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02-06-00:
Good
Vibes Charm Natalie
02-02-00:
Natalie
MacMaster To Visit El Salvador For Development And Peace
01-25-00:
Natalie
MacMaster/Scottish Stepdance Company
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December
14, 2000
MacMaster Joins Pops for A&E TV Special
Halifax Herald
Troy
fiddler Natalie MacMaster will be seen with some terrific artists in a
concert to be filmed in Boston on Friday. Besides MacMaster, up for four
ECMA nominations, the Symphony Hall show will feature The Boston Pops,
plus MacMaster's friends The Chieftains and singer/songwriter Shawn
Colvin. The concert will be shown some time next year as an A&E
special. Watch your local listings.
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October
20, 2000
Celtic Fiddler
Voices Feelings
MacMaster Sings On Latest CD
Candace Horgan
- The Denver Post
Canadian fiddler Natalie MacMaster ventured into
unknown territory on her latest record, "In My Hands," singing
for the first time on the title track. But she still prefers to let the
fiddle be her main voice.
"I
used to take vocal lessons, and when we got ready to do this record, I
thought to try and conjure something up for the live show," she told
The Post. "And as it got closer to recording, I thought, no, let's
not bother. But we kept going with it, and the record company likes it. I
don't know whether I'll do it in the future, though. If I get inspired, I
might."
MacMaster,
a Colorado favorite, performs in Denver, Colorado Springs and Durango over
the next few days.
Her
last two records - 1999's "In My Hands" and "My Roots are
Showing," released in Canada in 1998 and in the U.S. this year - have
won Juno awards, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy.
She
has also been named Fiddler of the Year four years running at the Canadian
Country Music Awards, and this year also won the Best Collaboration Juno
for "Get Me Through December," a track she recorded
with Alison Krauss on "In My Hands." MacMaster was named Female
Artist of the Year at Canada's East Coast Music Awards in 1999.
The
27-year-old MacMaster hails from the island of Cape Breton off Canada's
Atlantic coast, a region steeped in Celtic musical tradition that has
produced master fiddlers for decades. MacMaster grew up five doors down
from Ashley MacIsaac, another renowned fiddler. The two took lessons
together when they were younger, and have played together often.
Celtic
musicians often play sessions together, usually for patrons at a local
pub, as a way to improve their skills.
"There
are definitely a ton of young fiddlers up there," MacMaster says.
"Lately, what's happened is there is a pub in Cape Breton called the
Red Shoe where people play. Before then, we never had a place to just go
sit down and play tunes. You can go in anytime, day or night, and sit down
and play."
MacMaster
first picked up a fiddle when she was 9. Fiddling is in her genes; her
uncle, Buddy MacMaster, is an accomplished fiddler and was an early
influence on Natalie's playing.
Her
father, although he didn't play the instrument, was another influence,
since he was very familiar with Celtic music and helped her with
intonation when she practiced. Other influences include Winston Fitzgerald
and Arthur Muise.
MacMaster
took lessons for three years, played her first concert when she was 10 and
released her first record as a teenager in 1989.
"I've
never had another job. I always knew I would be doing it."
In
concert, MacMaster is a dynamic performer, constantly moving with the
music. At the Telluride Bluegrass Festival this year, she danced around
the stage on one song with a member of her band. "It was
spectacular," she says of Telluride. "I really enjoyed it."
At
her shows, MacMaster is backed by a band that includes John Dymond on
bass, Steve O'Connor and Mac Morin on keyboards, Brad Davidge on guitar
and Tom Roach on drums. John Chiasson will play bass for the Colorado
shows, since Dymond's wife is expecting a baby.
MacMaster
has a busy touring schedule that will keep her on the road through a New
Year's Eve concert at Niagara Falls. In early 2001, she plans to go back
into the studio to record a new CD.
MacMaster's
touring has reaped dividends. Her current fiddle was given to her by a fan
in Ontario named Bill Burnett.
"People
(think) that a violin is so expensive, but fiddles are maybe not a big
deal. My current fiddle is a French violin from 1927 made by Marc Lebert.
It's not just a fiddle; it's a beautiful instrument.
"I
haven't actually purchased a fiddle myself; they've all been given to
me."
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October
17, 2000
All Hail The
Original Lords of the Dance.
The Chieftains bring their music and Irish dancing to Canada
Sandy MacDonald -
National Post
Long
before there was Riverdance, the Pogues or even Van Morrison, there was
Paddy Moloney and the Chieftains. The impish Eilleann piper and his
venerable band have long carried the torch for traditional Irish music,
infusing a renewed vibrancy in the ancient Celtic melodies.
"We've
been credited by our musical cousins and friends as having opened all the
doors around the world for this music -- and we continue to do so,"
said Moloney in a telephone interview before the start of the Chieftains'
current Canadian tour.
"It
took time, but once we got you, we never let go." Speaking from
Dublin, Moloney cast his charm over the trans-Atlantic phone line like a
cherished far-away uncle. He's venerated in the world of Celtic music --
and by the scores of musicians he's worked with over his near 40 years in
the business. Who else can drop names like Van Morrison, Mick Jagger,
Fidel Castro and the Pope into a 20-minute conversation?
The
group's success -- built over 36 albums in almost 40 years -- is measured
in part by the company it keeps. The band has recorded with a staggering
variety of artists -- Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Vince Gill, Diana
Krall, the Vatican choir ...
The
Chieftains, six-time Grammy winners, were the first musical group to
perform on the Great Wall of China; they also played for the Pope in
Ireland in front of 1.3 million people. And recently the band entertained
in the White House for President Clinton and Irish politicians of all
political stripes. "But the answer [to our success] is really in the
music itself," said Moloney of the group's continuing appeal.
"Irish music is so melodic, with a tremendous amount of
variety."
Moloney,
62, has brought the ancient music out of the house "hoolies" and
dark-panelled pubs to the world's finest concert halls. "It's
important to present the music in a way that people can understand, that
will bring out all the colour in the music. I mean, you don't just go up
there, put your head between your legs and play away." Of all the
things they are, the Chieftains are no overnight success.
In
1963, as a Liverpudlian foursome were igniting Beatlemania, Moloney was
starting his own quiet revolution. He'd played with Sean O'Riada, one of
the first Irish musicians to reinvigorate the traditional music. When
Claddagh Records gave Moloney the opportunity to record, he pulled
together some fine traditional players from the local Dublin scene to
record as the Chieftains. (They originally thought to call themselves the
Quare Fellows, after a Brendan Behan play, but more sensible heads
prevailed.
It
would be another 12 years, (despite winning an Oscar for the score of the
Kubrick film Barry Lyndon and being named Melody Maker group of the year
in 1975) before the players would abandon day jobs to perform as the
Chieftains full time. The lineup has been pretty much intact for the past
25 years: Moloney plays Uilleann pipes and whistles, Derek Bell plays harp
and keyboards, Matt Malloy on wooden flute, Kevin Conneff on bodhran and
vocals and Martin Fay and Sean Keane on fiddles.
"We
break out now and again, do bits of collaboration, but never have we
departed from Irish music -- that would be foolish, for us to become
rockers at this stage."
Last
New Year's Eve, the band welcomed a new guest member -- Cape Breton
fiddler Natalie MacMaster. "I was a Chieftain for the mellenium,"
laughs MacMaster, who will perform with the group at Roy Thomson Hall and
on a half-dozen shows this week through Ontario.
"We
went down to Antarctica on a cruise ship. I was an actual Chieftain that
night because they didn't have their two fiddlers. I was onstage all night
and did their full show." The tousled-haired fiddler has toured
several times with the group and recorded on two collaborative albums --
Fire in the Kitchen (featuring leading Canadian Celtic acts) and Tears of
Stones (with several female guest performers).
"Those
guys are like the ocean: They wash over everything," says MacMaster
of the Chieftains' influence on modern Celtic music. "They've played
so many types of music with so many artists. It's just ridiculous. They're
good solid musicians, who have never tried to be anything but what they
are."
For
the upcoming shows, MacMaster will play a solo piece early in the show,
and "the rest of the night is just jamming, me and the Chieftains.
And I may do a little dancing with the dancers -- I've done that
before."
Also
on the Ontario dates are young Cape Breton Celtic band Slainte Mhath
("Slawncha Vah"), which includes two younger siblings of the
Barra MacNeils. Flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook and fiddler Ashley MacIsaac
will accompany the Chieftains on the western swing. Moloney laughs off the
controversy that inevitably follows MacIsaac:
"We
first met up with the likes of Ashley when he was 16 ... and he still
causes a bit of a stir now and then." Champion Irish dancers Donny
Golden and Cara Butler will also perform on the Canadian shows. The
high-stepping Irish dancing, now so familiar from the Riverdance craze,
has always been an integral part of the Chieftains' live show.
They
helped launch the professional careers of Jean Butler (sister of Cara) and
Michael Flatley, who created the Riverdance and later Lord of the Dance
phenomena. "Michael's done alright," deadpans Moloney. "I
wouldn't mind exchanging' the bank accounts." Moloney says he's
looking forward to presenting his music with the Toronto Symphony
Orchestra at the Roy Thomson Hall.
He
has a varied program planned for the Toronto dates, including his
entrancing Gallician Overture, a traditional Italian Christmas tune and a
choral piece with the Faith Jubilee Choir. Through all the varied musical
projects, though, Moloney is clear about what brings him the greatest
personal satisfaction.
"The
most exhilarating, the most satisfying is when we're on the stage and play
as if we've never played together before -- that's how we treat a
concert."
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September
20, 2000
Exclusively
Intimate with Natalie MacMaster
By Tim Gordanier - My GreyBruce
 Once
again, the ever-popular Celtic Festival came to the city of Owen Sound
bringing talent and a tradition to a very welcoming crowd.
