"Fraser Fifield's debut album confirms that he is one of the most exciting talents to emerge in Scottish folk in recent times" - The Scotsman "a recording of beauty that deserves a far wider audience than it will attain in the folk market place" - Pete Fyfe, www.folking.com "At once lyrical and radical, playful and soulful, talented and innovative - it's music that places Fifield somewhere between Michael McGoldrick and Jan Garbarek". - Scotsman (live review) "Fraser Fifield is a quite unique talent and can keep an audience spell-bound all evening" - BBC Celtic Roots (live review) "music with heart, emotion, and tunes that the 'repeat play' button was designed for" - The Herald "Fraser Fifield's debut album is simply beautiful" - The Irish World "the quality of the playing, wide musical references, and intensity of focus make it much more Garbarek than Gaberlunzie" -Scotland on Sunday "the album resoundingly endorses his fast- growing reputation as a brilliantly skilled and excitingly original talent. " - Sunday Herald "his diverse influences and writing skills provide a broad canvas...a one-man Moving Hearts" - Inverness Courier "a distinctive brand of jazz flavoured Celtic music with a real sense of purpose" - MOJO "a swirling stream of highly original musical colour" - scotlandintune.com "You may well find yourself bowled over by music about which it's impossible to be lukewarm! " paythereckoning.com "a tremendous piece of work moving traditional music very swiftly into the 21st century" - An Drochaid "sounds very much like a great band in full flight." - folkworld.de "some very innovative arrangements; some great writing. Smoothly produced too." - SING OUT! Biography (Reviews in full are below) One of Scotland's most talented and creative musicians, Fraser Fifield continues to push the boundaries of musical styles, both traditional and contemporary. On each of his three instruments, he has an individual voice, both innovative and respectful of tradition. On whistle, he is a distinctive improviser able to cross many genres while, at the root of all his playing, the Scottish and Irish traditional styles are omnipresent. The same is also true of his piping, on Highland, Border and Small pipes. Seldom will you hear such free and musical piping, uncomplicated by competitive or military influences. On soprano and alto saxophones, he is a unique interpreter of the traditional music of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and other Celtic nations, adapting ornamentation from his piping and whistle playing to great effect. Born in 1976, his family eventually settled in picturesque Glen Tanar, Aberdeenshire, NE Scotland. There, aged 9, he began piping lessons with Iain Grant. Interest in other musics soon followed and Fraser started playing whistle and soon after saxophone, without forsaking one for another. Pursuing the saxophone, he studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow for three years. During that time he enjoyed a short summer stint with the group 'Wolfstone', playing in Scotland and the US. Almost immediately after graduating from the Academy, Fraser began playing with the North-east band, Old Blind Dogs, with whom he recorded the CD 'five' and spent most of the next two and a half years touring Europe and North America. On leaving the Dogs, and at about the same time he married Sarah-Jane, Fraser started playing with Salsa Celtica, an eleven piece Edinburgh-based band, with whom he still plays. Adding the essential Celtic ingredient to the band's mix, he plays saxes, border pipes and whistles and is also a key composer within the band. With Salsa Celtica, Fraser has again recorded and travelled widely, headlining prestigious festivals such as Celtic Connections, Cambridge Folk Festival, New York Lincoln Centre, WOMAD, Singapore Latin Festival and the Ottowa Jazz Festival. In addition to Salsa Celtica, Fraser has been involved in many smaller projects, notably the 'Mick West Band' and 'Bag o' Cats'. Commissioned by Celtic Connections Festival, Glasgow, he composed a suite for saxophone quintet reflecting different European folk traditions, entitled 'Traditions', and provided a soundtrack for BBC/Discovery's Natural World documentary, 'Otters in the Stream of Life'. This in addition to many radio and television broadcasts and session work on other recording projects. In his own studio, Fraser recorded his first solo CD, 'Honest Water', released on his own label, 'Tanar Records', in November 2002. Early in 2003 Fraser wrote a piece for two violins and soprano sax called 'Beautiful North', which is to be premiered at the Highland Festival, Inverness on June 12th this year. 2003 will see Fraser out promoting 'Honest Water' with his trio consisting of Stuart Ritchie, drums and percussion and Graeme Stephen, electric guitar