Donald Black
Bho M’ Chridhe/From My Heart
own label
ARGYLL-born harmonica virtuoso Donald Black brings sessions from Nashville to Nova Scotia and from Lewis to the Lothians together on this aptly named instrumental album.
Black’s heart is indeed in the Highlands as he transfers the music of the bagpipes and the swinging Western Highland dance bands to the humble moothie with great feeling and absolute mastery. Yet there are audible influences from across the Atlantic in his playing too.
Bringing in Charlie McCoy, the author and player of The Old Grey Whistle Test theme, on Skye composer Blair Douglas’ New Island Waltz is an especially nice touch as Douglas, like Black, draws on both peat lands and prairies for inspiration, and the rollicking Canadian-Scottish dance set, with Cape Breton pianist Mario Collosimo, underlines Black’s ability to sound as commanding as the great accordionists of the dance music tradition.
In among the marches and dance sets, including The Highland Express’s initial bluesy chuff, there are superb examples of Black’s heartfelt slow air playing, with Runrig’s Malcolm Jones on guitar and Martainn Skene on cello helping to wring out every ounce of atmosphere on MacCrimmon’s Lament and The Edge of the White Rock respectively.
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