|
05-03-01: For
MacMaster, It's More Than Fiddlin' Around
04-29-01: MacMaster's A
Fine Lassie With A Fiddle
04-27-01: Fiddler Finds
Inspiration In Her Roots
04-26-01: Fiddling With
Stardom
04-25-01: Cape Breton Soul
04-20-01: It's A Family
Affair
04-19-01: Her Roots Are
Showing
03-01:
Fiddle Whiz Brings Cheer and Tunes to Sick
Kids
03-01-01: Natalie Carries
On The Tradition
02-22-01: No Grammy for
Natalie
02-21-01: Natalie's
ready for Grammys, Ears and all
02-21-01: Mac-tastic
Natalie readies for tonight's Grammy Awards
02-21-01: MacMaster
Gears up For Grammy's
02-21-01: MacMaster
joins Chieftains at MusiCares benefit concert
02-20-01: Fiddler On Top
Of The World
02-18-01: MacMaster Up
for one of 13 Canadian Grammy Nominations
02-17-01: Natalie
MacMaster has one thing on her mind: What to wear to the Grammys?
01-24-01: MacMaster and
The Chieftains
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OLDER
PRESS: 2004 | 2003
| 2002 | 2001 |
2000
| 1999
December
28, 2001
A Year of
Diverse Musical Moments
By Don Heckman -
LA Times (excerpt)
The
2001 world-music year started relatively inauspiciously. No surprise
there; American music listeners tend to focus on familiar sounds and
familiar languages rather than venture into new and challenging musical
landscapes. The exceptions tend to be those ensembles that can offer
infectious, easily accessible rhythms - the Gipsy Kings, for example - or
moody, atmospheric soundtracks (try Enya).
The
Grammy for world music was awarded to the great Brazilian bossa nova
singer-guitarist Joao Gilberto. Justified though the honor may have been,
it hardly reflected the enormous diversity of choices available from
younger, more adventurous artists from every part of the globe.
Add
to that the fact that a quick look at the international and world music
listings reveals an equally narrow perspective. For example, Yahoo's top
10 international music favorites at the moment include two Andrea Bocelli
albums, a pair of Ricky Martin CDs, a couple of Marc Anthony releases and
the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out." Billboard's presumably
more musically knowledgeable listings from mid-December included a CD from
a single authentic world-music diva, Cesaria Evora ("Sao Vincente Di
Longe"); a pair of releases (one a remix of the other) from
Gilberto's daughter, Bebel Gilberto; the Gipsy Kings' "Somos Gitanos";
and, yes, the Baha Men again.
Depressing?
Well, sure, and there's no doubt that the category generally described as
world music--that is, the 88% or so of recorded music that is not American
and British pop or European classical - is largely a niche market, in
terms of sales and popularity. But it would be even more bothersome if
listings of this sort reflected a genuine inability to find and experience
world music in its infinitely varied forms.
Among
the year's standout memories (in no particular order):
* Two brilliant gypsy ensembles--Fanfare Ciocarlia (at the Cerritos Center
for the Performing Arts) and Taraf de Haidouks (at El Camino College's
Marsee Auditorium)--whipped through irrepressibly rhythmic music, proving
that it's possible to play fast and from the heart at the same time.
*
Gal Costa and Lila Downs at the Greek Theatre. Two generations of divas on
the same stage--Costa, the great Brazilian veteran of the Musica Popular
Brasileira movement of the '60s and '70s, and Downs, nominally Mexican
American and superb with roots music from south of the Rio Grande, but
capable of performing brilliantly in virtually any style.
*
Djavan, yet another veteran Brazilian star, was in full flower at the
Hollywood Bowl, his ebullient performance an interesting contrast to a
more low-keyed, inner-looking appearance at Largo by young Brazilian
singer Moreno Veloso (son of the legendary Caetano Veloso), in the early
stages of what may be an important career.
*
A flurry of important African artists arrived throughout the year, the
range of their styles only hinting at the continent's astounding array of
music. Among them, the singular Baaba Maal at the Hollywood Bowl, defining
what a world music concert can be in its most entertaining manifestation;
the long-lived Super Rail Band from Mali--the incubator for, among others,
Salif Kaeta--at Grand Performances; and, at the same venue, the
charismatic French Tunisian singer Amina, applying her visceral performing
qualities to a North African-styled variation on the Billie
Holiday-associated standard "My Man."
*
The Celtic group the Chieftains surfaced in Cerritos, once again proving
their ability to put together an immensely entertaining show by
concentrating on traditional material, and occasional guest stars (in this
case, Natalie MacMaster and Joan Osborne), and tossing in some
spirited step dancing.
*
Baaba Maal, "Missing You" (Palm Pictures). The sound of Maal's
penetrating voice, soaring above a caldron of acoustic sounds, is one of
the glories of African (in this case, Senegalese) music. Aided by the
presence of Maal's longtime close friend, guitarist Mansour Seck, it is a
classic outing, up close and personal.
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December
27, 2001
Natalie MacMaster
Named Herald's Artist of The Year
Halifax Herald
Troy's
Natalie MacMaster began 2001 on a high note. The golden-tressed fiddler
was nominated on Jan. 3 for her first Grammy for best traditional folk
album for In My Hands.
While she didn't win, MacMaster had a fabulous experience attending the
ceremony at the Staples Center in L.A. then heading off to the Biltmore
Hotel for the official Grammy party. Not since Anne Murray has a Nova
Scotian been in the running for music's most prestigious prize.
She also played with the Chieftains and Joan Osborne at the MusiCares gala
tribute concert honouring Paul Simon at the Century Plaza Hotel ballroom
in the company of Stevie Wonder, Steve Martin, Elton John, Gloria Estefan,
Shawn Colvin and Macy Gray.
In February, she picked up her seventh East Coast Music Award for
instrumental artist of the year. She's nominated again this year as
Entertainer of the Year. She played Canada Day in Central Park in New York
with the Cowboy Junkies and Sarah Harmer and was named best roots artist
at the Canadian Country Music Awards, the first time Canadian country has
honoured the genre in September.
That month she was also part of the first national Get Caught Reading
campaign to promote literacy in Canada with former wrestler Bret Hitman
Hart, among other celebrities.
In early December, more than 650,000 people tuned into her one-hour
special on CBC TV, My Roots Are Showing, with bluegrass artist Alison
Krauss and Jann Arden. It was also simulcast on CBC Radio Two with Shelagh
Rogers.
MacMaster will end the year on ABC's nationally-televised New Year's Eve
program, airing live from the Rose Planetarium at the Museum of Natural
History in New York City. Peter Jennings hosts the show, which also
features U2, Sting, Tony Bennett, Alicia Keyes, Diana Krall, Wynton
Marsalis and James Taylor performing on-site or through simulcast.
In January 2002 MacMaster will tour California. She is planning a February
release of a live-concert recording and hopes to be back in the studio in
May.
For all of this, The Herald names MacMaster the artist of the year.
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December
16, 2001
Author pens tribute
to musical heritage
Budge Wilson's newest charming tale set in Cape Breton
By Margaret Poole
- Halifax Herald
BUDGE
WILSON'S newest book for children has its roots deep in Nova Scotia's
musical tradition.
An attractive picture book for all ages with appealing illustrations by
Halifax-based artist Susan Tooke, A Fiddle for Angus (Tundra Books,
$18.99) celebrates music as a pastime and a way of life for families and
communities across the province. It also follows one child's journey to
self-expression through his love of music.
Angus hums along with his family as they play music together - his mother
on accordion, dad on the whistle, his older siblings Tom playing guitar
and Molly singing in her beautifully clear, high voice. When suddenly it's
not enough any more to be on the edge of all the music, Angus gets the
chance to pick an instrument of his own to learn, and eventually to truly
join in with the rest of the family in their music-making.
Not surprisingly, the story is set in Cape Breton. Susan Tooke's striking
paintings, many with sweeping views of shoreline and fishing village,
create a wonderfully familiar backdrop for Nova Scotia readers, many of
whom will also be able to hear the music of Cape Breton dancing out of
Angus's fiddle and through the pages of the book.
Wilson's own roots are in Nova Scotia's south shore, where she lives with
her husband and writes in a cabin at the ocean's edge. She says the family
in her story, and the culture portrayed in it, could easily have been from
the South Shore or other parts of Nova Scotia, but that using Cape Breton
as the setting seemed right as the "home of fiddling" in Nova
Scotia.