and effects. This in addition to Salsa Celtica's schedule and also much more writing in the studio. Some reviews : The Herald : "The saxophonist, whistle player and piper with Salsa Celtica and formerly of Old Blind Dogs steps out on his own and reveals himself as, for the most part, a one-man band. And it's some band. Multi-tracking saxophone sections and choruses of whistles as well as keyboards, percussion, various bagpipes, and clarinet alongside tremendously creative solo playing, Fifield comes over as Ormiston's contemporary answer to Storm-era Moving Hearts and dispels any fears of technological suffocation or overkill. Composed, constructed, and played with skill and ranging from Lament's deeply felt Highland longing to Horo's East European gambolling with African hi-life guitar (courtesy of Graeme Stephen), this is music with heart, emotion, and tunes that the "repeat play" button was designed for". **** www.folking.com : "Straight in with the groove and what a groove! This is a nicely paced (not too fast) tune titled Dark Reel that will hypnotically draw the listener in with its combination of layered sounds. Fraser (for the uninitiated) was the multi-instrumental whiz kid from Scotland s Old Blind Dogs. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of various pipes including small, border and highland he knows how to utilise them all without indulging himself adding saxophones, keyboards, clarinet, acoustic guitar and even percussion to the musical melting pot. I suppose in a way we re moving into territory already broken by the likes of Moving Hearts, Nightnoise and more recently Capercaillie and as far as I m concerned I can t get enough of it. OK, so maybe I am into what many would say is elevator music and if that is the case this one s surely headed for Heaven but (and I know I m not in the minority here) that would be seen as detrimental to the artist. You can t put a label to this kind of music and maybe that s where Fraser might find it a little daunting as regards his marketing. It's just that as an art form no one seems to know where to pigeonhole this style of music. Crossing several barriers including Jazz, Funk and Folk you can t quite put your finger on it - let s just leave it that this is ultimately a recording of beauty that deserves a far wider audience than it will attain in the folk market place. Considering there s not a traditional track in sight, Fraser is a fine tunesmith and I for one hope he succeeds in achieving his own goals as a musician and if there were any festival organisers out there reading this review this music would be great for a late night session. Go on - take a chance and buy this recording". Pete Fyfe **** Scotsman 25/03/03 Fraser Fifield Trio The Tolbooth, Stirling Support act Fraser Fifield, however, turned in a captivating performance. Switching between soprano saxophone, whistles and Border pipes and backed by guitarist Graham Stephen and drummer Stuart Ritchie, he showcased the original material featured on his recent first solo album, Honest Water, in a series of beautifully wrought and deeply felt dialogues between traditional, jazz and world-music idioms. At once lyrical and radical, playful and soulful, talented and innovative - it's music that places Fifield somewhere between Michael McGoldrick and Jan Garbarek. ***** BBC Celtic Roots website : Fraser Fifield Trio The Farr Hall, Farr near Inverness, Saturday 22nd February The Fraser Fifield Trio, consisting of Fraser himself (whistle, small pipes and saxophone), Graeme Stephen (bass) and Kris Drever (guitar), appeared at Farr Hall courtesy of "Farr Traditional Music Concerts". The concert was advertised as a double bill with that great gaelic singer Ishbel MacAskill expected to do the opening stint and the Trio given the task of completing the evening. Unfortunately, Ishbel had to call off a few days before the concert and the Trio was faced with entertaining an audience of eighty themselves. No problem! Fraser Fifield does not bring a glib tongue onto stage. He does not have an imposing stage presence nor does he entertain the audience with rehearsed jokes and stories. All of that may develop some day. However, he is one of the few musicians who can satisfy an audience without the need for the variety that these jokes, stories, or even the occasional song, brings to an event. Ably supported by Graeme and Kris, he can transfer from whistle to saxophone and onto small pipes with a level of musicianship which is quite stunning. It is all so seamless. No discernible change in quality. Added to that the fact that he writes so much of his music, Fraser Fifield is a quite unique talent and can keep an audience spell-bound all evening. The Trio's music has a strong jazz influence but not at a level that would offend the jazz-hating