Born in Edinburgh (Scotland), Ian Hardie lived in Nairn (northeast of Inverness). Ian Hardie earned a great reputation not only as an exceptional fiddle player but also as a creative composer and bassist. He was a member of notable Scottish bands such as Jock Tamson’s Bairns and Highland Connection.
Ian was well-known as a composer with several albums and three tune books of own composition since 1986. Numerous other artists play and have recorded his tunes.
Ian Hardie was editor of The Nineties Collection, a signature volume of new traditional-style composition in Scotland in the 1990s, Ian Hardie was also integral to the two recordings featuring tunes from the Collection as well as touring the music with the five-piece version of The Ghillies.
Inspired by his exposure to Appalachian music and dance while performing at the 2003 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ian Hardie traveled extensively to The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia in 2005 and 2006 to immerse himself in the music and culture of the old time community. The result is an album titled Westringing that features newly composed melodies as well as tunes from Shetland, the Highland bagpipe repertoire and his own fiddle pibroch.
Westringing was a significant, new direction for Ian Hardie after over 35 years of involvement in the Scottish Folk scene.
For many years, Ian Hardie combined music with full time (then part time) practice as a lawyer but in 2001 he became exclusively involved in music and enjoyment of the many benefits of life in the Scottish Highlands from his seaside home in Nairn.
During his last years, he was mostly involved in playing for dance with top Edinburgh ceilidh band The Occasionals and Highland reels and ceilidh trio The Ghillies – with Duncan MacGillivray and Andy Thorburn – plus some duo work with Duncan.
Ian Hardie passed away in October 2012 from a brain tumor.
Discography
* Sandy Bells Ceilidh, with Bell’s Big Ceilidh Band (1977)
* Jock Tamson’s Bairn, with Jock Tamson’s Bairn (1980)
* The Lasses Fashion, with Jock Tamson’s Bairn (1982)
* A Breath of Fresh Airs (Greentrax, 1986)
* A Breath of Fresher Airs (Greentrax, 1992)
* Gaining Ground, with Highland Connection (Greentrax, 1994)
* A’ Jock Tamson’s Bairns (Greentrax CDTRAX 112, 1996)
* Nineties Collection Vol. 2, with The Ghillies (1997)
* http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000062AK?ieUTF8&tag=musidelmund-20&linkCo=dexm2&camp1789&creativeASINB0000062AK | The Spider’s Web, with Andy Thorburn (1998)
* Live At the Music Hall, Aberdeen, with The Occasionals (1999)
* May you Never Lack a Scone, with Jock Tamson’s Bairns (2001)
* Reel of Four, with The Occasionals (2004)
* Rare, with Jock Tamson’s Bairns (2005)
* Down to the Hall, with The Occasionals (2006)
* Westringing (2007)
* Birling, with The Occasionals (2012)
Publications
* A Breath of Fresh Airs, 54 Original Tunes (1986)
* A Breath of Fresher Airs, 56 Original Tunes (1991)
* The Spider’s Web, 84 Original Tunes (1998)
* The Nineties Collection, as Editor (1995)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
