TUESDAY 27

I Danny Kyle's Open Stage Exhibition Hall. 5pm. Free.

I James Taylor Main Auditorium. 7.30pm. £22.50. £19.50. Star of BBC‘s Hogmanay show back in Scotland for the second of two CC shows. See photo caphon.

I Ross Kennedy and Archie MacAllister Piping Centre. 8pm. £5. Kennedy stands comparison to Gaughan in vocal style. while his guitar accompanies one of the least-appreciated. major fiddle talents in Scotland.

I Christine Collister Trio and Bert Jansch Strathclyde Suite. 8pm. £9.50. Formerly seen with Richard Thompson and Clive Gregson. Collister brings her acoustic guitar. more selflpenned songs and admired vocal skills. now with her own hand. Jansch the original inspiration for folk guitar pickers everywhere. a 60s legend and world- traveller in Pentangle returns to Scotland with his rumpled stage presence and bleakly meaningful songs.

I David Byrne ()ld Fruitmarket. 9pm. £15 (£13). Born ‘doon the water'. but reared in the USA. Talking Heads engaging genius brings a new hand back to his own Celtic connection. See preview.

I Bill McArthur Molly Malone‘s. 9pm. Free. Irish theme bar.

I Festival Club Quality Central Hotel.

1 lpm. £1.50 with concert ticket. Limited number of tickets for non-concert goers on sale each day from l()am. £5.

WEDNESDAY 28

I BBC Radio Scotland Exhibition Hall. 2pm. Free. Live recording of Travelling Folk. with presenter Archie Fisher and guests.

I Danny Kyle's Open Stage Exhibition Hall. 5pm. Free.

I Dick Gaughan and The MacCalmans Strathclyde Suite. 8pm. £9.50. Big voices and about 100 years of folk scene experience between them: this concert will cover all of Scots song. from the ancient ballads to coruscating contemporary political songwriting. ()h. and Ian Mac's humour will keep it light. I Donald Black and Malcolm Jones Piping Centre. 8pm. £5. The Jimmy Shand of the tin moothie is here accompanied by Run Rig‘s Jones on button box and occasional guitar. No tricks. just great tunes. well played.

I Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill Tron Theatre. 8pm. £9 (£6). Irish tunes deconstructed. if sometimes too self- consciously. on fiddle and guitar by young. empathetic and tremendously accomplished stars in the traditional frrmament

I Ray Moore Molly Malone‘s. 9pm. Free. Irish theme pub.

I Festival Club Quality Central Hotel.

1 lpm. £1.50 with concert ticket. Limited number of tickets for non-concert goers on sale each day from 10am. £5.

THURSDAY 29

I BBC Radio Scotland Exhibition Hall. 2pm. Free. Live broadcast of Mr Anderson‘s Fine Tunes with performers from the Festival.

I Danny Kyle’s Open Stage Exhibition Hall. 5pm. Free.

I Gwen and Iron Horse Strathclyde Suite. 8pm. £9.50. The legendary Breton band is back againthis year. All the members are brilliant players on guitar. fiddle. pipes. bass. bombarde and vocals. A must. Support from the eclectic. rock- tinged Scots folksters.

I Loyko Tron Theatre. 8pm. £9 (£6). Songs. genius fiddling and brilliant guitar from Russian gypsy tradition and its Hot- Club swing jazz derivative. This stunning trio were a sensation at last year’s Edinburgh Festival.

I Shoo lenifty and Mary Jane

Lamon ()ld Fruitmarket. 9pm. £9.50. Trance dance to acid croft grooves on trad instruments frorn Scotland's most successful export after whisky. Support

from Ontario's leading Gaelic song revivalist.

I Streams Of Whiskey Molly Malone‘s. 9pm. Free. Irish music band puts an ‘e' in its dram.

I Festival Club Quality Central Hotel. 1 lpm. £1.50 with concert ticket. Limited number of tickets for non-concert goers on sale each day from 10am. £5.

FRIDAY 30

I Masterclass Clyde Foyer. 12.30pn. Free. Ex-Battlefield Band-person Dougie Pincock brings his pipes. flute. sax and whistle.

I BBC Radio Scotland Exhibition Hall. 2pm. Free. Live broadcast of Mr Anderson‘s Fine Tunes with performers from the Festival.

I Danny Kyle's Open Stage Exhibition Hall. 5pm. Free.

I Mary Jane Lamond Tron Theatre. 8pm. £6 (£4). Cape Breton-style Gaelic song from the famous young Canadian and her band.

I Ossian and Chantan Strathclyde Suite. 8pm. £9.50. Small Talk retitled themselves last year. taking the name of the band that two members (Billy Ross and Billy Jackson) once helped form. Some other members from the leading 80s Scots outfit. including Tony Cuffe. George Jackson and Iain MacDonald. join them in a rechristening concert.

I Comerhouse Piping Centre. 8pm. £5. Based in Scotland. and with their first album of Irish-based music now in the shops. Paddy the Hat and Leo McCann on fluent and fast fiddle and accordion lead this youngish. energetic bundle of still-raw talent.

I The Dazes Molly Malone’s. 9pm. Free. Irish theme pub.

I Martyn Bennett and Tartan Amoebas Old Fruitmarket. 9.30pm. £9.50. Bopping bagpipes and rockin' reels from Edinburgh’s roots crossover dance scene. Bennett‘s trademark club grooves under bagpipes. flutes and fiddle are heard on his new Bothy Culture album - the Amoebas sometimes sport two sets of pipes in their

Latin/rock/re gae ceilidh outfit.