In fact, one of Cape Breton's most famous fiddlers makes an appearance in
the book. When Angus goes to a neighbouring village's ceilidh, he is
struck by a girl named Natalie, whose fiddling is like "the wind and
the waves and every happy thing...." It is after hearing her play
that he decides that the fiddle will be his instrument as well.
Wilson explains that, although it was something of a challenge to track
down Natalie MacMaster, the busy musician was quite willing to have a part
in the story.
She agreed to be photographed by Tooke as her own model for the
illustration she's featured in - and there is no mistaking that the flying
golden hair and stomping feet in the picture are MacMaster's.
Wilson says that although A Fiddle for Angus was written as an "older
children's picture book" - there is more text on each page than in a
typical picture book for preschoolers - she likes to write picture books
that adults will enjoy as well, especially since they are often the ones
actually reading the story.
"Good picture books should really be for all ages - I would like to
see the barriers fall between categories of books.
"A book should just be a book."
Certainly, Wilson's own books, including A Fiddle for Angus, go a long way
towards making her case.
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December
08, 2001
Fiddler's
Anger a Sound To Behold
Sandy MacDonald -
Halifax Daily News
DAROL
ANGER - Diary of A Fiddler (Compass Records)
Dear
Diary: Here's my idea for my latest CD. Invite a dozen of the world's
finest fiddlers, bring along my baritone fiddle and blast through some of
the most innovative, exploratory fiddle music being made these days. Might
just work - Darol.
And
that's just what he did over three years. The virtuoso fiddler breathes in
music like air, refusing to see boxes around musical styles - everything
is part of a fluid medium called music.
He
uncorks this 1999 collaborative album with a roaring duet with Natalie
MacMaster. Anger wrote Melt The Teakettle for this project, to approximate
the Cape Style of fiddling. But as MacMaster told The Daily News last
week, "that was one of the most challenging pieces I've ever
played."
Anger
plays baritone violin (a normal acoustic violin with thicker strings to
lower the instrument's register), without any other accompaniment. The
melody twists and turns as the two fiddlers trade lines. It's has a droney
Appalachian feel, lifted by MacMaster's driving reel. The two fiddles pull
and tug at the tune, creating a powerful tension, and sparks are quickly
flying.
(MacMaster
is planning to go into the recording studio in the spring with Anger to
work on tracks for her follow-up album to In My Hands.)
From
the edgy duet with MacMaster, Anger pulls out his bluegrass licks for a
sit-down with Stuart Duncan on the traditional Lee Highway Blues. Anger
churns a rhythmic pulse on the baritone while Duncan's sweet-as-cider
fiddle rolls down the highway.
The
Oakland, Cal.-based musician, producer and educator embraces every style
and nuance with excitement - Suzy Thompson brings in the Cajun moan;
Martin Hayes teams up for a lilting Irish jig Banish Misfortune, and a
melancholy duet on the Beatles' A Little Help From My Friends.
Anger
assembles the cleverly-named Nashville Lumberyard (including Vassar
Clements, Sam Bush, John Hartford, Matt Glaser, Tim O'Brien and bassist
Derek Jones) for a superstar barrage on the deeply-grooved nugget John
Henry. Rarely has so much fiddle firepower aimed its sights on one target.
There's
a haunting Celtic duet with Scottish ace Alasdiar Fraser on the Aran Boat
Song, and a swinging trio as Anger performs with up-and-coming fiddlers
Hanneke Cassel and Casy Dreissen.
The
album is a fascinating listen, exploring the varied possibilities for
traditional fiddle music with roots in British Isles. Anger can play jazz,
classical, traditional and progressive music - and sometimes all in the
same piece.
He's
performed with the jazz-oriented Turtle Island String Quartet, the "chambergrass"
ensemble Newgrange and sparked the David Grisman Quintet among his lengthy
credits.
Anger
constantly astounds, with his four-string instrument, and an imagination
to explore its limitless horizons.
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December
2, 2001
After a star-maker
year, Natalie MacMaster is
now the master of her touring and TV special
Sandy MacDonald -
Halifax Daily news
 Natalie
MacMaster settles briefly into the downtown Halifax office of her record
company, her tiny cellphone close at hand. She uncaps a bottle of water
and explains the motivation behind her first television special, My Roots
Are Showing. (The hour-long special airs tonight on CBC at 8 p.m., and
will later be broadcast on Bravo in the U.S. in March.)
“I
guess it’s like a package of chocolates,” she says, inadvertently
straying into Forrest Gump philosophy. “People are saying they are the
best chocolates. But you can’t be sure until you taste one. With TV, the
reaction is automatic‚ you immediately know what you get - it’s
instant gratification for the viewer.”
MacMaster’s
solid-gold career has been gratifying, but certainly not instant. The
acclaimed fiddler and entertainer has built a loyal fan base over the past
decade with her constant performing - from Judique to Japan. Her TV
special drops viewers into one of MacMaster’s soft-seater concerts to
experience the excitement first hand.
“I’ve
done tons of TV over the years,” says MacMaster, 29. “But most of it
was on someone else’s agenda. Most was taped at home in Cape Breton -
trying to capture that down-home thing on camera.”
This,
time, the show moves uptown. It was taped one night last July at the
Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Ont. Sure, there is a short B-roll
segment from a square dance at Glencoe Mills, and shots of a windblown
MacMaster filmed on a beach near Mabou.
The
hour-long special focuses on the music of MacMaster and her band, joined
by special guests including Alison Krauss, Jann Arden, and a half dozen
step-dancers, including Natalie’s mother, Minnie. The concert went so
well, MacMaster is planning to release a live CD and DVD from the show in
February.
Ontario
tour a high point
It’s
been a star-making year for the fiddler from tiny Troy, Inverness Co., on
the western coast of Cape Breton. Barely four days into the new year,
MacMaster was nominated for a Grammy award for her traditional album My
Roots Are Showing. Two weeks later, she appeared on Jay Leno’s Tonight
Show with The Chieftains. She later added a Gemini, a Canadian Country
Music Award and a couple of East Coast Music Awards to her already bulging
trophy case. But she doesn’t hesitate when asked about the highpoint -
her sold-out 15-date tour through Ontario and western Canada with
guitarist Jesse Cook.
“It
was an incredible combination of personalities and talent,” says
MacMaster, who last week jumped up on stage as an unannounced guest during
Cook’s Halifax concert.
“But
the best part was how everyone got along - there was something special
about that tour.”
When
Cook’s flamenco guitar lays down the hip-swaying rhythm, McMaster’s
fiddle slides beautifully over the top.
“That
groove over my groove just blends beautifully.”
MacMaster
is charting a fair-wind course with her career - playing about 150 shows a
year (down from more than 250 three years ago). Now travelling means a
comfortable tour bus and full crew on the road instead of a cramped van.
Her
five CDs, from her ’93 debut Fit As A Fiddle to last year’s
Juno-winning In My Hands, have sold more than 400,000 units, without much
commercial radio play. Most high-profile artists build careers around
singles and radio play, but not MacMaster.
Headed
to the studio
“As
a Celtic artist, radio play isn’t as much of a concern. So our touring
schedule isn’t dictated by our record releases. We’re able to tour all
the time.”
But
now it’s time to get off the road and back in the studio, she says.
“I’ve
kind of put it off. Last fall, I had plans, but things didn’t pan out. I
just wasn’t in the frame of mind to record.”
She’s
planning to spend some time in the studio in May with fiddler Darol Anger,
one of America’s most forward-thinking fiddlers. MacMaster dueted on his
last album, Diary Of A Fiddler, performing Anger’s Melt the Tea kettle,
written specially for her.
MacMaster
has been writing some tunes of her own lately. Never a prolific composer
like fellow fiddlers Jerry Holland or Brenda Stubbert, MacMaster has long
borrowed the tunes of others and shined them up with her own style.
“But
last year I got a creative surge and wrote 10 tunes. I was home and just
messing around with the fiddle – it was a situation of opportunity.”
MacMaster
performs two of those new tunes on the TV show - Daniel’s Jig (named for
her now ex-boyfriend Daniel deSilva) and Valerie Pringle’s Reel.
