Press Material
Please pull what ever you need from this. You have permission to print anything that is listed here. Within this document you will find:
1 Quotes describing the music
2 The Concert Dates and info
3 The Players Bios:
4 Review of the CD:
Quotes describing the music:
CD RELEASE CONCERT
Canadian and US National Fiddle Champion Shane Cook & 2008 East Coast Music Award WinnerTroy MacGillivraywith Ray Legere, Skip Holmes and Tiffany Fewster
“An evening of traditional fiddle music, blending contemporary and original compositions with two hundred year old melodies played on fiddles, piano, mandolin and guitar.”
Shane Cook and Troy MacGillivray are coming to ______to release an exciting new CD that is the coming together of Shane’s swinging Ontario-oldtime fiddle with Troy’s driving Nova Scotian fiddle and piano. It will be an entertaining evening of traditional music, blending contemporary and original compositions with two hundred year old melodies played on fiddles, piano, mandolin and guitar. They are joined by Nova Scotian multi-instrumentalist Skip Holmes,New Brunswick bluegrass legend, mandolin player Ray Legereand Canadian Step-Dancing ChampionTiffany Fewster.
CD Release Concert Dates:
Paris, ON
Wednesday, April 2 at 7pm
Edgar Studio
925 Rest Acres Road
at Highway 403
Tickets of info call 519 442 7384
Or email:
Tillsonburg, ON
Thursday, April 3 at 7pm
Tillsonburg Soccer Club Hall
275 Quarterline Road
Tickets and info: 519-842-7811
London, ON
Friday, April 4 at7:30pm
SaundersSecondary School
941 Viscount Road
Tickets and info: 519 452 2770
or email:
Kincardine, ON
Saturday, April 5 at7:30pm
Knox Presbyterian Church
325 Durham Street
Tickets or info call: 519 396 7625
or email:
Opening by The Boys From the Bruce
Woodstock, ON
Sunday, April 6, 2008at1:30pm
Woodstock Collegiate Institute (WCI)
35 Riddell Street
Tickets and info call: 519 537 1050
The Players Bios:
Shane Cook "rates at the top of the short list of the finest fiddlers in the world today," says the Canadian Fiddlers' Hall of Fame. Shane has distinguished himself as a master of an array of fiddle styles ranging from Irish and Scottish to French-Canadian, Texan, and Bluegrass. He is one of Canada's most highly awarded Canadian Old-Time fiddlers, a three-time Canadian Open National Fiddle Champion, a three-time Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion, a Grand North American Fiddle Champion and is the only Canadian to have ever won the US Grand National Fiddle Championship.
In concert, Shane captivates audiences with his danceable playing that is as adventurous as it is technically thrilling. He has toured Canada, United States, Germany, England, China and Taiwan, and has performed with several orchestras. Shane is a member of The Brian Pickell Band - a collection of Canadian virtuosos of traditional music and Bowfire - a showcase featuring the leading names in modern violin playing. Shane also holds and an Honours Music degree from UWO.
Shane resides in his home town of Dorchester, Ontario, having recently completed an Honours Music degree at the University of Western Ontario. These days he continues to perform, and also shares his deep understanding of Canadian fiddle with both his private students and at several annual music camps.
Shane has four solo recordings to his credit including “Cookin’ on the Fiddle,” “Heritage Fiddles” and “Sundry,” a superb and eclectic sampling of several of Shane’s masterful fiddling styles. His most recent release, a self-titled project, is a collection of the most important and influential tunes in his own Canadian old-time fiddle repertoire:
“Relaxed, sprightly and precise… This loving and brilliantly played tribute to the Canadian old-time fiddle tradition brings together a great lineup -- Cook, mandolin player Ray Legere, pianist Kim Holmes, guitarist Brian Pickell and bassist Lew Mele.” -James Reaney, London Free Press
Troy MacGillivray’s musical prowess can be attributed to an especially rare combination of commitment and bloodline. By the age of six, Troy was already impressing audiences with his step dancing skills. By 13 he was teaching piano at the renowned Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St. Anne’s, CapeBreton and he now holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St.FrancisXavierUniversity.
Troy’s extensive tours have seen him tour from Victoria to the Maritimes - even making appearances in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Other performance highlights include Celtic Connections in Glasgow Scotland, the East Coast Music Awards, Celtic Colours International Festival in Cape Breton, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the Barbados Celtic Festival and the Edinburgh Fiddle Festival - not to mention a Dave Gunning tour of Western Canada, and numerous festivals, dances, concerts and events throughout Canada, USA, the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, and Australia. He recorded a television program for the Bravo Television Network. And, he provided music for a CBS made-for-TV movie starring Jane Seymour.
