Skyedance

Track Listings

1. Scolding Wives of Aberstaff/I'll Break Your Head for You/Catch and Ki

2. Eilean Beag Donn A' Chuain (Little Brown Island in the Sea) /Slip Jig

3. Skye Dance

4. Nighean Donn A' Chuailein Riomhaich

5. Ruileadh Cailleach, Sheatadh Cailleach (An Old Woman Would Reel)

6. J.B. Reel/The Shepherdess/The J.B. Reel

7. Harris Dance/Skye Dance/Lochiel's Awa' to France/Harris Dance

8. Nochd Gur Faoin Mo Chadal Dhomh (Tonight My Sleep Will Be Restless)

Skyedance,Alasdair Fraser,Culburnie Records,Adult Alternative,Celtic Pop,New Age / Meditation,Pop,World Music

Skyedance

Tracks:

The Scolding Wivesd Of Abertarff/I'll Break Your Head For You/Catch And Kiss The Romp/TheHaggis
Eilean Beag Donn A' Chuain (Little Brown Island In The Sea)/Slip Jig
Skye Dance
Nighean Donn A' Chuailein Riomhaich (Lassie With The Hair)
Ruileadh Cailleach, Sheatadh Cailleach (An Old Woman Would Reel, An Old Woman Set)/The Bird's Nest..
The 'J. B.' Reel/The Shepherdess/The 'J. B.' Reel
Harris Dance/Skye Dance/Lochiel's Awa To France/Harris Dance
A Nochd Gur Faoin Mo Chadel Dhomh (Tonight My Sleep Will Be Restless)

Customer Reviews:

SKYEDANCE is heavenly!.......2007-05-09

Alasdair Fraser does it again! I rate this CD as nearly comparable to The Road North-- not just Mr. Fraser's virtuosity with the fiddle (and viola), but also the selction of songs--something for every mood. Well worth adding to your collection if you enjoy Scottish fiddle music!

The best CD that I own. .......2006-07-06

Beautiful, powerful fiddle music. I rarely rate any CD 5 stars, but this is really a no brainer, as Alasdair is really without equal.

After all these years -- still one of my *very* favorites.......2000-01-30

Anything with Alasdair Fraser is going to rank very, very high with me. The passion, compassion, joy, and sweetness of this music transports me to an entirely estatic place of being. This will make your heartstrings thrumb with pleasure! If you ever have a chance to hear him live, do not pass it up... he brings his audience into a circle of warmth and community. You truly feel like a part of his tribe.

An important piece in the soundtrack of my life.......1999-06-17

Driving along the California coast, windows open, exhausted, Skyedance fills me with life and enthusiasm. Ruidleadh Cailleach, Sheatadh Cailleach was my wedding processional in a mountain campground. It is new and eternal. I can't describe in words what is pure poetry of sound, feeling. The rhythm catches you up and moves you, while the harmonies calm and cradle you.

Maybe the Ultimate Fiddle Album.......1998-12-01

While I have enjoyed most of Alasdair Fraser's recordings over the years, I find this is definitely his best offering. Both the choice of tunes and the arrangements are superb. If you can only have a Scottish fiddle album, make sure this is it !

Average customer rating:

in short, well done!
A fresh, new approach to modern Celtic music!
As good as it gets!
Thoroughly enjoyable

Way Out to Hope Street
Skyedance
Manufacturer: Culburnie Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Scottish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Labyrinth
Skyedance
The Road North
Dawn Dance
Live in Spain

ASIN: B000001UIS
Release Date: 1997-08-19

Tracks:

Way Out To Hope Street
Walking The Plank
Donostia
Year's Turning
Midnight On Raasay The Braemar Cappuccino
Dizzy
Stoney Run
The Lupine
Dark jewel
Tathaich Nam Fonn (A Song-Haunted Place)
The Skyedance Reels: Ruilleadh Cailleach/The Bird's Nest/Harris Dance
Skerray
Reel De Flores
Bannockburn

