Celtic Connections Festival was surely founded 11 years ago to banish those midwinter blues, because that's exactly what it does! It's the perfect way to cure that post-Hogmanay depression and fill Glasgow's many excellent music venues during a traditionally lean month. I had the pleasure to spend a few days in Glasgow last weekend, and whilst the festival actually ran from January 12 to 30, I managed to cram in enough music during my short stay to quench my Celtic thirst for months to come!

Like all the best festivals (including the wonderful Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton and Brittany's Festival International de Lorient), Celtic Connections really does "connect," bringing together musicians from all over the Celtic world and uniting friends who come to meet up, enjoy the craic and music. There are two main hubs of activity during Glasgow's festival; there's the main event centre, the Royal Concert Hall (which to my mind is far too formal), and then there's the Festival Club, which this year took place at the Holiday Inn, Bothwell Street. There are many other, far more informal locations hosting events too -- including brand new venue, Oran Mor, The Arches, The Piping Centre, Barrowlands and the Tron Theatre.

I arrived in Glasgow for the middle weekend anticipating a cracking musician line up -- though you're guaranteed fantastic music whenever you hit town. My appetite was already whetted by a week of live radio broadcasts from the festival and feedback from Scottish friends, so I jumped off the train, dumped my luggage at the Festival Hotel and hot-footed over to the Royal Concert Hall to attend Julie Fowlis' delightfully informal album launch. Lovely to meet Julie -- she's much admired for her work with Dochas, (Best Upcoming Band winners in the recent Scottish Trad Awards), and she's just released a gorgeous solo album of Scottish Gaelic song and traditional tunes, mar a tha mo chridhe. A great opportunity too to catch up with good friend Fiona Mackenzie, current Mairi Mhor Gaelic Song Fellow for the Highland Council, and her daughter Katie, an upcoming and talented Gaelic vocalist, currently studying at Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, an institution that seems to churn out talented musicians at an alarming rate -- James Graham and Rachel Walker included!

Next stop was Danny Kyle's "Open Stage" to enjoy some fine performances by upcoming musicians, including pianist Gillian Isbister from Shetland, who sang a lovely range of contemporary/jazz standards, including John Lennon's "Imagine." Groups such as Malinky were "discovered" through their success in this event! It was then time for a performance by one of Gaeldom's most respected female singers, Capercaillie's Karen Matheson. Before she took the stage, we were treated to a fabulous warm up set by Cape Breton's Barra MacNeils -- lively and exuberant, they performed some wonderful dance tunes, a magnificent mining song and, most exciting of all, thrilled us with some lightning-quick stepdancing!

Matheson's solo career has proved eclectic, for she's embraced a wealth of musical influences over the years. Her accompanists this evening were Donald Shaw, James Grant (both, it would seem, pivotal influences on her solo career), Ewen Vernal, Mike McGoldrick, Tony McManus, Tommy Smith (whose sax playing lent wonderful ambience to the evening), Seamus Begley and James Mackintosh. Oh, and a nine-piece string ensemble of violins, violas and cellos, too. Anyone who's enjoyed Matheson's two solo albums will realise how wonderful she must have sounded surrounded by such musicianship -- and I can confirm that she was in absolutely beautiful voice. Seamus Begley accompanied Matheson on a couple of astonishing tunes -- an Irish lament and a Gaelic air -- that were very moving to witness. James Grant has perfected the art of writing truly beautiful contemporary songs for Matheson, so this evening we were treated to magnificent string-laden, heart-stopping versions of "At the End of the Night," "The Dreaming Sea," "Time to Fall" and so much more. Magnificent! Matheson communicates wonderfully through her music.

After being put through that emotional mangle, we headed off to a jam-packed Festival Club to an amazing lineup -- the Julie Fowlis Band (featuring John McCusker, John Doyle and Eamonn Doorley) -- we got to hear her sublime vocals after that CD launch, after all! Then it was Gillian Frame and her excellent band Back of the Moon, playing a rousing and crowd-pleasing set. An astonishing upcoming talent then took the stage; 13-year old fiddler Graham Mackenzie (who appeared in last year's Harvest Celtic Connections commission), accompanied by his mum on piano. In a thrilling, astoundingly accomplished set, he set out to prove that he's a name to watch out for in future. Aidan O'Rourke (Blazin' Fiddles) entered stage left, offering Mackenzie a reverential bow, and joined his young mentor to huge roars of approval -- what a set they played!

Zar, a fantastic Danish band, was next up, and it was they who got the crowd onto its feet with their driving, guitar, fiddle and bass-led rhythms and the gorgeously sexy voice of lead singer Sine Lahm Lauritsen. That gig left me wanting to find out more about this enormously talented band, and I felt they connected brilliantly with their audience. It was then time for a good acoustic set by the Trashcan Sinatras, followed by a foot-stompingly superb set by Cape Breton band Beolach, who had a fabulous festival by all accounts. Their gloriously vibrant sound, dominated by pipes, fiddle, guitar and keys, got a huge crowd on their feet dancing, and a fantastic time was had by all -- including yours truly!

- Rambles
written by Debbie Koritsas
published 19 February 2005