Scottish fiddle player Adam Sutherland is probably best known for playing in The Treacherous Orchestra, Session A9, Peatbog Faeries and Croft no. Five; all bands at the cutting edge of Traditional Scottish music fusion. Squall is his solo debut featuring all his own compositions. Although not obvious (no sound of clapping or audience ambience) the album was recorded live in the games room of The Ceilidh Place in Ullapool in the North West Highlands. The CD has a nice design touch and features photos of everyone taken in a specially crafted booth (Limited Edition).
The music, despite the more fusion driven bands he has played in, is a more relaxed and sedate affair with airs, waltzes and reels, a lot more than a stones throw away from the electrical current generated in the acid crofter belt. There are other elements in there, jazz maybe being the more obvious on the likes of the swinging Mad Mike’s Return to Rum. The fiddle is largely centre stage alongside Iain Copeland on percussion and they both make a fine display on the title track Squall with it’s more experimental edge, a back drop of ambience that make the fiddle sound like a slowly brewing storm.
Another fine fiddle player to watch for on the vibrant Scottish music scene!
Squall is available as a Limited Edtion CD available on Bandcamp.