Tradfest would have been starting today, and to mark the day they are releasing new music.
Three dozen artists who would have been taking part have contributed to the recording including acclaimed folk musician and festival headliner, Eliza Carthy.
Others from all over the world include Fiona Hunter (Malinky), Rachel Newton (The Shee), James Mackintosh (Shooglenifty), five leading Shetland fiddlers including Catriona Macdonald and Chris Stout, accordion player Phil Alexander (Moishe’s Bagel), and Irish folk-singer Daoirí Farrell.
They all recorded themselves on video from home for the project under the expert guidance of Mike Vass, Traditional Artist in Residence at University of Edinburgh. Vass arranged and produced the recording.
Edinburgh video maker Ruth Barrie from Waltzer Films then had the awesome task of editing all the footage together.
Jane-Ann Purdy of Edinburgh Tradfest who chose the song with Dr Lori Watson from the Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh; a key partner of the Festival, said:“We were looking for an uplifting Scottish folk song with a summer vibe, no easy task!
“Wild Mountain Thyme is very popular and, like many other traditional tunes and songs, is claimed by both Scotland and Ireland. It’s also well known in North America and around the globe with many, many versions recorded over the years.
“However, ours is the first to include a mass band from Scotland, Ireland, England, California, Nova Scotia and Norway! We are hugely grateful to everyone who has united to create this new recording and hope that it will bring some joy to music fans worldwide, during these difficult times.”
Mike Vass said:“This was quite an unusual but amazing project to work on. Like everyone else I was gutted to have my Tradfest performances cancelled but this has been a really positive thing to put my energy into whilst confined to my Glasgow flat.
“Last week I watched in awe as the emails with vocals and instrumental parts came flooding in from around the world. I ended up with 72 tracks to mix, by far the biggest thing I’ve ever produced. It’s a behemoth!
”One of the main challenges was that not everyone has state of the art equipment to work with so recording was handled on everything from smart phones in front rooms to professional quality kit in sound-proofed booths. Making everyone’s recordings sound like the belong together took some work but I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s a big sound, and very joyful.”
The video will be released at noon today 1 May 2020 on YouTube and social media.
The release of the recording will also kickstart the festival’s fundraising for 2021 here https://www.givey.com/edinburghtradfest2021
The full list of artists appearing on Edinburgh Tradfest’s Wild Mountain Thyme :
On lead vocals:
Eliza Carthy
Fiona Hunter (Malinky)
Steve Byrne (Malinky)
Mike Vass (Malinky)
Daoirí Farrell
Nuala Kennedy
A J Roach
Olivia Ross (The Shee)
Kaela Rowan (Shooglenifty)
J P Cormier
Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul (Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail)
Fiddles:
Holli Scott (Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail)
Fiona MacAskill (Kinnaris Quintet)
Aileen Reid (Kinnaris Quintet)
Laura Wilkie (Kinnaris Quintet)
Eilidh Shaw (Shooglenifty)
Sam Sweeney
Catriona Macdonald (Shetland Springs)
Chris Stout (Shetland Springs)
Kevin Henderson (Shetland Springs)
Ross Couper (Shetland Springs)
Margaret Robertson (Shetland Springs)
Mike Vass (Malinky)
Accordion: Phil Alexander (Moishe’s Bagel)
Clarsàch: Rachel Newton (The Shee)
Whistle/flute: Ali Hutton (Old Blind Dogs), Mark Dunlop (Malinky)
Pipes: Malin Lewis
Mandolin: Laura-Beth Salter (Kinnaris Quintet)
Guitar:Kaela Rowan (Shooglenifty), Jenn Butterworth (Kinnaris Quintet)
Pedal steel: Ross Martin (Dàimh)
Banjo: Evie Ladin
Bass:Keith Terry
Cittern: Aaron Jones (Old Blind Dogs)
Bouzouki: Steve Byrne
Drums/percussion: James Mackintosh (Shooglenifty)
Donald Hay (Old Blind Dogs)
Signy Jakobsdóttir (The Shee)
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