Customer Reviews:

in short, well done!.......2004-03-10

this is another CD I purchase after I dled the entire album mp3s
from the first trax, Way out to hope street, filled with joy and uplift feeling
on the 4th trax, Year's turning, is an excellent piece with bagpipe, fiddle, and bass guitar, brings out joy with tears
on the last trax, Bannockburn, it show the scene of the war...
because the three trax I talked about, I made a decision to buy the CD, and really like it

A fresh, new approach to modern Celtic music!.......2004-01-01

This sextet of already-established musical masters combine the best traditional Celtic and modern jazz elements to create a joyful and transcendent musical statement. "Way Out To Hope Street", Skyedance's debut album, is invigorating and distinctive. The vibrant fiddling of Alasdair Fraser, soulful wooden-flute-playing of Chris Norman and expert piping of Eric Rigler provide the traditional Scottish part of the group's sound, while Peter Maund's world percussion adds an eclectic layer. Underneath all of that, the rich piano and keyboards of Paul Machlis and Mick Linden's laid-back fretless bass give everything a modern, jazzy feel. The result is unlike that of any other Celtic group I'm familiar with--not traditional, rock or New Age, but rather a sound all their own. Full of energy, tension, hope and heart, it is really quite striking! The whole here truly is more than the sum of its considerable parts. And the subsequent releases of Skyedance, "Labyrinth" and "Live in Spain", are great too! For other innovative takes on Scottish music, try the compilation album "Bravehearts: New Scots Music: A Narada Collection", and also "Sidewaulk" or "Crosswinds" by Capercaillie.

As good as it gets!.......1999-10-03

These five guys are all superstars in the world of Celtic music. To see them all on one stage is a performance I'll never forget. The CD is fabulous and a perfect example of music that most of the world is missing out on.

Thoroughly enjoyable.......1998-05-22

The artists who made the original "Skyedance" album (Machlis and Fraser) join here with a group of other outstanding musicians and a passel of original tunes. While the quality of the compositions varies and the arrangements are occasionally repetitious, in general the album is a delight. (One major contributor to its success is the terrific percussionist Peter Maund, who did wonders on Ensemble Alcatraz' early music albums a few years back.) The performances, whether cheery or melancholy, are spirited. Much traditional Scottish music consists of dance tunes, and this album never wanders out of sight of those roots. And you've gotta love someone who names a tune "The Braemar Cappuccino"!

Average customer rating:

Stands out from the crowd!
Terrific musicians, mixed material
Coming soon to a dentists office near you!
Wonderful CD

Labyrinth
Skyedance
Manufacturer: Culburnie Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Celtic | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music

International | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Way Out to Hope Street
Skyedance
The Road North
Live in Spain
Dawn Dance

ASIN: B00004784D
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Tracks:

The Spark
La Gallega
Till October
Cat in a Bag
Fite Fuaite
The Iron Ring/The Boxwood Reel
The Other Side of Sorrow
Inside the Shadows
When She Drives
Into the Labyrinth
Ariadne's Thread
The Pentz Road
Evensong

Customer Reviews:

Stands out from the crowd!.......2004-01-01

Following in the pattern of their debut album, "Way Out To Hope Street", Skyedance continues to celebrate a fusion of traditional Scottish music with elements of world music and smooth jazz. There's an intensity and creative spark to this group's work that I just love! The six instrumentalists use fiddle, flute, pipes, piano, bass and drums to explore genre boundaries and go beyond, fertilizing new ground. Mick Linden's sultry, laid-back use of the fretless bass gives a decidedly modern, jazzy underpinning to the music, while percussionist Peter Maund, equally at home playing music from the twenty-first century or the twelfth, adds an exotic twist with his use of eastern hand-drum rhythms (especially in track 10, "Into the Labyrinth"). A great variety of mood and emotional content is conveyed by the instrumentals, from wistfulness to joy, but always there a lightness to the music, never brooding or over-produced. Group members have taken turns composing and arranging the material, and all have done an artful and intelligent job. Their music really draws the listener in! For more recordings by the individual members of Skyedance, check out the Renaissance stylings of the Baltimore Consort featuring flutist Chris Norman, percussionist Peter Maund's Medieval improvisations with Ensemble Alcatraz, or any of the solo recordings by Norman, fiddler Alasdair Fraser, pianist Paul Machlis or piper Eric Rigler. Rigler and bassist Mick Linden also play together in a rock-oriented group known as Bad Haggis(!).

