FANFARE CIOCARLIA ****
OLD FRUITMARKET, GLASGOWAS BRASS bands go, Fanfare Ciocarlia must register pretty high on the Richter scale. From the moment they sashayed on stage – three trumpeters, three sax and clarinet players, pro
pelled by a mighty "rhythm section" of four tubas and horns and a big bass drum (later augmented by a second percussionist), the 12-strong Romanian gypsy band displayed a bravura and ferocity of attack that suggested that in the Fanfare Ciocarlia tune book, very little is marked anything other than furioso.
Out of these brazen maws blasted impassioned dance music that had many of the stand-up audience bopping gleefully. Frenetic trumpet and raging tax soloed against the insistent staccato rasping of the rhythm brass, as repertoire ranged manically through eastern Europe, the Balkans and beyond. Their tradition, we are told, stretches back to the brass band propensities of the Ottoman Turks: one can only presume that, somewhere along the line, it was ineradicably informed by The Flight of the Bumble Bee.
There were songs, too – trumpeter Radulescu Nürnberg's Lume Lume sung with a passion echoed by accompanying sax, while one cheeky little number sounded engagingly like a Romanian take on George Formby's Cleaning Windows . They were still hurrumphing through a Balkanised version of the James Bond theme as this reviewer headed trainwards.
The impressive opening set from flautist Nuala Kennedy's New Shoes ensemble also featured brass, in the shape of guest trumpeter Colin Steele adding a certain carnival flavour to their closing New Shoes set. By that time, her tight-sounding septet of second flute and fiddle (Claire mann), melodeon, drums, double bass and guitar had taken on board further guests in Nova Scotian fiddler/pianist Troy MacGillivray and the inimitable Cathal McConnell, whose additional vocals in the lovely Erin on the Rhine were, sadly, all but lost in the mix.
SHOWCASE SPECIAL ****
ABC, GLASGOWWITH 150-odd international music-industry delegates in town for this weekend's Showcase Scotland event at Celtic Connections, looking to sample the panoply of fine Scottish sounds on offer at the festival, this five-band bill set out to provide at least a capsule of that quality and diversity.
Flying a largely traditional flag – albeit with plenty of youthful mettle – were the Anna Massie Band and Emily Smith, two success stories that began with winning the Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year. Multi-instrumentalist Massie's trio with accordionist Mairearad Green and singer/guitarist Jen Butterworth performed with captivating suppleness and sparkle, while Smith's bright, clear, poised singing continues to gain in assurance, although slightly more of an emotional charge wouldn't go amiss.
Saxophonist, piper and whistle player Fraser Fifield chose the occasion to unveil his new six-piece band Stereocanto, featuring his own soprano sax, pipes and whistles alongside fiddle, electric guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. Dominated by heavyweight jazz-funk riffs, the overall effect varied from brash through discordant to downright abrasive, incorporating some odd musical juxtapositions.
Highland champions Daimh continued their run of particularly fine form since they added Gaelic singer Calum Alex MacMillan to their erstwhile all-instrumental line-up, dividing their slot here equally between rousingly harmonised songs and incandescent tune sets. Shooglenifty rounded off the night in commanding style, running the gamut from blissed-out melodic beauty to bare-knuckle grungy assault with verve and finesse.
THE BOSTON TEA PARTY ***
THE TALL SHIP, GLASGOWIT'S hard to imagine sitting on a sunny porch in Virginia when there's a stiff breeze about your ankles and a queasy sensation of seasickness in your belly. But that's the challenge when you're aboard a 19th-century tall ship (the Glenlee) on a bitterly cold and windy January evening and the cutting edge of Boston's Americana scene are performing for you.
Alastair Moock, Tim Gearan, Kris Delmhorst and Rose Polenzani are friends, but until this year's Celtic Connections festival they had never played together. One by one, they took it in turns to wax lyrical about modern Americana themes: forbidden love, drunken violence, and, of course, regret.
But it wasn't all about shadowy figures who linger on the fringes of society. Punching their tickets into heaven, Moock and Gearan's many uplifting prayers provided the antidote to the girls' bitter condemnations of former boyfriends and tales of waking up with a gun in your face. Tickling the audience with charming anecdotes about getting lost in Glasgow and its "cute subway" their angelic voices would bring soothing comfort to even the most tormented soul.
Later, a 12-bar blues, aptly titled Joy gave a new meaning to the phrase "rock the boat". And while there were a few bum notes here and there (they had barely rehearsed after all), a gritty rendition of Taj Mahal's Fishin' Blues seemed all the more appropriate sat on a creaky boat. These Bostoners will be welcome for tea in Glasgow anytime.
