Chris Stout Quintet, Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
ROB ADAMS November 13 2007
Somewhere in America, a policeman is going about his business unaware that he's been celebrated in music. It's upbeat music, too, without a hint of the bitterness or recrimination that might be expected from a composer feeling aggrieved at treatment received.
But then Chris Stout does enjoy finding - or placing - elation in his compositions. This latest outing by the Shetland fiddler's quintet featured lots of Stout's upward melodic swoops, although it was far from one-paced. If Stout is composing at a high level, using the Scandinavian influence on Shetland's music to exhilarating effect, he is also playing the traditional slow airs of the islands, such as Auld Swaara, with uncommon finesse, deep feeling and a very personal tone.
Stout's quintet is geared to both extremes and much more, allowing for dramatic changes of mood and offering a variety of instrumental settings and approaches, from raking fiddle and harp duo through collectively improvised reflection to the full-on fiddle, soprano saxophone, piano, guitar and double-bass frenzy that sends Scandanonymous towards its joyous, dancing coda. advertisement
Partnering Stout in the front line, Fraser Fifield produces a lovely saxophone sound that has become as much a part of the group's identity as Stout's own commanding presence. Fifield's soloing over the tricky compound time signature of Devil's Advocate was a model of grace-and-danger extemporising, and his positioning alongside Stout's fiddle lines shows real understanding and feeling for the music.
Credit also to John Allan, who replaced regular bassist Neil Harland with admirable coolness and made a subtle but substantial contribution to a band that marries tradition and technical know-how with an ability to excite the senses.
Glenurquhart Public Hall – Chris Stout and Catriona McKay
September 07
Shetlander Chris Stout is widely-regarded as the leading fiddle player of his generation both in Scotland and beyond', said the blurb from his agent - and we've heard that sort of thing before.... Our small but international audience was stunned to find out that this claim is nothing less than the truth. Chris was ably matched by Catriona McKay on clarsach who dazzled with her own equally virtuoso skills and demonstrated the extensive range of this lovely instrument. The duo played anything from traditional music to present day compositions and it was, quite simply, the best musical performance in the Hall's history, one which would have done justice to auditoria anywhere in the world. Catriona and Chris also play together in Fiddler's Bid and the Chris Stout Quintet (and Quartet) and we cannot wait to get them back, whether as a duo again or in any of those configurations. "It was like having the Proms in your living room". Yes, indeed
The Scotsman Sue Wilson
CHRIS STOUT QUINTET
ORAN MOR, GLASGOW
June 07
BEST known as chief ringleader of the Shetland band Fiddlers' Bid, as well as for his involvement with other such leading-edge acts as Salsa Celtica and Finlay MacDonald, Fair Isle native Chris Stout has also found time in recent years to work on a solo career. This well-attended West End Festival show officially launched the second album to appear under his own name, following his acclaimed 2004 debut release First O' the Darkenin' - although its successor, Devil's Advocate, is credited to his ultra-classy five-piece band as a whole, personnel having settled and gelled via numerous gigs in the interim. Besides Stout's longtime collaborator and Fiddlers' Bid colleague Catriona Mackay, on clarsach and piano, the line-up comprises Fraser Fifield on soprano saxophone, Malcolm Stitt on guitar and double bassist Neil Harland.
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While Shetland music - past, present and future - remains Stout's first and foremost love, his own contribution to the islands' rich traditions has always built on its long history of absorbing outside influences, in particular from Scandinavia and the US.
The set here, for instance, included both an old Norwegian hymn tune, beautifully paced and weighted, and the frenetically twiddly Bambodansarna, taken from Devil's Advocate, by the Swedish fiddler Olov Johansson.
Stout's variation on the American theme, arguably, is his appetite for jazzy adventuring, centrally through his intense frontline sparring partnership with Fifield - although here, too, the links are as much with Nordic sounds as transatlantic ones.
Another factor in the development of his current sound was his Celtic Connections commission earlier this year, to compose a short piece and perform it with the BBC SSO, and this exploration of contemporary-classical territory was another dynamic element in the mix of styles and energies at work.
The new album's title, though, offers a telling clue as to the double-edged results achieved on this occasion by Stout's restless ambition and undeniably fertile imagination. Kaleidoscopically exciting and technically audacious though the performance was, it often came across as over-egged, even flashy: the sound, perhaps, of someone trying just a fraction too hard - and more for the sake of trying than for that of the music.
The Scotsman Jim Gilchrist
MARY MACMASTER & DONALD HAY/CATRIONA MCKAY & CHRIS STOUT
MERCHISTON CASTLE SCHOOL, EDINBURGH
April 07
CATRIONA McKay and Shetland fiddler Chris Stout may have mislaid a harp and much sleep, having just flown back from Memphis, but it didn't prevent the harp-fiddle duo from coming out with a scintillating performance in an evening which saw the Edinburgh International Harp Festival shift into contemporary Scottish mode.