All of Troy’s solo recordings have received East Coast Music Award nominations as well as Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia nominations. This year, Troy received the 2008 East Coast Music Award for Instrumental Recording of the Year for “Live at The Music Room”. Troy is also a recipient of the “Auleen Theriault Young Tradition Award” from the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival as an artist that shows outstanding talent and love for traditional and roots based music.Whether playing piano or fiddle, or showcasing his stepdancing capabilities, Troy MacGillivray certainly displays intense commitment to the Celtic heritage he inherited from his Highland ancestors.
Skip Holmes hails from Carroll’s Corner, Nova Scotia. He is a first call guitar player and is also well known for his banjo, bazooki and fiddle playing. He performs regularly as a member of the Gordon Stobbe Trio and recorded and toured Canada and Britain with Richard Wood. He teaches at the Canadian Conservatory, and is in high demand as an accompanist for Maritime fiddlers at concerts, dances, and recording sessions.
Ray Legere is one of today's most honoured Bluegrass fiddlers. His many awards include five-time winner of the Eastern and Central Division Bluegrass Awards in the categories of Mandolin and Fiddle, winner of two Open Mandolin Championships and finalist in the Canadian and Nashville's Grand Masters Fiddle Championships. Ray's extensive tour schedule includes backing artists like Michelle Shocked, Tony Rice, John McDermott, Alison Brown, Rita McNeil and finding time to be “house fiddler” for a popular French Canadian music TV series. He has recorded for hundreds of sessions and graced world-renowned stages such as Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry. With Bowfire, Ray gets to step out in his own right as the premiere soloist he is.
Review of the CD:
(please credit Sherry if you quote her. She has given permission for us to use this review in print).
When Here Meets There is an exciting new collaboration between two young Canadian fiddlers at the top of their game. Shane Cook of Dorchester, Ontario is one of Canada’s most highly awarded old-time fiddlers: 3-time Canadian Open Fiddle champion, 3-time Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion, Grand North American Fiddle Champion, and the only Canadian to win the US Grand National Fiddle Championship. Troy MacGillivray of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, is an accomplished fiddler, pianist and step dancer; he most recently won the 2008 East Coast Music Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. Individually, these two fiddlers are virtuosic musicians and dynamic performers; together, stimulating and feeding off of each other and their top-tier back-up musicians, they are inspirational.
The album provides an astonishing breadth of styles, tunes, and arrangements. While each fiddler has several opportunities to shine on solo sets that emphasize his particular strengths, my favourite sets on the album are those that Shane and Troy play together. There’s an obvious excitement and spark between the two players and their ensemble that is infectious. Their combined lift and rhythmic drive propel the music forward.
While each fiddler brings to the album a flavour of his own, the contrast between their playing is nothing but complementary. Perhaps my favourite tune on the album is “Archie Menzies”. After playing the tune through in unison, well-matched in style, tone, variations, and ornaments, and yet not erasing the unique sound of either, each fiddler plays the tune through by himself, each version excellent, and each version very different. There can be no mistake that Troy, gritty and strongly rhythmic, plays the tune through first and Shane, slightly smoother, with unique melodic variations, plays second. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear how two of the top players in their respective traditions shape the tune to make it their own. Shane has a considerable reputation amongst fiddlers for his individual, unique style that is not always predictable, but almost always recognizable for its daring, yet ever tasteful, melodic and rhythmic adventures. Troy demonstrates a similar inclination to flirt with stylistic boundaries, most notably in a number of original tunes included on the album. Some will challenge the listener; all will please.
Although the tunes are obviously very carefully arranged, they still manage to sound fresh and inspired, with a spark and energy that is easiest to capture before they have been endlessly rehearsed. Several of the transitions between tunes, in particular, are quite unusual and grab the listener’s attention. The play with textures, both between the two fiddlers and with the ensemble, is also especially effective. Techniques such as soloing, doubling of the melody by back-up musicians, harmonizing both whole tunes and short phrases here and there, and playing in different octaves all serve to highlight the talents of the individual musicians, as well as create an remarkable listening experience.
In short, this album provides something for everyone – for those who like the old standards and those who like the cutting edge. For those who are familiar with the playing of Shane Cook and Troy MacGillivray as individuals, their collaboration will surprise and delight. When Here Meets There, when Ontario meets Nova Scotia, when Canadian old-time, CapeBreton, French-Canadian, Shetland, Texas and other styles and tunes from a variety of traditions meet on this album, the result is truly magical.
Dr. Sherry Johnson
YorkUniversity, Toronto