Celtic Colours is over for another year

It’s difficult to believe but the 2009 Celtic Colours International Festival is over for another year. Nine days of music and friends and fun, with every day a gem! I’ve seen and heard some amazing performances at shows around the island, and here’s an overview of what I’ve managed to take in.

The opening in Port Hawkesbury (on Friday October 9) was a massive production that combined the best of Cape Breton talent with the best of the visiting Irish contingent. In the 1990’s a group of Cape Breton performers journeyed to Cork, Ireland for a massive festival. They were matched up with a corresponding group of local Irish traditional musicians. This year many of those same artists made the trip to Cape Breton and recreated the same production. It made for a somewhat long but very impressive evening of music.

The Port Hawkesbury show was followed by a trip to the Celtic Colours Festival Club, the late night center of entertainment to runs from 11 at night until 3 (or longer) the next morning, every night of the Festival. For logistical reasons, most of the artists in the opening show were housed in Port Hawkesbury where a reception was held, with special guests including Nova Scotia’s Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis. The music was still great, as there were plenty of singers and fiddlers waiting to take their turn on stage.

The following night I caught a barnburner of a concert at the Wagmatcook Heritage & Cultural Centre. To give you an idea of the strength of the show, each act received a standing ovation, as did the finale. The aptly named Coast to Coast show open with Qristina & Quinn Bachand, young brother and sister duo from Victoria, B.C who have been recently nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category. 19-year-old Qristina is a wicked fiddler while Quinn (still only 13) is a real monster on the guitar.

The Bachands were followed by Manitoba’s Sierra Noble, (a young fiddler and singer making a return trip to Celtic Colours), backed by Margaree guitarist Brian Doyle and percussionist Scott Senior from Winnipeg. Ireland’s Fidil, (a trio of young fiddlers with interesting styles and arrangements), started the second half in style. The closing act for the evening was our own Ashley MacIsaac who was right on top of his game. His playing just cooked and he had the sold-out audience in the palm of his hand. Quinn Bachand joined Ashley on stage and to give you an idea of just how good he is on that guitar, the set was unrehearsed and completely of the cuff and the young guitarist didn’t miss a note!

Sunday (October 11) found me in Whycocomagh. I caught an interesting afternoon of music at The Keltic Quay, a loose jam session with Sierra Noble, Kinnon and Betty Beaton acting as ‘house musicians’ and the floor open to anyone who wanted to join in. There were fiddle, guitar, mandolin and harmonica players and several accordionists, locals as well as people from across Canada, the United States, and as far away as Australia. Twenty-plus musicians and even a few dancers as well, in an intimate little setting with a blazing fireplace to keep away the unexpected chill.

Before that was completely over I headed back to Baddeck to catch part of the launch party for Rachel Davis’ new, self-titled CD. Family and friends surrounded the young Baddeck area fiddler as she worked her way through the music on her recording backed mainly by Tracey Dares-MacNeil on piano and Buddy MacDonald on guitar, along with others from the audience from time to time. Fiddler Clarence Long joined her for one special group of tunes. He is her grandfather and was her first fiddle teacher.

Rachel took the time to chat about her music and the tunes selected, explaining where she located the tunes or from where they were learned. She also surprised many by singing a lovely Gaelic song. She has a delightful voice and needs to explore that side of her music more.

That night the show in Whycocomagh was titled All in the Family. I saw Qristina & Quinn Bachand again, and was even more impressed. I really loved the vocal harmony of Maighréad & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, sisters with voices like angels. I saw Tríona in concert in Baddeck twenty-five years ago and she is still as powerful a singer as she was then. I had heard and met Brendan Begley in Ireland ten years ago and expected great things from him and his family…and wasn’t disappointed.

The closer for the night were the Barra MacNeils, who gave their usual superb performance. As I sat watching their show I was struck by just how polished and professional these six siblings are… and they pull it off without being artificial. They truly love the music and the culture and it shows on stage.

I arrived at the after-hours Festival Club at the Gaelic College in St. Ann’s later that evening to hear a piper from Cuba on stage with that percussionist from Winnipeg, just one of the number of wonderful performances that made for a long, (and VERY enjoyable), musical day.

