Reviews
The List | 22nd Jan 09 | Bridging the Gap
Fiddler Patsy Reid's contribution to last year's New Voices series
at Celtic Connections allowed her to exercise both her expertise in traditional
music and her classical training in a suite designed to bring those poles together.
It is structured in three movements in reference to the classical concerto form,
but with each segment within the movements based on a traditional reel, jig,
slow air, march, Strathspey or hornpipe, set in a specific mode.
Reid is the principal soloist in a fine ensemble that also features fellow fiddlers
Aidan O'Rourke and Anna Wendy Stevenson. The attractive and coherent suite is
skillfully constructed and beautifully performed, and provides another feather
in the cap for a series that has consistently encouraged imaginative young musicians
to think outside of the usual forms and structures of traditional music, often
with similarly impressive results that haven't always made it onto disc.
By KENNY MATHIESON
Folk and Roots| Jan 09 | Bridging the Gap
Patsy Reid is a Perthshire based fiddler,composer and teacher, who
in a few short years has built up an impressive biography, in 2001 she was one
of the finalists in the first BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year, the
youngest winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship, a graduate of The Royal
Northern College of Music and is currently a member of the highly regarded and
rising stars of the folk circuit Breabach.
In 2008 Celtic Connections New Voices commissioned Reid to produce the show
'Bridging the Gap' which does precisely that, bridging the gap between Reid's
love and background in both Classical and Traditional Music, the live show at
the Festival last year (2008) was extremely well received and consequently the
live recording was later released by Vertical Records.
'Bridging The Gap' itself is composed of nine self composed melodies and is
divided into three movements fusing the different modes of classical music into
jigs, reels, airs and hornpipes, the performance is centred around Reid's solo
fiddle accompanied by a eight strong string section, guitar percussion and piano,
accompanied by (amongst others) Mhairi Hall (piano), Aidan O'Rourke, Deidre
Morrison and Wendy Stevenson (fiddle), Duncan Lyall (Double Bass). The first
movement is composed of four tunes, Baby Broon, Space to Breathe, Slowing Down
and Vanessa Edward's Enviable Rhythm, opening with Reid's solo fiddle introducing
the Reel Baby Broon providing the focus for what is to follow, she is quickly
joined by the full ensemble mentioned above, the tempo changes to the following
Jig 'Space to Breathe' and the Slow Air 'Slowing Air', all of which is seemlessly
moved between with apparant ease. The remaining two movements also provide similar
fusion of classical and traditional styles with Reid regularly pushing boundaries
whilst at the same time maintaining the depth and beauty of the whole piece.
The personal highlight for me was the second movement of the three consisting
of 'The Strath Sunrise' a slow and very evocative Air in the lydian mode followed
by the one march of the piece 'Two of a Kind', whilst the Air was perhaps the
more orchestral piece of the performance the March follows the reflective nature
of the Air with a different 'beat' nicely reflecting the diversity of the entire
performance.
Indeed a shame that the performance was a one off, finally the CD sleeve is
quite useful for giving a little background into the different classical modes
and how they are defined, but thats not necessary here, other than to say Reid
has produced an outstanding work that will pay testament to her skill in both
performance and composition for some time, it certainly bodes extremely well
for Reid's future career.
The Irish World | 21st Jan 09 | Bridging the Gap
REID ALL ABOUT IT - If I was a talented young fiddler
that was still in her twenties, I would be more than pleased with myself upon
the release of this sumptuous, wide-reaching, mature-sounding album. Perthshire-born
Patsy Reid’s three- part fiddle concerto for Celtic Connections 08, ‘Bridging
the Gap,’ has succeeded in creating an attractive fusion of Scottish traditional
and classical music where other, more experienced names have been unable to
deliver. It doesn’t just ‘bridge the gap’ – it lays
down a sparkling tapestry between the two genres. Not so surprising you might
say, given that Reid is already acclaimed as an excellent fiddle player, and
the eleven musicians she drafted in for this recording are meticulously selected
and no less impressive: Mairi Campbell, Aidan O'Rourke, Natalie Haas, Duncan
Lyall and Anna Wendy Stevenson join her on various fiddles, while Iain Copeland
provides the rhythm. Yet Reid likes thinking outside the box, as not only did
she compose the music (it includes 9 original compositions), but she brought
in all seven melodic modes in each jig, reel or air moving beyond the well-trodden
path of Aeolian and Ionian (the major and the minor), and introducing the Mixolydian
Scottish bagpipe scale and the Dorian mode, the Phrygian and Locrian modes.
