ali hutton

Edinburgh Tradfest’s new Spotlight season kicks off with four new online video concerts including Old Blind Dogs, Siobhan Miller, Catriona MacDonald, Margaret Robertson and Malin.

Ali Hutton & Laura-Beth Salter go in search of common ground as they pair up as new duo “From The Ground” and release their debut EP ‘Beginnings’.

Having shared our Top 100 Albums of 2018, it’s time for a few select Top 10 albums of the year from some of our Feature writers. Neil McFadyen shares his Top 10 albums that have made the strongest impact on him in the last year.

Part Two of our Best Folk Albums of 2018 includes Ben Glover, Faeland, Shooglenifty, Brona McVittie, Emma Tricca, Glenn Jones, Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, Rachael McShane, John Smith, Kacy & Clayton and lots more.

Ross Ainslie And Ali Hutton have shared their video for Birds, taken from their Symbiosis II album which is in the Scots Trad Music Awards shortlist for Best Album this year. The video was created by Somhairle MacDonald.

Watch Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton in a ten-piece collective performing four tracks from their latest album Symbiosis II plus listen to Ross Ainslie’s new single with Runrig guitarist Malcolm Jones called Hope in the Chaos.

Watch Ross and Ali, with a full band and string section, performing ‘Action’ at the Drygate in Glasgow for the launch of their new album Symbiosis II.

Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton have yet again proven themselves to be not only masters of Scottish traditional music but at the very forefront of the movement that continues to breathe new life into that music, inspiring the next generation. Symbiosis was beguiling, Symbiosis II is utterly hypnotic.

Following on from the success of their debut album ‘Symbiosis’ Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton will release their second album ‘Symbiosis II’ this spring (20 April). Take a listen to the track Birds.

The very nature of Celtic Connections means there are a wealth of exciting collaborations, formed without much time for rehearsal, and they can be all the more exciting for it. However, when something as carefully planned, and as perfectly executed, as Duncan Chisholm’s The Gathering takes place the results are captivating and memorable.

Symbiosis sees Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton bring their musical intuition and unity to the studio in a collection of tune sets that expertly brings their combined skills as composers, multi-instrumentalists, and arrangers to an eager audience.

Our Song of the Day comes from Ross Ainslie & Jarlath Henderson, accompanied by Ali Hutton on guitar. The set begins with the beautiful The Mountain Streams Where The Moorcock Crows and ends on a fantastic, breath-taking finale.

What impresses most about ‘Woven’ is Sarah’s skill as an arranger; an interpreter of song, story and music. In taking these snatches and fragments of traditional song, adding her own intricate and fascinating musical themes and merging them into a narrative on the fleeting but complex nature of human existence, she has created an utterly compelling tapestry.

This year’s MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards shortlist is announced and voting is now open to the public. We’ve put together a preview of many of the nominations which you can listen to here.

Ross Ainslie brings together a highly talented cast on his latest album Remembering, all of whom are aware of the uniqueness of this project; and that awareness shines through in the music. This is a substantial step forward for Ross.

With Despite the Dark, Rura have not only produced an album of its time for Scotland, but one with the musical breadth and strength to ensure it will appeal to a far wider audience. This is a band growing in stature and confidence, brimming with originality and innovation.

We talk to Duncan Chisholm who brings his Strathglass trilogy to a conclusion with Affric which celebrates his connection with his ancestral home featuring some of the most dramatic and breathtaking landscapes in Scotland.

Scottish folk singer Emily Smith is on the road with a tour of mainland Europe taking in Germany, Austria and Switzerland before returning home to Scotland. She’s also going to appear on BBC Alba soon.