This was followed by a wicked set from Rachel Davis, Tracey Dares-MacNeil, Buddy MacDonald and friends. In what has become somewhat of a tradition, this was the official launch of her new CD. She had been the winner of the 2009 Frank “Big Sampie” Sampson Award, presented each year by the Celtic Colours Festival Drive’er Association in memory of the long-time Celtic Colours volunteer. This organization presents a monetary prize each year to an up and coming young Celtic musician to help with their first recording. This is partnered with recording time from Lakewind Studios, allowing the winner to produce a top-quality product for much less money.

Rachel was followed by Troy MacGillivray and Shane Cook, a pair of polished fiddlers with a knack for whipping up the crowd. Fidil was next and they were joined by Seosamh Ó Neachtain, an electrifying dancer with an amazing stamina.

The Barras upped the ante again, laying out another blistering set, following by fiddlers Colin Grant and Rosie MacKenzie. Colin then returned with his band to finish the night in style, leaving the stage at about 3:20 in the morning.

Day four found me in Judique for The Hand that Rocks the Bow, a show that featured the music of six amazingly talented female fiddlers: Ireland’s Maireád Ní Mhaonaigh and Máire O'Keeffe, along with Cape Breton’s Wendy MacIsaac, Andrea Beaton, Brenda Stubbert and Kimberley Fraser. They also had a pair of honorary women for backup. Maireád brought along Capercaillie band member Manus Lunny while guitarist Brad Davidge was there at Wendy’s request.

The ladies traded tunes (and jokes) throughout the evening, alternating on piano to provide backup from time to time. The full house was completely captivated and each set was punctuated by appreciative applause.

On Tuesday I started off with an early afternoon at the Inverness County Centre for the Arts for a show co-sponsored with Celtic Colours that featured a trio of young female singer-songwriters. This is a lovely facility, a truly intimate and relaxing setting that put both audience and performers at ease. The featured artists were Sierra Noble, coupled with two Cape Breton gals: Lisa Cameron is from Inverness County and was well known to the local audience members while this was the first performance in the Inverness area for Victoria County’s Carmel Mikol.

As with most songwriter sessions, the participants took turns, trading off songs and stories, enthralling their audience with their talents in the process. They jumped in with backup vocals from time to time, or provided some instrumental help as needed, but mainly they tackled each song solo. These are three talented ladies, all with a gracious stage presence, who made the afternoon most enjoyable.

From there, it was off to Mabou for an evening concert at Strathspey Place called Close to the Floor: Steps Across the Pond. This was the annual dance show, which this year featured an impressive lineup of musicians and dancers from Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Ireland and Sweden. While the talent was all top-notch, one of the most note worthy performances was a Scotch Four, which featured the Warner Sisters, teamed with Newfoundland’s Jim Payne and Sweden’s Mats Melin. The different styles were evident and very enjoyable. If you think that a Swedish stepdancer is unusual, Mats teaches dances at the University of Limerick. He fit right in.

After the sold-out concert, I was off to the Red Shoe Pub for more music. This time it was Marc Boudreau and Robbie Fraser providing the tunes. A young Ontario fiddler (named Olivia), also took the fiddle for a few groups as well. Robbie was off to Antigonish right after the show where he had an early morning meeting before his first class of the day at St. F. X.

Wednesday morning found me in Baddeck, at the official launch of the Celtic Heart project. This also included some great music: a lovely Gaelic song from Queensville native Goiridh Dòmhnallach (Jeff MacDonald), followed by some great tunes and dancing from Dawn & Margie Beaton and Robert Deveaux.

Then it was on to St. Peter’s for the Songs from the Islands concert that featured singers Jim Payne & Fergus O'Byrne, John Ferguson & Roger Stone and J.P. Cormier, along with local fiddler Allie Mombourquette. This was a most crowd-pleasing show, very emotional at times as the vocalists gave their all. A particularly striking moment was Jim & Fergus’ rendition of How Good Is Me Life, the title cut from their latest CD. Their passionate performance brought thunderous applause from the audience.
Thursday (October 15) brought me back to Judique for a show that is always one of my favourites, the Guitar Summit. This year the lineup included veterans J.P. Cormier and Patrick Gillis, along with newcomers Jamie Gatti and Ciffie Carter. Gatti (who has played backup with the Barra MacNeils for years), wowed the audience by picking out fiddle tunes on the bass. J.P. and Patrick upped the level of play every time they took a turn. Richmond County Ciffie Carter is a newcomer to the Celtic Colours stage but is a well-known musician locally. He certainly showed that he belonged as he picked his way through tune after tune.