Not obvious choices at all and, though not always ‘beautiful’ to
listen to, they work surprisingly well. Reid is soloist and is joined by a nine-piece
string section of double bass, cello, viola and violin/fiddle, with extra drive
provided in the form of guitar, piano and percussion and the company takes the
listener on a journey through each mode. Talk of modes is all very impressive,
but you don’t need to understand it to appreciate this stuff. Bridging
the Gap is really excellent stuff – there’s so much pushing of the
envelope and imagination displayed in this album that it’s hard to imagine
what Reid might offer up next! By SHELLY MARSDEN
Alex Monaghan | 2nd Dec 08 | Bridging the Gap
This is an astonishingly good CD. Bigger names than Patsy Reid have
failed to impress when asked to blend folk and classical music for Celtic Connections,
but her three-movement fiddle concerto is a total triumph. In some ways, the
quality was never in doubt: Patsy's fiddle credentials were underlined by her
recent CD With Complements, and she has enlisted several other stars of traditional
music to assist in this live recording. Mairi Campbell, Aidan O'Rourke, Natalie
Haas, Duncan Lyall and Anna Wendy Stevenson join her on fiddles of various sizes,
while Iain Copeland provides the beat. On the other hand, in addition to taking
on all the composing duties, Patsy chose to include all seven melodic modes
in this work: not just the familiar Ionian and Aeolian modes, representing the
major and minor scales, but also the Mixolydian Scottish bagpipe scale and the
related Dorian mode, and even the downright unpopular Phrygian and Locrian modes,
a risky business. Plainly put, this means that some of the tunes here sound
a bit weird, but it still all works.
Bridging the Gap is divided into three movements. The first includes four tunes:
Baby Broon, Space to Breathe, Slowing Down, and Vanessa Edward's Enviable Rhythm.
Starting with a splendid minor reel, the tempo moves to a slow jig and then
to a sumptuous slow air. So far there's nothing which would be out of place
on any modern Scottish album, but the 7/8 rhythm of the final theme immediately
cries "Balkan", emphasised by the Dorian mode of this hypnotic tune.
The second movement contains the much more orchestral Strath Sunrise, an evocative
piece in the Scandinavian-sounding Lydian mode, almost a tone poem, followed
by Two of a Kind as a bagpipe-style military march.
The final movement reprises Baby Broon before launching into a four-part medley.
The powerful strathspey Not From These Parts echoes a small number of older
Scottish melodies in the Phrygian mode, often ascribed to trollish or faerie
musicians. Parts of this track slip into the Locrian mode, adding a manic edge
to the melody. Five is Better is firmly in 4/4 time, so I presume it refers
to the five-string fiddle which Patsy plays here: the lack of notes on the tunes
is my only real criticism of this release. At the Edge is an atmospheric slow
reel, and the final hornpipe Life is Good certainly left me feeling that way.
Classical or jazz gurus might mention the counterpoint and structure, the riffs
and grooves, but for me these just add depth and lift to what is essentially
an excellent recording of contemporary Scottish fiddle. Yes, it blends in other
influences. Yes, it pushes the envelope of modes and rhythms. No, I don't mind
that: Patsy Reid has done a perfect job of weaving all these strands into one
cloth, giving us great width without compromising on quality. Bridging the Gap
is definitely in my 2008 top ten.
By ALEX MONAGHAN
Folking.com | 30th Nov 08 | Bridging the Gap
Bridging The Gap offers so much more than purely an album of recorded music
-- it is an ambitious work of art, that is at times understated, at times sumptuous.
Comprising nine original compositions, Reid has masterfully fused classical
and Scottish traditional influences in a remarkably mature piece of work that
evokes the sounds of such luminaries as Shaun Davey or Mícheál
Ó Súilleabháin. That her work merits worthy comparison
with such esteemed names is all the more remarkable given that Reid is still
in her twenties.
Accompanying Reid are eleven carefully selected musicians who effortlessly combine
the poised elegance of classically trained musicians with the fiery passion
of traditional music. Including Reid herself, there is a nine-piece string section
of double bass, cello, viola and violin/fiddle, with extra muscle provided by
guitar, piano and percussion. Bridging The Gap takes the listener on a journey
through the seven modern modes of music, with each composition embracing a particular
mode within the form of a reel, jig, slow air, march, hornpipe, strathspey or
a 7/8 tune. Though sounding very impressive, you don't really need to know all
this, as the album stands alone as a wholly engaging and intuitively accomplished
piece of work.