“I
had that tune written for a longtime but without a name. I got a call to
surprise Valerie for her last day on air on Canada AM.” So she
christened the tune in Pringle’s name, and played it live - “and
Valerie cried on the air.”
MacMaster
is enjoying some rare down time until after Christmas, split between her
apartment in Halifax, and her room at Minnie’s house in Cape Breton.
Though
her career continues to be red-hot, MacMaster looks down the road to the
day she’ll have a family and maybe raise the next generation of
MacMaster fiddlers.
“I’m
very much a family person,” says MacMaster, who has two older brothers.
“But the more I do this, I realize how much I love what I’m doing.
“When
a family eventually comes along, I’ll definitely have to keep a hand in
music. The priority will be wife and mother,” she smiles, “but music
is right behind.”
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November
30, 2001
A Special
Song, Dance From MacMaster, Friends
Pat Lee - Halifax
Herald
It
turned out to be all hands on deck for Natalie MacMaster during the taping
of her television special.
Not
only was MacMaster fiddling and doing what she does best, but mom Minnie
even chipped in during a step-dancing segment.
"That
was so last minute," the Cape Breton fiddler now recalls about the
moment her mom took to the stage. "I said 'mom, please come out.'
That never happens, except sometimes when I play at home."
After
an initial hesitation over not having the right shoes, her normally
stage-shy mom ended up hoofing it in stocking feet during a spirited
step-dancing set, a highlight of the hour-long concert special Natalie
MacMaster - My Roots Are Showing, airing Sunday at 8 p.m. on the CBC (and
simulcast on CBC Radio Two with Shelagh Rogers interviewing MacMaster
during the television commercial breaks).
But
then that's what Cape Breton-style entertaining is all about, right?
Family,
friends and having a grand old, toe-tapping time.
This
is the first time MacMaster has hosted her own music special, although
she's made countless guess appearances on other people's shows.
"I've
done lots of stuff for the CBC over the years," she said Wednesday
morning, not long after making an appearance on - wouldn't you know it -
the CBC during their morning show.
The
fiddler said it was nice to finally front her own televised music
showcase, and not dance to the tune of someone else, so to speak.
"When
you do your own show you're not working on someone else's agenda,"
she said. "What you want to do, you do."
And
what she wanted to do was to let the folks at home experience a slice of a
typical Natalie MacMaster concert, with lots of traditional fiddle tunes,
some of her own compositions, a little bit of kitchen party jamming and of
course the obligatory step dancing.
Joining
MacMaster in concert are guests Jann Arden, who performs her ballad Cherry
Popsicle. As well, U.S. bluegrass fiddler and singer Alison Krauss, who
first met the Cape Breton performer at a fiddling workshop in 1987, does a
show-stopping version of Get Me Through December, accompanied by MacMaster
on the fiddle.
"I
just wanted to do what I do," she said of the special's format.
"I really wanted us to play live, in concert, on the show."
The
TV special was taped last summer at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga
and includes taped segments where MacMaster talks about home, family and
music, as well as showing her playing at a square dance at the famed
Glencoe Mills hall.
The
television special caps off a busy year for MacMaster, who was nominated
for a Grammy for her My roots Are Showing CD after it was finally released
in the States, and she has been touring in support of her more recent
recording In My Hands.
After
a breather at home in Troy for Christmas, MacMaster expects to be back at
it again in the New Year.
"It's
booked for me," she said.
The
musician's next CD will be a live concert recording coming out in
February, and she'll be back in the studio in May. She also plans to be
back on the road in January, touring in California, poor thing.
She
better relax on Sunday and check out a certain concert special on the CBC.
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November
30, 2001
Flamenco Guitarist
Cooks a Rich Broth
By Skana Gee -
Halifax Daily News
OK,
so he was only joking when he said they got engaged. But the music of
rumba-flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook and fiddler Natalie MacMaster was
married on stage at the Rebecca Cohn last night.
The Cape Breton musician - who recently wrapped up a cross-country tour
with Cook - appeared during an encore at the sold-out show, keeping the
audience on their feet with a couple of uptempo numbers including Flamenco
Fling.
"Be the first in your aisle to start a conga line," Cook urged
earlier, as a few brave souls rushed the front of the auditorium to find
room to dance.
He and his five-piece band kicked off the two-and-a-half hour concert on a
slightly sombre note, with the haunting Byzantium, but soon had everyone
clapping along to the calypso rumblings of Viva.
Cook proved why he has an endorsement deal with a certain glue company (he
mixes the product with a secret ingredient to harden his fingernails),
strumming to within an inch of his life on pieces like That's Right. The
softspoken guitarist described the song as "a soup of rhythm,"
with its world-beat influences ranging from East Indian music to Bo
Diddley.
The Toronto-based musician has had a big year - touring the Far East and
working with Diana Krall and classical singing prodigy Charlotte Church.
Last night, he made sure each of his superb supporting musicians had their
moment in the limelight, and percussionist Art Avalos especially had the
crowd in the palm of his hand - even playing what appeared to be a rough
wooden box.
But it was violinist Chris Church, a Haligonian who joined Cook's ensemble
about a year ago, who made the biggest impression. From his virtuoso
playing at the start of the first number to the emotive strains of his
instrument on Incantation, his quirky charm hit the mark with the
home-town crowd. And when Church stepped up to deliver heartfelt vocals
during an acoustic rendition of Fall At Your Feet (Cook's radio hit
featuring The Rembrandts' Danny Wilde), they almost fell at his feet.
While no preschoolers were in sight, just about every other age group was
represented at the show, proving Cook's assertion that his music has
something for everyone - from the contemplative Virtue to the
shake-your-bon-bon beat of Rattle and Burn to the ultra-Spanish groove of
Querido Amigo to the finger-flying Switchback.
Despite Cook's attempts at making the night "a non-stop dance
party," most in the confining theatre were content to clap, sway and
soak up the spectacular sounds.
Next time Cook comes to town, I hope we'll have more room to dance.
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November
27, 2001
Natalie
MacMaster Live at Dorothy Menker Theater
Women of Country
I
know a lot of you are asking yourself "who is Natalie
MacMaster?" Well, the best way I can describe her is an
accomplished artist that is part talented musician and part Tasmanian
Devil. She plays with such intensity that it amazes me that she's
able not just to walk around the stage, but dance, spin, twirl and run
around the stage all while playing a fiddle better than anyone I've ever
heard!
For
those of you who saw the CCMA's this year, you no doubt remember Natalie
as the fiery blonde that opened the show fiddling from her seat in the
audience before hitting the stage and joining Ricky Skaggs for what was
one of the best performances of the evening. Some of you also might
remember her name because we did a Featured Artist section on her back
when her "In My Hands" album was released. Actually, that
album also made both of the WOC editor's "5 Best CDs" list that
year!
On
to the show. I had the pleasure of seeing Natalie at a small theater
here at a local college last night and I have to say the performance and
the venue were absolutely perfect. Natalie, performing with a
stellar 5 piece band, blended just the perfect amount of fast and slow
material into the show. I think one of the reasons that Natalie has
never failed to impress me on an album or live is that she stretches the
boundaries and chooses material that comes from different genres and
different time periods and incorporates them into her show. At one
point in the evening she performed "Sorrento" the classic
Italian love song before seamlessly segueing into James Taylor's
"Benjamin." She even performed an out of this world
rendition of "Flamenco Fling," a lively up-tempo Spanish
flavored piece.
I
have to admit that before I discovered Natalie's music a couple of years
ago while flipping channels on my television set I don't know if I would
have ever taken up an interest in any non-lyric driven style of
music. But there is something about her music that grabs you and
refuses to let you go. The subtle nuances that she can evoke with
the fiddle closely resemble what a gifted vocalist can do with their
voice, and the music to me hits just as an emotional chord.
Natalie
seemed to be having a great time on stage as well, which always adds a few
points to a performance in my book. It's obvious that she loves to
play music, and also has a strong desire to expose her style of music to
the masses. She also interacted with the crowd on more than a few
occasions. She poked fun at the fact that she had to tune up her
fiddle a couple times on stage. At one point she had the house
lights on and told everyone to get up so she could teach us a basic dance
step, and everyone obliged. And while introducing one song, Natalie
provided the best one liner of the evening when she said "I'm going
to do this next song in the Canadian key... A."
