A CARDROSS musician and singer has spoken about how “forgotten people” were the inspiration to her hotly-anticipated new album. Ainsley Hamill is one of the UK’s leading and most diverse singers, shortlisted for awards including the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, and Gaelic Singer of the Year. She represented Scotland at the 2019 Eurovision Choir Contest in Gothenburg, and has appeared at festivals all over the world. The singer-songwriter’s new album, “Not Just Ship Land”, out this Wednesday, is inspired by people who have come from Govan, on Glasgow’s south side. It has already been chosen as The Guardian’s folk album of the month for March, and Ainsley was recently interviewed on BBC Scotland’s Janice Forsyth Show.
A HOST of Scottish talent has been gathered together for the online launch of multi-instrumentalist Ron Jappy’s debut album. Many of them were involved in the recording of the already much acclaimed album, Vincular, and include Scott Wood from Skerryvore. The online album launch this Saturday is the first chance for audiences to enjoy a live performance of the album but it will be available to view until March 15 at 10pm. As a highly sought-after arranger, fiddler, guitarist and pianist, Jappy has shared musical experiences with a vast array of artists across many genres and Vincular is the culmination of his ten year music career.
Keith Bruce four stars ON the evening that Royal Conservatoire of Scotland student Michael Biggins became the first pianist to win BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the year, in the competition’s 21st year, Celtic Connections provided an object lesson in just how far roots music can take you in the space of a song. The starriest name on the bill was that of Rhiannon Giddens, out of South Carolina, now domiciled in Ireland, and here singing movingly in Italian with her new partner in life and in music, Francesco Turrisi, as well as from the songbook of Sister Rosetta Tharpe – a valued resource at this year’s festival. Recorded at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, the duo’s selection of material was as on point as all Giddens’ work: heartbreak, death and transition, alongside the hope of survival.
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Pianist Michael Biggins has been named BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician for 2021.
The 23-year-old, from Glasgow, took the prize ahead of five other finalists at a socially-distanced event at the BBC s Pacific Quay HQ.
The judges said they were enthralled by his stage presence and breath-taking performance .
Past winners of the competition include piper Ali Levack, fiddler Benedict Morris and singer Hannah Rarity.
Michael s prize includes a recording session with BBC Scotland and he will also perform at the Scots Trad Music Awards to be held in December.
He said: The other finalists and I were delighted that the competition could go ahead this year because so many other events have had to be cancelled.
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Ellie Beaton
Ellie Beaton will compete in the final which will be held on Sunday 31 January and broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC ALBA.
Ellie has been interested in traditional music from a young age, brought up with Traditional and Bothy Ballads alike.
She studied Classical Voice at Aberdeen City Music School and having performed alongside Malinky, has been described as ‘a singer to be reckoned with’ by Hands up for Trad.
Throughout 2020 Ellie qualified for the Bothy Ballad Champion of Champions competition at Elgin where she competed against the best Bothy Ballad singers in the country.
Now attending the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland studying Classical Vocal Studies, Ellie hopes to graduate then progress onto becoming a full time musician.