We
were treated to a lively and fun concert from one of Canada's, and quite
possibly the world's, most talented performers.
Natalie
MacMaster, born and raised in Cape Breton, joined with the band 'Slainte
Mhath' in opening the official annual festival on its first night.
MacMaster played a traditional set without her usual band
members. The 28 year old bombshell sat down with us to share
some of her thoughts and let us take a peek into the hectic life on the
road. The smiling MacMaster was more than willing to share her
thoughts.
After
wrapping up her last tour, the band-less MacMaster came to Owen Sound to
perform during her scheduled time-off period.
"I
just love to play this Owen Sound crowd and would not have missed it for
the world," she said. " It was more of a traditional set
without my usual band mates and it worked out really well. We are about to
go on our next tour and we can't wait."
 Natalie
MacMaster and her band will be going on their American tour beginning in
October. They will be touring cities and venues throughout the
United States to show what talent lies north of the border.
From
a young age, Natalie has always known that she was to fiddle and
perform. " I just knew. You know how you get that feeling
that something is just meant to happen, " asked Natalie. "
Well, I knew from early on that I wanted to fiddle."
And
the multi-talented performer had lots of great things to say about the
residents and fans in Owen Sound as well. A nearly-packed audience
crowded in to the Lumley Bayshore Community Centre on September 15th to
bear witness to her well-known act.
Natalie
MacMaster has performed in the city four times and says she always enjoys
coming back to the scenic city.
 "It's
funny, the fans here are so super and accepting of me. They really
get into the music and they are so loyal. They are the 'meat and
potatoes' of the performance and it is so nice to see them all come out
again," said an obviously exhausted MacMaster.
Not
long after our interview, Natalie could be seen with her fill-in band
members darting across the parking lot towards the Inn on the Bay, where
they stayed. Performing really can run its toll on someone.
Natalie
MacMaster is a performer that possesses so much talent. Her ability
to have fun with it at the same time is admirable. After sitting
down with this very open and outgoing young woman, it is obvious that she
can carry herself and is a great diplomat for the future of Celtic music
and for Canadians as well.
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July
20, 2000
MacMaster Loves
Great Outdoors
Fiddler Thrives In Festival Environment
By Dave Veitch- Calgary Sun
To
Natalie MacMaster's way of thinking, there's only one negative associated
with playing outdoor festivals.... "Sound checking in 15
minutes," the Nova Scotian fiddling sensation says. "That's the
worst thing in the world!"
Otherwise, the 27-year-old musician says she loves performing outside in
the summer -- as she will Sunday at the Calgary Folk Music Festival.
She'll participate in a fiddle workshop in the afternoon and play her own
show on mainstage during the evening.
"It's great to be out in the sun -- just to be in the fresh
air," says MacMaster.
"We did this festival in Telluride, Colo., and it was the most
spectacular sight I have ever seen for a festival.... We were surrounded
by mountains and, from the stage, we just had the most perfect view. You
get onstage like that, you play a slow piece of music and it's the most
inspiring thing -- your music just going off in the air."
MacMaster has been busy touring since the release of her sixth and latest
album In My Hands last winter. She's been across Canada, through the U.S.
and Europe, and back again. The response to the new CD, she reports, has
been great.
"Gawd, we're outselling our other albums -- doubling and tripling our
sales," she says.
In My Hands finds MacMaster branching out in unexpected directions. Some
songs use flamenco and techno styles; while the title track features her
first lead vocal.
"The first time I did it live, I thought I was going to die,"
she says, laughing.
"I've been getting a lot of fan mail from people saying 'Do more
vocal stuff.' I don't know if I will; in fact, I probably won't anytime
soon. It's just something I tried. I didn't expect people to like it that
much."
MacMaster, who's been playing fiddle since she was nine, relishes the
opportunity to do other things.
She's promoted Tim Hortons in TV ads and acted in the CBC-TV series Pit
Pony. Later this year, she will once again participate in a fiddle camp
led by noted Nashville session musician Mark O'Connor.
"I'm the type of person who needs a lot going on," MacMaster
says. "My life is crazy and I like that. Mind you, I love spending
time at home (in Cape Breton) and doing normal things, even laundry.
"But I know I'm cut out to do what I do. A friend of mine, Howie
MacDonald, was playing the other day and I was so excited to see him and
not have to play.
"But toward the end, I was feeling:
'I want to get up there!' ... It's the first time it really dawned on me.
I thought: 'Oh God, I have that desire.' "
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July
10, 2000
Natalie MacMaster - Fiddler On The Move
Vines Magazine (Canada)
The
majority of Canadians were first introduced to Cape Breton fiddler Natalie
MacMaster a few years ago through a Tim Hortons commercial. The television
spot featured the young fiddler and her bandmates stopping for caffeine
and crullers at donut shops while touring across the country. The
promotional plug was simple: no matter the time of day, MacMaster always
had time for Tim Hortons.
Since
the Tim’s ad, MacMaster has become a celebrity for more artistic
reasons. A Juno award-winning album in 1999 and relentless touring – in
Canada and abroad – have turned the spirited Celtic musician into one of
Canada’s most talented and accomplished fiddle players. The fact she
resembles both Meg Ryan and Nicole Kidman – comparisons she hears quite
frequently – hasn’t hurt her star power any either.
MacMaster’s
talents have taken her from the Cape Breton kitchen party scene to the
world’s stage, earning high-profile fans, such as Carlos Santana and the
Chieftains. The 27-year-old musician tells Walter Sendzik how her love
affair with her fiddle encourages her to sing and perform traditional
music straight from the heart.
It’s
a cold, over-cast day in Halifax, nothing unusual about that in January,
and MacMaster is finally taking a break and relaxing in her cozy, albeit
sparsely furnished, apartment. Given her hectic touring schedule, which
has she and her fiddle traversing the world at a torrid pace these days,
it’s a wonder she bothers to maintain a residence at all.
For
the past couple of years, MacMaster has been calling home any stage that
allows her to play. While most people were enjoying the company of family
and friends as the dawn of a new millennium rose above the horizon, she
was hard at work off the shores of Antarctica ringing in the New Year on a
cruise ship.
"I
actually walked on Antarctica," she says, sounding as if she still
can’t believe it. "It’s cool to think that I am one of only
200,000 people to have ever set foot on the island."
What
got her there was a last minute request from the Chieftains. The
celebrated Irish band needed a fiddler to fill in for a band member who
couldn’t make the cruise to the bottom of the world, which also featured
Diana Krall and The Moffats as on-board entertainment. "[The Moffats]
were there to entertain the teenage crowd, once they hit the stage, the
older crowd left the area," she says, laughing. "It was a thrill
to be able to watch Diana [Krall] play. I was a huge fan before the
cruise, and a bigger one now that I had the chance to see her
perform," And as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve,
MacMaster was fiddling away with the Chieftains helping to whip the crowd
into a toe tapping frenzy. The scene wasn’t unique to New Year’s Eve
– it’s something she’s been doing since she first laid eyes on the
instrument.
It
was love at first sight between MacMaster and the fiddle. The story, which
is probably turning into folklore on Cape Breton Island, started with the
instrument’s arrival at the MacMaster family home in the village of
Troy, situated ion the Strait of Canso, Cape Breton Island. MacMaster’s
great-uncle from Boston sent the odd three-quarter-size fiddle, insisting
that it should be given to the child who expressed interest in playing the
instrument. Natalie won out over her two brothers whose idle time was
devoted to ice hockey.
"I
was attracted to it immediately. I was attracted to the look, the size,
the feel and the sound," she says as though remembering every detail
of the instrument.
Her
comments reminded me of Don McKeller and Fancois Girard’s film, Red
Violin, which focuses on the plight of a rare red violin over a few
centuries. The epic film chronicles the life of the violin through its
various players, spanning centuries and travelling the world over. Those
who had the opportunity to place the special instrument under their chin
were seduced by its mystic sound. They became entranced, and the music
they created with it became pure beauty.
MacMaster,
who had just seen the film, said she was moved by the film’s ability to
bring an intimate object to life by placing it in the hands of so many
different violinists, and to see the effect it had on each individual
player. "It was great to see an instrument that is so close to my
heart on the big screen," she says. "Who would have thought a
movie about a violin would be interesting to anyone but us
violinists?"
Red
Violin or not, MacMaster has five albums, all of which feature traditional
fiddle compositions, under her bow and fiddle. Her latest, In My Hands,
was released last fall. She’s quick to point out that she doesn’t
write the music. "I play music composed by other fiddlers, both from
the past and present. Although on this album, I did compose one Song,
"Father John MacLeod’s Jig" and actually added vocals and
lyrics to "In My Hands.""
Adding
vocals was a big deal. When the album was released, MacMaster’s signing
was the topic of conversation for fans and music scribes alike. Why did
she decide to add vocals to her repertoire? Was it pressure from her music
company to get more radio airplay? Or something that had been in the back
of her mind for some time?
By
way of explanation, MacMaster said in the early days she used to employ a
singer to tour with her, before deciding a couple of years ago to
performing a strictly instrumental set. "I thought my show would be
strong enough without the vocal element, but in the back of my mind I
always thought the vocal element broke up the show a bit and gave it an
added dimension. So for the past few years, I’ve been thinking about
adding my own vocals to the show."
Having
followed through on that thought, MacMaster says she’s still a bit
self-conscious of her singing abilities. She knows she’s a fiddler first
and a talented step dancer second, but she claims she has yet to sing on
record, probably never will. "Listen to the song, I’m speaking,
almost chanting the words. I don’t think I’d call it full out
singing," she laughs, adding she hasn’t been trained as a singer.
When
her efforts to write a song began, she searched inside to find something
that was important to her, and what she found was right under her chin:
the fiddle.
