Celtic Connected

"It's a really unusual region of India because the musicians are kind of out in the sticks in the villages," he explains, "and it's not like you'll find them on YouTube or stuff like that. You have to literally go and find these guys."

Shaw's trip is a concrete example of the reach of Celtic Connections these days, and a reflection of one of the festival's major themes. The music of the Commonwealth is - inevitably in 2014 - one of the strands of next January's festival. More than 2000 musicians will come to Glasgow to take part.

Today, though, Shaw has agreed to choose the 12 Celtic Connections shows you must see. Not that easy. "It's like picking your favourite brother or sister," he says. "You shouldn't really be doing it."

Here, though, is Shaw's First XI (plus one) in his own words. A director's cut, if you like, that takes us from India to South Africa, from Nelson Mandela to Norway, via jazz, pop and traditional music.

Celtic Connections International Burns Concert

Saturday, January 25, The SSE Hydro

On the bard's birthday singers from around the world, including former Crowded House member Tim Finn, Karine Polwart, and India's Raghu Dixit will celebrate his worldwide legacy.

"One of the things we're doing is quite a strong Commonwealth theme. What I've tried to do, rather than grabbing a random band from a Commonwealth country, is try to show the influence traditional Scottish music has had on the Commonwealth. And certainly that's true of India.

"Burns is really loved in India as a poet. Raghu Dixit, who's a big star here in India, is going to perform a Burns song. He said that was natural for him. He really connected with someone who was a poet and loved melodies, but was also a humanitarian.

"And Mahotella Queens from South Africa are also appearing. What we're doing with them is interesting. There's an article that Mandela wrote very soon after he got his freedom for an American poetry magazine and in it he talked about Burns. He'd written poetry while he was incarcerated, so the Mahotella Queens have taken one of his poems and they'll perform it on the night."

Far Far From Ypres - World War One Scottish Songs

Friday, January 17, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Songs and music that came out of the First World War, performed by Barbara Dickson, Dick Gaughan (pictured) and others.

"A huge amount of traditional music came out of what happened during the First World War, a lot of tunes that pipers and singers brought back with them. I like that the songs of this concert are really songs of peace. They were songs that were almost medicinal for the soldiers on the field. It must have been some kind of communion for them, singing songs and keeping themselves from going crazy."

Far Far From Ypres - World War One Scottish Songs

Friday, January 17, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Songs and music that came out of the First World War, performed by Barbara Dickson, Dick Gaughan (pictured) and others.

"A huge amount of traditional music came out of what happened during the First World War, a lot of tunes that pipers and singers brought back with them. I like that the songs of this concert are really songs of peace. They were songs that were almost medicinal for the soldiers on the field. It must have been some kind of communion for them, singing songs and keeping themselves from going crazy."

Julie Fowlis (pictured) with RANT and Paveen Sabrina Khan

Wednesday, January 22, Old Fruitmarket

A collaboration between the Gaelic singer, four traditional Scottish musicians and the raga singer from Rajasthan.

''RANT are a four-piece girl group who are amazing and a great example of some of the new styles coming out of traditional music in Scotland now. And Paveen Khan is an absolutely beautiful singer. Hopefully, within that concert, you will connect some of the vocal styles of Indian singing and Gaelic singing."

Amidou and Mariam - Eclipse

Wednesday, January 22, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

The blind husband-and-wife duo from Mali perform an extraordinary show.

"I'm highlighting this show because it's very special for Glasgow. It's only happened twice in the world. This concert is an experience. The first half of the gig is in complete darkness, including the stage, and there are sensors that send out smells of their home village in Mali. So all your senses are heightened. Everything except your sight. It's a really unusual show."

The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc

Friday, January 24, St Andrew's in the Square

Norway's Olav Luksengård Mjelva, Swede Anders Hall and Kevin Henderson from Shetland have been working together since 2009.

"They're an example of how the performance of traditional music has evolved in the last 20 years. It's totally natural, that marriage of Scandinavian and Scottish music."

The Cauld Wind Blaws Big with Undivided

Sunday, January 26, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

A double bill that sees a collaboration between Shetland fiddler Chris Stout, Glasgow piper Finlay MacDonald and the ScottishPower Pipe Band, plus a new Celtic Connections commission featuring brass player Neil Yates, Michael McGoldrick on flutes, whistles and uilleann pipes and a 21-piece folk/jazz orchestra.

"This highlights what's happening in Scottish traditional music. Cauld Wind involves a six-piece traditional group along with 20 orchestral players and again it's just demonstrating how the genres have collided, in the sense that traditional musicians are now absolutely at home on stage with orchestral classical musicians.

"And Undivided is kind of Duke Ellington goes to Donegal."

Elephant Revival and Salt House

Friday, January 24, Old Fruitmarket

"We always have quite a strong Americana programme and Elephant Revival are kicking up a storm in America at the moment. Salt House is a Scottish band who have been influenced by American bluegrass music and the lead singer is Siobhan Miller who I think is one of the most exciting new traditional singers in Scotland. It shows the influences are going back and forward."

Del Amitri

Friday, January 24, The SSE Hydro

Led by Justin Currie (right), this is the band's first gig in 10 years.

"It's a big coming of age for us to put on a show like Del Amitri in the Hydro. It feels really natural for us to put them on because Justin has a history of working on other projects at the festival. It will be a great Glasgow night out."

Alkinoos Ioannidis with special guest Karine Polwart (pictured left)

Thursday, January 23, Mitchell Library

A collaboration between the Greek-Cypriot singer and Scotland's very own

Karine Polwart.

"Alkinoos is the Christy Moore of Greece. I haven't deliberately created any shows about independence, but I felt I didn't need to because a lot of the artists have their own opinions. And folk music is the kind of music where it will come out within the concerts anyway. Both Alkinoos and Karine will have an opinion about how the cultural landscape can change with independence."

The Gloaming

Wednesday, January 22, Grand Hall, City Halls

The traditional and modern fused by fiddle master Martin Hayes, guitarist Dennis Cahill, sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionaird, Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh and New York pianist Thomas Bartlett, aka Doveman.

"This is what you might call the pure drop. Martin the fiddle player has created a style which is all about hypnotism. He takes a tune and instead of playing it two or three times will play it 20 times to find every little nuance. It's one of the great things about traditional music and why it's so popular. It's basically trance music."

Bobby Womack

Monday, January 27, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

The veteran soul singer who has collaborated with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Damon Albarn plays Glasgow.

"I think the style of Celtic Connections has broadened over the years. Probably 10 years ago for us to have had a black soul singer at the festival would have been really out there. And I like to think that Gaelic song in some way is like Celtic soul, so having a soul singer from another tradition works for me. But the most important thing for me is the voice. Anyone who has that kind of voice is an important artist to put on at the festival."