Kevin Henderson began playing the fiddle at the age of nine and after a brief initial spell with highly renowned Shetland fiddler and tutor Trevor Hunter Kevin was given the opportunity to take lessons in school with master fiddler Willie Hunter arguably Shetlands finest ever fiddler. Through Willie’s inspiration and encouragement Kevin’s playing went from strength to strength and when aged eleven took the title of ‘Shetlands Young Fiddler of the Year’ in the intermediate section of the competition.
As well as playing with Fiddlers’ Bid and Boys of the Lough Kevin plays regularly with one of Scotland’s leading fiddle groups Session A9 who were formed by Capercaille fiddler Charlie McKerron. Kevin has also appeared with The Finlay Macdonald Band Fine Friday and The Emily Smith Band and has featured as a session musician on a number of recordings including a sound track for a BBC Scotland documentary with the legendary Irish singer Shane McGowan.
Kevin has also worked with Shetland fiddler Jenna Reid and Edinburgh guitarist Kevin Mackenzie on a trio project and to date they have completed two tours of Sweden and plan to record their first album later in the year. Kevin has taught at various festivals and workshops and was asked to be on the judging panel for the semi-final of the BBC Scottish Young Musician of the Year competition for 2005.
Kevin Henderson is one of the founders of The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, along with Olav Luksengård Mjelva (Norway) and Anders Hall (Sweden). The trio play superb contemporary folk music rooted in northern European traditions. The group was founded in 2009.
In 2011, he released his first solo album, Fin Da Laand Ageen, to critical acclaim.
In 2020, Henderson released Burden Lake with pianist Neil Pearlman.
in 2021, he released Bonfrost, the third album from The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc. The songs range from deeply traditional to innovative originals like “Adam’s Nightmare” and “Don’t Drink and Dance”. And for the first time the trio included solo tracks that highlight each of their traditions.
Discography:
Fin da Laand Ageen (2011)
The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc (Etnisk Musikklubb, 2011)
Deliverance (NFB Records, 2016)
Burden Lake (2020)
Bonfrost (NFB Records, 2021)
Headline image: Kevin Henderson – Photo by Sophie Bech
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.