"I
started writing lyrics for quite a few months and messed around with them.
Some of them were just stupid, other, I thought were just incredible. Then
it got the point where one day I loved my written work and the next day I
hated it. Finally I decided to show the material I had been working to one
of my good friends, Amy Sky. She helped me out with some of the lyrics and
she also made me feel that it was all worthwhile and that my ideas were
cool."
Although
some people have mistaken the lyrics of "In My Hands" to be one
of a more provocative nature, with lines like "I see your shape and
I’m attracted/I touch your neck and I’m tempted," it soon becomes
obvious that MacMaster is writing about her fiddle. "Basically, I was
writing about the 200-year history of the fiddle and how I ended up
falling in love with it," she explains. In the song, she speaks to
the fiddle saying, "people have carved you and generations mould
you/Time has carried you and traditions behold you/What time has taken
passion has kept/What my heart has felt music has sent."
The
lyrics could be the opening lines of the Cape Breton-inspired version of Red
Violin, Part Two. MacMaster uses the song to tell how the rich history
of the fiddle and its music has effected life. "Through your voice I
hear your stories/And in these hands they become my own/And the old times
and old memories/Called life beneath my bow." It becomes a two-way
relationship: MacMaster uses the fiddle to create music and the fiddle
uses her to release its history – its voice.
MacMaster
says she found it difficult to perform the song in front of an audience at
first. But with each performance, she has grown more comfortable and
confident. "I was a wreck, a bag of nerves," she admits,
recalling the song’s debut live performance. I felt so stupid up there,
just pure stupid. But, I kept doing it and now I really enjoy it. I look
forward to that part of the show."
That
said, the likelihood of an entire album of MacMaster singing is unlikely.
"I don’t even know if I’ll continue to write lyrics. I do know
that if something moves me I will write about it. That’s the one thing
about "In My Hands" – those lyrics are me. I put my
heart into to them and I am totally happy with it. It has to be real if
I’m ever going to do it again."
The
connection between instrument and musician can be witnessed when MacMaster
takes the fiddle and places it under her chin and runs the bow over the
strings. From that point on, there’s nothing in the world that can shake
her from the spell of the fiddle. There are times in her performances when
she closes her eyes and lets the music take her away.
"My
house could have burned down that day, but once I’m playing the music,
that’s it. It’s a state of mind. There’s a really cool quote from a
fiddle tune book from which I play a lot of tunes from. It’s Winston
Scotty Fitzgerald’s book of fiddle tunes – he was a well known fiddler
from Cape Breton. It goes something like; ‘When I’m playing
music/I’m not thinking about my fingers and my bow/it all comes from the
heart.’ If I were thinking about how to play the tune, I wouldn’t be
really playing it. It has to come from the heart. You feel the tune, you
don’t think it.
So
the fiddle rules MacMaster’s life as much as she rules the fiddle. When
the two part ways for a little time off, MacMaster finds the lure of wine
and food attractive. "On the road we dine out a lot," she says.
"Whenever I get a chance I’ll drink wine. But when I’m touring I
try to stay away from wine and caffeine." (So much for Tim Hortons
coffee.) "If I could I would drink wine every night with supper.
There’s nothing like a good wine and great food that match well. I like
both red and white. I don’t really have a preference, it all depends on
the mood I’m in. If I ever had a long period of time off, I would take
cooking classes and learn about wine. That’s what I would do."
But
the reality of MacMaster’s career dictates the only place she can really
cook these days is on the concert stage. The kitchen will have to wait
while she tours the world over, leaving in her wake legions of fans who
have absorbed the haunting music of her ancestors and the enticing voice
of her fiddle.
Click
to see a photo of Natalie on the cover of this issue of Vines Magazine
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May
26, 2000
Natalie MacMaster Talks About Her Listening And Viewing Pleasures
Janice Biehn - The National Post (Canada)
CURRENT
PROJECT The 28-year-old fiddling star from Cape
Breton is touring North America to promote her newest CD, In My Hands. Her
summer schedule includes performances at Strings in the Mountains in
Colorado, RootsFest Music Festival in Victoria and at the Lincoln Center
in New York.
MAGAZINES
I don't subscribe to any. I try and stay away from magazines because the
ones that I like are just a waste of my time, in the sense that I go
through it and I've spent two hours. But I love InStyle magazine. It's the
size of a catalogue, so I waste two or three hours going through that.
Sometimes I'll also go through Rolling Stone.
BOOKS
I enjoy books. Most of my books are of a religious nature; I like that
stuff. Right now I'm reading a big thick book on the lives of all the
different saints and martyrs; I got it in Rome. I don't take it on the
road with me because it's too big, so I don't know the actual title. The
last book I read was Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes.
RADIO
When I'm home in Halifax, I might listen to [CFR] Q104. It's very rare
that I listen to the radio otherwise.
TELEVISION
I like The Drew Carey Show. I have to say I'm into sitcoms. I watch TV,
seriously, maybe twice every month or something; it's just ridiculous. So
I get to a hotel where I might have a day off and have about an hour to
watch. I'll watch those Jerry Springer-type shows, too, sometimes. I can
only handle them for maybe 10 or 15 minutes, but, my God, the
entertainment value is high.
MOVIES
I saw Angela's Ashes because I wanted to see it after reading the book and
I thought it represented the book very well. Erin Brockovich was also
excellent.
LIVE
THEATRE I've seen Riverdance three times, the
last time in New York. I liked the first time the best. I went because I
might fill in for the fiddler a bit in the fall in New York. If I have
time and it works out that she wants to take a break and I'm available,
we'll do it. I just went to a Bruce Springsteen concert in New York, too,
which was fabulous.
MUSIC
I'm a big fan of Amanda Marshall and Alison Krauss [who sings on
MacMaster's newest CD]. Every now and then I listen to AC/DC to shake me
up. And there's this American singer, her name is Eva Cassidy. I heard her
on a radio station after I did an interview one time, and it made me cry.
It was a cover of Sting's Fields of Gold, and it was beautiful. She died
in 1996, but this was about six years ago, and nobody knew of her. The CD
I have of hers is poor production quality, but I love it.
INTERNET
I just got a computer about a month ago so it's my very first crack at it.
It's a little laptop that will go with me, so I'm still in the learning
stages and basically working e-mail right now.
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May
26, 2000
Cape Breton's Natalie MacMaster Let's Her Hair Down
Firebrand Fiddler Puts On A Lively Show Of Dancing
and Revved-up Traditional Tunes.
Kerry Dexter -- SonicNet
AUSTIN,
Texas — There are certain musicians who can command their audiences
before they speak a word, and when the first haunting offstage note
sounded from Natalie MacMaster's fiddle at her performance at One World
Theater on Tuesday evening, it was clear that the Cape Breton player is
one of them.
Playing
a slow Celtic air as she walked onstage, MacMaster quickly drew listeners
in with a faster jig. Then she moved on to the contemporary with a
composition by fellow Nova Scotian, J.P. Cormier, called
"Josephine's Waltz," and shifted into high gear with
"Flamenco Fling", in which trad Gaelic music figures are
flavored with flamenco rhythms.
Trading
high-energy licks with guitarist Brad Davidge, MacMaster showed how
far she could easily stretch the boundaries of her traditional style.
"We're
going to take you all to a different place — we're going to the
kitchen," MacMaster said as she, along with Davidge and bass
player John Dymond, gathered chairs in a circle onstage to play for
the step dancing of keyboard player Mac Morin.
It
was in just such a setting that MacMaster first came to know the fiddle
herself, growing up in a family of musicians along the windswept Atlantic
coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. These family jams often included her
uncle Buddy MacMaster, who is regarded in traditional circles as a
master fiddler.
Starting
Early
Natalie
picked up the fiddle at age 9 and performed at her first concert about six
months later.
"I
didn't really know there was any other kind of music when I was growing
up," she said earlier this spring from her Cape Breton home,
"and still, when I want to learn old tunes or get ideas about the
music, my first thing to do is pull out tapes of family house
parties."
In
keeping with that sentiment, her most recent release is titled My Roots
Are Showing — Traditional Fiddle Music of Cape Breton Island (Rounder).
The cover image shows MacMaster with her eyes closed and, in the
background, a tree with images of ancestors looking out from its spreading
branches.
Onstage
in Austin, the fiddler next played the medley she calls "Welcome to
the Trossachs", composed in part of the tunes "Memories of
Winston," "Highlanders Farewell to Ireland," "Gravel
Walks Reel," "Colonel Thornton" and "The
Hurricane," revealing and reveling in the varieties of Cape Breton
dance music.
Jigs,
reels, hornpipes and strathspeys are participatory forms of music, meant
to be danced and clapped along to.
"Somebody
who doesn't know the ins and outs of the music can certainly feel the
rhythm," MacMaster said. "It's right there, the power and the
lift in the tempo and the groove — the feel of the music is just so
strong."
Flexing
All Muscles
Proving
that the style and her playing are infinitely flexible, MacMaster then
took what is usually a fast jig, "Blue Bonnets Over the Border",
and brought it down to a slow air.
She
picked things up again for "a last blast of tunes before
intermission" with a medley of jigs and reels ending with the
"Cottonwood Reel," an American tune which is played quite often
at our dances," she said. "See, you Americans have even
infiltrated Cape Breton with your music!"
After
the break, MacMaster opened things up by performing her only vocal
recording, the Celtic rap-style ode to the fiddle "In My Hands",
the title track to her Juno-award-winning disc of last year on Rounder
Records. (Junos are the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys.)
"That's
an idea that I had tossing around in my head for a while," she said.
"I'm not a singer, I thought. But there must be a way to do this —
I'll just say it! So that's what I did."