Terrific musicians, mixed material.......2000-08-12

I found this CD less exciting than "Way Out to Hope Street," its predecessor, but it's still far more substantial than most of the mindless fluff that passes itself off as "Celtic music" these days. The band's greatest strength, and weakness, is its personnel: they're all superb musicians, but their talents as composers vary widely, so the quality of the tunes doesn't always measure up to the consistently excellent performances (note to the guitarist: stick to performing!!). The traditional-sounding tracks appealed to me the most, although I also like the Middle-Eastern-flavored "Into the Labyrinth," with its lovely violin and flute solos (I've used it as a veils piece in my belly dance class!). But other tracks just don't work, e.g., "Ariadne's Thread" starts off consonant with the labyrinth theme, but then turns into a bouncy Celtic reel -- huh?? Still, overall this CD is a pleasure to listen to.

Coming soon to a dentists office near you!.......2000-08-02

The band that brought you the music in Titanic, now brings you a Celtic/New Age album. Nothing too demanding of the listener, and most of the songs are good for background music. "Inside the Shadows" is notable, although it appears to take its theme from Largo by Antonín Dvorák. Also of note is Evensong, probably the best song on the disc. If you like a lot of Uillean pipes, this is right up your alley. If you're looking for strong melodies, try Fresh Aire.

Wonderful CD.......2000-06-05

Considering the collection of musicians on this CD, how could you go wrong. A nice blend of celtic w/a bit of mellow jazz. The first track is awesome. Just close your eyes and enjoy the journey.

Average customer rating:

Rousing live performances by Skyedance and friends!

Live in Spain
Skyedance
Manufacturer: Culburnie Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Celtic | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music

International | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Labyrinth
Way Out to Hope Street
Skyedance
An Ancient Muse

ASIN: B00005YMB4
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Tracks:

Harris Dance
Dizzy
Marabilla
Dinky's Melody
Cries And Shrieks Of Woe
A Stor Mo Chroi
Stoney Run
The Spark
Way Out To Hope Street
Theme For Scotland
Donostia
Txoria Txori
The Other Side Of Sorrow
Galen's Medley
Tail Toddle Finale

Customer Reviews:

Rousing live performances by Skyedance and friends!.......2004-01-01

Skyedance is a talented and innovative sextet of instrumentalists who give a modern twist to traditional Scottish music. Made on tour in Spain with Basque, Galician and Asturian guest artists, and recorded in front of a lively audience in Madrid, "Live in Spain" contains mostly new and expanded versions of previously recorded material. Of the fifteen tracks, five can be heard in original form on Skyedance's debut album, "Way Out To Hope Street" and two on their follow-up release, "Labyrinth". Several more are from fiddler Alasdair Fraser's solo album "Dawn Dance". There are two new sets of Celtic dances, two songs written by the guest vocalists, and two new solo instrumentals by flutist Christ Norman and piper Eric Rigler. That being said, all the repeats are very enjoyable, especially since the group is joined in most of them by one or more Spanish guest artists: Asturian piper Jose Manuel Tejedor; Basque accordianist Kepa Junkera on the trikitixa; Hevia, the groundbreaking Asturian MIDI-bagpiper; Basque accordion-player Joxan Goikoetxea; Oreka TX on the ancient Basque txalaparta (a two-person, xylophone-like instrument); and vocalists Mercedes Peon from Galicia and Mikel Laboa from the Basque country. The enthusiastic audience deserves mention too, adding a special energy to the recording by cheering, whistling and clapping along, and ending the performance by singing their own song back to the performers. Fans of Skyedance will enjoy this album as a lively, fun and soulfully eclectic addition to their collection, and those new to the group's sound should certainly enjoy it as well. For other recordings by Skyedance, try "Way Out To Hope Street" and "Labyrinth". Hevia, the accoustic and electric piper, also has two excellent releases of his own out, with similar musical sensibilities to those of Skyedance. His albums are entitled "Tierra de Nadie" and "The Other Side".

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