My
favorite piece of the evening was "Blue Bonnets Over The
Border," a song that Natalie introduced as one of her favorites, and
one that she has recorded twice, most recently on her 1999 "In My
Hands" release. The songs is a Celtic flavored air which evokes
beauty in it's simplicity. Every time I hear it I transports me to
another time and place, truly a captivating song that has got to be heard
to be experienced.
The
crowd, which filled the 575 seat theater, was a little older than I would
have expected the audience to be, but still very enthusiastic clapping and
stomping along with the music. I guess the younger generations
haven't been exposed to this type of music before, and it's about time
that they were. Natalie's high energy would make her a great bridge
to bring the younger fans into a more "classic" style of
music. The problem is you won't hear her music on country radio here
in the United States, so Natalie relies on word of mouth more than
anything else to get people to discover her music. So, as a music
fan I feel it's my duty to tell everyone reading this that you should make
an effort to see Natalie if she is appearing in your area, and the next
time you're in a CD store to pick up a copy of any of her CDs.
For
those who are fans of Natalie, we're happy to report that Natalie will
have a new live CD and video release next year. It's slated for a
February release in Canada, to follow a couple months later in the
USA. She will also appear in her very first Canadian television
special on CBC-TV on Sunday, December 2nd at 8PM.
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Celebrity
Chef
Natalie MacMaster Craves Chocolate Over The Holidays
Patricia Checchia - TV Guide (Dec 1 issue)
Natalie
MacMaster has a secret: she is a chocolate fanatic. Canada's
princess of the fiddle names her mom's Tweed squares as a favorite treat
to calm her chocolate cravings. Unfortunately, she only gets them
when she's home for a visit, which isn't often since she spends so much
time on the road.
If you missed MacMaster performing in your home town, you can catch her
live in Natalie MacMaster - My Roots are Showing (Sunday, CBC). The
hour-long special features concert footage from her performances in
Mississauga, ON, and Cape Breton Island, and is the result of three years
of hard work. While MacMaster had a blast making the show, there was
one thing about being recorded for television that took her by
surprise. "I must say I can't get over the faces I make (when
I'm performing). I watch myself and laugh," she says.
Because of her busy concert schedule, MacMaster is looking forward to
taking a well-deserved break and spending the holidays with her friends
and family. Her favorite holiday tradition is wrapping the
gifts. "I'm not a fancy wrapper," she says. "I
put time and effort into wrapping for people outside the family. My
mom buys a big pile of bargain paper and we wrap all the gifts. And
you don't use the big special ribbon on those."
While she's wrapping presents, MacMaster will undoubtedly be munching on
an aforementioned Tweed square. "I eat them all the time,"
she says. "I love them." She adds that there is a
reason why they are so good. "When you chop the chocolate,
don't chop it fine. Chop it coarsely." This way, the chunks
stay as chunks. And, a true chocoholic understands the importance of
biting into hunks of chocolate in deserts.
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November
17, 2001
Canuck stars sell New York
Marilyn Smuldres
- The Halifax Daily News
Natalie
MacMaster wants Canadians to travel to New York.
Fiddler Natalie MacMaster and This Hour Has 22 Minutes star Colin Mochrie
are among the dozens of famous Canadians urging not-so-famous Canadians to
travel to New York City and spend.
The Canada Loves New York Weekend is slated for Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. Dreamed
up by George Cohon of McDonald's, Senator Jerry Grafstein and Roots
co-founder Don Green, the weekend is intended to show support for New
Yorkers coping with Monday's plane crash and the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks.
A highlight of the weekend is a rally set for Saturday, Dec. 1.
Canadians are urged to meet at the historic Roseland Ballroom, 239 W 52nd
Street for "an unforgettable display of patriotism and
solidarity." Every Canadian who attends will receive a Canada Loves
New York baseball cap by Roots Canada.
Over the next few weeks, Canadians will be bombarded with radio,
television and newspaper ads about the weekend.
MacMaster, on tour in the U.S., made a detour to New York City on Nov. 1
to appear in the TV commercials filmed at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in
Manhattan.
Prime
Minister Jean Chretien, hockey greats Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros and Mark
Messier, and actors Dan Aykroyd, Kim Cattrall and Jason Priestly also
appear in ads.
"Our Canadian creative people were inspired by the I Love New York
commercial New York state made after the Sept. 11 tragedy and wanted to
create a response that expressed Canada's solidarity and kinship,"
said Larry Wolf, chairman of Wolf Advertising, at a Toronto news
conference.
Organizers have persuaded the private sector to offer deals to lure
Canadians to spend a weekend in the "city that never sleeps."
More information is available on-line at www.canadalovesny.com.
The Web site features a graphic of the Statue of Liberty draped in a
Canadian flag.
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November
2, 2001
Review of Birchmere Concert
Joe Heim -
Washington Post
It
was a night of wild-eyed jigs, reels and strathspeys at the Birchmere on
Wednesday, as the young Canadian fiddle player Natalie MacMaster displayed
the verve and musicianship that has won over fans to both her traditional
and her updated Celtic styles.
A
native of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, MacMaster is just 29, but having grown
up in a family of musicians that includes the acclaimed fiddle player
Buddy MacMaster, her uncle, she already has a lifetime of
experience.
Performing
with a lively five-piece band, she put forth an energetic instrumental
concert that reflected the years she has spent steeped in traditional Cape
Breton and Scottish tunes. MacMaster dances as exuberantly as she plays.
Wearing sparkling gold pants -- presumably not traditional garb -- she was
a curly-haired ball of perpetual motion on up-tempo songs like
"Daniel's Jig" and "Flamenco Fling," bouncing about on
her toes as if she had just returned from her fifth Starbucks run of the
day.
A
combustible virtuoso, she sawed away on her fiddle while tap-dancing and
then executing a flawless moonwalk; it's no wonder she needs to towel off
more often than Michael Jordan. Between songs, MacMaster entertained with
her quirky sense of humor and also led the audience in a shuffling,
jumping square-dance lesson that was no easy feat between the tables and
chairs of the crowded hall.
There
were occasional flights of Riverdance schmaltz -- her playing on the
lovely Scottish air "Blue Bonnets Over the Border" was
overwhelmed by the insistent, overheated rhythm section -- but MacMaster
reined herself in before straying too far. Later, on "Mary
Scott," she was accompanied only by the pianist, and the results were
far more satisfying.
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October
22, 2001
Fan Review - Natalie/Jesse Cook Montreal Show
Danny Smith -
Montreal, Quebec
Show
Date: October 6th 2001
Location: Olympia Theatre Montreal, Quebec
Approx Spectators: 500 to 600
Time Started: 20:00
Approx Time Ended: 23:15
The
first set started off with Natalie MacMaster and band.
The band composed of; Natalie on fiddle of course, Allan Dewar on piano,
John Chiasson on bass guitar, Brad Davidge on acoustic & electric
guitar, Art Avalos on percussion and Miche Pouliot on drums.
May
I start off by saying that the ONLY disappointment of the
set was, that there was only ONE set. I, and the
crowd, could have easily enjoyed another full set of the energetic
performance. The time limitations meant that she did not do much
step dance or story telling and did not have much time to exploit the full
talent of the rest of her band. Having said that, as you may have guessed
the show was fantastic. Natalie played a variety of Airs, Jigs, Marches,
Strathspeys and Reels in good old-fashioned Cape Breton style.
I
have seen many of her shows and this one follows the same great energetic
involving style that, I presume, makes her popular. She made the
crowd laugh, enjoys speaking to them (she even brought out her French!),
invites them all to dance and simply have fun. She had two young
step dancers from a local school (The Celtic Grace Dancers) for a tune and
invited a young girl from the crowd to dance "French Canadian"
style.
Her
playing of "Tullochgorum", as usual, was nothing short of
spectacular and mesmerizing. I will never tire of the chance to
witness it live. The set finished off with a "blast" of tunes
and of course a standing O and an encore.
The
second set was Jesse Cook and band. The band composed of;
Jesse on acoustic guitar, Etric Lyons on bass guitar, Kevin Laliberte on
rhythm acoustic guitar & synthesizer, Chris Church on violin, Art
Avalos on Percussion (he played both sets, but his talent really came out
with Jesse) and Paul Antonio on drums.
