket
Candleriggs
Glasgow, G1 1NQ
By phone 0141 353 8000
Online www.celticconnections.com

For further information  check www.celticconnections.com.