Name: Live in Cape Breton
Brand: Rounder Select
SKU: 19140
Price: 26.9 SGD
Availability: InStock

Performer Notes

Personnel: Natalie MacMaster (fiddle); Dave MacIsaac (guitar); Allan Dewar, Joel Chiasson (piano); Kim Dunn (keyboards); Michel Pouliot (drums, percussion); Daniel DiSilva (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Dave Hillier.
Recording information: Glencoe Hall, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada (10/12/1997/07/31/2001); Living Arts Center, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (10/12/1997/07/31/2001); The Glencoe Mills Hall, Glencoe Mills, Cape Breton (10/12/1997/07/31/2001); The Living Arts Center, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (10/12/1997/07/31/2001).
Editor: Dave Hillier.
Photographers: Cheryl Smith; John Chiasson.
Arrangers: Dave MacIsaac; Daniel DiSilva; Gordie Sampson; Kim Dunn; John Chiasson; Mark O'Connor ; Michel Pouliot.
If you've been wondering what the big fuss is about Cape Breton fiddler Natalie McMaster, it may be because you haven't had the chance to see her perform live. This two-disc set doesn't provide quite the same experience as one of her concerts, but it does offer plenty of high-energy foot-stomping fun, as well as demonstrating the intriguing contrast between her concert-hall shows -- during which she dresses like Shania Twain and is accompanied by drums, electric guitar, keyboards, and percussion -- and her dancehall gigs, during which she is generally accompanied only by acoustic guitar and piano. The energy level is the same in both contexts, but the vibe, obviously, is quite different. On disc one, she skirls out her medleys of Irish, Scottish, and Canadian tunes over a bed of rock and funk grooves that mesh surprisingly well with her snappy hornpipes and jigs; on disc two, which was recorded in a small dancehall in the tiny town of Glencoe Mills, her playing is every bit as exuberant -- maybe even a bit more so, as the dancing intensifies and the temperature in the room rises. The fiddle tunes from this part of the world have a very particular flavor, and rural dancehalls like this one are their natural habitat. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson

Professional Reviews

NAPRA Review (11-12/02, p.64) - "...Her fiddling is a sure-fire delight, and this presentation...conveys an intense connection with the soul of her roots that just may not be as apparent in some of her other recordings..."

Album: Live in Cape Breton
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Farewell
2)	Fairy Dance
3)	Torna a Surriento
4)	Bog a Lochan Steps
5)	Blue Bonnets
6)	Welcome to Trossachs
7)	David's Jig
8)	Tullochgorum
9)	a Medley, The
10)	Encore, The
1)	Natalie's Intro
2)	Opening Figure
3)	Second Figur
4)	Lively Steps
5)	Jerry Tunes
6)	Pipe Jigs
7)	Grand Promenade
8)	Stepdancer's Queue
9)	...One Good Holler

Album: Live in Cape Breton
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Farewell
2)	Fairy Dance
3)	Torna a Surriento
4)	Bog a Lochan Steps
5)	Blue Bonnets
6)	Welcome to Trossachs
7)	David's Jig
8)	Tullochgorum
9)	a Medley, The
10)	Encore, The
1)	Natalie's Intro
2)	Opening Figure
3)	Second Figur
4)	Lively Steps
5)	Jerry Tunes
6)	Pipe Jigs
7)	Grand Promenade
8)	Stepdancer's Queue
9)	...One Good Holler