fraternity. Their music has variety and incorporates numerous influences. One of the pieces they performed sought to reproduce that unique haunting sound of Highland unaccompanied psalm singing. The small pipes took the lead on this one and, for those of us acquainted with that culture, it was not difficult to hear the presenter and untrained voices coming through in the music. For one set of tunes Fraser was joined on stage by his wife, Sarah-Jane, who is an accomplished fiddler in her own right and for whom this trip to Farr was almost a return home to her Inverness roots. The set they did was drawn from Scandinavian folk tunes with a particular reference to Norway. The fiddle gave a nice bit of variety to the evening's sounds. The Trio finished off with the title track from Fraser's new album "Honest Water", which refers to a spring that flows near his homeland at Glen Tanar, and also Dark Reel which is a beautiful arrangement and displays so well the versatility, writing ability and phenomenal musicianship of Fraser Fifield. Well done, the Fraser Fifield Trio! A great evening. Having demanded and received an encore, the Farr audience verdict was "..yet another successful concert from one of the best venues in the North". Always good music, the best acts and tremendous atmosphere. Try it!! ****** Scotland on Sunday : "There are pipes of all sizes and a kitchen sink full of percussion on this solo instrumental CD. Fifield also handles keyboard and acoustic guitar, but if even if the album is home-made (in his own studio) it's leagues ahead of most Scots pro studio recordings. The quality of the playing, wide musical references, and the intensity of focus make it much more Garbarek than Gaberlunzie". ******* The Scotsman : "Fraser Fifield's debut album confirms that he is one of the most exciting talents to emerge in Scottish Folk in recent times, as well as one the most eclectic. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing pipes, saxophones, clarinet, whistles, keyboards, guitar, and ethnic percussion instruments on this almost-solo album (Graeme Stephen or Malcolm Stitt contribute additional guitar on four tracks). His ingenious fusion of Celtic, ethnic, jazz and other idioms is contemporary rather than traditional in feel, and includes a couple of excerpts from his "new voices" commission for Celtic Connections in 2001". **** Inverness Courier : "Multi-talented Fifield covers most of the musical families on this self-produced album; pipes, keyboards, saxophones, clarinet, whistles and guitar along with various examples of European and African percussion. Fifield has more of an acoustic bent than the likes of Martin Bennet, but his diverse influences and writing skills provide a broad canvas. A touch of jazz here, pibroch and the precenting tradition of the Highland kirk there, and the Balkan sounds of 'Horo' all demonstrate the extant of his musical palette, making him sound like a one-man Moving Hearts" ****** www.paythereckoning.com : Fifeld, formerly of the much-lauded Wolfstone, Salsa Celtica and Old Blind Dogs has been described by The Inverness Courier as "a one-man Moving Hearts". Pay The Reckoning can think of no more apt description. A multi-instrumentalist par extraordinaire, with a very diverse musical palette, Fifield has created a lush soundscape, overlaying his Scottish roots with a host of contemporary musical styles and influences. Jazz undertones, elements of other world traditions and sampled sounds are woven in and around his blend of traditional and "non-traditional" instrumentation (e.g. Fifield makes extensive use of saxophones, whose presence alongside pipes and whistles is a genuinely unusual and ear-opening musical innovation). Those who took to the Moving Hearts experiment will find much to delight in Fifield's ambitious project. However for those who like their music "straight, no chaser", Fifield's work will be heavier going. Fifield is undoubtedly aware that his work will be a tad controversial. But no matter which side of the "purist/experimentalist" fence you find yourself, you'll find it hard to deny the man's immense musical talent. And, we would argue, you'll find it hard to deny his understanding of the Scottish musical tradition. This is the foundation of the album, on top of which the entire edifice stands. Well worth a listen. You may well find yourself bowled over by music about which it's impossible to be lukewarm! ****** The Sunday Herald : "To call Fraser Fifield a multi-instrumentalist risks giving altogether too modest an impression. On his debut solo recording the 26-year-old -- formerly of Old Blind Dogs, currently with Salsa Celtica -- juggles more than a dozen different instruments including three varieties of bagpipes, soprano and alto saxes, whistles, guitar, clarinet, keyboards and an array