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Stephen Henderson
Fergus McCreadie: The Shieling
by Geno Thackara
Music themed around landscapes and natural beauty is common enough, but it is much more rare for the sheer wildness of nature to come through as much as it does for the Fergus McCreadie Trio. His evolving niche of folk-jazz seems to lean a bit more toward the folky side of that equation with every outing--hearing these hands caper across the piano keys is like watching a wide-screen film camera sweeping across a rugged stretch of hills splashed in sunlight. ...
Continue ReadingFergus McCreadie: The Shieling
by Andrew Hunter
Things tend to come in pairs. The animals went into the ark, all those years ago, two by two. Tonic water was created to control the symptoms of malaria but found its voice when mixed with gin to control the symptoms of reality. Some pairings work against the odds; until you have tried strawberries with black pepper, it is hard to imagine what a harmonious pairing they are. The point being, if you saw Scottish folk served with ...
Continue ReadingFergus McCreadie Trio: The Shieling
by Neil Duggan
After four thoughtfully crafted releases, the Fergus McCreadie Trio adopted an entirely different approach for their fifth album. They journeyed to the Isle of Skye, took the ferry to North Uist in the Scottish Outer Hebrides and spent five days recording The Shieling in a remote cottage. Whoever was responsible for transporting McCreadie's piano to this isolated location certainly deserves recognition for their efforts. A shieling is the Gaelic word for a simple dwelling, typically constructed of stone ...
Continue ReadingFergus McCreadie: Stream
by Geannine Reid
Fergus McCreadie's album Stream was recorded with his long-standing trio, featuring David Bowden on double bass and Stephen Henderson on drums. McCreadie explores the natural world, focusing on the element of water. Following the critical success of Forest Floor (Edition, 2022), which garnered both a Mercury Prize nomination and the Scottish Album of the Year award. Stream comprises nine McCreadie compositions with thematic Scottish continuity. McCreadie's compositional approach on Stream is characterized by thematic development and control of ...
Continue ReadingModern Vikings: Tales of the Skald
by Neil Duggan
Modern Vikings are a quintet formed by Stephen Henderson. He is perhaps best known as the drummer in Fergus McCreadie's trio, The quintet keeps that trio, consisting of Henderson, McCreadie and bassist David Bowden, as its core. Together, they have proven to be a formidable unit, both live and in their recorded work. In the quintet format, the musical gamut is widened as they are joined by fellow scots Konrad Wisniewski on tenor saxophone and Graeme Stephen on guitar.
Continue ReadingFergus McCreadie: Stream
by Neil Duggan
Scottish pianist and composer Fergus McCreadie and his trio have carved out a distinctive style. They have reached a point where they are immediately recognisable. Many musicians strive to find their musical identity, but this remarkable trio have achieved this quickly. Their blend of Scottish folk music and contemporary jazz has been crafted and developed over their three previous albums, Turas (Self-produced, 2018), Cairn (Edition Records, 2021) and Forest Floor (Edition Records, 2022). With Stream, the natural themes of those ...
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