Bringing
the nearly three hours of music to a close, MacMaster danced and whirled
across the stage, tossing her hair and kicking up her feet to the Celtic
rhythms as she played. With a standing ovation the crowd begged for more,
and another tour de force medley of dancing and fiddle playing unfolded
until — with a final "Thanks so much for the encore! See you down
the road" — MacMaster sent her audience out into the warm Texas
spring night, refreshed with a blast of sparkling music from the shore of
Cape Breton.
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May
18, 2000
Here's What Works and Why
- In the East Coast Music Industry
Sandy MacDonald - The Halifax
Daily News (article excerpt)
Last
week, music columnist Sandy MacDonald outlined problems facing the music
industry. Today, he looks at what works.
The
impressive wealth of musical talent on the East Coast has never been in
question. But as the global music industry continues to evolve, local
artists and management must respond to ride the curl of the wave.
"I
think the big strength is the talent that is available to be marketed,
promoted and sold in every genre," says Andre Bourgeois, who manages
fiddler Natalie MacMaster.
"There
are many new people in the business who actually have strong business and
communication skills to complement their instincts and beliefs. This isn't
a party; it's a business."
Here's
what keeps the local scene energized:
Talent.
At the leading edge of the East Coast industry are Great Big Sea and
Natalie MacMaster. Each act has won several East Coast Music Awards, each
has sold impressive numbers of albums (GBS sales are nearing 900,000;
MacMaster's are more than 400,000), while touring extensively through
North America and Europe.
Great
Big Sea has mastered the mix of folksy Newfoundland charm with high-energy
pop. The five-time winner of the ECMA's entertainer-of-the-year award has
the whole package - solid management by Louis Thomas, first-rate videos,
well-produced records, radio play and boundless energy to perform great
live shows.
MacMaster
picks up the traditional torch from The Rankins, invigorating the Cape
Breton Celtic music with contemporary arrangements. MacMaster plays close
to 300 shows a year, selling 100 to 400 CDs a night in the U.S. Bourgeois
figures between 30 and 40 per cent of her album sales are off the stage, a
measure of her popularity in untapped markets.
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May
15, 2000
MacMasterful Show
Rocks State Street
V.R Cann --
Portland Press Herald, ME
Natalie
MacMaster's performance Sunday night at State Street Church was electric,
eclectic and energetic. From the moment she breezed on to the stage
playing "The Farewell" with the sound of electronic winds
blowing her in, she reeled in everyone in the standing-room only crowd.
This audience needed no winning over. These folks were obviously already
die-hard fans of this Cape Breton fiddler. They hooted, whistled and
thumped their welcome.
MacMaster
is pure delight on all counts. Her soft, lilting Cape Breton accent and
her gentle, engaging ways are as winning as her awesome fiddling and
dancing. She was a marvel to behold as she jigged, jumped, reeled and
whirled, all while masterfully wielding her bow. On a couple of occasions
MacMaster foresook her fiddle and wowed the audience with a performance
that showed off her wizardry as a stepdancer. On one occasion, Mac Morin -
one of her keyboard players, who had also given us a taste of his mastery
of the dance early on in the performance - joined her.
Together,
the two nearly sent chips flying off their makeshift wooden platform. What
was so winning about Sunday night's performance was the joyful playfulness
between MacMaster and her band members. That feeling was transferred to
the audience and transformed the energy in the church's cavernous space.
There was no room for anything else except un-adulterated joy in the
music.
There
were many familiar tunes that hinted of their traditional Irish or
Scottish origins, such as the hauntingly lyrical "Blue Bonnets Over
The Border" and "Josephine's Waltz" which were enough to
satisfy purists of the genre. But perhaps to win wider audiences and add a
contemporary flair to traditional tunes, MacMaster has added Jazz, Rock,
and even flamenco flourishes to them. The most successful of these is
"Flamenco Fling" which masterfully fused both the distinctive
sound of Flamenco awith a traditional reel.
Some
of the rock infusions were not as successful and seemed almost intrusive,
especially as the bass was far too heavy., overwhelming the fiddle and the
airiness of the music. But this is a personal quibble. The audience
obviously did not care. And why should they have? MacMaster and her band
put on a great show.
The
pace never flagged and actually semmed to gather momentum as the evening
progressed. The members of the audience could not keep still. They clapped
their hands, stomped their feet and raised the rafters with their
thunderous appreciation.
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May
5, 2000
Natalie Wears The
Pants in MacMasterful Show
Mary Colurso -
The Birmigham News (Alabama)
Natalie
MacMaster, who's as slender as a violin bow, split her pants Wednesday
night during a concert at Five Points South Music Hall.
Distressed,
the lively Canadian fiddler stopped her show for a minute. She wailed. But
quicker than you can say "Scottish reel," MacMaster spotted a
blue towel nearby and wrapped it around the waist of her velvety purple
trousers. She finished her first set with elan.
Far
from ruining her performance, the mishap only made an already admiring
audience love her more. Believe it or not, MacMaster looked good wearing
that towel. It didn't seem to inhibit her playing or her spirit one little
bit.
She
came back for the second half in a classy black outfit, but by that time
MacMaster had won over her listeners so thoroughly, she could have been
clothed in a gunny sack.
This
was a rare evening of truly exceptional music, attended by a small - let's
say discriminating - crowd of perhaps 60 or 70 listeners. Most were
dancing or gaily toe-tapping by the end of the night, keeping time with
numbers such as "Flamenco Fling," "Welcome to Trossachs"
and "Blue Bonnets Over the Border."
Several
in attendance had heard MacMaster's brand of Celtic fiddling before,
during her appearance at the 1998 City Stages. She returned to Birmingham
with an excellent five-member band and two more albums to her credit,
1999's In My Hands and the recently released My Roots Are
Showing.
Like
all of her work, these CDs take inspiration from the Cape Breton music
MacMaster, 28, grew up with in Nova Scotia. Strong Scottish influences
pervade the instrumental tunes, MacMaster explained during her cheery,
chummy remarks between numbers.
Part
of her set list was traditional; part was contemporary. Everything sounded
fresh and wonderful, MacMaster's specialty is bridging the gap between
past and present.
And
did we mention the step-dancing? MacMaster displayed some fancy footwork
while she fiddled, but also put down the instrument to step dance solo and
with a partner, keyboard player Mac Morin.
This
boosted the entertainment factor to an even higher level, Riverdance
style. No one sang a note all evening, but vocals were neither necessary
nor missed.
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May
3, 2000
MacMaster Never Second Fiddle To Celtic Music Fans
Victor Greto, The Sun-Sentinel (Florida)
Natalie
MacMaster's got rhythm. So does the Celtic fiddle music the Nova
Scotia native plays.
"The
music's essential virtue is its rhythm," said MacMaster, 27.
"It's about dancing. We play for square dances, step-dances at
home."
What
about South Floridians who don't know their Celtic music from their
hip-hop?
"Well,"
she said politely, "there is a certain actual style, but I see people
dancing all different ways. I played in Germany once, and they didn't have
a clue who or what I was, even what I was playing. But they were going
crazy."
She
promises South Floridians will, too, when the Rhythm Foundation presents
her and her band in their Miami debut Saturday night at the 73rd Street
Bandshell.
MacMaster
has released five albums, and several have gone gold in Canada, including
her debut, Fit as a Fiddle, recorded when she was 21, and My
Roots Are Showing, a tribute to traditional music. Her latest, In
My Hands, features guest turns from bluegrass artist Alison Krauss and
Nashville fiddle virtuoso Mark O'Connor, among others.
She
was named female artist of the year at the 1999 East Coast Music Awards,
and My Roots Are Showing earned a 1999 Juno Award for best
instrumental album.
MacMaster
said she's been playing the fiddle since she was 9. Her love for Celtic
music has progressively increased, and her love of touring and playing
before large crowds has made the music that much sweeter.
"I
don't think of it as a dream," she said of her growing popularity.
"It's not that fairy tale-like -- it's my life and I love it. I've
been doing this since I was 9; it's so much a part of me and what I
do."
She
describes herself as a "typical Nova Scotia girl," which, she
said, "simply means I'm not a showbiz-type girl. Whether I'm on stage
or not, I'd be the same person. Everyone has their gifts; mine happen to
be public. But I still do it for me. Every day that passes, I love it more
and more."
Despite
her affinity for the road and her tour bus, she loves it best when she
returns to Cape Breton, an internationally known seat of Scottish culture
on the northern part of the island of Nova Scotia in eastern Canada. The
area was partially settled by Scottish immigrants in the 1800s, who
faithfully preserved their Celtic traditions.
Her
modesty will not even allow her to take her fans' encomiums about her
abilities too seriously, either. For instance, one man from Alberta wrote
that MacMaster "could play fiddle and dance across a field of honey
clover at the same time and never bend a blade. If ever there was a
goddess of fiddle, it is her."
"Well,"
she said in response, "I think: How did he come up with that? ... I
think he just likes what I do."
He's
not alone.
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May
1, 2000
Natalie MacMaster
Causes A Stir
The Irish
Edition - New York
Whenever
and wherever she plays, Natalie MacMaster causes a stir. There is so much
life in what she does that sitting still is a near impossibility. Even if
the Scottish sound of Cape Breton island music is not the fiddling that
appeals most to the listener, her infectious playing and personality still
moves you.
Natalie
is one of the few artists who will take time out in the middle of a
performance to line up her band for a photo for a member of the audience.
She is also one of the few musicians who can't help but dance along to her
own playing.
Her
fiddling is mind-boggling. Her bow almost assaults the strings as she
plays at breakneck speed, while the fingers on her left hand appear to
make more maneuvers than the feet of a clogger. Yet this is not a fast
technician simply bedazzling us. She has a feeling and understanding in
her music.