of percussion implements, with just four tracks featuring guest accompaniment on guitar. This bedroom-produced, one-man-band methodology recalls Martyn Bennett's first two albums. Its ambition is matched by Fifield's choice of self-penned material. Honest Water's adventurous, sophisticated fusion of traditional and contemporary idioms from Scotland and eastern Europe mixes well with religious, jazz, ambient and dance music influences. Its organic, unregimented feel, belying the level of technological wizardry involved, is similar to Bennett's. Pipes, whistles and sax are Fifield's main tools, the sax supplying a distinctive element in the mix, alternately in contrast and luminous harmony with the rest of the melody frontline. Repeated spins are required to appreciate the intricacies of these 12 soundscapes, some of which need a clearer sense of direction or overall structure. At its best, however, as in the opening, Arabic-tinged Dark Reel , the effervescent Horo and the brilliantly kaleidoscopic title tune, the album resoundingly endorses his fast- growing reputation as a brilliantly skilled and excitingly original talent. " ***** www.scotlandintune.com : Multi-instrumentalist Fraser Fifield brings his prodigious talents to well-deserved wider attention with this first solo release. After years spent recording & touring with the likes of The Old Blind Dogs, Salsa Celtica, Wolfstone & Mick West, Fraser's reputation is already well established on sax, pipes & whistle, and the jazzy style of the music on 'Honest Water' will come as no surprise to those familiar with his previous musical involvements. 'Honest Water' provides a swirling stream of highly original musical colour, relaxed in pace and ranging from very free, mature improvisations in Fraser's own authentically traditional idiom, to the ingenious, haunting and much-remarked-on 'Psalm'. ****** www.folkworld.de : Fraser Fifield is a well known face in the Scottish music scene. The young Scotsman is best known for his innovative Scottish folk saxophone playing and as piper and whistle player. But he plays many more instruments... The first time I recognized him as an outstanding musician was on the 1997 album 'right side o' the people...' by the Mick West band - on this amazing album Fraser's saxophone playing to traditional style singing was just great. But lets talk about Fraser Fifields first solo album - and this really is a solo album: Fraser has composed all the music on this album and he even plays nearly all the instruments. Only on three tracks he is joined by Graeme Stephen on electric guitar and on one on acoustic guitar by Malcolm Stitt. Fraser plays: low whistle, soprano and alto saxophone, small pipes, border pipes, highland pipes, keyboards, acoustic guitar, clarinet and various percussion instruments including cajon, djembe, congas and bodhran. Fraser is seldomly heard as a solo musician on this album, normally you can hear Fraser playing many instruments at the same time - the sound nevertheless sounds very much like a great band in full flight. His compositions are great, a bit weired, some are really ear wigs. His music is steeped in the traditions of Scotland - but it has many other influences. An innovative album of an innovative young musician. You surely will hear much more of him. ***** The Herald : ('Traditions', for saxophone quintet, commissioned by Celtic Connections Festival) "conceived in five parts, 'Traditions' described a journey through the Celtic lands of Galicia, Asturia, Brittany and into the tricky time signatures of Bulgarian dance before capturing the gospelly righteousness of Gaelic psalm singing. With the former Old Blind Dog and current Salsa Celtica player's curved soprano set against and interacting with two tenor, a baritone, and alto saxophones, it featured some brilliantly observed writing, striking effective chords and drones, and a liveness of execution by all five players that brought to mind New York's 29th Street Saxophone Quartet gone native. The Scandinavian finale, with its drones, foot stamps, and Fifield's ducking, diving and dancing lines, brought to a hugely satisfying conclusion a commission from a writer whose onstage reticence hides an astute compositional sense and the ability to transfer private musical thoughts into a multicultural blast for the listener". ******** The Scotsman : Fraser Fifield Trio, Farr Hall, near Inverness (4 stars) Fraser Fifield is currently best known for his work with bands such as Old Blind Dogs and Salsa Celtica, but the release of his debut album late last year and the formation of this new trio will cement his status as a leader in his own right. Fifield's work is firmly rooted in traditional music but he is equally conversant with jazz and a range of world-music influences, all of which filter through in