Alasdair Fraser was born on may 14 May, 1955 in Clackmannan, Scotland. He is widely acclaimed as a top performer, recording artist and teacher of the rich fiddling tradition of his native Scotland.
His vast repertoire spans several centuries of Scottish music and also includes his own compositions, blending a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition. Fraser is justly renowned for his ability to communicate with his audience through his personal warmth and wit as well as through music. His richly expressive playing transports listeners across a broad spectrum ranging from haunting laments drawn from the Gaelic tradition to classically-styled airs and raucous dance tunes.
In addition to releasing critically acclaimed solo albums, Alasdair’s compositions and performances have also been included on top selling Celtic and New Age compilation albums (Celtic Twilight on the Hearts of Space label, and Wilderness Collection and Celtic Odyssey on Narada). His solo violin can be heard on the soundtracks of several major films, including The Last of the Mohicans and Titanic.
In May 1996, Alasdair’s album Dawn Dance received the prestigious NAIRD (now AFIM) Indie Award for best Celtic album of the Year. This is the first album by Alasdair to feature entirely his own compositions. The music brings together the best of Scottish, Baroque, Rock and Medieval/Ancient ideas and features some of the best musicians in these respective fields. Shortly after the release of Dawn Dance, Alasdair and the other musicians decided to name their band Skyedance.
In 2004, Fraser released Legacy of the Scottish Fiddle, Vol. 2. This series focused on the traditional Scottish fiddle repertoire. He was joined by Muriel Johnstone on piano and Natalie Haas on cello. The project was partially inspired by the wide-ranging book The Songs of Robert Burns by James C Dick, published in 1903.
Fraser has founded several summer fiddling programs in the USA, Spain and Australia.
In recent years, he has been touring and recording with American cellist Natalie Haas.
In 2014, he released Abundance, a recording that includes top Scottish and US musicians, including Capercaillie’s Donald Shaw; James MacIntosh of Shooglenifty; Brittany Haas; Corey DiMario of Crooked Still; Dominick Leslie of Bluegrass’ The Deadly Gentlemen; Hanneke Cassel; Stefan Amidon; and a Nashville brass section led by Kai Welch.
Syzygy (the joining of any two entities without losing the individual characteristics of either one), an album of original music composed and performed by Alasdair Fraser (fiddle) & Natalie Haas (cello) was released in 2020.
The duo said: “This word has SO many meanings – derived from the Greek and Latin words describing a state of “conjunction”. The word will whisk the inquiring mind down the proverbial rabbit hole and into the realms of astronomy, mathematics, biology, computers, Jungian philosophy and symbolism; gnosticism, yin yang, rhythmites, tides, and the subtle metric power of a poem – and then, most surprisingly perhaps, one is led to confront the concept of the “Caledonian antisysygy” – a condition claimed for Scotland by G. Gregory Smith in 1919 to describe the clash of extremes at the heart of the Scottish mind and character – a fine topic of conversation over the course of a wee post turkey dram!
While none of the above was on our mind while writing and playing this music, the word kept calling to us as a way to describe what we strive for in our fiddle and cello duo of over 20 years. This, our sixth album together, marks a culminating point on our musical journey. The compositions are original, shared equally, and enable us to celebrate our contrasting backgrounds, experiences and world views while engaging in a dance-like celebration of two instruments in deep and playful conversation, seeking moments of both sophistication and vigor while relishing the ancient and modern. The tunes are rooted in tradition as always – weddings and newborns, bicycle mishaps, Scottish landscapes and Nordic heroes, Broadway and family, myths, jesters and troubadours – and then there’s that antisyzygy again- a “zigzag of contradictions”!“
Fraser lives in northern California, in the United States.
Discography
Portrait of a Scottish Fiddler (Brownrigg Productions, 1982)
Skyedance, with Paul Machlis (Culburnie Records, 1985)The Road North, with Paul Machlis (Sona Gaia/Narada, 1987)
The Driven Bow, with Jody Stecher (1989)
Dawn Dance (Culburnie Records, 1996)
Way Out to Hope Street, with Skyedance Band (1997)
Return to Kintail, with Tony McManus (Culburnie Records, 1999)
Labyrinth, with Skyedance Band (2000)
Legacy of the Scottish Fiddle, Vol 1, with Paul Machlis (Piano) and Natalie Haas (Cello) – released 2002
Live in Spain, with Skyedance Band – released 2002
Legacy of the Scottish Fiddle, Vol 2, with Muriel Johnstone and Natalie Haas (Culburnie Records, 2004)
Fire and Grace, with Natalie Haas (Greentrax Records, 2004)
In the Moment, with Natalie Haas (Culburnie Records, 2007)
Highlander’s Farewell, with Natalie Haas (Culburnie Records, 2011)
Abundance, with Natalie Haas (Culburnie Records, 2014)
Ports of Call, with Natalie Haas (Culburnie Records, 2017)
Syzygy (Culburnie Records, 2021)
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.
Updated biography and discography