No
matter if she handles a typical Cape Breton mix of rhythms, a rag or an
air, there is such warmth in her playing and for a high point, her
back-to-origins album, My Roots Are Showing, presents a dynamic
duet with her uncle, Buddy MacMaster joining her on a live set.
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April
30, 2000
Natalie MacMaster To Show Canadian Roots To U.S.
Tour will showcase traditional Cape Breton styles of My Roots
Are Showing.
Will Comerford - SonicNet (USA)
Canadian
fiddler Natalie MacMaster will share the traditional styles she explores
on her recently released My Roots Are Showing on a 29-city U.S.
tour.
The
tour kicks off April 27 in Charlotte, N.C., and will touch down at a
series of intimate venues in the South and up the East Coast. After
crossing the country to California, MacMaster will head back to the
Midwest, wrapping on June 23 in Columbia, Mo.
Last
year MacMaster gained international attention with the release of In My
Hands, which fused her Nova Scotia fiddling style with Latin rhythms.
The album, with its successful title-track single, earned her a Canadian
Juno Award for Best Instrumental Album last month.
My
Roots returns to a more traditional style, with
jigs such as "Close to the Floor" and slower songs like "A'
Chuthag."
MacMaster
tours frequently, and her energetic performances earned her a spot on the
stage with the Celtic band the Chieftains, for whom she also provided
fiddle work on last year's Tears of Stone.
Nashville
guitarist Mark O'Connor, who contributed to In My Hands, will
perform with MacMaster at the last two shows of the tour.
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April
28, 2000
MacMaster Shows
Her Roots
Carol Mailett -
Asheville Citizen Times, NC
Natalie
MacMaster is not just another pretty face. Playing since the age of 9 and
recording since 16, she’s taken Cape Breton fiddlign and stepdancing to
world-wide audiences.
Her
ability to play and dance at the same time, with awesome skill and energy,
have shot her to the top of the Celtic chartsand have made her an
international star. On Tuesday night she’s playing the Diana Wortham
Theater at Park Place.
With
five solo CD’s; 32 compilation recordings, instructaional fiddle videos
and an interactive CD-ROM, she’s a multimedia phenomenon as well. And
last week, she met the pope. Twice.
"I
have a friend who’s a Bishop. He knew we were going to Italy and made
the arrangements and … we got to meet him" she said. "We had
front row seats, and my brother and I both got to meet him afterwards.
Not
bad for a 27 year old who has turned dancing and playing at the same time
into fine art. Mucisians with curly blond hair who fiddle and dance at the
same time are popping up all over the country, but it was MacMaster who
popularized the craze.
"I
was in a group with 6 other young people when I was about 16" said
the Canadian-born artist. "We decided we wanted to try dancing and
playing at the same time." We coordinated the timing of the music to
our steps. I just kept doing it".
Her
show includes a wide range of entertainment.
"We’ll
be bringing the whole band to Asheville" she said. "It’s five
guys, two keyboards, bass, guitar and drums."
And
it’s not just fiddle and dance.
"The
whole show is full of vatiety with many upbeat moments" she said.
"We play lots of different types of tunes. Slow ballads, waltzes,
airs, jigs. We’ll do some dancing too" she said. "My keyboard
player also dances".
MacMaster
was born into music and raised with it. The third child of a retired pulp
worker and a Sears outlet clerk, her uncle, Buddy MacMaster, is the
aknowledged dean of traditional Cape Breton fiddlers.
When
she was 9, she aquired her first fiddle from an uncle living in Boston and
started playing in church halls around Cape Breton. By 16, she was a
seasoned veteran and used her concert earnings to make her first album.
Four years and two more CD’s later, she enrolled in the Nova Scotia
Teachers College, in case music failed to work out as a career. She
graduated in 1997.
In
1996, Warner Music Canada signed a distribution deal and produced "No
Boundaries" , her first recording for a major label.
Natalie
now plays more than 200 shows a year, has won numerous music awards and
just released "My Roots Are Showing" on Rounder Records, a major
American label.
"Cape
Breton step dancing is similar to Irish step dancing, the old form of
Irish step. It’s not like the new stuff you see in "Riverdance"
though." Said MacMaster. She’s evolved her own style to accommodate
playing the fiddle at the same time while having a lot of fun with the
music.
"I
don’t know what you would call my dancing" she said.
"There’s everything in there, probably even some Michael
Jackson!"
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April
20, 2000
MacMaster Meets
The Pope - Twice
The Halifax
Herald - Tattler
Last
week the Tattler reported that Natalie MacMaster was planning on meeting
Pope John Paul II at the Vatican while on vacation in Italy. Her
manager Andre Bourgeois tells the Tattler she did indeed meet the Pope -
twice. Both times she was in the Vatican chapel.
MacMaster
returns home to Troy today to spend Easter with her family before
embarking on a four-week U.S. tour on April 27.
Natalie
plays the West Mabou Hall Ceilidh on Saturday night.
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April
13, 2000
MacMaster To Meet
Pope John Paul II
The Halifax
Herald - Tattler
Natalie
MacMaster is in Italy this week vacationing and is expected to have an
audience with Pope John Paul II in his chapel at the Vatican.
MacMaster is visiting Rome with her brother Kevin and her piano player Mac
Morin.
On
Wednesday, the trio were guests of the Canadian Embassy in Rome. Natalie
is expected to bring her fiddle along to the Vatican.
MacMaster is also among "New divas crowding onto the scene"
according to a feature in The Los Angeles Times.
Writer
Don Heckman says although instrumentalists, fiddlers Natalie MacMaster,
27, and hardanger violinist Annbjorg Lien, 29 must be included.
MacMaster's
album My Roots Are Showing (Rounder Records) will be released in the U.S.
this week. Heckman writes "it provides an exuberantly
delightful sample of her talent for bringing jigs, reels and airs to vivid
life. But her live performances, in which she adds simultaneous step
dancing to her fiddle playing, are even better, the work of a world music
star with real crossover potential."
MacMaster
appears at the Hollywood Bowl on July 30.
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April
7, 2000
New Divas
Crowding Onto the Scene
Don Heckman
- L.A Times (article excerpt)
The
world music arena is not exactly lacking in divas. Performers such as
Cesaria Evora, Susana Baca, Oumou Sangare, Celia Cruz, Mercedes Sosa,
Marta Sebestyen, Lata Mangeshkar, Angelique Kidjo and numerous others have
thoroughly established their preeminent roles in global music.
It may be a bit of a stretch to include two instrumentalists among the
list of new world-music divas, but it's hard to overlook the growing
visibility of Canadian fiddler Natalie MacMaster, 27, and hardanger
violinist Annbjorg Lien, 29.
MacMaster has been showered with Canadian awards honoring her
high-spirited interpretations of the music of her native Cape Breton
Island. But in the past year or so, her audience has been expanding
dramatically, and with good reason. Her new album, "My Roots Are
Showing" (Rounder Records), in stores next week, provides an
exuberantly delightful sample of her talent for bringing jigs, reels and
airs to vivid life.
But
her live performances, in which she adds simultaneous step dancing to her
fiddle playing, are even better, the work of a world music star with real
crossover potential. MacMaster appears at the Hollywood Bowl on July 30.
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April
6, 2000
Chieftains may
return during October tour
Halifax
Herald - The Tattler
The
Celtic combo the Chieftains are always a concert favourite when they
appear in Halifax, and we may get another chance to see them in October.
According
to the latest itinerary for Troy fiddler Natalie MacMaster, the spry
musician will tentatively be accompanying the Chieftains on a cross-Canada
tour that will stop in Halifax on October 11th.
The
tour follows the release of the latest Chieftains album Water From the
Well, which features a guest appearance by another well-known local
talent, Ashley MacIsaac.
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March
30, 2000
Natalie May
Accept Broadway Invitation
Halifax
Herald - The Tattler
Natalie
MacMaster has been invited to perform with Riverdance on Broadway.
A
few years ago, the Juno Award-winning master of the fiddle had been asked
to tour with the Celtic-dance show, but because of her own contractual
obligations and worldwide touring schedule she wasn't able to commit to
it.
But
the latest invitation may be more workable and doable, says MacMaster's
manager Andre Bourgeois.
"We're
trying to see if we can fit it in," says Bourgeois. "It will be
a special guest appearance if we do it and it would be a great opportunity
for Natalie to perform on Broadway."
MacMaster
is on a press tour in the United States this week. She returns for three
dates next week: the Sisters of Charity Elizabeth Ann Seton Award Dinner
on April 6 at Mount Saint Vincent Motherhouse, she plays the Trenton Arena
on April 7 for a Recovery House benefit and the Nova Scotia Kitchen Party
on April 8.
MacMaster
Music note: Natalie is in
New York city tonight as part of her week-long U.S radio promotional tour
and has been invited to attend the Riverdance show this evening, as their
guest. She will meet with the shows director and cast backstage
afterwards.
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March
9, 2000
One On One
Natalie
Interview For U.S AAA Radio Stations
What's
your most treasured possession?
#1 My fiddle
#2 My 12 CD player in my car
What
is one of your favorite all time songs?
I am really a melody person. I can listen to a song that I love 10 times
over and still not know the lyrics at all. It's hard to choose one song. I
get chills from "Ghost In this House" from the Alison
Krauss CD "Forget About It."
How
long have you been studying the fiddle?
18 years now
What's
the difference between a fiddle, and a violin?
There is no difference in the instruments, just the manner in which they
are played.
Are
you a lover of the 'great outdoors'? What do you like to do for
recreation?
I enjoy nature but I'm not the "outdoorsy" type. I don't think
I'd be very good at camping. I'm not into sports or outdoor activities too
much. If/when I get some spare time, I'd like to take a cooking course.
Your
uncle is well known fiddle player, Buddy MacMaster, has he had a big
influence on your career?