his playing and compositions. That spread is also reflected in his choice of instruments, alternating between whistle, border pipes and soprano saxophone. The more overtly jazz-inflected side of his work emerged in compositions such as Honest Water and The Dark Reel, but also on a brace of Irish jigs, which pushed the music well into jazz's harmonic territory. Other sets of reels, jigs and strathspeys stayed closer to their traditional forms. He was accompanied by Graeme Stephen on hollow-bodied elctric guitar and Kris Drever on acoustic guitar. Stephen's bright, high-note attack carried a strong echo of African music, and dovetailed beautifully with Drever's more conventional accompaniments. Fifield's wife, fiddler Sarah-Jane Fifield, also joined him. ************ The Irish World : Fraser Fifield's debut album is simply beautiful. The multi-instrumentalist is without doubt one of the most exciting talents to emerge onto the folk scene in a while. His eclectic fusion of Celtic, jazz, ambient, dance music is breathtaking. Playing over a dozen instruments on the album, this 26 year old is a talent in the making. Fifield began piping lessons when he was nine years old. It was the beginning of his interest in music. Soon he began playing the whistle. The saxophone closely followed. It was the saxophone that grabbed his attention though and he studied the instrument at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow for three years. It was here he met up with the group Wolfstone and played with them in the US. It wasn't long after Fifield graduated that he began playing with the North-East band Old Blind Dogs before he went on to play with Salsa Celtica, playing Celtic Connections, Cambridge Folk Festival and Womad to name but a few of the festivals. The brilliant musician has also been involved in other projects when he was commissioned by the Celtic Connections Festival and composed for saxophone quintet that reflected the different European Folk Traditions. He also provided the soundtrack to a BBC/Discovery Natural World documentary. This is Fifield's debut album and his chance to prove he can go it alone. He seems to have grabbed the chance with both hands, because this album is a pure testimony to this young man's talent. His fluid sounds are an absolute joy to listen to. The album was recorded in his own studio and released on his own label and as a result is true to his own talent. An album to simply sit back to, relax and let the music wash over you. ***** Irish Music Magazine: Multi instrumentalist, Fraser Fifield is a veteran of many bands, from the relatively traditional, Old Blind Dogs to the anything but, Salsa Celtica. His solo debut is similarly wide ranging, despite being an unusually personal production: Fraser wrote all the music, played almost all the instruments, recorded and produced the album at home, and even released it on his own label. He's either amazingly talented or somewhat paranoid - or both. Talent is certainly here in abundance. The opening Dark Reel on pipes and clarinet gets right under your skin with its swirling mysterious melody line and deep down disturbing percussion. The gentler mood of Softly Spoken, evokes warmth and intimacy, but there's still a dark edge under the sax and whistle tones. The low whistle on Misnomer's reveals the cool jazz side of Fraser's music, and leads us into a triptych of Middle Eastern influenced descriptive pieces with his now characteristic muted sub-bass percussion. We return to more familiar territory with Velvet Jig, still plenty of Balkan colour in the sax, but Bill Whelan would have no problem recognising this as Irish. A rip-roaring Horo, full of Vladdish verve contrasts with the slow sort of reel favoured by McGoldrick and the Afro Celts, and then something completely different: a ghostly polyphonic psalm in the Lewis style, real life mysticism to raise your neck hairs. It's back to cool jazz and hot whistling for the title track, Fraser's challenging compositions are an even match for his virtuosity, and this tricky little tune trips off his fingertips as easily as rain off a cow. The final track is more of a cadenza; an extended low whistle solo, just to make the point that Fraser Fifield is a superfine whistle-player. Which he is. So if you can handle Balkan jazz on pipes and whistles, if you liked the moody sax from Riverdance or Andy Irvine's, East Wind album, I'd say you'll definitely go for Honest Water. I know I would, Available from www.fraserfifield.com - where else. Alex Monaghan ******* Sing Out! A freeform approach to Celtic-style tunes, arranged for soprano and alto sax, small and border pipes, keyboard , various percussion and electric guitar. Some very innovative arrangements; some great writing. Think Paul Winter meets Boys of the Lough. Smoothly produced too.