I Festival C ub Quality Central Hotel.

1 lpm. £2.50 with concert ticket. Limited number of tickets for non-concert goers on sale each day from l()am. £5.

SATURDAY 31

I Flook and Cornerhouse Strathclyde Suite. 2pm. £6. Wild. highly original and musically exciting band based (but not exclusively) on flutes and whistles in high speed harmony. Firmly orientated towards Irish music. two key members. Brian Finnegan and Michael McGoldrick. are among the most outstanding players of their generation. Cornerhouse. see Fri 30.

I Camhanach Molly Malone's. 2pm. Free. Irish bar.

I Fest Noz Exhibition Hall. 2.30pm. £3.50. Members owaerz and Dibenn play for rnesrneric Breton dancing.

I Danny Kyle's Open Stage Exhibition Hall. 5pm. Free.

I Iris DeMent Main Auditorium. 7.30pm. £1 1. £13. She's back the pearly voiced country roots diva this time sin ing her songs solo.

I Ceili h Dance Riverside Club 8pm. £5. Music from the Neil McEachren Band.

I Celtic Fiddle Festival and Seannachie Strathclyde Suite. 8pm. £9.50. Bothy Band fiddle maestro Kevin Burke‘s lopsided humour. Silly Wizard Johnny Cunningham's Scot-in-exile drolleries. and Christian Le Maitre‘s limpid (Breton) music and opaque command of English make for an evening both amusing and musically elevating. Support from Edinburgh band in another new line-up. adding Dave Milligan on piano to stalwarts Elspeth Cowie. Corrina Hewat and Simon Thoumire.

I Alison Burns and Damsel Jam Piping Centre. 8pm. £5. A dozen women singing. with no accompaniment and no safety net. Burns writes the songs on

their first album Frost and Fire.

I Alison Brown Quartet Tron Theatre. 8pm. £8 (£4). The doyenne ofcotton pickin' banjo. this second Alison B takes the bluegrass tradition as a starting point for her virtuoso excursions into other worlds of popular music. jazz and swing. I Paragon Ensemble ()ld Fruitliiarket. 7.30pm. £8 (£4). The premiere of An Turns. Leading Scottiin contemporary composer Bill Sweeney collaborated with Stakis Literary Award-winner Aonghas MacNeacail in The Journey‘. Nine vocalists join with thirteen instrumentalists in an original piece sung in Gaelic. and subtitled in English. See preview.

I Macushla Molly Malone's. 9pm. Free. I Festival Club Quality (‘entral Hotel. llprn. £1.50 with concert ticket. Limited number of tickets for non-concert goers on sale each day from 10am. £5.

I New Voices Strathclyde Suite. lpm. £6. Accomplished harpisl and singer Corrina Ilewat brings a folk-star hand of frddlers. percussion. bass. two vocalists and second harp to perform original work which stretches into the classical. world music and jazz idioms.

I The Muckle Sangs Piping Centre. 2pm. £3. The basis of the Scots musical identity is in the great ballads. here sung by Sheila Stewart. Maureen Jelks. Elspeth (‘owie and others. A real tradition.

I Camhanach Molly Malone‘s. 2pm. Free. Irish theme pub.

I Danny Kyle's Open Stage Exhibition

Hall. 5pm. Free.

I James Grant and Friends Main Auditorium. 7.30pm. £13 (£1 1). The guy from Low And Money here collaborates with ('apercaillie‘s Donald Shaw and Karen Matheson. harmonica ace Fraser Spiers and Shooglenifty's James MacKinlosli. in a live set from Matheson‘s Dream/Ire Sm album.

I The Greig-Duncan Songbook Piping Centre. 8pm. £5. Drawn from the great song collector ‘s life‘s work. some of Scotland's most authentic traditional singers present a varied selection. from ballads to children‘s songs. With (iordeanna i‘ylc(‘nl|och. Ann Neilson. Aileen Carr and ('y Laurie.

I Mick 0’ Brian, Savourna Stevenson and Anne Wood Strathclyde Suite. 8pm. £950. 'l‘op lliglit instrumental talent in a concert tilillill'Phl Stevenson‘s

e orriposilions lineluding her new t'olutnha piece). with 0' Brian's superb trillean piping and Woods unique classical/folk liddle style.

I Dibenn 'I‘r‘on 'I'Iieatre. 8pm. £8 (£4). Classy. stylish modern music from sung

Breton roots. using bass. clarinet and sax.

guitar and flute.

I Salsa Celtica and Celtic Fiddle Festival ()ld Fruitmarket. 9pm. £10.

The unstoppable Latin dance party starts with this celebrated Edinburgh-based. ten- strong band. Support from three winsorne fiddles and one guitar ~see Sat 31.

I Gerry MacGregor Molly Malone's. 9pm. Free Irish theme bar.

I Festival Club Quality Central Hotel.

1 1pm. £3.50 with concert ticket. Limited number of tickets for non-concert goers on sale each day from l()am. £5.

listings Celtic Connections

r

7.30pm, £22. 50/f 19.50.

L

JAMES TAYLOR He may or may not have a Scots granny, but he certainly got Celtically Connected to Phil Cunnin ham and Aly Bain during the BBC's Hogmanay show, and the two la 5 have been singing his praises ever since. With a trio of bass, drums and keyboards, and his own eloquent guitar - and song lyrics James Taylor remains one of the most powerful performers in popular music.

Main auditorium, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Mon 26/Tue 27 Jan.

J

23 Ian—S Feb 1998 THE LIST 33