Buddy has been an influence on my music. I listened to his music more than
anyone else's especially when I was growing up.
A
lot of bars/clubs feature "retro" nights as entertainment. What
era would you like to go to a "retro" night for?
The 70's.
We
heard that you celebrated New Year's Eve 1999 in an unusual place, with
very interesting people ... Can you tell us a little bit about it?
New Year's Eve in Antarctica...incredible. Very fresh and clean and
bright...22 hours of daylight. Favourites: icebergs everywhere,
penguins...hundreds at a time. Diana Krall was along...great singer and a
beautiful person. Played with the Chieftains. Got sea sick.
"In
My Hands" the title track from your album has a fantastic groove,
would you consider doing a club/dance mix?
I actually did one. It was sent to clubs across Canada.
What's
the most important thing you'd want a fan to go away with after seeing
your show or hearing your music?
To know that they really enjoyed the concert and that for two hours I took
them into my world allowing them to forget everything else ... that's
enough for me.
Do
you collect anything?
No.
How
do you feel about MP3 and music distribution online?
I don't know enough about it yet.
We
understand that you are a 'foodie', what is your favorite dish?
No clear favorite. I love creamy soups...pizza...scallops...Thai food...a
good steak...potatoes.
If
you could invite 3 people that you admire over for dinner, who would you
invite? What would you serve?
I would invite my three closest friends from home as I rarely get to see
them. I would serve butternut squash soup, filet mignon, potato boats,
honey carrots and baked Alaska for dessert.
What's
the best part about touring?
It's always an adventure, exciting, changing, fast paced, lots of
variety...there's always something to look forward to.
What's
the worst part?
Being away so much, never home, no time to be normal.
Will
you share one of your beauty secrets that has been good for you while on
the road?
2 beauty secrets: Body Shop teatree exfoliant and Yves St. Laurent Radiant
touch!
Have
you received some interesting e-mails from fans at your website
www.macmastemusic.com?
Yes! Fans send some amazing e-mails. Often reviews of the shows which are
great to read...and from all over the world too!
Thanks
Natalie!!
You're welcome! See you soon!
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March
6, 2000
Sweetness And Light On A Fiddle
Cape Breton's Natalie MacMaster Combines Virtuosity With
Fashion-Runway Flash And An Endearing Down-Home Style
By John
Demont - MacLeans Magazine
Cape
Breton fiddling virtuoso Natalie MacMaster wants it known that she's no
goody two-shoes. Sure, she goes to mass every week and calls her mom back
in tiny Troy, N.S., every couple of days -- no matter whether she's
touring in Europe or cutting an album in Toronto. But MacMaster has her
demons too.
When
pressed by an interviewer for details, Canada's Celtic darling hems and
haws, then comes right out with the awful truth. The 27-year-old gets
impatient when driving behind someone slow. Sometimes, she says things she
doesn't really mean to people she cares about.
Occasionally,
she gets a little weary of having to do her trademark step dancing while
playing the fiddle. MacMaster, who, up close, has a flawless complexion to
go with her cascading blond curls, even used to pick the skin around her
cuticles until her fingers bled.
"But
I stopped that at Christmas," she says. "It was so gross -- I'd
be signing autographs and my frigging thumb would be bleeding. So no
more."
It
may have seemed, with the headline-grabbing antics of Ashley MacIsaac,
that gifted Cape Breton fiddlers had to have a dark side. But MacMaster is
doing just fine as the embodiment of sweetness and light.
These
days, she's everywhere -- touring Canada, flogging Tim Hortons doughnuts,
presenting at the Juno Awards in Toronto on March 12, and co-hosting the
recent East Coast Music Awards in Sydney, N.S., where she won the prizes
for female artist of the year and roots/traditional artist of the year. If
she is big in Canada, MacMaster is even bigger in other countries, where
the critics are entranced and her tours sell out.
MacMaster's
latest album, In My Hands, which has sold a respectable 40,000 copies
south of the border since its release there in October, is getting airplay
on some 50 American radio stations. Recently, she was invited to open for
the chart-topping Dixie Chicks on their North American tour. "I don't
even like to look at my itinerary," MacMaster says over a breakfast
of eggs, bacon and home fries in Halifax. "It's just tooooo
overwhelming."
She
has brought it on herself. Not only is she a prodigiously talented
fiddler, but onstage she manages to combine fashion-runway flash with an
endearing down-home style that appeals to all kinds of audiences. "In
crass commercial terms, she has the whole package," says Martin
Melhuish, a Toronto-based music journalist and author. "She has the
potential to become the world's next big Celtic star."
The
East Coast music scene needs a new champion. The talent pool is as deep as
ever -- a fact underscored by the roster of artists appearing on the Nova
Scotia Kitchen Party, CBC-Radio's new national Saturday afternoon musical
variety show broadcast from Halifax). But commercial tastes have shifted,
causing the musical wave that made groups like The Rankin Family of Mabou,
N.S., rich and famous throughout the 1990s to subside.
"We're
no longer the flavour of the month," says Sherry Jones, who manages a
number of Halifax-based Celtic and alternative acts. Last November, the
Rankins, who had sold two million records, split up. Lately, there's been
a spate of even worse news -- the freak death of John Morris Rankin in a
car accident on Jan. 16 and the bizarre behaviour of Ashley MacIsaac, the
punk fiddler from Creignish, N.S., with the penchant for dyed hair and
crack cocaine.
MacMaster's
ascent could not have come at a better time. The third child of a retired
pulp-mill worker and a Sears outlet clerk, she has the right lineage --
her uncle, Buddy MacMaster, is the acknowledged dean of traditional Cape
Breton fiddlers. She was just 9 when she received her first fiddle from
another uncle living in the United States and began serving her
apprenticeship in kitchens and church halls around the island.
By
16, she was a seasoned performer who used part of her concert earnings to
make her first album. Four years later, she had two more recordings under
her belt, but was unsure enough about her future that she enrolled in the
Nova Scotia Teacher's College in Truro in case music failed to pan out
(she graduated in 1997). The doubts disappeared in 1996 when Warner Music
Canada signed a distribution deal and produced No Boundaries, her first
recording for a major label.
"There's
always been a strategy, but not as much of a strategy as it appears,"
MacMaster says of her career path.
"We've
tried to approach things step-by-step. But a lot of things have just
fallen into place."
Not
without some steely will to go with the sweet demeanour. MacMaster knows
she is on the cusp of something big. But, she declares, "I'm not
going to try to be something I'm not comfortable with." That means
not using sex to sell her music videos and concerts. And, despite advice
from marketing executives to lose her island accent, she still sounds
unmistakably like someone from Cape Breton.
Her
latest CD, In My Hands, which features Toronto-based flamenco guitarist
Jesse Cook and American bluegrass star Alison Kraus, pushes the boundaries
of Cape Breton music into new territory. Next time MacMaster steps into
the recording booth, she intends to return to her roots with an album of
traditional Celtic jigs and reels -- even though she someday hopes to add
an album backed by a symphony and a collection of duets with other
performers to her list of recordings.
Finding
time for all her grand plans is the problem. Known for her backbreaking
touring schedule, MacMaster plans to spend the bulk of this year on the
road, pushing the new album in the United States. Her personal life
suffers from the grueling pace: she has no boyfriend, no time for hobbies
and can hardly remember what her small Halifax apartment looks like.
But
who's complaining?
"You
never know when the phone will stop ringing," she says. "So,
here it is right now and I'm going with it."
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February
23, 2000
Truckers
Blocade Ends In Maritimes
Kevin Cox -
Thr Globe & Mail (Article excerpt)
At about 3:30 p.m., leaders of the blockading East Coast drivers said they
were opening the Trans-Canada Highway to all traffic after getting
promises from the New Brunswick government to consider their complaints
about diesel prices and highway tolls.
Late
last night, the leaders of the East Coast protest agreed to remove all
trucks parked on the sides of the Trans-Canada by this morning. They met
with Peter Mesheau, the province's Minister of Economic Development and
Tourism, who agreed to take their concerns to cabinet.
In
New Brunswick, Celtic fiddling star Natalie MacMaster was in Fredericton
but a lot of the equipment she needed to stage a concert last night was
stuck on a tractor-trailer rig that ran into the blockade between
Sackville, N.B., and Amherst, N.S.
Her
crew rented an extra van in Halifax and drove to the stranded truck to
unload as many instruments, amplifiers, CDs and souvenir T-shirts as it
could carry, but had to spend thousands of dollars to rent lighting and
sound gear.
Tour
manager Carl Gosine said Ms. MacMaster stayed in another van during the
stop and had no time to talk to the truckers.
"It
was just basically get into the truck, get out as much stuff as we could
to put on a show, and leave," he said.
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February
22, 2000
Natalie
MacMaster's Equipment Stuck In truckers' Protest
CBC News
Online
AMHERST,
N.S. - The truckers' protest has caused a few problems for a number of
travellers in Atlantic Canada including musician Natalie MacMaster.
CBC
News Online has learned that MacMaster and her entourage had to do some
quick manoeuvring after the truck carrying their tour equipment was stuck
in the blockade at the border.
MacMaster
is on a sold-out tour of theatres in the Maritimes. Last weekend, she
performed two shows in Halifax. The next show was scheduled for Monday in
Charlottetown, P.E.I.
But
the truck carrying lighting and sound equipment, instruments and
merchandise to sell at the shows didn't make it. It was stuck in the truck
dispute and couldn't reach the bridge to P.E.I.
In
fact, the truck was jammed in traffic so tightly that it couldn't even be
turned around to try to use an alternate route.
The
musicians and crew made it past the border in a minibus.
Organizers
rented a van and were able to unload musical instruments and merchandise
from their truck, but they had to rent pieces of sound and lighting
equipment from a number of different companies in Charlottetown.
