Tune Up Podcast

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 10: Going Across The Sea

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:58:17 +0100

It all started with a session. In August 2007, Betse Ellis and Tim Matthew sat behind the Famous Spiegeltent during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, trading Scottish and American fiddle tunes when Betse said to Tim "we ought to do this more often". These concerts will feature both traditional Scottish music and its American counterparts, and American music that influences current day Scottish musicians (and vice versa). Named for a traditional fiddle tune and song, "Across the Sea" celebrates an interchange of musical ideas from the past and present, but rather than examine this migrated music from an analytical or musicological perspective, it will be done via a live-performance and concert format that will bring the well-catalogued historical travel to life. The tour features some of the finest musicians from all over the world. From Scotland, Kris Drever (Traditional Instrumentalist of the Year - 2008), from Ireland Eamonn Coyne (Salsa Celtica) and from the US Betse Ellis, Caleb Klauder & Sammy Lind.

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 9: James Yorkston & Lisa Knapp

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:41:56 +0100

A collaborative tour bringing together two major names from the nu-folk field; James Yorkston from Scotland and rising star Lisa Knapp from England. Featuring work from new albums by each artist and with accompanying musicians drawn from the bands of both artists, this is their first Scottish tour. "A couple of my favourite aspects of being a working musician are visiting interesting places and collaborating with other musicians. Tune-Up allows for both - a great prospect. I've worked with Lisa Knapp before, but only on one-off events; the thought of playing with her and her band throughout a tour is something I look forward to. Musically, I expect this tour to be one of the highlights of an already busy looking year." James Yorkston

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 8: De Rosa

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:10:52 +0000

De Rosa's strengths lie in their ability to fashion unforgettable melodies from unconventional song structures; Martin Henry's contemplative, vivid lyrics - often referencing local areas from his native Lanarkshire – tend to linger in the memory long after the music has faded, which, given the scarcity of genuinely affecting music nowadays, ought to elevate De Rosa to the ranks of Scotland's finest songwriters. Following the critical acclaim heaped on their debut Mend (one of MOJO's Albums of 2006), and the drafting in of an additional member, the band set about perfecting their unique blend of urban, parochial folk and angular, twisted guitar lines, enhanced considerably this time round with layers of keyboards and electronica.

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 7: Catriona Mckay

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:11:22 +0000

Norway's leading Hardanger fiddler Nils Økland and Scottish harpist Catriona Mackay perform ancient and contemporary interpretations of traditional folk from Norway and the northern reaches of Scotland. Catriona McKay and Nils Økland have established themselves as two of the leading lights of the contemporary folk scene in the UK and Scandinavia. They are vital links between ancient musical traditions and the future; using the language of their heritage to create new sound worlds. There is also a deep historical resonance to this collaboration as the links between Norway and the northernmost edges of Scotland date back many centuries, with Shetland and Orkney under the jurisdiction of Norway until the late 15th Century. The language, people, place names and the music still have roots that reveal Norse influences.

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 6: Hebrides Ensemble

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:24:00 +0000

As one of Scotland's most respected ensembles and foremost chamber group, the Hebrides Ensemble present On The Brink: a beautiful and powerful programme of music written in Nazi concentration camps that celebrates the flowering of the human spirit in the most inhumane of circumstances. On The Brink is a programme of music written between 1939 and 1941 that includes work by major composers Gordon Klein and Hans Krasa written when they were both held in the Theresienstadt Camp in Nazi Germany. Hans Krasa was eventually sent off to Auschwitz, from which he never returned. The Second World War also almost ended Bela Bartok's career; he wrote his String quartet No 6 just before fleeing Hungary for the US. PROGRAMME Kaddish: The Jewish Prayer for the Dead Gideon Klein: String Trio Hans Krasa: Passacaglia and Fugue Bela Bartok: String Quartet No. 6