Musically
it was as involving as Natalie's set, although Natalie and her band
deliver a more energetic stage performance (you should see a full two set
Natalie show…WOW). The crowd equally enjoyed themselves. There was
a lot of clapping to the rhythm. Jesse also does a great job at motivating
the crowd. The two styles mix together excellently. Both are happy,
involving and emotional.
There’s
no doubting Jesse’s talent, he simply "rips" on his guitar.
The highlight of the second set, for me anyway, was the incredible dual
drum solos by Art Avalos and Paul Antonio. What a duel. Each in turn and
then together, exploded on their drum kits. The only complaint would be
that Jesse seems "held back" by the band and the composed tune.
In certain passages in a given tune you see the full of his talent
surface, but he must generally play within the boundaries of the other
musicians and of the song at hand. I would love to see him solo, that must
be impressive.
All
in all, Jesse’s band does a great job at relaying the performed tunes,
but seems to lack the "dirt on the strings" of the Cape Breton
style that adds so much emotion. Of course Jesse also got a standing O and
the now customary encore. He came back on and performed a song in which
the violin player sang. During the second tune of the encore, Natalie came
on and played with Jesse. The two of them get along great and did a little
duel of their own. What a great way to close up an already great show!
The
sound was great. Better than most small venue shows, except for the bottom
end of the bass spectrum was a little heavy and boomy. More importantly,
all of the instruments were clear, precise, and easily distinguishable.
None were shrill, offensive or drowned out. Good job to Andy Deveau the
soundman, who is also Natalie’s road manager.
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October
20, 2001
Master Of The Fiddle
Lisa Wilton -
Calgary Sun
Natalie
MacMaster just couldn't help herself.
Backstage at this year's Canadian Country Music Awards, the flame-tressed
Cape Breton fiddler was getting ready for her show-opening performance
when she heard the sweet sound of bluegrass coming from one of the
dressing rooms.
"I just heard the music so I walked in and started playing
along," recalls MacMaster, who won best roots performance later that
evening.
"It was Ricky Skaggs and his band just jamming. We played for about
20 minutes, and it was really fun ... It's rare when that kind of
spontaneity happens, but when it does, it's really special."
MacMaster says country and celtic music lend themselves well to impromptu
performance.
"(Most country and celtic musicians) grew up like that," she
says.
"The
music is mostly acoustic, instruments don't have to be plugged in so you
can get together and play in the kitchen if you want."
While she loves playing off-the-cuff in certain situations, the recording
studio is where she draws the line.
"I don't like to jam in the studio because I like to be
prepared," says MacMaster, who will play the Jubilee Auditorium on
Tuesday with guitarist Jesse Cook.
"In the studio I definitely have an agenda. I try to be organized and
jamming just doesn't work."
Though she won't be hitting the studio until next year, MacMaster is
releasing her first live CD in January.
Recorded for a CBC broadcast earlier this year in Mississauga, the CD will
feature her more popular live songs.
"There's such a huge difference between a live recording and a studio
recording," she says.
"Even if you really try, it's hard to get the live sound in a studio.
You can capture the energy to a certain point, but it's not the same as
performing in front of hundreds of people. There's an excitement there.
"The thing with recording in a studio is that you have the tools
available to make it sound perfect. You're sacrificing a bit of the live
energy but you get an amazing sound."
MacMaster is a veteran performer, having played the fiddle since the age
of nine.
Until recently, she was playing up to 250 shows a year, which garnered her
the reputation as one of Canadian music's hardest working musicians.
"I was hoping to take time off this summer, but I couldn't do
it," she says. "I was disappointed because I've totally missed
out on summer now.
"I've had to cut down my shows to 150 a year so that I could make
room for other things in my life."
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October
19, 2001
MacMaster And Cook: Two Shows In One
Jeanine Soodeen -
Victoria News
It's
half the workload but twice the fun, as two noted performers travel
throughout the country - together with their band and crew.
That's how Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster sees her month-long,
cross-Canada tour with guitar virtuoso Jesse Cook, which comes to the
Royal Theatre Oct. 21.
"It's more fun," MacMaster says of the current tour.
"There's another band on the road. Musically, it's exciting
because there's another style (of music involved)."
Rather than performing both sets of each night's performance, MacMaster
and Cook alternate as the main feature of each set.
However, fiddle fans will still receive a full performance from MacMaster,
in the style the Canadian fiddle sensation has become famous for.
"It's definitly me up there...I definitly go into fiddle mode.
I'm presenting the music to a crowd. We are performers as well as
musicians," MacMaster says. "I always prepare for a show
to get into that frame of mind...By the time you're ready to go on stage,
you're in that mood."
That vibrant performance atmosphere has now been captured in a live TV
show that was recorded a couple of months ago and that will air on CBC in
December. A CD and DVD of the show will also be released.
MacMaster's live recordings, she explains, are unlike those of most
musicians.
"Generally speaking, a lot of live CD's (feature) the hits - all the
songs people are familiar with. It's a little different for me
because I don't work off my hits. A lot of the stuff we play live
(has not been) previously recorded."
But then, turning out hits isn't necessarily what MacMaster is after,
given that she's been playing the fiddle since she was nine years
old. Rather than playing the music that is curr ntl popular,
she has been popularizing the music she loves to play. It's an
approach that her audiences respond to and they are fascinated to see her
perform.
"If I put out a single and it goes No. 1 on the pop charts, that's
great...What I do is fiddle music. The fiddle is an expression of my
personality and my voice. I play the music I love to play."
MacMaster appreciates many styles of music, however. It was through
experimenting with various musical styles on In My Hands that she first
collaborated with Cook, as well as with other special guests.
She and Cook have since combined their talents to present their two shows
in one concert.
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October
18, 2001
MacMaster Of Her Domain
Mike Devlin -
Victoria Times Colonist
The
red-hot theatre tour featuring fiddler Natalie MacMaster and flamenco
guitarist Jesse Cook is making not one but two stops on Vancouver Island
this weekend.
What's more, the pair plays not two, but four shows together - all of
which are sold out.
The concerts mark the long-awaited return of both MacMaster and Cook,
supremely talented instrumental artists who have long been Island
favourites. The Cape Breton fiddler is particularly popular here, as
her blend of traditional jigs and reels are loved by both young and old.
MacMaster's career has been on a generous up-swing recently. Last
year along, she scored a coveted Grammy Award nomination and won awards in
three of the top categories at the East Coast Music Awards.
She has also filmed an upcoming television special which will coincide
with the release of a live album.
Cook, an acclaimed Toronto guitarist, also has been hotter than salsa
lately. He produced a number of songs on the new album by
14-year-old Welsh soprano Charlotte Church, who brought Cook along for her
recent guest appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Both on their own and together, it's the combination of MacMaster's fiddle
and Cook's flamenco guitar that should make for a weekend of unbeatable
music. Those lucky enough to have tickets this weekend will see a
pair who are both headed for bigger stages in the not-so distant future.
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October
18, 2001
Instrumental Artists
Mike Devlin -
Victoria Times
There
is an uncanny amount of overlap between flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook and
fiddler Natalie MacMaster, and not all of it has to do with music.
"There are a lot of similarities between us," said MacMaster
during a tour stop in Saskatoon. "Including our hair."
Since she brought it up, the matter of the pair's kinky blond manes did
spring to mind when the two performers announced their national
co-headlining tour months ago.
MacMaster says what eventually drew her in to the tour was not the thought
of comparing hair tips on tour; rather, it was the possibility of fusing
her traditional fiddle work with Cook's passionate guitar stylings each
night that won her over.
"Our demographic is a lot the same. But the fact that we are
both instrumental artists doing traditional music that combines
traditional styles with some New Age sounds is also similar."
There's
more. The last three albums by both Cook and MacMaster have been
certified Gold (50,000 copies sold). As well, the two are considered
among the kindest performers in Canada has to offer (Cook's rapid-fire
witticisms are matched only by his flaming fretwork, while MacMaster's
East Coast sensibilities draw in as many fans as her music does.
Both have also been featured soloists on tours with The Chieftains. They
are also Juno Award winners, and won a Gemini Award for "Best
Performance in a Variety Program or Series" together.
In fact, it was the latter award, which the two won for their performance
at the 1999 Juno Awards broadcast, that prompted discussion of the current
tour. It hits Nanaimo for two shows on Saturday before stopping in
Victoria for two more on Sunday.