MacMaster's
manager, Andre Bourgeois, told CBC News Online that the show went well in
the end and that the audience probably never noticed any difference.
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February
21, 2000
Natalie Master
Of Stage As Metro Roars Welcome
Stephen
Pedersen - The Halifax Herald
If
she were British, she'd be the Queen of the Fiddle.
If she were American, she'd be the First Lady.
But this is Nova Scotia, and she's just Our Nat, and we're that proud of
her we could burst.
That
sums up the feeling of the sold-out crowd Saturday night as Natalie
MacMaster brought her road show into the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium to kick
off her Maritime tour. Even on a darkened stage, all misted up with smoke
and blue lights, when she walked on, the sun came out and the people were
moved by sunshiney delight to roar their welcome.
There
is a great deal of sophisticated production going on here. The sound is
state of the art, the lights and the smoke follow the moods of the tunes
and often stripe the inside of the auditorium with ribbons of pulsating
light in time to the music.
Stylistically,
the band nudges itself as close as it dares to pop, rock and a taste of
country swing without numbing the central nerve of Cape Breton fiddle
tunes that keeps everything tingling and in touch with the Cape Breton
kitchen and social hall.
Few
artists could bring off this contradictory melange of urban sophistication
and rural artlessness without falling into either slickness or
insincerity.
But
watching this tall, beautiful, golden-haired, nimble-footed sprite, and
listening with tapping toes to the tremendous brilliance of her
fiddle-playing, we are overcome with the conviction that we are in the
safest of hands. All Natalie MacMaster wants is for us to have a good
time, and she dedicates every muscle, every thrust of the bow, every flash
of her eyes and every throb of her heart to that purpose.
And
then she cracks us up with a corny joke, or develops an inspiring
step-dance duet with Mac Morin into a jitterbug, which suddenly turns into
a satiric tango.
Such
variety and generosity in a performer so astonishingly talented as she, a
gift of self and person from a great artist, is irresistible. And seldom
do you hear so spontaneous an outpouring of love in return from such a
mixed audience of just plain folks - middle-aged, senior citizens and
young people.
So
it doesn't matter a great deal that the band sometimes sounds muddy with
its electronic nimbus of reverberation and often cluttered orchestration.
That's just for the high points, anyway. Besides, the sound crew has wired
MacMaster's fiddle so hot every little nuance of her playing is heard no
matter what the level of the band.
Her
virtuosity is impressive. Where most Cape Breton fiddlers play nearly
always in first position (the lowest position of the fingers on the
fingerboard, right next to the scroll box), she plays all over it at will,
just like any good violinist.
But
it is her bow that is most virtuosic of all. Her speed, her control, her
rich tone and her ability to play short and long, to dig in to the string
and snap off percussive attacks so sharp they make your ears snap, is of
the highest order.
She
makes that fiddle bark, whine and sit up and beg for biscuits.
The
tunes on the show came about half from her latest album, In My Hands, and
half from hervast repertoire. I don't know if anyone is taking account of
this, but surely MacMaster's traditional tune list is so full and so
varied it is unique.
Apart
from that, when she snaps off those strathspey rhythms so smartly you
could cut butter with them, and when she starts driving the tempo ever
faster in a fiddle set, the excitement is almost not able to be born by a
body in a sitting position. She learned to play by watching dancers,
focusing on their feet, and everything she plays makes you want to get up
and dance.
The
band is great. Brad Davidge on guitar is something of a virtuoso in his
own right, full of rhythmic drive and jazz attitude. Bassist John Dymond
was having almost as much fun slapping his bass as we were listening to
it. Steve O'Connor got in some tasteful licks on piano, organ and
accordion, but was underused. Tom Roach on drums is the easiest player in
the business to put the beat into your fingers and feet.
Mac
Morin, piano player and step dancer extraordinaire, makes an excellent
foil for MacMaster. Part straight man, part dancing partner, he is all
musician. His solo turn on a fast reel in the second half of the concert
was a show turn for the right hand alone.
MacMaster's
show is a dazzler - not by any means exhausting in its intensity, but
certainly exhilarating. Whether she is making your mouth hang open with
her fireworks variations on Tullochgorum, clowning around with Morin in a
step dance number, dazing you with her own exuberant step dancing style,
or simply standing up at the mike and saying, "Holy smokes, it's
great to be here!", she is irresistible.
MacMaster's
In My Hands tour plays the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown tonight,
The Playhouse in Fredericton on Tuesday, the Imperial Theatre in Saint
John on Thursday, the Capitol Theatre in Moncton on Friday, the CEC
Auditorium in Truro on Saturday, the SAERC Auditorium in Port Hawkesbury
on Sunday, and the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay on Feb. 29.
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February
20, 2000
MacMasterful
Performance
Fiddler Makes Music Come Alive At Cohn
Sandy
MacDonald - The Daily News
HALIFAX
-- There was a real Gaelic mod at the sold-out Rebecca Cohn last night.
Natalie MacMaster invigorated the old Gaelic tunes, looking devilishly mod
in purple hip-hugger velveteen slacks.
With
her trademark blond mane flouncing in time, she romped down the
now-familiar path of melding traditional Scottish and Irish tunes with a
contemporary pop-rock setting. Composers Neil Gow and Scott Skinner
couldn't have envisioned an electric guitar or cabassa to drive their
music, but it all works well in MacMaster's interpretations.
Fresh
off a successful weekend at the Sydney East Coast Music Awards, MacMaster
was relaxed and self-assured through the show last night. She kicked off
the concert with the Irish-tinged New York Jig set from her latest album,
In My Hands. Through the two hours of music to follow, MacMaster featured
much of the new album, mixing stripped-down piano-fiddle settings with
full band setup.
And
when she pulled the stops out on the whole band, the stately Cohn rocked.
Two keyboardists - Mac Morin ("He's my neighbour from Troy,"
chirped MacMaster) and Steve O'Connor - combined with the high-voltage
rhythm section of guitarist Brad Davidge, bassist John Diamond and a
close-shorn Tom Roach on drums, looking every bit a Smiling Buddah of the
big beat.
MacMaster
used the musicality of the band to build up the dramatic tension in the
tunes, to create an intensity to the show. With only one vocal selection
all night - MacMaster speak-sings the title track, In My Hands - the
concert needs to move the focus in other ways to keep the show vibrant.
This is the challenge of harnessing what is essentially dance music for a
staid concert hall.
When
Mac Morin stepped out from behind his piano, he was a dancing dervish, his
black brogues clattering and sailing over the darkened stage. And
MacMaster herself did a couple of flashy turns on the tap shoes.
The
lithe fiddler carried the show, though, on the strength of her exquisite
playing, changing pace from driving reels to haunting slow airs.
Through
all the staged razzmatazz of choking smoke machines, coloured lights and
rock 'n' roll bands, the virtuosity of the young fiddler can get
overshadowed. But the music pours out of MacMaster in liquid streams of
notes - tumbling joyfully through the breakneck passages and challenging
rhythms.
She
was alive with the music, bursting to dance as she played, channelling the
energy through her fingers and bowing hand, like a dammed rushing river
about to explode.
MacMaster
is back at the Cohn tonight for a second show before heading off for a
Maritime swing.
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February
17, 2000
Big 'Mac' Attack
Andrea
Nemetz - Halifax Herald
Aren't
Penguins adorable as they waddle across the ice?
Not
exactly, says famed fiddler Natalie MacMaster, who got up close and
personal with the squawking birds during an Antarctic cruise to celebrate
the millennium.
"We
got within 10 feet of chinstrap penguins," she recalls. "They're
not very tall, up to your knees and they make a lot of noise and they're
very stinky. There were hundreds of them on this mound and they were
making funny noises, which sometimes meant they were mating, or they were
angry."
Still
seeing the penguins and the towering icebergs was very, very interesting,
a truly unique experience says MacMaster, who played, a one-hour New
Year's gig on the luxury liner with her old friends The Chieftains and
Diana Krall.
"Antarctica
is beautiful," she recalls. Because it was summer there it was a
balmy seven degrees as she became one of just 200,000 people ever to set
foot on the continent.
The
new year seems to be shaping up to be every bit as busy as 1999 for the
globetrotting fiddler who is known for her exhausting touring schedule.
Last
year, MacMaster played more than 200 concerts in Canada, the U.S. and
Europe, as well as recording her fifth CD In My Hands, which is outselling
all her other albums.
After
picking up the 1999 East Coast Music Awards Female Artist of the Year she
picked up her first Juno in March for best instrumental album for My Roots
are Showing. She is nominated this year in two Juno categories -
instrumental artist and roots/traditional recording.
Her
electrifying duet on the 1999 show with flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook
later received a Gemini for best performance in a variety program.
Though
her mom taped it, MacMaster confesses she hasn't had time to watch the
special, which isn't surprising.
In
1999, she also guest-starred on the CBC TV series Pit Pony, received the
Successful Canadian Woman's Award from Adsum House for whom she helped
raise funds, performed at the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa and was
guest instructor in Nashville at the Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp among many
other endeavours.
"Last
year was draining, it got really hectic but we got everything done and I
had a wonderful break," admits the 28-year-old, noting she was
rejuvenated by her Christmas at home in Troy with her parents, two older
brothers and new nephew.
"Time
off does wonders. I always look forward to going home," she says,
sounding impossibly upbeat despite the fact it is her 19th interview of
the day.
"You
appreciate it more every time. When you get away from it so much, when you
travel so much, you appreciate it so much more."
After
a stop in Scotland for the Celtic Connections Festival in January she was
back home in Cape Breton the first week in February to co-host of the 12th
annual ECMAs in Sydney with Newfoundland comedian Shaun Majumder.