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 5: Rhumba Caliente

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:11:24 +0000

Rumba Caliente are one of the U.K.'s most exciting dance floor jazz groups with a unique and original Afro-Latin/Salsa-Soul sound. Led by Salsa Celtica's Toby Shippey and featuring Lino Rocha on lead vocals, the group were formed around the Edinburgh and Glasgow club scene bringing their mix of roots Afro Cuban, New York Latin jazz/soul, South American salsa and UK jazz to a normally DJ led club audience. Combining musicians from the heartlands of salsa (Venezuela, Cuba and New York) with some of Scotland's most exciting jazz and world music players the group effortlessly move from salsa to soul, latin-jazz to funk, raga to rumba and back to salsa again. The group have built a fantastic reputation for thrilling live shows, playing Jazz and World music festivals throughout the UK and Europe, and have appeared live in session on Radio Scotland, Radio 2 and 3. Thanks to the Tune Up tour fund Rumba Caliente will be taking their urban Latino sound to the East, West, North and South of Scotland for a pure latin-jazz celebration taking in everything from village halls to city club venues and concert halls. The tour will have two legs: October and March) with the group heading to the studio to record an album at the end of the first season (to be released on London's Freestyle label in 2009).

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 4: Arild Andersen, Paolo Vinaccia and Tommy Smith

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:43:52 +0000

"The trio of Arild Andersen, Tommy Smith and Paolo Vinaccia is one of the most exciting new groups to appear on the European jazz scene in years. Anchored by the massively sonorous, muscular double bass playing of Andersen, who has been one of the major figures in Scandinavian jazz since his early 1970s work with Jan Garbarek, the group marries melodic invention with crisp rhythms and rich colouring. Scottish saxophonist Smith's tough yet tender tenor playing and Italian-born, Norwegian-based Vinaccia's creative, imaginative drumming combine with Andersen's remarkable flexibility and use of multi-layered lines to create a sound that's orchestral in scope and yet superbly mobile."

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 3: Under One Sky

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:17:47 +0000

First premiered at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2007 this Tune Up sponsored tour utilizes the myriad of styles currently within folk music and features instrumental arrangements, folk-rock ballads and a new Gaelic lament from Julie Fowlis, who lends her pure precise voice to the Scottish leg of the tour. The Under One Sky line-up also includes Idlewild front man Roddy Woomble, Iain MacDonald on bagpipes, flute and whistles, guitarist Ian Carr, award-winning musician of the year accordionist Andy Cutting, bassist Ewen Vernal, percussionist James Mackintosh, and Teenage Fanclub member Norman Blake.

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 2: Catriona Macdonald

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:21:57 +0000

Catriona Macdonald is a proud bearer of one of the world's great fiddle traditions, that of the Shetland Isles, and widely respected as both a member of Blazin Fiddles, founder of String Sisters and a gifted fiddler in her own right. This Tune Up tour brings a rare chance for Catriona to play many of the traditional venues which support the vibrant folk scene in Scotland. The concerts will be based around the new material found on Catriona`s long awaited new album Over the Moon with David Milligan (piano) , Conrad Ivitsky (double bass) and James Mackintosh (drums/percussion) comprising the all star band who play on both record and tour.

Tune Up Podcast 2008-2009: Episode 1: The Injuns and Claes Cem

Produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:45:00 +0100

Injuns (originally from Skye) have an illustrious history of doing it for themselves: having self-released three singles and an album, joined up with the Kopparberg Collective for a vinyl release, and written and performed a musical based the love of a ghost for a still living woman, they now embark on a tour of the towns and islands that gave birth to their remarkable and inventive sound. They will be taking with them an equally outstanding emerging talent from Denmark. Claes Cem is a songwriter, guitarist and lyrical storyteller who has played extensively to wide acclaim in Copenhagen, wider Denmark as well as the States and the U.K. over the last couple of years. The Tune Up podcast is produced by Inner Ear for Tune Up.