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The interplay between Stout's fiddle and McKay's (borrowed) harp was frequently dazzling and complemented by a palpable delight in the music, as Shetland tunes whizzed off into mercurial excursions and a piece from the duo's Laebrack album saw the two instruments whirling in an exotically accented dance. Some more placid moments included their plaintive little encore waltz and, in a nod to Stout's Nordic roots, an utterly beautiful Norwegian hymn tune.
A rather different, but perhaps surprisingly well-balanced combination was Mary Macmaster's harping alongside Donald Hay's imposing, but judiciously deployed drum kit. Certainly, Macmaster used her Camac electroharp for much of this, its beefy bass strings and the rattle and thud of Hay's percussion providing an effective tension behind her singing.
The highlight of their spot, however, was their setting of the old bagpipe pibroch, Lament for the Children. This may not have pleased purists, but sounded out the initial urlar or theme on electroharp over a faint chiming of bells and cleverly incorporated into the rhythm an occasional sampled burst of infant's crowing, before the variations developed into a hypnotic rippling of harp over the pummelling drums. Still punctuated by that child's cry, it made for a dramatic yet touching climax.
The Scotsman Barry Gordon
THE CHRIS STOUT QUINTET/ JOHN MCSHERRY'S AT FIRST LIGHT
QUEEN'S HALL, EDINBURGH
May 2006
PRIOR to a set of tunes somewhere north of Norway, Chris Stout paused to take a pop at The Scotsman. A writer for this newspaper, the Shetlander maintained, described him as: "for those after something a bit more cerebral".
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The sly grin on Stout's face suggested modesty - but it's true. Rarely will you find a young musician whose music is so analytical and intelligent. He and his co-headliner, John McSherry are the two finest fiddlers and (uilleann) pipers of their generation.
Using the A-E-A-E Shetland tuning, Stout's fiddle is the traditional equivalent of My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields's guitar playing. It hums, compelling on one level, dramatically energetic on another.
One minute he's taking you on a journey across the North Sea with a series of soothing airs; next, he's punching out jigs, committing assault and battery on his fiddle as he goes. It's quite a sight.
John McSherry's sense for improvisation has already been compared to that of jazz legend John Coltrane. His pipes resemble an elaborate set of divining rods, but when the bedraggled piper from west Belfast gets behind them, it's easy to understand why, at 18, he was the youngest winner of the prestigious "Oireachtas" piping competition.
As he and Stout joined forces for a ferocious set of Shetland and Irish reels at the end, the audience weren't sure whether to stomp their feet or stand up and applaud. So they did both.
Hi-Arts.co.uk Rob Adams
Peebles
May 2006
HIGHLAND AUDIENCES are in for a five-star treat when this Scottish Arts Council Tune-up series double bill heads north this week.
Shetland fiddler Chris Stout and Belfast-born uilleann piper John McSherry are leading musicians in their respective traditions and share a liking for playing music that remains true to those traditions while bearing a strong sense of spontaneity.
McSherry has even been likened to jazz legend John Coltrane for his improvisatory style, although it was Stout’s approach that leaned closer to jazz, particularly in the fiddler’s sparks-generating sparring with saxophonist Fraser Fifield.
Stout’s quintet has established an unmistakable sound of its own since its formation three years ago. The fiddle is naturally very much to the fore and Fifield’s edgy soprano playing adds to the melodic attack while the rhythm section of Catriona McKay (keyboard and harp), Malcolm Stitt (guitar) and Neil Harland (double) provides a warm, mobile accompaniment.
The sense of forward motion is palpable as Stout leads the group through the hairpin bends of ‘Scandanonymous’ and the slippery, jazz-inflected ‘Double Helix’.
There’s also a strong sense of place and atmosphere, particularly in the lovely Norwegian hymn ‘Jeg Ser Deg Sote Lam’, and Shetland’s flora, fauna, terrain and boats are frequently evoked.
For sheer artistry, though, Stout’s fiddle-harp duet with McKay, ‘Smugglers’, would be hard to beat. The pair take this set of traditional Shetland tunes, which originally appeared on their mighty ‘Laebrack’ CD, to fantastic heights, bringing out Stout’s full range of tones and stepping up the excitement levels as they negotiate the music’s at times craggy contours.
At First Light’s opening set was similarly varied in tempo. As with the piper’s recent album, ‘Tripswitch’, recorded with his colleague in this band, fiddler Donal O’Connor, there’s a considered approach at work here. Even at the fastest tempo, with fiddle and pipes very much in tandem, every melodic detail is clear, and slow airs such as the gorgeous ‘Both Ghe’ are as measured as they are emotionally affecting.