Recorded live at Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival in February 2008, the
album is split in to three movements, each seamlessly encasing a number of the
aforementioned modes and melodies. The reel "Baby Broom" starts off
teasingly with a lone fiddle playing out the melody, before you are hit with
the full and glorious force of the whole ensemble. Throughout the recording,
vivid guitar, double bass and percussion lend a potent rhythmic drive, turning
the whole performance in to a real tour de force, and lending an irrefutable
appeal alongside the unwavering aplomb of the strings. Of particular beauty
is "The Strath Sunrise," a beguiling slow air that demonstrates utmost
restraint with a replete arrangement that sounds both reflective and sanguine.
Bridging The Gap is a mighty piece of work for Reid to produce at such an early
stage of her career, and is sure to be recognised as a seminal recording, signifying
the arrival of a bold and intelligent composition talent. This is an undeniably
exceptional piece of work that will stand proud for many years to come. With
such quality and depth, the music world really could be Patsy Reid's oyster.
By MIKE WILSON
The Scotsman | 28th Nov 08 | Bridging the Gap
**** ALTHOUGH easy to overlook amid the ever-burgeoning attractions
of Celtic Connections, the festival's New Voices commissions have produced some
memorable contributions, and allowed imaginative young musicians a chance to
think outside of the usual forms and structures of traditional music. Fiddler
Patsy Reid, currently a member of Breabach, brought both her traditional expertise
and her classical training to bear on this emblematically titled contribution
last year.
The piece is structured in three movements in the manner of a concerto, with
Reid as soloist and an excellent ensemble that also features Aidan O'Rourke
and Anna Wendy Stevenson among the fiddlers.
Each segment within the movements is based on a traditional form – reel,
jig, slow air, march, Strathspey or hornpipe – set in a specific mode,
and adds up to an attractive and skilfully assembled work that is coherent,
imaginative and beautifully performed. By KENNY MATHIESON
"At the time of recording 'With Complements' Patsy Reid was nineteen and in her third year at Strathclyde University studying Applied Music. Her playing on the said CD is of such maturity and sheer class that one wonders what heights she will achieve in the future, the highest without doubt. She has already won the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship at Blair Castle in 1998 and 1999.
Patsy is from the village of Knapp in Perthshire. She started to play at the age of eight and when she was ten attended a Natalie MacMaster concert, the effect of this experience was to fire her interest in different fiddle styles. The results of this interest manifests itself on 'With Complements' with beautiful performances of tunes from all parts of Scotland as well as Cape Breton, America and Ireland. She is also a very gifted composer. It is my opinion that it is a sign of great talent and a complement to the composer if modern/self composed tunes do not stick out like the proverbial sore thumb in the overall program, on this score Patsy wins hands down.
With Complements
is a CD of the finest fiddle music played with elegance and a deftness of
touch second to none. From the delicate and intricate slow airs to lively
reels, jigs, strathspeys and marches. Patsy places great importance on appropriate
accompaniment to emphasise the different fiddle styles. She is of course
correct in thais and could not have chosen better musicians for the task.
On different tracks she is joined by Declan Hegarty - Irish Harp, Harvey
Beaton - Piano (and one track step-dancing), Gill Simpson - Piano, Keith
Morrison - Piano and Guitar and Alasdair White - Bouzouki and Mandolin.
WIth Complements is Patsy Reid's debut album and I hope there will be many
more. Wonderful stuff and highly recommended."
The Living
Tradition
"And
what complements they are! Patsy's own skills on fiddle, viola and piano
are deservedly well to the fore, but the accompaniments played by her friends
really make this a special project. Harvey Beaton from Nova Scotia plays
piano - and feet - for the Cape Breton numbers; Alasdair White joins in
on bouzouki and mandolin; Keith Morrison points up the piano and guitar,
Declan Hegarty plays gorgeous Irish harp, and Gill Simpson tickles the ivories
in slow and quick time. Pan-Celtic fiddle superbly played and accompanied;
Shetland, New England, Irish, Highland, Orkney Cape Breton....tunes from
all over."
tradmusic.com
Born and bred in Perthshire, Patsy Reid won two Glenfiddich fiddle titles before starting a music degree in Glasgow. Here she's joined by several friends who have shaped her style: Irish harpist Declan Hegarty, Battlefield fiddler Alasdair White on bouzouki here, and pianists including Cape Breton's Harvey Beaton, Dundee's Gill Simpson, and Keith Morrison from Lewis who doubles up on guitar. Patsy plays fiddle and viola, and takes over at the piano for one track just to show the others how it's done.
