Mairearad Green & Mike Vass
A Day A Month
Self-released
SOMETHING of a contrast to high-concept and acclaimed releases of fiddler and guitarist Mike Vass, this duo collaboration with accordionist Mairearad Green could hardly be simpler. As the title suggests, the pair made a decision to get together one day a month in their busy schedules to enjoy one another's musical company and, they thought, assist each other's compositional tasks. In fact the resulting album, recorded by Vass in a couple of days in a croft at Achnahaird and on his boat, is entirely made up of traditional tunes, culled from published collections.
What the inventive pair have brought to those old tunes, however, is a creative eye and inventive fingers, taking the simple ingredients they have to hand and finding unique sonic detail in a surprising chord or a sustained drone in the sparse arrangements. At one point the sound of the sea lapping against the boat is either clearly audible, or cleverly mimicked. Nor is there anything samey about the music, grouped under one-word titles that can be genre – Puirt, Jigs, Reels – or derived from one of the tunes – Catch, Megs, Hyndford – and ranging from lament to floor-filler. Catch them at Folklub at Glasgow's Hug & Pint on Wednesday.
Keith Bruce
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