The two have since become fast friends, even though their appearance at
the Junos marked only the second time Cook and MacMaster had formally met
each other. "In fact, we had only met shortly before
then," MacMaster said.
"The first time we met was in the studio when I asked him to play on
my album. About three or four days after that studio thing we got a
call from Juno headquarters asking us to play together. And then we
won a Gemini for it."
That's the kind of blessed careers these two have had - or, more to the
point, how talented each performer is at his respective instrument.
Within the past year, MacMaster has won a heap of accolades for her
fiddle-playing efforts: Last year alone, her 1999 album In My Hands
scored a coveted Grammy Award nomination, for Best Roots & Traditional
Album, and won many awards in three of the top categories at the East
Coast Music Awards.
MacMaster says that having success as an instrumental artist alleviates a
lot of pressure that full bands have to face, but it is by no means an
easier road to travel. "Being an instrumental artist in one way
is kind of tough because you can't rely on a lot of radio play to boost
you, which is the main tool these days.
"When you don't have that element, it's kind of a drawback, but there
are so many other ways where I can do anything I want. I'm no
pigeon-holed as a country artist or a pop artist. And I am just so
excited by the fact that I will have a long recording career. I love
that."
The 29-year-old Halifax resident has already enjoyed a lengthy career in
many respects. MacMaster grew up in the Cape Breton town of Troy,
and was raised a practicing Catholic by Scottish parents. Music ran
rampant in her family - taught by her uncle, Maritime fiddle legend Buddy
MacMaster, she had already played her first concert by the age of 10.
A teenager by the time she put out her first CD, Four on the Floor, she
was being matched for local supremacy by none other than her cousin,
Ashley MacIsaac.
But where MacIsaac has stalled, MacMaster has flourished. In the
works is her first live CD, which was recorded over three locations: A
summer concert in Mississauga, a square dance at the Glencoe Mills in Cape
Breton; and a house party ceilidh in Cape Breton.
A television special chronicling those events will air Dec. 2 on CBC
television. Funded and created by MacMaster herself, this will be
far different from what she's done in the past.
"A lot of the stuff that's been done on me was people focusing on the
traditional part of what I do," she said. "That's all
great and it's an important part of what I do, but it is only a part of
it."
Her career is open to discussion at the moment. Something may
even come of her current tour with Cook. But even if it doesn't,
MacMaster says the tour - which sees each performer play a 50-minute set,
then join together for a fiddle versus guitar finale - will leave an
indelible impact on her.
"You get so many new ideas and new experiences that lead you to think
differently. There are so many great people to work with out
there. You work with one person on one recording project and then
you want to try someone else because it represents something new.
It's such a creative process and that is so exciting."
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October
15, 2001
Natalie Proves To Be In Fine Fiddling Fettle
John Kendle -
Winnipeg Sun
God
bless Natalie MacMaster.
With bombs falling in Afghanistan, anthrax scares making people afraid of
their talcum powder and many millions of people understandably worried for
the future, it's entertainers such as MacMaster who can remind us the here
and now can still be enjoyed.
Which is what the Cape Breton fiddler did for a sellout crowd of 1,445 at
Pantages Playhouse last night -- jigging, reeling and step-dancing her way
into the hearts of all in attendance.
MacMaster's an attractive young woman with a virtuoso talent. But the fact
she's so unassuming about her looks and her playing is what really makes
her shine. She just gets up, grins, sways, skips, leaps and flat out plays
until you can't resist.
MacMaster opened alone in a spotlight, bowing a haunting reel which slowly
gave way to an uptempo roar built on by her not-overly-dominating
five-piece band.
Even in her quieter moments, Natalie's intensity overwhelms. As she
stretched for notes and tones last night, her brow would furrow but she
would always grin as she grasped every sound.
If it's true Tim Hortons' medium double-doubles keep her going, may she
never be too far away from one.
As for Jesse Cook, well, he was impressive despite the fact there are at
least three reasons to be suspicious of this cat.
The first is that he records for Narada, a California "New Age"
label not known for its sense of adventure. The second is that he purports
to play "rumba flamenco with a taste of the global village" -- a
recipe for overly-earnest world music played by white guys if ever there
was one.
Finally, there's that hair -- a combination of Ron Duguay ringlets and
Michael Bolton mullet that gives the impression he may be an over-emoting
hoser.
But the Juno-winning Cook proved a fluid, if not overly flashy, player who
indulges his crowd with a high-powered band that gives his music a
propulsion that brings it and the audience to life.
Cook can be overly ambitious, as on Byzantium Underground, an occidental
odyssey which was overwhelmed by the synthesized violin of sideman Chris
Church. But a hybrid Cook described as "rumba meets bhangra meets Bo
Diddley" was a successful outing. The crackle of Who Do You Love? did
somehow meld with the electric raga beat, and Cook really did shine.
For the most part, though, Cook's set was funkily modified rumba -- the
sort that sets toes tapping and hands clapping. And it did, even earning
Cook, his relentless guitar runs and his five-piece band a standing O
after his hour was done.
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October
14, 2001
Review Of: Cook/MacMaster
Hubert O'Hearn - Chronicle-Journal, Thunder Bay, ON
If
you weren't at the Community Auditorium on Sunday night to hear Jesse Cook
and Natalie MacMaster, and if you have talked to anyone since then who was
there, the following cannot be categorized as new information. Man,
did you miss a great show!
Actually, even Great Show sounds pathetically weak to my ear. This
was the single finest concert I have ever heard in all my years of
covering events at the Auditorium. Yes, hyperbolic though it may be,
that is the only way of putting it. Cook and MacMaster each played a
one hour set, in that order, then came together for a joint encore.
The sheer energy and virtuosity of the flamenco guitarist and the Cape
Breton fiddler started at a level somewhere approaching Heaven and never
sank for a single second. Even the near sell-out Thunder Bay audience,
notoriously reserved in their appreciation of musical acts, stood and
clapped along spontaneously, enthusiastically and - Yes! - with a sheer
joy aimed at the wonderful young Canadians knocking themselves out for the
audience's pleasure.
It
was a masterpiece of booking, whoever first had the bright idea of putting
Cook and MacMaster together. Jesse Cook just may be the coolest guy
in Canada, never breaking either a sweat or a guitar string while rifling
off crystal clear solos with the precision of a laser beam. Natalie
MacMaster is simply one of the most likable people you'd ever want to see
on stage. As she herself said, you'd think that 1,000 people were
sat in her kitchen. An additional surprise was the entrance of two
local step dancers into her act, one of which was TBT weather person Fiona
Gardiner. Nice job, Fiona.
The contrast of styles also was evident in the production details.
For Cook, the basic lighting scheme, brilliantly executed, was a mixture
of Spanish reds, golds and purples. There was a great sense of
drama, starting with a solitary beam isolating hands clapping out a
flamenco beat.
Natalie MacMaster, as befits her music, had a simpler lighting plot,
though no less effective. Naturally, being primarily a Celtic
performer, her standard backlight was a warm green. There was also
more dance and interactive comedy with her band members than Cook's
group. Both back-up bands were given extensive solos. Both
back-up bands also featured the extraordinary percussionist Art Alamos (I
Really hope I've spelled that correctly).
There is one thing that I dearly wish would happen. This may
properly belong in Inside Television, but so what? I wish that the
CBC would give Natalie MacMaster her own weekly variety show. She
has the sparkling personality of an impish sprite and the Maritimes
deserve to be given their due, which they have not been given since Don
Messer's Jubilee was yanked off the air a long time ago. Heck, she
can do anything: play, write, dance, sew her own pants, paint
watercolours and even cook. Why not do TV too? And her first
guest should be Jesse Cook. There. Now all I have to do is get
appointed Vice-President of Programming for CBC ... Anybody reading this
happen to know where any blackmail-worthy bodies are buried? Be
seeing you...
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October
10, 2001
Mixing It Up
By James Reaney -
London Free Press
When
Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster and Toronto guitarist Jesse Cooke
get together, it calls for a little bit of "who's on first?"
For the record, it is expected guitarslinger Cook will perform first and
MacMaster and her fiddle will follow when the co-headliners play
Centennial Hall tomorrow night.
