> T > I agree with Jan. I think I would have put "Portrait..." as his most > traditional album but it's been a while since I've heard it and I may be > misremembering it.
Yeah, I totally forgot about that album. It's probably more traditional then "The Driven Bow". > Toby, your definition of "fusion" must be different than mine; when I > think of fusion I think of groups like The Peatbog Faeries and > Shooglenifty, not Alasdair Fraser! What are you defining his style as a > fusion of? Alasdair definately let's all of his influences come out in his recordings.. Which I think is pretty cool.. It's obvious that he's listened to jazz. Especially some of the newer jazz players. "Fusion" is anything that isn't strictly traditional. Even in a totally tradition-bound place like Cape Breton, it's pretty easy to tell. I'll use two really outstanding players as examples: Fr. Morris Rankin -> Plays some very tasty tunes in the "Mabou Coal Mines Style", and even composes new tunes that sound like they were written a long time ago. He sounds alot like all the guys who came before him, well at least going back to the wire recordings. Except of course he has his own distinct voice on the instrument, which every good player does. Ashley MacIsaac -> Plays old tunes, plays new tunes. Improvises on tunes, puts them together in unexpected ways. He's from Cregnish, but he can easily mimic the sound of every regional dialect of music on the island. He sometimes has unusual accompaniment, sometimes very traditional accompaniment. He's incorporates elements of grunge rock, techno, hip hop and new wave into his recordings.. He's not afraid to be really out there. Sometimes it's hugely successful, sometimes it's not. The thing is, he's not afraid to try, plus he has an excellent grounding in the tradition, which is a requirement if you're going to experiment. Why do I think fusions are good? Because they're a more accessible introduction into traditional music. Kind of like a stepping-stone drug :-) Toby Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
