Celtic Music: Alasdair Fraser

I first heard Alasdair Fraser's playing on a co-worker's copy of The Road North soon after it was released. I was hooked and sought out his earlier albums. I got to see him live with Scottish singer Jean Redpath at couple of Burns Night celebrations at Sanders Theater, Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Later I saw him perform at the Highland Games at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire.

Born in Clackmannon, a rural village in Scotland's smallest county, Fraser has been a driving force in reviving interest in traditional Scottish fiddling in both Scotland and the United States. His incredibly skilled playing on everything from slow, graceful airs and laments to the liveliest of jigs and reels is enough to spark interest in listeners. Fraser has done much more, however. He has started fiddle schools in both Scotland and his adopted home of California.

Fraser has recorded with some of the best artists in Scotland and elsewhere over his recording career. On his second album, The Driven Bow he teamed up with guitarist Jody Stecher. He later recorded two albums with pianist Paul Machlis, and an album with guitarist Tony McManus. The lineup of musicians on the 1996 album Dawn Dance kept together and recorded three albums as the Skyedance Band.

An 11-year-old Natalie Haas attended one of his schools in California, and Fraser encouraged her to develop her talent on the cello. Their first recording together was in 2001 with pianist Paul Machlis, Legacy of the Scottish Fiddle, Volume 1: Classic Tunes. A second volume followed, as well as the award-winning Fire & Grace and the recent release, In the Moment.

Fraser has appeared on many radio and television programs in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and solo performances have been included on the soundtracks of the movies Last of the Mohicans and Titanic.