MacMaster and Cook have been swapping places on the bill during their
tour. The understanding is that it will work out to have been shared 50-50
when the end of the road is reached.
"That's the fun thing about it," Cook says. "We're both
instrumental artists. We're both Canadians and yet we're doing music that
has very different traditions. But they're both musical traditions that
have roots . . . as opposed to looping."
Each of the Juno-winning co-headliners is to play a 50-minute set, with a
show-stopping fiddle- meets-guitar extravaganza to wind things down -- or
up, more likely.
"For the first time last night (Monday), we did one where she was
closing," Cook says. "Because I (was) playing with her band, we
did a song called Flamenco Fling from her record."
The MacMaster-Cook Fling is a track on her most recent CD, In My Hands
(Warner) from 1999. When Cook is the closer, the two join for a "melange"
of tunes.
Last October marked the release of Jesse Cook's fourth recording, Free
Fall (Narada). At last word, it was approaching platinum.
Cook himself has recently been in the fast lane, out in Los Angeles for an
appearance on the Jay Leno TV show. Cook was working with young British
singer Charlotte Church, having produced three tracks on her recent CD.
"It was kind of crazy," Cook says. "Who was there? Tom
Cruise was there that day and Tim Allen . . . Jennifer Esposito and all
these big stars.
"It was very strange. It's kind of surreal when you see somebody
really famous and you're standing next to them. They were all on the Jay
Leno show that day."
For her part, MacMaster is making a special appearance at UWO tomorrow
afternoon before playing Centennial Hall.
MacMaster is at home playing such halls, but equally comfortable giving
her Celtic all to a group of kids at a Tim Horton's Children's Camp in
Kentucky or for a square dance inside a tiny hall in Glencoe Mills, N.S.,
north of her birthplace of Troy on Cape Breton's west coast.
"People often feel sorry for me when they look at my schedule by
saying, 'Oh, you're so busy! How can you do that yourself? You must find
it so hard,' " MacMaster says. "But you have to work hard, you
can't just expect to have this handed to you on a silver platter."
Known as someone who brings extra energy to her own shows and special
appearances, MacMaster will help officially open the National Centre for
Audiology (NCA) at the University of Western Ontario's Elborn College
tomorrow.
The NCA is known as Canada's pre-eminent centre of excellence in the field
of hearing health care and houses the country's largest educational and
research programs in the field. The centre is billed as being "all
about sound . . . and how to bring the world of sound to individuals who
have hearing problems."
Richard Seewald, an NCA researcher, says: "The NCA is an extension of
the early work of Alexander Graham Bell, the Canadian teacher of the deaf
who worked to achieve the same goals and in the process developed the
telephone.
"Bell's work was carried out in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the
place Natalie MacMaster calls home, and Natalie's work is all about sound,
so it seemed she would be a natural fit to help us officially open the NCA."
MacMaster will be turning her attention to a television special which
features footage from a summer concert in Mississauga, the Glencoe Mills
square dance and a house ceilidh in Cape Breton. Produced independently,
the special is tentatively slated to air Dec. 2 on CBC. It's expected to
lead to a DVD and possibly a live album.
Two young step-dancers are among those performers adding a touch of London
region flavour to MacMaster's show. Maigan Hominick of Ingersoll and
Courtney Rosso of London have been preparing for their role in the
evening.
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October
4, 2001
Life In Natalie's Hands
By Ian Nathanson
- Ottawa Sun
Keeping
up with Natalie MacMaster's hectic touring pace is enough to make the
average artist's head spin.
At one extreme, the 29-year-old Cape Breton sensation lets her fiddle
prowess light up large crowds during any number of awards shows -- be it
Junos, Canadian Country Music Awards or East Coast Music Awards -- or
gathering on Parliament Hill for Canada Day.
At the other end, MacMaster is equally comfortable giving her Celtic all
to a group of kids at a Tim Horton's Children's Camp in Kentucky or for a
square dance inside a tiny hall in Glencoe Mills, N.S., north of her
birthplace of Troy on Cape Breton's west coast.
"People often feel sorry for me when they look at my schedule by
saying, 'Oh, you're so busy! How can you do that yourself? You must find
it so hard,' " MacMaster says from a Brantford hotel room days before
she and her band (which includes Ottawa drummer Miche Pouliot) join
co-headliner Jesse Cook at the National Arts Centre Tuesday night.
"I mean, gee yes, I do have five hours of sleep some nights, get up
the next morning and fly all day, do a show that night, go to bed for
another five hours and do it all again the next day. It's kind of rotten.
Nobody wants to be pushing themselves too hard.
"But you have to work hard, you can't just expect to have this handed
to you on a silver platter."
This down-to-earth, charming blonde has been lucky enough to share a stage
with everyone from Ricky Skaggs to The Chieftains to Carlos Santana, yet
she'll go out of her way to open this weekend's Celtic Colours festivities
on her native Cape Breton soil. To her, receiving a Grammy nod for the
U.S. release of My Roots Are Showing was just as rewarding as receiving
her Junos and CCMAs, as well as making the half-dozen recordings that
comprise her catalogue.
Yet MacMaster refuses to let every high-status accolade interfere with her
down-home demeanour. "For me, it all happens naturally," she
says. "I get up and I play, that's what I enjoy doing. I also have a
very strong faith and attribute a lot of my groundedness to where I grew
up."
With her music career established and personal life under control,
MacMaster turns her attention to a television special which features
footage from a summer concert in Mississauga, the aforementioned Glencoe
Mills square dance, a house ceilidh in Cape Breton and more. Produced
independently, the special is tentatively slated to air Dec. 2 on CBC.
"We'll eventually do a DVD but the soundtrack turned out so great
that I think I might put out a live album at the beginning of next year.
Then, come January or February, I want to head back to the studio and
record a follow-up to (1999's) In My Hands.
"But I haven't mentioned anything for sure ... I've been changing my
mind about what I'm gonna do next."
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September
11, 2001
Back To her Roots
MacMaster Wins First Award of Its Kind At Canadian Country Music Awards
By Judy Monchuk
-- The Canadian Press
CALGARY
- There was nothing complicated about Carolyn Dawn Johnson's dominance
last night at the Canadian Country Music Awards. The Alberta-born
singer-songwriter took five awards, including single and SOCAN song of the
year for Complicated, one of two No. 1 hits in Canada from her debut
album, Room with a View.
"Wow,"
said the Nashville-based Johnson, who took an unprecedented 10 nominations
into the ceremony, but had never before won an award for her own
performing.
"I
hope I keep making you proud," she told the audience, her voice
quavering with emotion. Prior to the awards, Johnson fretted that with her
family attending the ceremony, she'd hate to go home empty-handed. She
needn't have worried. As it was, she took an armful of trophies. She was
honoured as top female artist of the year and top rising star. Room with a
View, which has topped Canada's country charts and cracked Billboard's Top
10 country list, was named top album.
 Cape
Breton fiddling sensation Natalie MacMaster, who was
Grammy-nominated for best traditional folk album, was named the best roots
artist - the first time Canadian country music has honoured the genre.
>>>
Photo By SOUTHAM
Natalie MacMaster and Ricky Skaggs have a little fun during the 2001 CCMA
Awards at the Saddledome in Calgary last night. MacMaster accepted the
award for Roots Artist or Group of the year.
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September
9, 2001
Get smart: get caught
Get Caught Reading Month promotes literacy
Marlene Habib -
Halifax Herald
 Former
Wrestler Bret (Hitman) Hart and singer Haydain Neale of Jacksoul do it.
They also want others, especially kids, to stimulate their brains with
books. So they've lent their names and faces to the first national Get
Caught Reading Month in September.
The month, which receives some funding from Ottawa, has been organized by
the Canadian Publishers' Council to promote reading and to boost book
sales. It's geared towards readers in the nine-to-12 and 18-to-30 age
groups.
Calgary's Hart and Toronto's Neale, who along with Cape Breton fiddler
Natalie MacMaster are donating their time for the campaign, told a
news conference in Toronto this week that they were lazy readers in
school.
"As a kid I turned away from reading but I enjoyed science
fiction," said Neale, whose favourite pastime these days is reading
the quirky Lemony Snicket books to his 11-year-old daughter Yasmin.
In an interview, the hot Toronto rhythm and blues singer said he had a
penchant for comic books. His three older sisters would also read him
"whatever was hip."
