A polished collection of old and new material, all impeccably played on fiddle, viola, guitar, piano and bass, and features several musical guests including New York cellist Natalie Haas and Irish flautist Nuala Kennedy.


15 MP3 Songs in this album (64:49) !
Related styles: World: Celtic, Folk: Celtic Folk, Instrumental

People who are interested in Ashley MacIssac Cheiftans Natalie MacMaster should consider this download.


Details:
In the late 18th century, the Bogainn MacDonald siblings emigrated to Nova Scotia from the Isle of Eigg in Scotland, bringing with them a rich tradition of music, folklore, language and culture. Some settled in Inverness County, Cape Breton, while two chose to make their homes in Cape George, Antigonish, County. This bloodline proved to be quite strong as many of the contemporary fiddlers from North Eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton descend from this one family. Troy MacGillivray is from this great lineage through his mother, the late Janice (MacDonald) MacGillivray. This CD, dedicated to the memory of Troyâs mother, is a collection of music both from the âold countryâ and from âNew Scotland,â many of which were played by his grandfather. Hugh MacDonald was a recording pioneer and was the first of many to record fiddle music on 78 rpm. He was honoured for his contribution to the preservation of heritage with the âStompinâ Tom Awardâ from the East Coast Music Association. This album gets its name from Hugh A.âs nickname, Hughie No. 11. With so many MacDonalds in the area, it was easy to identify Hughie No. 11, who came from lot #11 in Lanark, where his ancestors settled when they arrived from
Scotland.

Troy MacGillivrayâs 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. Anneâs, Cape Breton and he now holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS. Heâs completed Grade 7 of the Toronto Conservatory of Music for classical piano, spent 4 years in a stringed orchestra and received an Applied Music Technology Diploma for recording engineering.

Troyâs roots-centered approach to his fiddling and piano playing has the power to inspire any audience! With 6 releases to his credit, he has played across Canada, the US and UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and Australia. So, whether playing piano or fiddle, or showcasing his step dancing capabilities, Troy MacGillivray displays an intense commitment to the Celtic heritage he inherited from his Highland ancestors.

Troy MacGillivray - fiddle/piano/viola/bass
Kendra MacGillivray - fiddle
Nuala Kennedy - flute
Natalie Haas - cello
Tony MacGillivray - guitar
Tim Edey - guitar
Anna Massie - guitar
Dave MacIsaac - guitar
Brent Chiasson - guitar
Jason Murdock - guitar
Sabra MacGillivray - bodhran

Track Notes:
1. On September 4, 1991, at a family concert, I made my first public appearance on the fiddle with my Mom on piano, playing Stirling Castle. I got too nervous to finish so I stopped and fled the stage! My mother would often sift through old books and mark "Hughie" beside the ones she knew to be favourites of my grandfather's - The Miller O'Dervil included. The two reels both come from the Skye Collection, a favourite of Hughie No. 11. This track definitely feels alive - the sound of the room lets you feel like you are at the recording session!
2. Surprisingly enough I learned this first tune while in Nashville! The second is an old french tune my Mom found in The Fiddler's Fakebook years ago. It was one of her most requested tunes. The last is named for the Ohio river in Antigonish County and is quite appropriate as Hugh A.'s mother, Mary MacInnis, came from Ohio.
3. I stumbled upon this first jig while doing research in the Irish Music Library at the University of Limerick in Ireland. earlier this year and also heard it from Andrea Beaton. Added to it is a jig by one of the best Cape Breton fiddlers going, Shelly Campbell from West Bay Road.
4. These tunes would note sound the same without the wonderful influence of Time Edey and Nuala Kennedy. Time has a style of his own that blends the Irish, Scotch and English traditions. Scotland's Nuala Kennedy, also from Fine Friday, and originally from Ireland, plays with amazing energy and grace. These are definitely two of my favourite musicians and I felt this track could not be presented any better than with a live, off the floor, recording session.
5. This group is for my uncle Johnny who has always been very good to me and has had a big influence in my life. Thanks for everything! Back in 1989 when my sister Kendra made her first recording, Ostinelli's was the first tune I learned off that released and I have not stopped playing it. We found the tune in one of my favourite books, The 1000 Fiddle Tunes Collection.
6. Antigonish County has produced many talented Scottish traditional composers, including my granduncle James MacDonald (Hugh A's brother), Wilfred Gillis of Arisaig and Colin J. Boyd of Lakevale. Colin was a neighbour of my grandfather's from the Harbour Road and he accompanied my grandfather on a trip to Montreal in 1935 to record the first releases of fiddle music on the Celtic Music label. Last Christmas, we were all sitting around listening to a tape my mother Janice found of her on the piano and my dad on the fiddle playing for a dance. The opened with Smash the Windows. There are various cassettes recorded at my house of the Michael Denny Parties we often had and there is a set with Stan Chapman on fiddle and my mother on piano. I always think of them when I hear these tunes. It seemed fitting to have us all together for this group.
7. While on tour in 2004, I learned this reel that Brent wrote for Mylene Oulette. The second reel was written for me after a sketchy St. Patrick's Day performancein Halifax by Colin Grant, a fiddler from Sydney, NS. The final tune was recorded by Dave MacIsaac in 1986 on his first solo recording Celtic Guitar.
8. This beautiful tune was written for whistle and cello by this Northumbrian Piper. I learned it from him while in BC earlier this year and thought it would be perfect for Natalie and I.
9. I challenged Andrea Beaton to write two different tunes in one - both a jig and a reel. She came through and this the result - a spontaneous and adventurous tune that resembles Andrea's own personality and lifestyle. She'll always be a rig (reel+jig) thus The Eternal Rig. I mean this in the nicest way! The next is one of my own. Since I know my mother's taste in music, I know she'd like this one and say "God isn't that a good time. Couldn't you dance to that!" as she often did. I head Natalie Haas play the third reel in concert with Mark O'Connor and fell in love with her playing Saratoga is one of my all time favourite hornpipes.
10. I wrote the first jig for my grandfather, Hugh A. MacDonald. The CD's title comes, in part, from his nickname Hughie No. 11. It follows with a few jigs that I have been playing for a while. I am a big fan of David Greenberg's compositions and this tune caught my attention the first time I heard it.
11. B flat seems to be a family favourite. My grandfather played in the flats all the time, including these first two tunes from The Skye Collection. The Bridge of Inver is also called MacIntosh of MacIntosh and notes slightly varied. The third comes from a collection of music that JS Skinner played, the fourth yet another composition of his.
12. Obviously I'm a great fan of James Scott Skinner's! My aunt Rosemary would often pick out tunes and put in her requests for Kendra or I to learn; these hornpipes were some of them!
13. In 2004, Brent and I did a lot of playing on the road and this group was one we put together for the shows. It is a big mash of awesome Irish tunes!
14. Winston and my grandfather were friends and I've been hearing his music my entire life. Added to this tune is a jig my fiddling psychologist friend Fiona Cuthill introduced me to, a popular Scottish reel and a reel I first heard from Brenda Stubbert. I finish up with one of my favourite tunes to listen to and play. Errogie is north of Inverness in Scotland.
15. Tradition was very important to my mother and she instilled a strong sense of her gaelic heritage into all of her children - passing along her love for the music and the gaelic language (spoken fluently by her father's family). We were thankful to have had James MacPherson play this beautiful pipe tune with Margaret MacDonald adding the gaelic lyrics from Psalm 23 in a fitting tribute at her funeral on August 3, 2005. "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want".