With bodhran player Francis McIlduff doubling on uilleann pipes, there’s also ample scope for ‘duelling chanters’ features, and the classic Finbar Furey set ‘Roy’s Hands’ found the group absolutely flying.
Just to reinforce their leaders’ spontaneous natures, the two groups united for an encore that was introduced as being a bit of ‘who’s following who?’ It sounded a deal more organised than that, but who knows what they might get up to later on the tour?
The Scotsman Kenny Mathieson
Chris Stout Quintet/ John McSherry's At First Light
GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL
January 06
NEAR the end of a superbly creative and highly energised set from his innovative quintet, Shetland fiddler Chris Stout revealed that he had almost not made the gig at all. An epic and much delayed return journey from the Dominican Republic saw him join his waiting band only minutes before they were due to take the stage.
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Stout betrayed no outward sign of a traumatic day when he launched into the rousing opening tune using the dark, biting A-E-A-E Shetland tuning, initially on his own and then with Fraser Fifield's plangent soprano saxophone.
Their invention and rhythmic power set the benchmark for the full band sets to come, and the momentum never faltered.
The music was grounded in Shetland traditions, but never limited by them. Stout's interest in jazz and various shades of ethnic music is shared by his co-musicians, notably Fifield, but also pianist and harpist Catriona McKay, guitarist Malcolm Stitt and bass player Neil Harland.
The resulting hybrid continues to develop as the players add further layers of richness to the concept. Stout's own fiddle playing - on an instrument borrowed from fellow Fiddlers Bid member Kevin Henderson - has now reached a very high level in both technical and artistic terms, and he was equally compelling on careening up-tempo tunes and delicate slow material like the lovely Norwegian hymn Jeg Der Deg Sote Lam, while his mid-set duet with McKay on harp reflected their notable musical empathy.
Uilleann piper John McSherry opened the concert with his band At First Light, originally a duo but now a quartet with Donal O'Connor on fiddle and keyboards, Tony Byrne on guitar and Francis McIlduff on bodhran, whistle and pipes.
They delivered a punchy set of reels and jigs punctuated by occasional slow airs, drawing on material from the earlier At First Light album as well as a forthcoming new disc. The former category included Donald Shaw's Ornette's Trip to Belfast, and the Capercaillie frontman later joined them on keyboards for their penultimate set of tunes.
The Scotsman Jay Richardson
Chris Stour Quintet and Fraser Fifield Trio
ORAN MOR, GLASGOW
October 2005
AN EXCELLENT double bill, featuring some of the brightest talent in Scotland's traditional music firmament, this performance more than warranted its inclusion in the Big Big World Festival line-up. Blending Nordic and Baltic influences with lively elements of Breton dance, the softly spoken Fraser Fifield and his trio delivered a jazz-folk melange with a strong Celtic thread. On soprano saxophone, Fifield opened with Dark Reel, a mid-paced composition that invited guitarist Graeme Stephen and drummer Stuart Ritchie to showcase the group's multi-layered sound, proceeding from the exotic rhythms of One Less Than Too Many to a Smoke Signals, a dramatic interplay between the three with Fifield alternating between sax and low whistle. Snow Angel underwhelmed rather, an overly percussive final number, but Fifield soon retook the stage as part of Chris Stout's Quintet.
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Beginning with Scandanonymous, a marvellous tune, the Shetlander interwove a couple of flighty reels with a beautiful Norwegian hymn, breaking into a rollicking Downhill Skier that displayed his fiddling in all its accomplishment. The highlight of the night was the pairing of Stout and Catriona Mackay on harp, on the Fifield-penned The Black Ship, before the rest of the group re-emerged to settle into a tight if slightly homogenous series of higher tempo numbers.
The Scotsman Sue Wilson
Chris Stout Quintet- The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
April 2004
STEEPED in the rich fiddle tradition of his native Shetland - as evinced by his playing with Fiddlers’ Bid - Chris Stout is also a member of Scottish/Latin collective Salsa Celtica, and has a degree in electro-acoustic music to boot.
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This breadth of interest underpins both the sound palette and the material chosen for his new group project, featuring colleagues from both bands - Catriona McKay (piano/clarsach) and Fraser Fifield (soprano sax/low whistle) - together with Boys of the Lough’s Malcolm Stitt on guitar and Capercaillie bassist Ewen Vernal.
On the opening date of a short Scottish tour, launching Stout’s debut solo album First o’ the Darkening, the music was mostly of Shetland origin, but the arrangements moved fluidly between traditional, jazz and classical modes.
Shetland’s Nordic heritage was highlighted by several Scandinavian tunes, notably a beautiful Norwegian hymn melody.
Colourful, cosmopolitan, sparky and sophisticated, this was an adventurous display of 21st-century chamber folk.