Hart, who will appear at the Edmonton kickoff of Get Caught Reading Month
on Thursday, got hooked on books - especially historical fiction - for
enjoyment and to keep his mind busy while travelling during his 23 years
as a wrestler before retiring last year.
Now acting and working on his own book, an autobiography, he "plodded
through books" in school because he didn't enjoy what the curriculum
had to offer.
"So often kids lump together books as not being cool, but if they
just stick with them they have a way of getting better and better,"
said Hart, who is pictured reading the book Cold Mountain by Charles
Frazier in posters, bookmarks and media ads for the special month.
The
secret to getting kids reading, said Hart, is to feed their interests. For
instance, he recently gave The Red Badge of Courage to his 11-year-old son
Blade - his youngest of four kids - because "he and I both love war
books."
Canada's Get Caught Reading Month was inspired by a national U.S. campaign
started in 1999 by former congresswoman Pat Schroeder. It's now organized
every May by the Association of American Publishers and the Magazine
Publishers of America.
With celebrities like actors Jane Seymour and Rosie O'Donnell and baseball
player Sammy Sosa as volunteers, librarians and teachers set times each
day for leisure reading. Photos of kids "caught reading" are
taken and turned into classroom posters.
In Canada, Ottawa estimates nearly 40 per cent of Canadians - about eight
million people - lack literacy skills to meet the demands of everyday life
and work.
The goal of Canada's reading month is to spread the message that
"like a glass of red wine a day, reading is good for you but also
makes life much more enjoyable and interesting," says the Canadian
Publishers' Council. Council president Harold Fenn credits the American
campaign with increasing U.S. book sales in May, and he hopes the Canadian
event will result in similar success.
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August
13, 2001
Take a Bow, Natalie. MacMaster a Fine Finish
By Mike Ross -
Edmonton Sun (article excerpt)
We
stood, lit candles, held hands and swayed to and fro ever so gently as Ian
Tyson's ancient words wafted heavenward to signal the end of another
Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
Wipe away those tears, roll up your tarp, pack up your trash and get the
hell outta Dodge.
Till next year.
There's an eerie permanence to the folk fest.
Imagine the scampering tots underfoot this weekend in 2055 with greying
ponytails and coffee cups tied around their necks clapping on the beat to
We Shall Overcome.
Scary.
As there are four winds, there are four pillars - the four types of folk
music long ago described by folk boss Terry Wickham as the key to any
successful event here on Gallagher Hill.
You have Celtic. Check. There was a lot of that this year. Fiddles
fiddling. Pipers piping. Bodhrans bodhranning.
Then, worldbeat. Guys named Baaba or Boubacar are considered worldbeat
artists.
Of singer-songwriters, the third pillar, there was no lack.
And what was the other pillar again? Oh yeah, the blues. Had some of that.
Good stuff.
Last night's closers - Natalie MacMaster and Great Big Sea - definitely
supported the Celtic end of the proverbial folk fest tent. If it's true
that fiddle played well is called violin, then the vivacious Natalie
MacMaster is one heck of a violinist.
The Cape Breton native delivered traditional waltzes, jigs and reels for
an enthusiastic crowd.
She and her band kept kicking it up a notch until the dance area was
packed with leaping bodies.
What Bon Jovi is to rock, the Sea is to Celtic, subscribing to the Big Mac
(or Mc, depending) of music. It's no insult.
You know exactly what you're going to get every time and it's exactly what
you want when you're hungry.
By sundown, this crowd wanted to dance, so the Newfoundland band served 45
minutes of full-blown Celtic kitchen party. Great big fun.
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August
1, 2001
Nova Scotians Nominated For Country Music Awards
Great Big Sea, MacMaster, Austin, Guthries among nominees
Andrew Flynn -
The Canadian Press - Halifax Herald
Carolyn
Dawn Johnson, an Albertan who has moved down to Nashville, has snagged an
"astonishing" 10 nominations for the 2001 Canadian Country Music
Awards.
The nominees were announced Tuesday for an awards ceremony that will be
held Sept. 10 in Calgary. Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster,
Newfoundland's Great Big Sea, Dartmouth's The Guthries are all nominated
in the roots artist or group category.
New
Brunswick-born singer / songwriter Julian Austin is up for male artist.
It's the first year that Johnson, who was born in Deadwood, Alta., has
been
eligible for the awards. With her debut album Room With A View logging two
No.1 singles in Canada, Johnson is one of the fastest rising Canadian
country artists.
She's part of the Girl's Night Out Tour this summer with Reba McEntire.
Other multiple nominees were Montreal-born, Medicine Hat, Alta.-raised
Terri Clark with six, Ontario's Jason McCoy with five, 16-year-old
Edmontonian Adam Gregory with four and singer Lisa Brokop, who received
five nods in the independent recording category.
Johnson is up against herself in two categories. For song of the year, her
hits Georgia and Complicated will vie with McCoy's Fix Anything, Clark's
No Fear and Gregory's Only Know I Do.
Up for album of the year are Clark's Fearless, McCoy's Honky Tonk Sonatas,
Johnson's Room With A View, Gregory's The Way I'm Made and Brokop's
Undeniable.
Members of the association will register their final votes over the next
few weeks.
The awards gala, Sept. 10 at Calgary's Saddledome (CBC TV), will cap off
the industry's annual conference, Canadian Country Music Week.
A host has not yet been chosen for the show, but there will be appearances
by Canadian legends Anne Murray and Gordon Lightfoot, the association
said.
Roots Artist or Group of the Year Nominees:
Scotty Campbell, Great Big Sea, The Guthries, Natalie MacMaster,
Mike Plume Band.
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July
2001
Fiddling Up A Cape Breton Storm
Shaun Fawcett -
Menz Magazine
In
a world of popular music excess and showbiz egomania, a pure and fresh
Atlantic breeze has been blowing across North America in recent years by
the name of Natalie MacMaster.
As
this gifted Cape Breton fiddler continues to expand her musical
outpourings, her passionate cult-like following grows every time her
traditional island music falls on new ears. Not only is Natalie MacMaster
sweeping North America like a salt-of-the-earth Cape Breton sea wind, she
and her music are capturing the hearts of audiences in some of the least
likely places.
A case in point was when I recently interviewed Natalie by phone from her
bed and breakfast hotel in unremarkable, Omaha, Nebraska, where she had
just played a private gig at a reception to celebrate a priest's
ordination. She went on to tell me about her group's recent whirlwind tour
of Hawaii, of all places. "Hawaii was awesome. It was just really,
really, cool. The crowds were awesome. They received the music so very
well. It was just terrific," she gushed in her lilting Cape Breton
accent.
An unlikely connection, traditional Atlantic Cape Breton fiddling in the
mid-Pacific islands best known for Pearl Harbor and Hawaii 50. But
somehow, Natalie and her Celtic-music-charisma managed to bridge that
ocean divide.
Deep roots
When
one speaks with Natalie MacMaster, one quickly realizes that only Canada,
and Cape Breton in particular, could ever have produced such a young
woman, so grounded and deeply-rooted in the traditional music of the past.
Almost an anachronism of sorts. The amazing thing about Natalie is the way
she has single-mindedly managed to uncover the roots of her musical
ancestors and then expose these ancient tunes to what has become an open
and receptive 21st century audience.
There's definitely been a two-part package at work here. First, it's the
music that Natalie plays. Its sheer simplicity, mixed with its upbeat
energy, and its deep connection to the past, somehow all combine to strike
an ancient chord in the souls of many people. This is not unlike the
tremendous impact of traditional Celtic dance and music phenomena in
recent years, as embodied by Riverdance, and Michael Flatley's Lord of the
Dance. Natalie has somehow struck the same note with people.
Those ancient Celtic jigs, reels, clogs and marches just fly off of
Natalie's bow, and people start moving, twitching, and bouncing whether
they want to or not. It's knee-slappin', toe-tappin', foot-stompin'
down-home Cape Breton fare at its best. Then there's the other end of the
spectrum - the slow moving dirge-like ancient sea ballads that can evoke
tears from even the most stoic of listeners.
Natural
entertainer
The
second and most important reason for Natalie's success is the
Scottish-descended lassie herself. She is an experienced and accomplished
musician and stage entertainer who knows exactly how to pl | 