"I
co-hosted three years ago in Moncton with Roland Gauvin," she says.
"It makes it busier, but in a way it makes it more exciting. I still
get the butterflies every time I have to host something. I could have said
no, but I didn't want to turn it down. It's all part of the ECMA
experience for me."
Leading
the pack of ECMA 2000 nominees with seven awards, her most ever, she
picked up two - female artist of the year and roots/traditional solo
artist.
MacMaster
also startled audiences with the rubber boots under her elegant gown, and
closed off the gala awards ceremony with a rousing display of fiddling and
step-dancing.
She
brings her high-energy performance to the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium for two
shows a sold-out Saturday date and a Sunday show.
Shows
are also scheduled for CEC in Truro, Saturday, Feb. 26, SAERC in Port
Hawkesbury on Sunday, Feb. 27 and Glace Bay's Savoy Theatre on Tuesday,
Feb. 29. All shows are 8 p.m.
"A
lot of the music, at least 50 per cent will be from the new album. I've
never done that high a percentage of music from an album. But it just
works. A lot of tunes on In My Hands work really well live.
"My
attitude to a live show is different than my attitude to recording. The
flow of a show is different than the flow of a CD. Unlike other bands, who
tour albums specifically, sing songs exactly as they are on album, we do a
lot of medleys of other tunes."
Since
September MacMaster has also been performing the title track In My Hands,
her sultry songspeak ode to her fiddle, with a Gordie Sampson arrangement
of the traditional tune The Drunken Landlady and lyrics by MacMaster and
Amy Sky.
"I
hope I'll have the guts to do it in my own area," she laughs. "I
still get nervous, but I really enjoy doing it live. Whatever I do, if
it's in my home town I'm always more self-conscious. I get a little more
nervous when I play at home, everyone knows the music so well you can't
get away with anything."
In
between the ECMAs and the Maritime tour, MacMaster visited El Salvador
with the Canadian Catholic organization Development and Peace, dedicated
to promoting farm co-ops, literacy and skills training.
"I'm
a spokesperson and they want me to see first-hand the communities and how
the money goes to help the communities help themselves," she
explains.
She'll
heat up the Atlantic Airwaves Kitchen Party series on April 8 at Pier 21,
before going on a real vacation in Rome.
Then
she'll hit the road with an extensive American tour that includes a big
show at the Hollywood Bowl in July.
She'll
probably miss Tim Horton's coffee south of the border.
MacMaster
appeared in a memorable commercial for the coffee chain and confirms the
band stops at Tim's for breakfast every day, just like on TV.
"I
get a toasted everything bagel and OJ," she confesses. "I'm not
a big morning coffee drinker, I usually have coffee in the afternoon, but
Tim Horton's is my brand."
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February
16, 2000
Canadian Fiddler Natalie MacMaster Calls Development And Peace
Programs To Help Poor Communities In El Salvador "Astounding"
Canada
NewsWire Service
AWARD-WINNING RECORDING ARTIST PRAISES PROGRAMS
FOR GROWTH AND PRIDE THEY BRING TO COMMUNITIES.
TORONTO
- Describing her five-day tour to El Salvador as "unforgettably
beautiful," Natalie MacMaster, named "Female Artist of the
Year" at the East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) said the results of the
programs sponsored by Development And Peace "were astounding."
Despite
a tough schedule, MacMaster decided to visit El Salvador to raise public
awareness and support for programs such as those of Development And Peace.
She left for El Salvador on Feb. 8, shortly after the ECMA, and returned
to Canada on Feb. 14.
"I
saw four different communities with four different projects in place, all
specific to the needs of each area. The results are astounding, not only
because of the projects themselves but for the growth and pride they bring
to the communities," she said.
MacMaster
toured programs supported by Development And Peace. The Canadian Catholic
organization works with people of all faiths and has had community
development programs in Latin America, Africa and Asia for over 30 years.
"I
have a new appreciation and respect for Development And Peace because of
the way they operate," she added.
"The
vision is much broader, the scope much wider than I could have imagined.
The goals set in place have long term benefits that will result in
improvements in living conditions for the poor people and in a
reinforcement of their community organizations, so they can exercise their
rights as citizens. It's about the future of El Salvador."
MacMaster
was named the East Coast Music Awards' Female Artist of the Year as well
as Roots/Traditional Solo Artist of the Year. She was nominated for seven
awards including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year (In My Hands),
Single of the Year (In My Hands), Video of the Year (In My Hands), and
with Sampson and Sky for the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year Award for
"In My Hands."
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February
6, 2000
Good Vibes Charm
Natalie
Stephen
Cooke - Halifax Herald (Article Excerpt)
Sydney
- There was hardly room to breathe at Sydney's Mayflower Mall on Saturday
afternoon. Over 1,000 people gathered for an irresistible bargain -
a free show by fiddler Natalie MacMaster in her only public performance at
the East Coast Music Awards weekend before tonight's awards show.
For
those who couldn't get the hottest ticket in town and would have to
content themselves with watching the live broadcast from Centre 200 on CBC
at 9 p.m., this was more than a consolation prize.
Diehard
fans got to see the energetic Troy fiddler Up Close and Personal (as the
concert was titled), as part of a showcase that also included the
high-octane blues of Moncton showband Glamour Puss and Shyne Factory's
nervy brand of Halifax power pop.
MacMaster,
clearly in her element, exclaimed how glad she was to be home in Cape
Breton, especially for the ECMAs, which bring "such a good vibe"
to the area. With the help of pianist Mac Morin, she delivered a trademark
set of jigs and reels with a tone as clear as crystal.
"Are
there any stepdancers here?" she called out, and was soon joined by
four young lasses who couldn't believe they would be sharing the stage
with their idol until MacMaster urged them on with her bow, and the crowd
went wild.
The
willowy blond left the stage and posed for a few photos with fans before
rushing off to another round of awards-show rehearsals and script
meetings. (She is co-host as well as a performer.)
It
was a brief set, but it showed the kind of excitement the ECMAs can bring
to a city.
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February
2, 2000
Natalie MacMaster
To Visit El Salvador For Development
And Peace To Highlight Need To Help Third World
Canada News
Wire
TORONTO
-- Natalie MacMaster, who is nominated for "Entertainer of the
Year" at the upcoming East Coast Music Awards, will tour of El
Salvador this month to highlight the need for Canadians to support
community programs to help the poor in Central America and the third
world.
Despite
a tough schedule that includes performing at the East Coast Music Awards,
MacMaster said she did not think twice about the El Salvador visit.
"I
always just feel that I've been given so much in my life," MacMaster
says. "The point is to raise public awareness and support for
programs like those of Development and Peace."
MacMaster
will leave on Feb. 8, shortly after Awards ceremonies. She returns to
Halifax on Feb. 14. MacMaster will visit community programs in El
Salvador, promoting farm co-ops, helping women achieve literacy, and
training people in skills to help their communities overcome poverty and
injustice. The programs are supported by Development and Peace. The
Canadian Catholic organization has been working in Latin America, Africa
and Asia for over thirty years.
MacMaster
is an honorary chairperson for Share Lent, the annual national campaign
that raises funds and awareness about the need to support programs that
help poor communities in the developing world.
"I
grew up with the Share Lent Campaign," MacMaster says. "I
remember as a kid contributing coins and change to help. So, when the
opportunity came up, it didn't take me a second to think about it. I'm
sure what Development and Peace does will mean so much more to me after
I've been there."
MacMaster
has been nominated for a total of seven awards including "Entertainer
of the Year at this year's East Coast Music Awards held in Sydney, Nova
Scotia, Feb. 3-6. Besides Entertainer of the Year, MacMaster is nominated
for Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (In My Hands), Single of
the Year (In My Hands), Video of the Year (In My Hands), and
Roots/Traditional Solo Artist of the Year. Together with Gordie Sampson
and Amy Sky, she is also nominated for the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year
Award for "In My Hands."
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January
25, 2000
Natalie MacMaster/Scottish Stepdance Company
Mary Brennan
- Glasgow Herald
Old
Fruitmarket, Glasgow -- Halfway through the opening set of this Celtic
Connections event - and engagingly unstuffly, but on-the button
performance by the Scottish Stepdance Company - Alison MacLeod took a few
moment to sketch in a bit of background history. Stepdance, apparently,
had its Scottish beginnings on the West Coast 200 years ago and was, in
the main, confined to domestic rather than formal gatherings - hence its
self-contained style of neat and nifty footwork that keeps close to the
floor and doesn't endanger neighbouring limbs with flighty kicks or sudden
knees-ups.
When
forced migration sent the folk overseas to Canada, the steps went with
them - to be danced, so we were told, on the stumps of trees felled for
the new settlements. Forbye that this was intriguing in itself, it lent a
wry appropriateness where a rostrum - not much bigger than a coffin lid -
put four energetic dancers very much on the spot. They handled - footed? -
the situation with cheerful expertise in a programme that, both musically
and choreographically, mixed old and new to pleasing effect.
No such limited platforms, however, for Cape Breton's Natalie MacMaster
who is prone to freewheel about the stage at nimble speed, as if unable to
resist the compelling rhythms of her own fiddle-playing. Old Scottish
airs, a Swedish waltz, Cape Breton reels, even a brief flirtation with
jazzy-Flamenco sounds, leapt from her bow to the electro-accoustic backing
of keyboards, percussion, accordion, and guitars.
There's
romance and tradition, a witty swagger and the pulse of rock'n'pop all
coming together in an evolving repertoire that like her dancing - which
steps aside into tango, street-dance, or whatever high-kick takes her
fancy - refuses to stand still and gather nostalgic cobwebs. Little wonder
her audience was still dancing on their feet and wanting more even as
midnight , and Monday morning, loomed.
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