The overall sound on this debut CD is fairly traditional, fiddle with piano on most tracks, and the North East repertoire is well represented with tunes by Gow, Marshall and Skinner. There's more than a hint of Cape Breton music too, with a couple of lovely Brenda Stubbert tunes (not the ones everyone plays) and several traditional medleys with that scintillating Maritime piano style. Add a good couple of Irish tunes, many learnt from Martin Hayes, and a stonking Shetland set, and the CD is starting to fill up. Patsy still squeezes in a couple of New England fiddle tunes, plus two of her own compositions; the lovely waltz 'Fiona', and the spirited reel 'Midnight Cruise to Inverie'.
The most impressive thing about this recording is the way Patsy can change the sound of her fiddle. At times her tone is exquisite: on 'Hector the Hero', a tune trotted out by everyone from Tommy Peoples to Wolfstone, the sweetness is almost unbearable. At other times, tone takes a back seat while rhythm and energy do the driving: listen to the snap in 'Athole Brose', and the power in 'Da Ness O' Soond'. Other memorable moments are the lively versions of 'Cooley's Jig' and 'Miss Sarah MacFadyen', the perfectly placed rendition of that great reel 'The Otter's Holt', and the glorious combination of fiddle and harp on the slow air 'Archibald MacDonald of Kepoch' which bravely opens this album. My warmest compliments to Patsy on a very impressive debut."
"This is the debut CD from talented fiddler Patsy Reid from Kanpp in Perthshire. Declan Hegarty (Irish Harp), Harvey Beaton (piano and step-dancing), Gill Simpson (piano), Keith Morrison (piano and guitar) and Alasdair White (bouzouki and mandolin) accompany her on the various tracks.
On this recording Patsy takes us on a musical journey of tunescrossing over to Cape Breton, America, Ireland, Shetland, Orkney and back to mainland Scotland. There are thirteen tracks with varied tempos. Patsy demonstrates her affinity with other Celtic styles and shows her natural talent and ability to pick up and play tunes like a "local". She has a great ear for music and she is not a bad composer either, with a couple of good tunes, one of them called 'Fiona', a relfective slow air where Patsy plays piano and multi-tracks the fiddle and viola parts. (Makes us mere mortals sick with envy at this teenager's massive talent.)
This is a
fantastic recording, as it shows Patsy in a totally different light. She
is not only a good dance band fiddler, she is a superb all round musician."
The Box and
Fiddle
"With Complements is not a spelling error; it's how Perthshire fiddler, composer and Strathclyde music student Patsy Reid acknowledges the guest musicians on her debut album who complement her own music. These are her fellow student at Strathclyde, Declan Hegarty, who plays harp on three tracks, Dundee-based Gill Simpson, who plays piano on another three, and Nova Scotian step-dancing teacher Harvey Beaton, for whom Patsy plays at his step-dancing classes in Sabhal Mor Ostaig on Skye. Here Harvey offers piano and step-dancing, the latter on the same track as he tickles the ivories - no small feat (no pun intended!) - unless of course I'm a bit behind in e-technology as applied to music.
Patsy is a
new talent, equally at home with Scottish, Irish, HIghland and Cape Breton
idioms, and on this showing will have no trouble remaining an established
but nevertheless exciting talent for as long as she cares to. Incedentally,
as so many place names from this magazine's heartland have been mentioned,
I might as well go the whole hog and say the record was produced in the
heart of the kingdom of Fife."
The Scots
Magazine
"Perthshire
fiddler Patsy Reid's home-produced release, available on her own website,
sees the 19-year-old demonstrate why she was named Glenfiddich Fiddle Champoin
two years running. She dips into Lowland, Irish, Highland and Cape Breton
idioms with all the assurance of a native. The eponymous "complements"
include Battlefield Band's Alasdair White, harpist Declan Hegarty and various
pianoists, among them Nova Scotian Harvey Beaton who adds a spot of step-dance
percussion with his flying feet - but their contributions just highlight
Reid's Skills."
The Inverness
Courier
"With
Complements, the debut album by the young Scottish Fiddler Patsy Reid, is
all about juxtapositions, of instruments and musical styles. Patsy takes
lead on all tracks, playing all fiddle and viola parts, and one air on piano,
using a number of different accompaniments to complement the different tunes."
Green Man
Review
