Skyedance

An exciting Scottish instrumental band. ALASDAIR FRASER - fiddle & viola Widely regarded as one of the finest fiddlers Scotland has ever produced, Alasdair Fraser is a consummate performer. He has been a major force behind the resurgence of traditional Scottish fiddling in his homeland and the U.S., inspiring legions of listeners and learners through his recordings, annual fiddle camps, and concert appearances. His credits include solo performances on movie soundtracks such as Titanic, Last of the Mohicans and Spitfire Grill. ". . . the expressive gamut from deep Celtic melancholy to joyful jig, his fiddle imitations of the bagpipe almost unbelievable, the whole rendered with a humble sincerity, flawless virtuosity and just about the sweetest sound since Fritz Kreisler" - L.A. TIMES CHRIS NORMAN - wooden flute & piccolo Originally from Nova Scotia, Chris Norman is acknowledged as one of the world's top flute players. He has performed and recorded extensively as a soloist - his Man with the Wooden Flute album topped Billboard's "crossover" charts and with the Baltimore Consort Baroque Ensemble - and the world music trio Helicon. "Virtuosos like Norman come along, oh, perhaps once in a century...the kind of player who frees the music to reel out, as if [the music], the instrument and the player were one" - CD REVIEW ERIC RIGLER - Scottish & Irish bagpipes Eric Rigler is a piper of rare versatility and accomplishment: a gold medallist on the Great Highland Bagpipes, he has also mastered the bellows-blown Scottish small pipes, and uillean, or Irish bagpipes. He has recorded with such notables as Mike Oldfield and Tracy Chapman, performed in concert with Paul McCartney, and solos on several major movie soundtracks, including the blockbuster Braveheart. "Fraser's tandem playing with piper Eric Rigler is nothing short of breathtaking." - INTO THE MUSIC PAUL MACHLIS - piano & keyboards A long-time collaborator with Alasdair Fraser, with whom he recorded two acclaimed albums, Skyedance and The Road North, Paul Machlis has also released solo albums featuring his own compositions. ". . . a wonderfully lyrical pianist with a lovely touch" - FOLK ROOTS PETER MAUND - percussion As a member San Francisco's Ensemble Alcatraz, Peter has recorded several albums of medieval and renaissance music on the Nonesuch label, and performed widely in Europe and North America. ". . . the most considerate and imaginative of percussionists" - THE GLASGOW HERALD MICK LINDEN - fretless bass From Los Angeles, Mick Linden is an engaging performer adept at African rhythms and playing Scots reels in duet with the bagpipes. When he isn't on the road with SKYEDANCE, Mick takes time out from his demanding surfing schedule to grace the stages of numerous LA clubs. ". . . shades of Jaco Pastorious echo in Mick's fluid backing solos" - ALTERNATIVE MUSIC PRESS http://www.culburnie.com/artists/skyedance.htm Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.