As has become traditional, J.P. brought along someone new to introduce to the audience. This time it was Maxime Cormier, a teenager from Cheticamp who is a cousin of J.P.’s and the son of his former bass player. He did very well, doing two groups of tunes backed up by J.P. Like Robbie Fraser the night before, he also had to make a quick return trip to Antigonish where he had an engineering exam the following morning.

The highlight for the night was the duet of Cormier and Gatti, picking out The Mathematician note for note on guitar and bass. WOW!!

The Festival Club rocked that night. The highlight for me was a set of songs from Evans & Doherty and friends that included a nice sing-along version of Wild Mountain Thyme, with Kevin and Brian joined by Donnie Campbell, John Karr, Darrell Keigan, Rob MacLean and Roger Stone.

Friday evening I went to Inverness for a massive show called Return to Ireland, a virtual farewell to the many Irish musicians who had been part of Colours for the past week. There were powerful performances all across the board but some really caught my attention.

One was a lovely song written by Goiridh Dòmhnallach that spoke of missing home and wanting to return. He wrote it while working in Alberta and it fit the theme of the evening so well. I was also touched by Keenan Barrett’s version of Danny Boy. Now, I have to let you know that while I really don’t like that song (very few people named Daniel do), I liked that version. Keenan stroked the right emotional chords with me and with the audience. The finale for this show was also marvelous with the Cape Breton and Irish musicians trading tunes and the dancers from both sides of the water showing some great steps.

Once again the Festival Club produced some wonderful music. There were some odd combinations such as a wild bluesy set from Ireland’s Eamonn MacDonncha & Michael Ó Súilleabháin. Or the folk-pop sounds of Carmel Mikol, backed up by fiddler Gillian Boucher. Or Andrew White and Brendan Power cranking out progressive Celtic. This was followed by the unusual combination of Flo Sampson on piano, Brendan Power on harmonica and Ian Sherwood on saxophone. Somehow it all worked!

The highlight was a set from Marc Boudreau, backed up by Andrea Beaton on piano, Dave MacIsaac on guitar and percussionist Cheryl Smith, which closed the night. Marc put so much into it that his bow blew apart. This didn’t deter the musicians as Dave, Andrea and Cheryl just kept playing while Marc rushed off stage for a replacement bow. He returned, picked up a new tune and playing on into the night.

Everything wound down on Saturday night (October 17) at the John Harris Pavilion in Sydney as the audience was treated to an emotional tribute to the late fiddler Jerry Holland. The show contained an interesting mixture of Jerry’s closest musical friends and this made for a very powerful lineup. The audience was treated to video clips and pictures of Jerry, vocal commentary by many friends, and tunes, lots and lots of tunes.

Planned out with Jerry well in advance of his untimely death, it was an evening of tears and pleasure, as those that loved his music reveled in the artistry, while those that loved the man sank into the emotion of the moment. After the show someone commented that it was like going to his funeral once again, the emotion was that strong. Jerry was a giant in the Cape Breton fiddle community, and was favoured and famous worldwide. This was a fitting tribute to the man and to the music.

And now, the 13th edition of the Celtic Colours International Festival is over. My journey through the events was just one of many. Some of you went to the same shows, others saw something completely different. Hopefully every one of you enjoyed it as much as I did.

The fiddles have been put away, the musicians are returning home, Mr. Rugby (the seeing-eye dog that attended so many shows) is back on duty in Edmonton and the hangovers are starting to clear up. Regrettably, it’s time to return to the real world (never a pleasure at the best of times). But we do have our memories and we all have our moments. We also have those CD’s that we gathered up over the festival to tide us through until next year. It will have to do.

Until next time,
Dan