Last year, Jenny Sturgeon (Salt House and Northern Flyway), released her second solo album The Living Mountain which she is currently touring (dates below). In his review of the album, Thomas Blake touched on the work of Nan Shepherd, the album is named after her well-known book which often inspires “a kind of quiet and lyrical fanaticism in its readers”. He makes the point that the album is perhaps the “most loving and thorough tribute the book has received.” He further adds “…it is more than a tribute. It seeks to reflect and interact with the Cairngorms in the same way that Shepherd’s book did, and Sturgeon has gone to extraordinarily detailed and loving lengths to make sure it succeeds. The result is something that stands alongside the book and alongside the mountains and has a kind of symbiotic relationship with both.” He concludes “She has created a work of rare beauty: to hear The Living Mountain is to hear the song of the Cairngorms.”
The album featured Mairi Campbell on viola and vocals, Su-a Lee on cello, Grant Anderson on bass and vocals, and sound recordings from Jez Riley-French and Magnus Robb. Today, Jenny treats us to an acoustic take on The Recesses, recorded live at The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.
The Recesses is a lesson in restraint, a hymn to the mountain’s smallest, darkest corners, but also to the vastness of existence. The lyrics are all wonder and simplicity, and it is all tied together by Sturgeon’s singing, awed but always in control. Thomas Blake
In a later interview (read it here), Jenny tells us of Shepherd: ‘Nan had great respect for the mountains and this comes across in her writing. She was an observer, a small part of something bigger. But what she did was incredible. Much more impressive and groundbreaking than sticking a flag on the top of a mountain. She was a quiet revolutionary…” Don’t miss the opportunity of catching her live, see dates below.
Jenny Sturgeon – The Living Mountain Tour
18th November 2021 – Portgordon Village Hall, Moray
19th November 2021 – Crafts and Things, Glencoe
20th November 2021 – Universal Hall, Findhorn
21st November 2021 – Eden Court, Inverness
22nd November 2021 – Hug and Pint, Glasgow
23rd November 2021 – Eastgate Theatre, Peebles
24th November 2021 – The Tree House Bookshop, Kenilworth
27th November 2021 – Thimblemill Library, Birmingham
28th November 2021 – Green Note, London
Ticket links and more details here: https://www.jennysturgeonmusic.com/gigs