FOLK

Session A9 are not the only four-fiddle ‘supergroup’ on the Scottish folk scene, but like both Blazin’ Fiddles and Fiddlers’ Bid, they have evolved their own distinctive approach to the format. That sense of individuality is down to the differing ways in which the bands have approached arranging their material, whether with traditional tunes or contemporary variations on classic themes, as well as to the distinctive personal and regional styles of the players involved.

The fiddlers – Charlie McKerron, Adam Sutherland, Gordon Gunn and Kevin Henderson – are supported by Brian McAlpine’s keyboards and Tim Edey’s guitar, with Iain Copeland’s percussion adding further propulsion to their already rampant instrumental sets. The tunes are strong and memorable, the arrangements imaginative, and the playing is on the very high level of energy and sophistication we have come to expect from this excellent line-up.